Standing in front of Louise's office building with a bouquet in one hand and a bag with the takeout lunch in the other felt weird. It'd been a while since I went on a date.

I remembered her mentioning she hardly had time to enjoy the outdoors and spent her days stuck in the office. That was one of the reasons why I decided on a walk somewhere beautiful.

"Sorry, I'm late." The click of Louise's heels, paired with her already familiar voice made me direct my eyes toward her.

"You're not late; I was early. These are for you." I handed her the flowers, smiling at the blush on her cheeks.

"Thank you. You didn't have to," she said.

I shrugged at the comment and lifted the bag with food. "We have something for lunch here. How about walking? Unless you'd rather not in those shoes of yours."

"Don't worry." Laughed Louise. "I'm used to them."

We walked to the nearest park and took a seat on a bench near a small pond. I retrieved the contents of the bag and handed one of the foil containers to Louise.

"What's that?" she asked.

"Quiche. It's a kind of tart. This one, in particular, has some chicken and mushrooms. I decided to go with it because it tastes well cold."

Louise sniffed the food, grinning. "If it tastes as good as it smells, it'll be one of my favorites."

I was relieved to see she liked it as she started to eat , barely making a pause between bites. "Sorry." She laughed. "It's been ages since I ate a well-cooked something. Poor Ellie has to put up with her mother's lack of culinary talent daily."

"She seems to be a nice girl. I'm more than sure she's not complaining, seeing how hard you work."

Louise sighed. "No, she isn't. She never complains. I guess it's because of her life before I adopted her."

"I've been wondering about that, but I don't want to pry,"I said.

"It's okay. I don't keep it secret; it's just that my previous partners didn't take much interest in the whole story."

"Previous partners...How many of those do I have to find and roughen up a bit?"

Lou's contagious laughter made a couple of birds leave the branch and fly off in search of a different place to perch on. "Thierry, please. I didn't take you for a jealous kind."

I rolled my eyes. "I'm not. I just want to know in case there's competition."

"There's none."

I grinned. "Okay. So, Ellie."

Lou turned to face me. "They found her next to the beach close to the town where my uncle and I used to live when I was a student. She was alone. No parents, no family. I know it sounds strange, but I just felt the need to protect her. She spent a year in an orphanage, and I adopted her when I finished my studies and started to make money."

"That's admirable and brave. If only more people did that."

"Yeah," Lou said, studying her nails. "I've seen what happens to some kids who stay in the system. It's not easy for them to find a good foster family. Many people simply don't care. I didn't want that for Ellie. I know what it's like to lose your parents being a child. You get over it, but the scar stays there."

"You told me your uncle raised you."

Lou nodded. "He did. It's funny; my father and my uncle Steve were brothers, but they weren't alike."

"What do you mean?"

Lou laughed. "My dad was the epitome of cool. He loved having fun, and although my uncle has his moments, he's way more serious."

"He's a detective, isn't he?"

"That's right. I think what he does influenced the way he is. He deals with some messed up stuff and horrible people. When I was a teen, I had lots of attitude. We used to argue quite a lot."

"What about now?"

A faint smile appeared on Louise's face. "Now it's okay. He lives and works abroad and still tries to lecture me, but it mostly falls on deaf ears."

"What could he possibly lecture you about?" I raised my eyebrows.

"When I accept a case that differs from a divorce or something equally common, he sometimes says it's too much for me. I guess he worries it might be dangerous, but that would be an exaggeration. I normally snap. It's hard enough to earn respect at work where women lawyers are in the minority to be doing it at home as well."

"Your work speaks for you regardless of the gender. Your uncle should know that. I know there are lots of female detectives, too."

"True," said Louise. "Ellie looks up to him, though, and I'm grateful for the family he gave me. It's what matters, I guess. Well, enough about me. What's your family like?"

"I'm an only child, and it's only my dad and I."

Lou seemed surprised. "And your mother?"

I grabbed a bottle of water and opened it. "Out there somewhere, living her life," I said before taking a gulp.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. Sometimes even the closest people fall apart, and in some cases, no amount of apologies can fix it. In my case, there's nothing to fix. My mother wasn't there for me when I needed her the most. One day, I'll tell you more."

"Whenever you are ready."

After eating some sweets for dessert and listening to Louise's concerns about her weight, if we continued seeing each other, we strolled along one of the park alleys. Somehow, her hand ended up in mine, and that small thing alone made me feel more excitement than I'd felt in a while.

I didn't do anything bold when we said goodbye next to her office — just a kiss on the cheek. What I did tell her was that I'd love to see her the following day as well, and she agreed.

I had a peaceful, dreamless sleep that night. For the first time in many years, I forgot to skim through the headlines in French newspapers.