Turn Back Time (The Full Circle Series Book 1) Annette Anders (shoe dog free ebook TXT) 📖

us all to yourself,” Naomi said. “Kai has other plans.”

“Alexander hopes to meet us after work,” Julia added.

“Let’s go up,” Stella said. “Apparently, the tower isn’t well liked by Parisians because it’s such an eyesore, but the views are supposed to be phenomenal.”

“Did you read about it after David suggested meeting us here?” Naomi nudged her shoulder.

“Maybe a little,” she admitted.

After buying their tickets, they rode one of the twenty-five elevators to the 56th floor, where they took the stairs to the observation deck on the 59th floor.

“I have no words,” Julia said in an awed voice. “The view is stunning.”

“Yeah, I don’t care how ugly the tower is from the outside, I’m glad someone built it. It’s hard to believe how far you can see,” Naomi said.

“Excuse me, would you mind taking a photo of us?” a young woman asked David.

After taking a few pictures, she offered, “Would you guys like a group picture?”

David looked at Stella, Naomi, and Julia. “You okay with that?”

“Of course,” Julia said, and moved closer to David.

“Go ahead,” Naomi sighed.

Stella hesitated before she said, “Sure.” She didn’t have to keep the photo.

After opening the camera app on his phone, David gave it to the young woman, then pulled Stella to his side. Her body molded to his as it had done so many other times.

Stella felt a pinch on her thigh and saw Naomi’s hand when she looked down.

“Why did you do that? It hurt!”

“Making sure you’re not daydreaming.” Naomi side-eyed her.

“Geez, we’re taking one group picture,” Stella hissed. “We don’t have to keep it. Maybe Julia will enjoy having it.”

When David got his phone back, he typed something, then said to Stella, “I’ve forwarded it to you.”

“Thanks, I’ll send it to Naomi and Julia later. It’ll be a nice memory of our time together.”

David made a popping sound with his lips and looked at her with his dark eyes. So he hadn’t been able to break his habit of making that sound when he had something on his mind but wasn’t sure how to say it.

Julia and Naomi had wandered off by themselves, and she and David began walking around the roof terrace.

She pointed to the Sacré-Coeur Basilica in the distance. “We stayed at a hotel in Montmartre last weekend and walked up the hill to the church. It’s majestic, and I felt so small, but I also felt like she—the basilica—protected me. Sounds silly, I know.”

“Not at all,” he said and kept his eyes on her.

“Have you seen it?”

“No, but if we have time, maybe you can show it to me?”

“Maybe…” A few days ago she had wished she could see it with him, but now she was afraid it would be too much.

David reached for her hands. “Let me take you out to dinner tonight,” he pleaded.

“I don’t know. What’s the point of this, anyway?” She pulled her hands back and leaned against the railing with her back to the city.

“We’ll figure it out together.” His voice was tense with emotion. She felt his breath on her face as he pulled her close and she inhaled the familiar scent of him; bergamot and cedar—and a hint of lavender. La Nuit, the aftershave she gave him for their first Christmas.

“Are you still putting small sachets of dried lavender in with your clothes?”

“Yes. Busted,” he said and cleared his throat.

Stella looked up at him. She was wrapped in his arms and he didn’t seem able to let go of her any more than it was possible for her to step away from him. She noticed it yesterday, too, when he reached for her hand. It felt so right—and was also so…wrong.

“Stella, we need to talk, and…”

Be strong! You want answers. Get them.

She stepped out of his embrace and turned away. “You have no idea how messed up I am. Yes, of course we need to talk. Because I need closure. Otherwise, I’ll never be able to move on.”

Stella heard the quick intake of breath behind her. She propped her elbow on the railing, resting her chin on her knuckles and sucking in her lower lip.

Without looking at him, she said, “Where do you want to meet? I don’t think a restaurant is a good idea. It’s too public. You know it’s only a matter of time before someone recognizes you.”

“The restaurant at my hotel is fantastic, and they have smaller rooms for business meetings. It may not be the same atmosphere as the main restaurant, but we’d have privacy.”

“Yes, it’s fine. I don’t need atmosphere,” she said and thought, The more sterile, the better.

“Can I make a reservation for seven?” He sounded hesitant, and she wanted to assure him everything would be fine. But it wouldn’t be, so she kept quiet.

“Sure. Now, let’s find the others.”

When they left the Montparnasse Tower a while later, Naomi said, “Kai just texted me about a park with open-air concerts and shows. He asked if we wanna go there with him tonight around 7:30.”

“I’m meeting Alexander at 5 pm. You’re all welcome to join us, and we can have dinner together,” Julia said.

Stella looked at David first, then said, “We thought we’d sit down and talk tonight over dinner.”

“If you two have dates, then I’ll hang out with Kai for a few hours.”

“Sounds like a great idea,” Stella agreed. “But we’ll get together at our hotel later for some girl time. Deal?”

“Deal!” agreed Julia and Naomi.

David asked, “What do you want to do next? We still have the whole afternoon.”

“Has anyone checked the news on their phones since this morning?” Naomi asked.

“Alexander will let me know as soon as he hears anything,” Julia said, then took out her phone. “Nothing.”

“Is anybody hungry? What about lunch?” Stella asked.

“I should go back to the hotel,” Julia said, and looked apologetic. “I know we said we’d do everything together, but Emily asked if we can FaceTime. She’s contacted her lawyer and has a few questions for me. I didn’t expect her to move this fast, but I want to