“Do you have to embarrass me instantly?” Paul asked him. “Enchanté,” he said, turning back to me and taking my hand to kiss. “You’ll find that Norbert enjoys having his friends at a bit of a disadvantage.”
“It’s hardly a disadvantage to be part of the Lamont cosmetics line,” I said. His smile widened.
“Ah, finally someone you can’t confuse,” Paul told him.
“Thank you for the champagne,” I said to Norbert. “Shall we?”
I led them out to the patio, where Ian was opening the bottle.
“I had forgotten what a view you have here,” Paul said. “I was here once before with Norbert to meet Mrs. Brittany.”
“Breathtaking,” I said.
“Save your breath. There are many breathtaking places to visit on the Côte d’Azur.”
“Norbert should be in public relations. I know no one who can do a better job of selling the Riviera to first-time visitors,” Paul said.
“Does it need anyone to sell it?” Norbert said.
Ian handed us each a glass.
“Thank you, Ian,” I said.
“Let’s toast to what I hope will be the beginning of a memorable visit,” Norbert said.
“How could it be otherwise?” I replied.
Paul’s smile widened, his eyes brightening with an almost childlike delight. We sipped our champagne, and then we all sat.
“Norbert seems to know nothing about you,” Paul said. “Or else, he refuses to reveal anything. You’re a young woman of mystery.”
“Do you like that idea, a woman of mystery?”
“Oh, yes.”
“Then why ruin it with my telling you too much?” I asked.
Norbert roared. Paul looked lost for a moment and then laughed, too.
“Okay. We’ll bore you to death by talking only of ourselves,” he told me.
They did, but I wasn’t bored. Paul had recently graduated from the Sorbonne, where he earned a dual degree in economics and tax strategy. It was clear from the way he descr
ibed his youth and his education that his family had a great deal to do with whatever choices he made.
“Like a prince being schooled in what is necessary for him to rule a kingdom, my friend is being groomed to be CEO of Lamont Enterprises,” Norbert said.
Paul didn’t deny it. He seemed resigned to the fact that his life had been prearranged.
“Even down to whom he will eventually marry,” Norbert added with a slight twist of his lips.
“My family is quite old-school,” Paul offered in explanation. “My parents’ marriage was prearranged, but both claim it worked out perfectly.”
“And your father has no interests on the side?” Norbert teased.
“I didn’t say that, but maybe that’s what makes his marriage perfect.”
Norbert laughed. I was astonished at how honest they were being about themselves, especially with someone they had just met who wasn’t being the least forthcoming about her own life and past. It wasn’t long before an instinctive feeling about Norbert was confirmed. He was gay. His partner was busy tonight, so he had brought Paul. I didn’t have a chance to find this overwhelming. All of it came too fast, one thing after another, before I could react. But our dinner was wonderful, with both of them entertaining me. Afterward, we had some ice wine from Germany, a very expensive wine that I knew.