I excused myself and went to find the bathroom. After I was done, I went looking for Sebastian. I didn’t see him in the living room, so I headed to the kitchen. I hoped he wasn’t fixing me another one of those awful drinks.

Pushing open the swing door to the kitchen, I found Victoire and Sebastian in the middle of what seemed to be an intense conversation. I entered just as Victoire was saying something in rapid-fire French, something I didn’t understand: “Emily sait-il elle encore?”

“Somebody call my name?” I asked brightly.

Victoire spun around and blanched at my presence. Sebastian quickly came up and kissed me on the lips.

“I must have called you with my mind. Your name has been on my mind every minute since I met you in front of l’eiffel.”

Victoire’s recovery was as swift as his tongue: “Our friend has la langue argentée – how you say that in English?”

“The silver tongue,” Sebastian translated for him. “And if I have the silver tongue, you must have the gold.”

The three of us laughed at that.