Winter Legacy -24-

The atmosphere in France was like nothing Jaylee had felt before, there was something vibrant and cultured about it. She wanted to jump out of the cab and stroll around, and she would as soon as she had let Andre know she was here.

"Jaylee!" Andre shrieked when he pulled the door open.

"Surprised?" She asked him and entered his small home.

"Jaylee, what are you doing here? Why did you not call first?"

Jaylee was confused by his harsh tone. "I wanted to surprise you."

"You cannot be here, you must leave."

"What? Why?"

"Because my wife is on the way home with our son."

"Your...you're married?" Without waiting for a reply Jaylee turned and left.

"Jaylee wait..."

"No Andre, one would think that someone's being married would be something worth mentioning." Jaylee had never felt so stupid in her life, so embarrassed. She couldn't even imagine how her visit could have gone had Andre's wife been home, and what about his son?

Suddenly Champs Les Sims did not seem so magical. Jaylee wandered around aimlessly, she wanted to cry, and she wanted to go back to Andre's home and punch him, right in the nose, she wanted to...sit down.

Jaylee found herself in the town's square. For a while she stood staring at the fountain, the sound of water breaking water was soothing, but only to a certain extent. Jaylee released a sigh and looked up at the sky, she hadn't even realized that she'd fallen for Andre, when had she moved from just being fascinated by him? 

Once again Jaylee had been rejected, rejection seemed to be her thing.

When she wasn't looking for any male companionship, men decided to hit on her, she was not in the mood and she couldn't help but snap at them.

"No! No, I do not want to have dinner with you, no I do not want your number. Just leave me alone!" She shouted at the men.

Night had fallen and Jaylee was still walking around Champs Les Sims, as if she had no sense of direction. She found herself standing on the path to some business place that she didn't catch the name of. 

She finally found a place to sit down and she stretched her legs out in front of her and twinkled her toes. "Come on Jay, you're being ridiculous, you've dealt with rejection before...too many times if you ask me." Her voice sounded so hollow as it echoed in the empty street. Jaylee whipped out her cell phone and changed her reservations, she was heading home, and she had no intentions of telling Claus about this trip, she was far too embarrassed.  

A week after Jaylee's trip, Claus found Jaylee sitting on the couch, the way her eyes were following him unnerved him. "What?" He finally asked as he fell beside her.

"You knew, I've been waiting for you to confess."

"What?"

"Why didn't you tell me Andre was married before I traveled half-way across the world to look like a jackass?"

"What makes you think that I knew? I would never..."

"I checked the search history in my computer."

Claus blinked stupidly, he was certain that he'd erased his history. "You should have Googled him."

"What lesson did you think that you were going to teach me?" She turned so she could glower at him. "I'm a grown woman, I don't need to be taught any lessons. I'm not the ditsy teenage girl that you left behind. I've traveled the world, I've matured, I'm a woman Claus Winter."

Claus caught Jaylee's lips with his own and she immediately lost her train of thought. "I know you are, Jaylee Darling." He said in a low sensual voice that she'd never heard before. Claus had certainly inherited his father's charm.

"Don't stop." She murmured back.