The Date Before Christmas_A Novel by Elyse Douglas

Author:Elyse Douglas [Douglas, Elyse]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Christmas novel, Christmas story, Christmas Romance
Publisher: Broadback
Published: 2017-09-13T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 10

That evening, Dina and Veronique dined at Matignon, a restaurant, bar and nightclub at 3 Avenue Matignon, just a few steps off the Champs‐Elysées. The décor was a luxurious mix of eclectic and opulent, with waiters dressed in suits and waitresses in dresses. The music was electro pop-rock—the atmosphere trendy elegance. Dina wore a green velvet Chanel silk sleeveless dress with heels, and Veronique a navy Chanel silk sheath dress with classic satin pumps.

The ladies mixed well with the stylish and fashionable, as they sipped Champagne, dined on steak and caught the eyes of cool, handsome men nearby, dressed in slim suits and leather pointed shoes. And there was a young, gorgeous man with long, curling, chestnut hair, sitting with two older women, all looking fashionably bored. The man openly flirted with Dina, with lustful, lowered eyelids. He wore a slim fitted brown leather jacket, unbuttoned, over a cream-colored silk shirt and light brown sweater. A gold silk scarf was tossed around his neck, and Dina thought he was the most stylish man she’d ever seen.

Veronique leaned toward Dina’s ear and whispered. “The key to his look is the layering. Each layer allows the layer under it to peek out just a bit. I think he likes you, Dina.”

Dina felt self-consciousness and deliriously excited wearing her very expensive dress, her pearl drop earrings, and her new French hairdo. She’d taken on a brand-new identity and been magically transformed, just like Cinderella. All she needed was a dazzling coach and a prince charming.

Veronique had insisted Dina visit the hair salon just around the corner from the hotel, and the busy, fastidious women had worked on her hair for nearly two hours, creating a half-up hairdo with curls. Dina loved the style, but found the girl staring back at her in the mirror strangely unrecognizable. That girl seemed poised, sophisticated and self-assured. Her mouth was even puckered, imitating the French hair stylists’, who circled her chair, examining their superb work in fussy mumbles, making final adjustments with little pats of her hair.

After dinner, the girls went downstairs to Club Matignon, with its dim lighting, gold bullion walls and soft seats. Veronique pulled Dina onto the dance floor and they moved and swayed to the DJ’s selection of electro pop, while couples around them took Selfies and twirled, capturing the lively, pulsing atmosphere.

An hour later, as Dina was sipping the last of the Champagne, Veronique glanced at her cell phone. Suddenly, her smile vanished. Her body stiffened.

Dina leaned over, raising her voice over the music. “What’s the matter, Veronique?”

Veronique shut her eyes. “Oh, my God, Dina.”

“What is it?”

Veronique inhaled a breath. “It’s my father. He’s had a stroke. This text is from my sister, Simone.”

“Oh no… Is it serious?”

“Yes, it seems so. He’s paralyzed on his right side.”

Veronique turned to face Dina. “Dina… I am so sorry. I have to go home. I’m going to have to leave you.”

“Of course you do, Veronique. You must go home.”

“But how can I? How can I leave you now? We’re supposed to leave for Rome on Sunday.

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