Parisian Surprise Read online

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

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  A Devotional Moment

  Thank you…

  You Can Help!

  God Can Help!

  Free Book Offer

  Parisian Surprise

  Carlene Havel

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales, is entirely coincidental.

  Parisian Surprise

  COPYRIGHT 2018 Carlene Havel

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the author or Pelican Ventures, LLC except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

  eBook editions are licensed for your personal enjoyment only. eBooks may not be re-sold, copied or given to other people.

  Contact Information: [email protected]

  All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version(R), NIV(R), Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com

  Cover Art by Nicola Martinez

  Pure Amore, a division of Pelican Ventures, LLC

  www.pelicanbookgroup.com PO Box 1738 *Aztec, NM * 87410

  Pure Amore Style and Flower Burst logo is a trademark of Pelican Ventures, LLC

  Publishing History

  First Pure Amore Edition, 2019

  Electronic Edition ISBN 978-1-5223-9813-4

  Published in the United States of America

  1

  Allee Bell kicked off her shoes, flopped onto the sofa, and tilted her head back. “Remind me why I thought I wanted to teach school. Was it the excellent pay or the outstanding working conditions?”

  “I believe your decision was based on not working during the summer, but maybe I’ve forgotten. It has been a while since third grade when you made your career choice.” On the kitchen side of the peninsula, Allee’s apartment mate, Tina, stirred the contents of a stainless-steel bowl. Her chin-length hair bounced in rhythm with her whirling wooden spoon. “Rough day?”

  “You said it. The last six weeks of the year, the kids are always restless. Today, a student purposely activated the fire alarm. We evacuated to the playground—in the rain, of course. One of the boys found a frog while we were outside. He hid it inside his shirt and let it loose in my classroom after we were finally allowed to come inside. It was utter pandemonium.” Allee sat straighter and ran her hands through her hair. “How about you? Business booming?”

  “Nothing much going on in real estate. I showed that Victorian mansion on Grand Avenue again.”

  “I love that house. Wouldn’t you love to live there?”

  “No way. I’m strictly a new construction, move-in-ready girl.” Tina poured the mixing bowl’s contents into a pan, which she popped into the oven. She stepped from the small kitchen into the living area. “Things could be worse,” she said, wiping her hands on a dish towel. “At least it’s not your week to cook.”

  Allee glanced toward the oven. “What’s for dinner?”

  “Coconut peanut butter spaghetti.” Tina nodded to an open magazine. “I saw it in ‘Fast and Thrifty’, and I was inspired to fix it for us tonight. I predict you’ll fall in love with it. You know, love at first bite.”

  “Funny. I’m sure it will be mouth-watering.”

  “There’s nothing worse than wasted sarcasm.” Tina grinned. “As you are no doubt aware the supermarket gives a fifty percent discount on the ingredients in their meal of the week. Hence, for two gals on a tight budget, coconut peanut butter spaghetti. Oh, and double chocolate brownies.”

  “Now we’re talking.” Allee perked up slightly. “When my ship comes in, I’m going on a food binge and will eat out for a solid week. And no more casseroles from boxes either, never ever.”

  Tina settled into the well-worn recliner. “Is that never ever as in for real, or like when you swore off chocolate last year?” Without pausing for an answer, she said, “Your snail mail’s on the counter.”

  “Junk, no doubt.” Despite her dismissive comment, Allee went to the peninsula and picked up a stack of envelopes. “This is from my mom and dad. Why would they write me a letter?” She slit open the envelope. “A greeting card? Oh, for crying in a bucket! Next Monday is my birthday.”

  “Breaking news,” Tina said without enthusiasm. “Seems as if something like that happened about this same time last year.” She pulled on the marker to open her book.

  Allee read her card before setting it aside. “I guess I’ve been trying to put my birthday out of my mind. As of Monday, I’m officially an old maid, Tina. Twenty-five years old.”

  “It’s not as if you haven’t had your chances to get married. Wally Johnson is crazy about you.”

  “No, thank you.”

  Tina didn’t move her eyes from her book. “Like everyone else you’ve dated, not enough knight-in-shining-armor qualities, I guess.”

  “Wally is already married, to his motorcycle.”

  “And I bet his feet stink, too.”

  Ignoring her friend’s comment, Allee perused a second piece of mail. “Awesome. I’ve been approved for another credit card I don’t want. This is all a giant conspiracy to sell more paper shredders.” She ripped open the last envelope and peeked inside. “Scam alert! Who falls for these crazy schemes? Listen to this one, Tina. ‘Congratulations! You won the grand prize in Fast and Thrifty Magazine’s favorite boxed meal contest. A representative from our corporate office will be in touch with you within the next week to make arrangements, yada-yada.”

  Tina flung her book aside and leapt out of her chair. She grabbed one side of the paper in Allee’s hand and studied it. “This may be legit. Remember how we laughed when you did that funny tongue-in-cheek thing about how much you loved their Parisian pasta surprise?”

  “Vaguely, but…”

  “What you wrote was cute.” Tina chewed her lip. “So I filled out a form in the magazine and sent it in. I thought someone would get a laugh out of it.”

  Allee shook her head to clear the fog. “You what?”

  “I entered you in Fast and Thrifty’s big contest. Now I’m trying to remember what the prize is.”

  “Probably a year’s supply of their boxed casseroles. And second prize is a two-year supply.”

  Tina snatched the letter and began to read. “You won a trip. For two. Oh, wow! Allee, the grand prize is two weeks in Paris, France.” Tina danced through the living area. “When do we leave? Look out, Paris, here we come.”

  2

  On Saturday morning, five weeks after learning she really did win a trip to Paris, Allee drew a tall stool up to her apartment’s kitchen peninsula. She spread out the contents of a fat packet from Fast and Thrifty Magazine’s corporate headquarters. She’d been so excited she’d ripped the envelope almost in two while opening it. With growing anticipation, she sorted through reservations, tickets, vouchers, and coupons. She jumped when the jangle of her cell phone interrupted her concentratio
n.

  “Hi, Mom.”

  “Good morning, sweetheart. How are you?”

  “I’m so excited I don’t know what to do with myself. I was more antsy than my students this past week.”

  “Well, now that school is out, you and Tina can concentrate on your big trip. Did your passports ever come in?”

  “Sure did, two days ago,” Allee replied. “And today I got our airplane tickets and all kinds of goodies from Fast and Thrifty’s travel agent. She’s been so nice. How’s Dad?”

  “He’s fine.”

  “And Buck and Joanna?”

  “They’re doing all right, too. Keeping to themselves most of the time, which I suppose I should expect from newlyweds. They did come over for dinner last night, though. I keep hoping they’ll announce she’s pregnant, but no luck so far.”

  Allee doodled on the back of an envelope. She didn’t need to be reminded her mother was eager for her brother to produce a grandchild, and for her to find a husband. “Give them time, Mom. They’ve only been married six months.”

  “Yes, thank the Lord. I thought Bucky would never get married, until Joanna finally reeled him in.”

  Allee wanted to talk about preparations for her upcoming adventure. Furthermore, she didn’t want to hear another lecture on how she should quit waiting for Mister Perfect to come along and sweep her off her feet. It was time to steer the conversation in another direction. “Guess what Tina and I are doing this week.”

  “Packing.”

  Her mother’s practical answer made Allee laugh. “Well, yes, eventually. But first, we’ll cut a swath through every mall in Montgomery. We want to get a few last-minute things for our trip. Friday we’re getting our hair and nails done, and on Saturday we’ll do our laundry and pack.”

  “What time is your flight?”

  “Sunday at noon. We’re planning to get up early, eat a quick breakfast and get to the airport no later than nine-thirty. Can you believe it, Mom? In a little over a week, Tina and I will be in Paris. I don’t know if I can sleep a wink between now and then.”

  “I want you to have fun but be careful.”

  “I will be, Mom. Don’t worry. We’ll be fine.”

  “I’m supposed to worry. That’s what mothers do. Promise you’ll call me every few days, to check in and let me know you’re all right.”

  “I promise.”

  After chatting with her mother and perusing the information from Fast and Thrifty, Allee unfolded the map of the Parisian public transportation system she’d ordered through a local bookstore. She and Tina planned to economize by using mass transit instead of taxis to get around the city. Although the prize packet contained dinner vouchers for every evening, they were on their own for lunches. Allee wrote ‘plastic sandwich bags’ on her do-not-forget list. The bags would be handy for squirreling away any leftover tidbits of food from places they ate. She tried to ignore the gnawing sense they might not be able to afford to pay for a midday meal each day.

  Unexpected expenses were piling up—airport parking, the extra fee for expedited passports, new walking shoes, international cell phone service. Last week, Tina discovered they’d probably be required to pay taxes on the value of their travel package. Plus, Allee was losing the income she’d hoped to make by teaching summer school. She ran her finger down a column of figures in her notepad. She would need a temporary job when they returned from Paris, something she was in no mood to dwell on right now.

  Tina opened the apartment door and bounced inside. “Bonjour, ma chou.”

  Allee laughed. “I’m so glad you took French. I wish I had. What did you say about a shoe?”

  “Actually, I said ‘hi, hon’. Or ‘hello, cabbage’, whichever you prefer.” Tina held up a small sack. “And in case I can’t remember the word for bathroom when we need it, I bought a new French-English dictionary.”

  “I thought you were putting a translation app on your phone.”

  “I did.” Tina waved a hand. “But it’s wise to have a backup plan. We don’t have any idea how good or bad our phone service will be across the ocean.”

  Allee turned back to the counter. “The package from Fast and Thrifty’s travel agent came today. Check out all this stuff.” She waved an arm over the stacks on the counter. “I’ve been studying the Paris subway and bus system. We won’t have any trouble at all getting around the city.”

  “Our division of labor is perfect. All I have to do is talk, while you figure out the logistical gobbledygook that gives me a headache.” Tina picked up a stack of coupons from the counter. “Oh, look, we received tickets to an opera. And a concert. What are these?” She held up two vouchers.

  “Railroad passes. We need to take the train if we want to go to Versailles and Chartres.”

  “If?” Tina’s big blue eyes sparkled. “No ifs. We want to do it all while we have the chance.” She grabbed Allee’s wrist. “This will be two weeks of non-stop fun.”

  “As long as your French holds up.”

  “No need to worry about that.” Tina shrugged. “Everybody in Paris speaks English.”

  3

  “Lose the bun,” Tina advised from the chair next to Allee.

  Allee hesitated, while her hairdresser, Cecily, stood with scissors poised. “I don’t know,” Allee said. “It’s been a long time since I cut my hair.” She took a deep breath. “OK, as my friend said, something easier to take care of.”

  “Go short and sassy,” Tina said as she moved to the row of hair dryers and ducked her foiled head under the hood. “When I take your picture in front of the Eiffel Tower, you need to look fantastic.”

  “The Eiffel Tower?” Cecily cocked her head to one side. “Are you two off to Las Vegas?”

  “No.” Allee giggled and wrinkled her nose. “I won a trip to Paris. We’re going to see the real deal.”

  Cecily grabbed a magazine and flipped it open. She turned a page and held up a picture. “If I was going to Paris, this is how I’d want to look.” She flopped the magazine aside and gently pulled up clumps of Allee’s hair. “You have good, thick hair. That cut works perfectly for you.”

  “All right. Let’s go for it.” Allee watched the floor as long chestnut locks began to fall around her. She avoided her reflection in the mirror. Once the cut was made, there was no going back anyway. She’d simply wait and hope she looked half as good as the picture when Cecily was finished.

  “So cute!” Tina squealed far too loudly from her vantage point under the hair dryer.

  When Allee finally summoned the courage to take a mirror into her hand, she checked her cut, back and front. “I really like this, Cecily,” she declared. She tried to think of the right word to describe the look. Flirtatious, maybe? That was as close as she could get.

  During her manicure, Allee caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror and smiled. The short do was a definite improvement over her school teacher bun.

  As the two of them stepped out of the salon into the mall, Tina flipped her fingers through her freshly highlighted hair. “With my fresh foil and your new hairdo, we are simply too sophisticated for this town. No, for this whole country. What do you say we hitch a ride to somewhere where we fit in better—say, Paris, for example?”

  “I’ve always dreamed of going to Paris,” Allee agreed, after she quit laughing. “But right now my stomach is telling me to think about lunch. All I can afford is a fast food burger. Nothing else, not even a drink.”

  Tina sighed. “All right. Celebratory burgers it shall be. I’ll get a bag of fries we can split.”

  “It’s a deal.”

  As they lingered over lunch, Tina said, “I’m scheduled to show a couple of houses this evening. Tomorrow I’ll stop answering my cell phone until after we get to Paris.” She dipped a fry into the ketchup. “If I lose a client or two, so be it. What’s on your agenda?”

  “I considered going to a movie, but in the interest of fiscal responsibility I’ve decided to read tonight instead. Maybe I’ll clean out the fridge.�
�� Allee nodded toward a window across the mall. “Did you notice that sign?”

  “The one that says the snootiest store in Montgomery is going out of business? I’ve been trying to ignore it, but that display is calling my name.”

  Allee finished eating and dabbed at her mouth with a paper napkin. “They have gorgeous clothes. I don’t guess it would cost anything to stroll by and peek in the window.”

  “Why not? The sign says up to seventy-five percent off,” Tina wadded her trash into a ball and stuffed it into her water cup. “Let’s check it out.”

  Seconds later, the two of them stood staring at the elegant display. “I can’t stand it. I’m going inside,” Tina announced.

  Allee smiled, not the least bit surprised. Tina made more money selling real estate than she did teaching school. Plus, Allee was still paying off college loans her friend didn’t owe.

  Thirty minutes later, Tina was the proud owner of the softest, most beautiful cashmere sweater Allee had ever laid eyes on.

  “Even though it was expensive, you got a deal on that sweater,” Allee told her friend. “And I love the color. It reminds me of ripe cherries.”

  “Paris is way north of Alabama,” Tina reached into her shopping bag to touch her new garment. “I might need something on my shoulders if it gets cool at night. Do I own anything that goes with this?”

  “Remember that silk scarf I got for Christmas? We can take turns wearing it on the trip if you like. I think it has a little of that same shade of red in it.”

  “That sounds perfect. Thanks.” Tina squealed and grabbed Allee’s wrist. “I can’t believe this is happening.”

  Allee glanced at her phone. “We’d better get going. I still need to make a run to the drug store, and you’ve got those houses to show.”

  4

  At a few minutes after six o’clock the following morning, Allee decided she should get out of bed and beat the crowd to the laundry room. She was surprised to find Tina already awake, dressed, and eating breakfast.

  Since Tina normally did not engage in conversation in the morning, Allee went to the kitchen without speaking. When she pulled open the refrigerator door, she was surprised to hear Tina say, “Be careful. You can go snow blind staring into that empty fridge.”