Starting Again

[Red Tressed Imp]

She smoothed the blue midi dress down over her hips as she stood and walked over to the oval mirror on the wall. Leaning in, she covered her lips in M.A.C.’s Ruby Woo. Her eyes scanned her reflection, ensuring that every detail was the epitome of perfection.

After all, reinventing oneself required such attention.

After slipping her feet into the silver platform heels, she grabbed her matching handbag and left the hotel room. As she walked the short distance to the city center, she was the target of many admiring looks. She ignored them. While the person she used to be was way more used to being completely ignored and overlooked, her new persona would be well used to an appreciation of her looks.

As she strolled along, she made certain to put one well-heeled foot in front of the other, making her hips sway. She enjoyed the new shape of her body and the lightness of her movements, but she was still mindful of what she was doing. She definitely did not want a Gracie Hart-style stumble so early on in her new life.

She sang softly, “It’s a new day…. it’s a new dawn…. and I’m feelin’ good…. bum ba da dum….”

The song trailed off as she reached the cute sidewalk cafe where she was to meet him. She offered a polite smile to the host at the podium. “Hello, I’m meeting Monsieur Gabe LeBlanc.”

He returned her smile and added a shallow nod, turning to show her the way. As the man she was meeting came into view, her steps slowed. The website hadn’t included a picture of him, and she’d had no idea of his good looks.

“Monsieur Leblanc? I’m…” Panic. Oh gawd, the panic. What name had she chosen for herself?? She blinked rapidly before the light bulb flared. “Jocelyn Kelly.” She sank her teeth into her lower lip. Had he noticed?

He had not. He was standing to greet her, but paused, slightly bent over the table, eyes widened with delighted surprise. He was enamored by the crystal blue of her eyes and the way her reddish-brown hair curled just so against the pale skin of her neck.

He finished standing and remained upright until the host had seated her, handed her a menu, and walked away. He smiled. “It’s so nice to finally meet you. Please, call me Gabe.”

She smiled in return, showing him a dimple she didn’t know she had. “It’s nice to meet you too, Gabe. And please call me Jocelyn.” Her eyes lingered on his face, drinking in the hair and eyes that would blend in with the darkest of nights, admiring the milk coffee tone of his skin.

“So I understand you’re looking for an apartment. Perhaps once you have decided on your menu selection, you might share with me what you are looking for in a new home.”

She nodded before turning her attention to the menu and quickly deciding on a delicious sounding entree for her lunch.

Her hand lifted, pushing her hair over her shoulder, heart beating fast at being in the presence of such a good looking man. She forced herself to take a deep breath to calm down. The person she was today was quite used to chatting with handsome men. She needed to remember that. She needed to remember she was a confident woman, with plenty of self-esteem.

“I need a two bedroom, one bath apartment in the Le Marais.“

He stared, a inky brow lifted. “You understand that will be expensive, yes?”

She nodded. “I do.” The death of her father was funding her new life, but he didn’t need to know that. He only needed to know she could afford an apartment in Le Marais.

He wrote something down on a paper in front of him and then peeked up at her with a curious smile. “So you need another bedroom for a roommate? Or perhaps a husband and children?”

She shook her head. “No, it’s just me.”

His smile widened. “May I ask… why do you need a second bedroom? It would be easier to find you a one bedroom… or even a studio…”

A chuckle slipped free as she nodded. “I realize that, but my friends and family are already making plans to visit, so….”

He didn’t need to know that no one would ever visit. He didn’t need to know she was completely and utterly alone. Again.

He grinned at her, eyes sparkling. “Perhaps once I’ve found an apartment for you, I can show you around…. introduce you to some people…?”

A blush blossomed on her cheeks – the one relic of her past she was unable to shed. “I would love that, Gabe.”

Meeting someone so willing to help her hadn’t been part of her plan, but it was an anchor she needed in her new life. She sipped the wine the waiter had poured for her and smiled a Cheshire cat smile. She could start a new life here, with the old one gone and forgotten. No one would ever know the truth. She was finally free.