“Well, my interview isn’t until five. I think we should spend the rest of the afternoon like Parisians. You know, the apartment might be empty.” He leaned close, his beard tickling her neck, as he whispered, “I’m thinking of a romantic matinee.”

“We can’t,” said Lucy, shaking her head. “What if they come home? That sleep sofa is the first thing they’d see.”

“I was thinking of the salle de bain,” said Bill. “The door has a lock. I checked.”

“The bathtub? That would be kind of cramped. And cold.”

“No. The floor.”

“The floor!”

“It’s been done before, you know. We could bring in some pillows and blankets and make a little love nest.”

Lucy gave him a little sideways glance. “The bathroom floor . . .”

He was nibbling on her ear. “What do you say?”

She giggled. “I guess the Métro would be the quickest way home.”

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Eleven

Sue had good news to announce at breakfast on Saturday morning. “I got a call from Sidra last night,” she began, “and you won’t believe this, but Norah actually called the president and told him about our situation! She’s a big supporter. Remember, she not only gave tons of money to his PAC, but she also interviewed him on her show, showered him with praise. Sidra said the president promised to instruct the ambassador himself to look into the matter and see what he can do.” She paused to refill her coffee cup. “So I think we can expect this whole mess to go away. There’s nothing like knowing somebody who can make things happen.”

“That’s super!” exclaimed Pam. “Now we can stop worrying and can actually enjoy our vacation.”

“That’s if the ambassador can actually fix things,” grumbled Bob. “We’re not out of the woods yet.”

“Oh, Bob, give it up,” snapped Sue. “He’s the ambassador. He can fix it.”

“I hope you’re right, Sue,” said Rachel. “It’s definitely a positive sign that the ambassador is looking out for us.”

“But his influence is limited,” said Bob. “This is France, and they do things differently, and they’re not all that happy with the U.S. right now.”

“Or ever,” added Bill, who had minored in modern European history.

“We’ve got Norah and the president and the ambassador on our side,” said Sue. “Between the three of them they ought to be able to come up with something.”