Midnight in Montmartre: A French Kiss Sweet Romance Read Online Free Page A

gray clouds had left the sun alone for the time being, and the street was illuminated. Mia thought she would be perfectly happy spending the rest of her days in Paris simply walking. She was dressed in a green silk blouse, a mustard-yellow A-line skirt, and brown suede boots. The green of her blouse brought out the green in her hazel eyes. She was usually dressed in a funkier style, but she wanted to look professional for the visit.
    The streets were so beautiful, with lush green trees lining the boulevard and sunlight highlighting the blue of the Haussmann buildings' rooftops.
    She smiled and said "bonjour" to the pedestrians she passed. Some looked startled, but a few said hello back, and then there were those who looked at her strangely. A few of her friends in Seattle had warned her that the French weren't the friendliest of bunches, but that didn't stop her from being friendly herself. It would help for her to be friendly if she wanted to make friends in this city.
    From her impression so far, Paris was as laid back as Seattle. New York and Chicago were noisy, bustling American cities. She was no expert on France, but the Americans had no patience even for microwaving their meals, while the French, it was rumored, took hours to eat dinner. Plus she loved walkable cities. She’d heard that Paris had big, luscious parks that she could spend hours in, and she looked forward to those experiences.
    She passed an open market and couldn't help but spend a few minutes strolling through it. It reminded her of the farmers’ markets back in the States. The fruits and vegetables, flowers and fish, baguettes and baked goods were all in neat stalls. A vendor was shouting out what sounded like prices for his fruits. She poked through stalls with homemade cheeses and honey and jam. And there were lunch options. Paella, rotisserie chicken, crêpes...
    It was only just past ten in the morning, but Mia bought a savory crêpe with ham and cheese. She didn't have curves for nothing. Of course she couldn't survive on buttery pastries and cheese all the time, but the pleasures of Paris were hard to resist, especially for a newcomer.
    Her mind flashed back to the handsome French stranger from the night before. It would be nice to be walking with him, taking in the wonders of Paris together. They could visit the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, the Musée d’Orsay. He would smile that sweet smile and hold her hand...
    "Stop it," she said out loud. Too loud; an older gentleman turned around and gave her an odd look. Mia was all teeth as she smiled back and shrugged to convey that she wasn't talking to him.
    This Luc guy didn't even ask for your phone number , she told herself silently this time. He just rode off on that scooter of his, so get him out of your mind .
    After she polished off her crêpe, she consulted her map book again to get back on track to the agency. Without a map, she would've been lost. The Paris streets were not in a straightforward grid system like Seattle’s were. The streets intersected and disappeared, curved and led her astray. Even the arrondissements of the city unfolded in the shape of a snail.
    She must've looked like such a tourist with her head in her map book, but no matter. She followed the streets carefully, and she was in front of the LUX agency's headquarters in no time.
    It was a beautiful Haussmann building like the others she'd been walking past all day, boasting blue-gray roofs and a light facade the color of pale butter. The buildings of the city all seemed to be dressed in uniforms while allowing small, unique, and intricate details discernible to those who paid attention. Different architects had designed them, and some of them would sign their names on the building. Mia had read about it in one of her Paris travel guides. On one of her future walks, she'd look out for these details. The city was like a big treasure hunt.
    The elevator was occupied, so she walked up the marble stairs lined with lush maroon