“Bonjour, Tristan,” Blanche said, embracing him. She continued speaking in French, which Sheri couldn’t follow at all when the speaker was talking as quickly as Blanche was.
It was clear from her tone that she was upset with Tristan and reading him the riot act. Sheri stood in the shadows and watched the two interact. She saw the affection beneath the lecture.
And Tristan smiled down at his sister indulgently. Sheri watched the two of them longingly. She’d always wanted a big family. Not necessarily blood relatives, but a network of people who cared deeply for her and let her do the same for them. It was clear that Tristan had that.
Watching him with Gui and Christos over the last week had given her a glimpse into that world. Seeing him with his sister added another dimension.
“Why are you hiding over here?” Tristan asked, coming back to get her. “Blanche wants to meet you.”
She took a deep breath. “I wasn’t hiding. I wanted to give you a moment alone with your sister.”
“I appreciate that.”
“It looked like she was lecturing you. I didn’t think you’d tolerate that from anyone,” Sheri said, without really thinking.
Tristan smiled, and for the first time she realized that he usually had a practiced smile for business, because this one lit up his eyes. He loved his family, she thought. She couldn’t help smiling back at him.
“She’s eleven months older than I am and thinks she can boss me around.”
“Not many people can do that because of your arrogant attitude.”
“Arrogant?”
“Um…I think you know what I mean,” she said, blushing a little because she’d never meant to say that out loud.
“I really do not know. Explain it to me.”
She shook her. “I’m not myself today. I didn’t mean to say that.”
Tristan tucked a loose strand of her hair behind her ear. She tried not to react to his touch. But everything feminine in her came to attention. She almost sighed, but that would have been too revealing. So instead she took a deep breath.
“Looks like she does a fairly good job at it. Bossing you around that is,” Sheri said.
“Well, she is not the only one,” Tristan said, arching one eyebrow at her as he led her across the tarmac toward the waiting car.
“I would never try to boss you around,” she said.
“I might let you in bed,” he said, and they were at Blanche’s side before she could respond.
“Blanche, this is Sheri Donnelly. Sheri this is my sister, Blanche Sabina-Christophe.”
Sheri held her hand out to the other woman but Blanche leaned forward and air-kissed her cheek. Sheri did the same but felt kind of silly. Blanche smiled kindly at her.
“Your name is familiar to me. Have we met before?”
“She works for me in the New York office,” Tristan said.
Blanche’s eyes narrowed as she glared up at Tristan. Sheri took a step back as the affable woman of just seconds before was replaced by someone who definitely resembled Tristan when he was angry.
“I don’t think we’ve had the chance to meet before, Mrs. Sabina-Christophe.”
“Please, call me Blanche.”
Sheri nodded. There was renewed tension between brother and sister and she had no idea what to say to break it. As Tristan’s assistant she was used to stepping in and smoothing over awkward situations but this…there was no way she could interfere.
“Um…I guess you saw the tabloids.”
“Oui. The entire family is gathering to discuss it.”
Sheri took a step backward, longing to hide back on the jet. Even more, she yearned for her small, comforting brownstone. The one place in the world that had always been her constant. The one place in the world where she felt safe.
“Can you give us a moment, Blanche?”
“Certainly.”
“Why don’t Blanche and I take the second car and give you and Sheri some time alone on the drive to your parents’ house?” Gui said.
“I need to talk to Tristan about some family business,” Blanche said.
“I don’t mind riding with Gui,” Sheri said, thinking that would be the easiest solution.
“I would mind. Blanche can go with him. We need to talk.”
Sheri realized that his indulgent attitude toward his sister only lasted for so long. The commanding man Tristan normally was had come back to the surface.
“Tristan—”
“Blanche, this is not open to discussion.”
She shrugged in a way that Sheri thought was distinctly French and turned to Gui. “I suppose that will be fine. You must be on your best behavior, Gui.”
He lifted Blanche’s hand to his mouth and brushed his lips across the back. “With you that will be easy.”
“I’d be flattered if I didn’t know you were always trying to charm anyone female.”
Gui laughed and said, “You always say the nicest things.”
“Your ego can stand it.”
“Indeed,” Gui said, leading her away.
Tristan led Sheri to the car, and she slid inside. She started to move across the seat to make room for him, but he closed the door behind her and walked around toward the other side. She sat there for a moment feeling as if she’d stepped into someone else’s life. And realized that she wanted it.
Tristan wasn’t sure that coming to Paris was the best idea he’d ever had. But he needed the resources of his family and he’d wanted to take Sheri to the safest place he could think of. The Sabina house on the outskirts of Paris was just that.
His grandmère had been a famous actress in Europe, and his grandpère, a director twenty years her senior. They’d had a scandalous love affair that had resulted in a marriage that lasted for fifty years, until his grandpère’s death. And the paparazzi had hounded them all their lives.
Tristan’s mother had grown up with the photographers following her and the world being interested in everything she did. Tristan and his siblings had done the same.
They were used to the attention, but there were times like this when he resented it.
“Are you okay?” Tristan asked, looking at Sheri.
She’d be so easy to care for. Hell, he already cared more for her than he should. But he had to keep his focus, his distance from her, because he knew that she was barely holding herself together and a full-blown affair with him wasn’t going to help her.
“I’m fine,” she said, but she was clutching her purse to her stomach and staring out the window.
“Sheri, look at me.”
“Not now, Tristan.”
“Yes, now.”
She shook her head and turned her body away from his as if to emphasize her determination.
He simply took her chin in his hand and turned her toward him. She had that wounded look in her big doe eyes again and he felt the impact all the way to his cold and lonely heart. She kept her gaze fixed at his chest.
“What is wrong now?”
“Um…I work for you. Everyone in the world knows