Chapter 229

And then, a little more than an hour later, I did it again when the girls finally presented themselves for dinner. I sat in a dark gray suit in the sitting area of our suite, sipping a glass of Dom Perignon and reveling in my good fortune. I looked up when I heard high heels clacking on the bathroom tile before deadening on the plush carpet of the main room, and it was as if the wind had been knocked out of me.

Rita appeared first, wearing a Chanel gown of pure white silk that was nearly see-through because it was so fine. The bodice, strategically dotted with silver inlays, was sheer, and the full length of the dress had an interplay of sheer-and-opaque white silk. The intent, perfectly delivered, was to evoke a bride.

Our final twenty-four hours in Paris remained a dream. It was perfect, and it was hard coming back to our reality in Houston, as pleasant as it was. For the flight home, we had kept the same six-bed arrangement on the plane, and the four of us spent the t