“That was the best month of my life,” Gigi says, not too dramatically, as the car pulls away and the row of white houses becomes a blur in the rearview mirror.

“There’s going to be two stops,” Bridget tells the driver. “You can make a left at the square.”

As the car turns, Bridget sees Galen waiting for her on his front porch. The car stops and Galen lifts Bridget’s suitcase out of the trunk while Bridget and Gigi step out of the car to say their goodbyes.

“I’ll miss you” Gigi whispers as she hugs Bridget close. “We haven’t spent this much time together since we were little girls.”

“I know. I’ll be back in London soon . . . I think,” says Bridget.

“You better! But, Brig, if you have to stay in Greece, you have to promise to have a house with a view of the water. And make sure there’s a big guest room for me!”

“Don’t worry, I won’t stay forever! Ok . . . ah . . .this is so hard! You should get going so you don’t miss your plane. I’ll see you—”

“When I see you,” Gigi finishes her sentence. “Have a fabulous time. Gros bisous! À bientôt!”

As Gigi says goodbye to Santorini, Bridget and Galen get settled and begin to discover what Greece has in store for them.
. . .

After clearing customs at Charles de Gaulle airport, Gigi is ready to go home to her own apartment and relax with a bubble bath and glass (or two) of red wine. Waiting in the far too long taxi queue, she notices a man in a black suit, tie and vest holding a sign that reads

“Welcome back France’s soon-to-be rich and famous graphic novelist. Paris has missed you, Gigi.”

Gigi smiles. She thinks she knows who it is, but isn’t sure what he is doing in Paris. The man in the suit, the chauffeur, walks with Gigi to the curb and opens the door. Rowland is sitting in the backseat, smiling just as big as Gigi is.

“You couldn’t come wait for me inside yourself?” exclaims Gigi. “You send your lovely driver out into the cold instead!”

“I considered coming inside, but too much could have gone wrong. If you weren’t interested, you could have kept walking. Marc saved me from potential embarrassment, right Marc.”

“Yes monsieur.”

Rowland opens a bottle of champagne and pours Gigi a glass.

“Well, I’m not the one to turn down a free ride, or a free drink,” says Gigi playfully, carefully masking the butterflies in her stomach.

Rowland and Gigi look at each other, ecstatic, but unsure of what to say next. Gigi breaks the silence.

“So, Rowland, are you in Paris on business?”

“Something like that,” replies Rowland.

“Where is your flat?”

“Don’t have one. We’ll . . .I mean I’ll figure something out.”

“Yes,” says Gigi. We’ll figure something out."

“I might not get my relaxing evening alone tonight,” thinks Gigi. "But I’m not complaining one bit.
The driver takes the long way to Montmartre, driving through the center of Paris, around the Arc d’Triomphe, by the Place de la Concorde and La Sainte Chapelle—all the while the white lights from the Eiffel Tower bathe the city in light.

Can you think of a more perfect way to come home?

Written by Wendy Joan Biddlecombe
Illustrated by Jessica Willett
Characters created by Wendy Getchell