{"id":2898,"date":"2009-10-05T20:10:32","date_gmt":"2009-10-06T01:10:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/?p=2898"},"modified":"2009-10-05T20:10:32","modified_gmt":"2009-10-06T01:10:32","slug":"piece-de-resistance-by-sandra-byrd","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/?p=2898","title":{"rendered":"Pi\u00e8ce de R\u00e9sistance by Sandra Byrd"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/_cESuxv-WNX8\/SAad94Trj7I\/AAAAAAAAArA\/Yn05_E4V0fY\/s1600-h\/wild+card.jpg\"><\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/firstwildcardtours.blogspot.com\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5190009307003588530\" style=\"FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/_cESuxv-WNX8\/SAad94Trj7I\/AAAAAAAAArA\/Yn05_E4V0fY\/s200\/wild+card.jpg\" border=\"0\" alt=\"\" width=\"95\" height=\"134\" \/><\/a>It is time for a <span style=\"color:#990000;\"><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/firstwildcardtours.blogspot.com\/\">FIRST Wild Card Tour<\/a><\/strong><\/span><strong> <\/strong> book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books.  A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured.  The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old&#8230;or for somewhere in between!  <span style=\"color:#990000;\"><strong>Enjoy your free peek into the book!<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #cc0000;\"><em>You never know when I might play a wild card on you!<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<div><strong>Today&#8217;s Wild Card author is: <\/strong><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><span style=\"font-size:180%;color:#cc0000;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/SandraByrd.com\/\">Sandra Byrd<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n<p align=\"center\"><strong><span style=\"font-size:180%;color:#cc0000;\"><span style=\"font-size:100%;color:#cc0000;\">and the book:<\/span> <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><strong><span style=\"font-size:180%;color:#cc0000;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/exec\/obidos\/ASIN\/1400073294\">Pi\u00e8ce de R\u00e9sistance<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p align=\"center\">WaterBrook Press (September 15, 2009)<\/p>\n<div><strong><span style=\"font-size:130%;color:#333399;\"><span style=\"color:#cc0000;\">ABOUT THE AUTHOR:<\/span> <\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/_cESuxv-WNX8\/SsawAYvHH6I\/AAAAAAAADRI\/KoITirIUq1s\/s1600-h\/Sandra_Byrd_2.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5388187524881915810\" style=\"margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 157px; height: 200px;\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/_cESuxv-WNX8\/SsawAYvHH6I\/AAAAAAAADRI\/KoITirIUq1s\/s200\/Sandra_Byrd_2.jpg\" border=\"0\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Sandra Byrd is a best-selling author of books for adults, teens, and children. Her notable series include the Friends for a Season series, the Secret Sisters series and the French Twist series, which includes the first two Lexi Stuart novels, the Christy Finalist Let them Eat Cake and its sequel, Bon Appetit. A regular contributor to newspapers and magazines, Sandra lives in Washington state with her husband and two children.<\/p>\n<p>Visit the author&#8217;s <a href=\"http:\/\/SandraByrd.com\/\">website<\/a>.<br \/>\n<code><br \/>\n<\/code><code><br \/>\n<\/code><code><br \/>\n<\/code><br \/>\nProduct Details:<\/p>\n<p>List Price: $13.99<br \/>\nPaperback: 304 pages<br \/>\nPublisher: WaterBrook Press (September 15, 2009)<br \/>\nLanguage: English<br \/>\nISBN-10: 1400073294<br \/>\nISBN-13: 978-1400073290<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color:#cc0000;\"><strong><span style=\"font-size:180%;\">AND NOW&#8230;THE FIRST CHAPTER:<\/span> <\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/_cESuxv-WNX8\/Ssav8lYvsMI\/AAAAAAAADRA\/uJksW5SAg4M\/s1600-h\/Pi%C3%A8ce+de+R%C3%A9sistance\"><img decoding=\"async\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5388187459558289602\" style=\"margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 200px;\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/_cESuxv-WNX8\/Ssav8lYvsMI\/AAAAAAAADRA\/uJksW5SAg4M\/s200\/Pi%C3%A8ce+de+R%C3%A9sistance\" border=\"0\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<div style=\"overflow: auto; height: 307px; text-align: left;\">\n<div style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><em>Everything you want is out there waiting for you to ask.<\/em><\/strong><br \/>\n<strong><em>Everything you want also wants you.<\/em><br \/>\n<em>But you have to take action to get it.<\/em><br \/>\nJules Renard<\/strong><\/div>\n<p>If I had known exactly where and in what kind of trouble I was about to land, I\u2019d have stayed in Paris.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCome on, dear.\u201d A wizened woman dragged a shuffling friend past me and down the long carpeted hallway. \u201cWe don\u2019t want to get in the way of Rosa\u2019s granddaughter, even if she\u2019s sitting on our couch.\u201d She threw a dirty look over her shoulder.<\/p>\n<p>I started to stand up and get out of her way, but she disdainfully waved me back into my seat.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWHO?\u201d her friend shouted as I sank back down.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cROSA\u2019S GRANDDAUGHTER. She\u2019s sprawling on our couch.\u201d I flinched at the vocal hurricane, but no one else seemed to notice. Or maybe they just couldn\u2019t hear it.<\/p>\n<p>For the time being, I was crashing at the guest apartment at my nonna\u2019s retirement community. Where else could I get in on such short notice? It was twenty dollars a night, and only for a week or so\u2026I hoped. \u201cWell, they do have a lot of singles,\u201d I\u2019d told my best friend, Tanya, as she laughed at the news. \u201cAnd they do love what\u2019s left of life.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think it\u2019s cute,\u201d she\u2019d said. \u201cYou can get a personalized pill container and swap horrible doctor stories.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHa ha,\u201d I\u2019d answered. \u201cBe careful, or I\u2019ll hold your bridal shower there on bingo night.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019d stayed with my parents on Whidbey Island for the two weeks since I\u2019d been home from France. Yesterday they\u2019d dropped me and my gear off at the retirement community, though most of my stuff was still in storage awaiting my \u201creal\u201d apartment. And now I sat in the common room, not realizing I\u2019d poached what someone considered her personal couch, waiting for the afternoon bus to take me to my new job.<\/p>\n<p>I checked my watch again. To pass the time, I thumbed through the Gideon\u2019s Bible sitting on the side table, flipping by chance to the first chapter of Philippians and scanning the extra large print until my eye caught something that hooked into my heart.<\/p>\n<p>And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and<\/p>\n<p>more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be<\/p>\n<p>able to discern what is best.<\/p>\n<p>Oh yeah, I thought. Bring on the discernment. I was starting a new job\u2014the job I\u2019d been hoping for all my life and at which I desperately wanted to succeed. And I found myself embroiled in a romantic crisis where I not only didn\u2019t hold all the cards, but the men involved had turned surprisingly poker-faced about their intentions.<\/p>\n<p>Lost in thought, it took me a minute to realize that a kindly looking man had sat down next to me. He tried valiantly, but unsuccessfully, to clear the phlegm from his throat. I scooted over to both accommodate him and to offer us some personal space. He kept looking at me, but as soon as I looked back at him, he glanced away.<\/p>\n<p>Finally he spoke. \u201cWho are you?\u201d he asked quietly. \u201cAnd what are you doing here?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That was indeed the question, and not only for my current living situation. I wished I had an answer.<\/p>\n<p>Nonna breezed in through the lobby, snapping her mauve umbrella shut with a force that belied her age. She kissed the cheek of her companion, Stanley Jones, who tottered off to his own apartment, then came to get me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLexi, love,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019m glad I got here in time to see you off. Let\u2019s wait by the door. The bus will be here soon.\u201d On the way through the foyer, she whispered, \u201cI thought I\u2019d mentioned, dear\u2014don\u2019t sit on any upholstered furniture in the common areas. When you get to be my age, many of us have incontinence problems.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Shocked, I reached around and felt my backside, not caring who saw me. Whew. Dry.<\/p>\n<p>Nonna giggled at my distress, taking everything about aging in stride, as she always did, and looped her arm through mine. \u201cI\u2019m glad you\u2019re home.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I grinned back at her. \u201cMe too, Nonna.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy can\u2019t one of those nice young men drive you to work today?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t want to ask them. It\u2019s\u2026awkward. I\u2019m not sure where I\u2019m going with either of them right now, and they both have their own jobs.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSeems to me a man who likes a woman would offer her a ride,\u201d Nonna sniffed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m sure plenty of men hitched up their buggies and took you to work back in the day,\u201d I teased.<\/p>\n<p>She grinned wickedly and leaned over to kiss my cheek. \u201cSo tell me about the Frenchman.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHis name is Philippe. He\u2019s really nice, a great baker, and has the most adorable daughter named C\u00e9line. He\u2019s taking Luc\u2019s place, the one who moved back to France.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe\u2019s one of the owners of the bakery?\u201d she asked, checking creds, as always.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes, Nonna,\u201d I said. \u201cHe\u2019s an owner. He\u2019s Luc\u2019s cousin, and the whole family owns all the bakeries.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat about that lawyer you were seeing before you went to Paris?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDan?\u201d I kept my voice even.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMm-hmm.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe\u2019s\u2026here still. Of course. I just talked with him a few days ago. It was his suggestion, actually, for the Delacroix Company to lease the space I\u2019ll be working in. The new bakery.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat was nice of him. Who\u2019s the better looking of the two?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m glad to see your values haven\u2019t changed!\u201d I said, but com- pared them in my mind anyway. Philippe was definitely good looking in a continental way, dark blond hair that just touched his shoulders, a bit taller than me. Dan was built bigger, taller, with broad shoulders I loved to see set off by suspenders. His strawberry blond hair perfectly matched his lightly tanned complexion.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019re thinking about it, aren\u2019t you?\u201d Nonna poked me out of my daydream. \u201cGotcha!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She laughed, and I laughed with her as the rain slid down the outside of the window, my hometown Seattle lights blinking away in the drops. \u201cThanks for seeing me off today. I won\u2019t be long. Just meeting Margot and getting a quick run-through.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOf course I\u2019m seeing you off ! Everyone is jealous that my granddaughter is here. I need to brag.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I saw the bus rounding the corner about a half mile down the road. Nonna saw it too.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGo get \u2019em,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd bring something home from the bakery. Anything with fruits and nuts will be right at home in this place.\u201d She grinned, but I knew she loved her home and her friends.<\/p>\n<p>I walked out the door and started toward the covered bus stop. Not a moment later, though, a motorcycle pulled up and parked in front of the retirement center door a few feet away. Even with the helmet on, I recognized him immediately.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPhilippe!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>What is he doing here? Quickly followed by, He looks good!<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGood afternoon, mademoiselle.\u201d He hopped off the bike and walked toward me, holding out a helmet. \u201cAs your employer, it\u2019s my responsibility to get you to work on your first day at the new job, n\u2019est-ce pas? And I was eager to see you again. Sophie told me where to find you and what bus you were likely to take.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOh, thank you,\u201d I said. I introduced him to Nonna, who\u2019d come running out as soon as she\u2019d seen me talking with a guy. \u201cThis is my grandmother, Rosa. Nonna, this is my\u2026friend, Philippe.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEnchant\u00e9.\u201d Philippe kissed her hand.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEnchant\u00e9e,\u201d Nonna responded, pulling back her shoulders and making sure the gathering crowd, their noses pressed against the retirement center\u2019s front windows, witnessed the exchange.<\/p>\n<p>As I got on the back of the bike, I said, \u201cI had no idea you had a motorcycle here. Do you also have a car?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOui,\u201d he said, \u201cI do. Luc left his car for me, and I gave him mine in France. But I thought a motorcycle would be fun too.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He sped up a little, and as he turned the corner out of the retirement center\u2019s curved driveway, I recognized the truck pulling in.<\/p>\n<p>Dan!<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019d told him I\u2019d be staying with Nonna and had planned to take the bus.<\/p>\n<p>I caught his eye, and he caught mine, and I saw the bouquet of flowers carefully propped in the passenger seat. I had no time to wave before Philippe accelerated and we sped off.<\/p>\n<p>I turned my head and squeezed my eyes shut to avoid seeing Dan\u2019s reaction. Nonna would explain it to him.<\/p>\n<p>Nonna was liable to say anything.<\/p>\n<p>A few minutes later, Philippe pulled the bike up in front of a long, black marble-fronted building in the Fremont district.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEh voil\u00e0!\u201d he said, parking and then holding a hand out to me. \u201cThis is it. Do you like it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I took his hand, got off the back of the bike, and looked at the building. There were already two gold fleurs-de-lis over the front door, with the gold-lettered word Bijoux\u2014meaning \u201cjewels,\u201d the name of the bakery\u2014centered over the door. Otherwise, it was a blank slate.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s beautiful!\u201d I walked to the huge picture windows and looked in. The room was mostly empty, holding only a jumble of boxes and supplies, and some tarps left over from a recent paint job. But what lines, what bones. What this place could be!<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI can\u2019t believe I never noticed this building before,\u201d I said. \u201cIt\u2019s perfectly perfect.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Philippe laughed. \u201cIt\u2019s been recently restored. That\u2019s one of the reasons Luc was drawn to it\u2026until he found out it couldn\u2019t be used for a restaurant. But, ooh la la, what a bakery, n\u2019est-ce pas? Apr\u00e8s toi, mademoiselle,\u201d he said, holding the front door open for me.<\/p>\n<p>I expected to be greeted by the chic calm the exterior promised. Instead, I was blasted by a streak of blue French from the kitchen.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMargot?\u201d I asked in a small voice.<\/p>\n<p>Philippe grimaced. \u201cOui. La Margot.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Philippe\u2019s sister Margot was the one downside to this dream job. Since she was a great baker and a member of the family, she didn\u2019t worry that her attitude might lose her a job. She didn\u2019t bother to sweeten it either.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBonjour,\u201d Philippe called in what I recognized as his fake singsong voice. I felt torn between my desire to see my new kitchen and my desire to flee at once. Philippe decided for me, pushing me forward.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cC\u2019est Lexi,\u201d he introduced me to Margot.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNice to see you again,\u201d I said in English. It was the polite thing to say, even if I didn\u2019t mean it. She ignored me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m glad we\u2019ll be working together,\u201d I tried in French, an even graver lie. She didn\u2019t return the favor or grasp my hand, but she grunted. French it was, then.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAlors.\u201d Philippe led the way toward the back of the kitchen. \u201cThis part,\u201d he indicated with his hand, \u201cwill be mostly for pastries, which Margot will do. She\u2019ll be here part time and at the other bakeries part time too.\u201d He smiled widely and indicated the largest part of the kitchen. \u201cAnd this will be for the cakes and catering. That\u2019s you!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I looked at my part of the kitchen. Marble and stainless counters, and lots of tall glass-fronted cabinets for ingredients. A pair of gleaming industrial mixers. Drawers full of equipment, but not in the easiest-to-reach places. I didn\u2019t know who placed some of the utensils and tools. Maybe the guys who\u2019d brought equipment over from the other bakeries.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s everything I could want,\u201d I said. And it was. My own kitchen. Tiny though it was, it was mine.<\/p>\n<p>Philippe opened an armoire. \u201cHere\u2019s where you\u2019ll store the paperwork and computer, and the phone even fits in there. Will this be enough space for the accounting books?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I blinked and answered, \u201cI guess so.\u201d He\u2019d be a better judge of that than I would.<\/p>\n<p>Margot slammed a drawer, and when I turned around, I saw her grab her cigarettes and a lighter from the countertop. I wrinkled my nose. They should at least be hidden. As she headed out back, Philippe followed her. \u201cUn moment,\u201d he said, winking.<\/p>\n<p>While they were gone, I turned the radio to a warm, low-key favorites station and began rearranging my work drawers. After ten minutes, I had them just so. I also rearranged my countertops and cake decorating materials so it made sense to me.<\/p>\n<p>When Margot and Philippe came back in, I asked him, \u201cHow will the front be decorated? Will there be furniture arriving?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He took my arm, and we headed to the big front room. I could already envision engaged couples choosing their cakes in a chic, refined, leather-furnished room.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHmm,\u201d Philippe said. \u201cI hadn\u2019t thought too much on that topic. I am so busy at L\u2019Esperance\u2026\u201d He shrugged, and I knew the burden of taking over their biggest US bakery. \u201cWould you like to do it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWould I?\u201d I grinned. \u201cI would!\u201d I pictured deep blue drapes framing the windows and subtle gold cording. I\u2019d make an appointment for a window etcher to etch the company name in gold on the glass, just like the Delacroix bakery in Versailles.<\/p>\n<p>It was going to look fantastique.<\/p>\n<p>When we got back to the kitchen, my countertops had been completely rearranged back to the previous nonsensical order. Margot\u2019s back was turned toward me, and she quietly hummed along with the radio\u2014not the station I\u2019d turned on. I looked through my utensil drawers. All returned to the way they\u2019d been before I\u2019d fixed them moments ago. I looked at Philippe. He shrugged. I determined not to escalate things and left everything where it stood\u2014for the moment.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLexi?\u201d His voice softened. \u201cI have a few questions about some things for C\u00e9line\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOh, yes, when is she coming?\u201d I asked, delighted at the prospect of hugging that sweet little bonbon again.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe\u2019s at her grandparents\u2019 in London but will be here in a few days,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019ve signed her up for the French-American school, but there are some other things\u2026\u201d He opened his briefcase and held out a folder. \u201cDo you know a good doctor? a good dentist? And many other questions I need your help with.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I found it endearing to see him a little vulnerable for once; he was always so in charge. It made him even more appealing.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOf course I can help you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He smiled. \u201cPerhaps we can talk about it at dinner tonight? Incredibly, I have found a quiet little bistro\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He must have caught the look on my face, because he stopped mid sentence.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m sorry,\u201d I said. \u201cI\u2019ve got dinner plans tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAh well.\u201d He shrugged, but looked a little forlorn. \u201cPerhaps another time.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCertainly,\u201d I said. \u201cAnytime this week. Stop by for lunch or let me know when it\u2019s convenient.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>With that, he handed me a key and took his leave, and Margot left too. I locked the doors behind them and then sat on one of the bar stools next to the counter. I looked around.<\/p>\n<p>It was all mine, my kitchen. Well, and Margot\u2019s too. But I was no one\u2019s assistant anymore. I was a chef.<\/p>\n<p>I checked my watch, saw I had fifteen minutes to get to the restaurant where I\u2019d agreed to meet Dan for dinner, and went to brush my hair. On the way out of Bijoux, before turning the lights out in the kitchen, I did two things.<\/p>\n<p>I put Margot\u2019s cigarettes and lighters into a drawer near her work station, and I turned the radio station back to the one I liked.<\/p>\n<p>As soon as I walked into the restaurant, I saw him at a corner table. My eye caught his, and then my breath caught too. Dan was a good looking man in any pose, but when he smiled, he was downright divine. Though he\u2019d picked me up at the airport and taken me to my parents\u2019 house when I first got home from France, I hadn\u2019t seen him since.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe world traveler has returned,\u201d he said, standing to pull my chair out and then scoot me back to the table.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDo you mean from my travels in Paris or the urban oasis of Whidbey Island?\u201d I grinned.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBoth.\u201d He held out a bottle and a glass. \u201cWine?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I nodded, and as the waiter came to take our order, we shared the last few weeks\u2019 happenings, culminating in my announcement that I had been to Bijoux that day.<\/p>\n<p>He nodded. \u201cI left work early to come pick you up, but I arrived just a little too late.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I knew he would bring that up. I knew it. And yet, we weren\u2019t at the exclusive dating level yet, as far as I understood, so I didn\u2019t have to explain myself to him, right? \u201cPhilippe thought it would be good to take me to work on my first day,\u201d I said as casually as I could. \u201cAnd he had the keys.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dan nodded and showed absolutely no emotion. Lawyer\u2019s training, I supposed. A minute later, he loosened up again and asked about the kitchen and the countertops and what kind of oven it had\u2014things nearly no non-baker would think to ask.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy are you interested in the ovens?\u201d I teased.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause you are,\u201d he said simply and without guile. And that was even more appealing than the dreamy smile.<\/p>\n<p>I asked about his job too, and he regaled me with his latest case, somehow making the law funny, something my brother was never able to do. Then his phone rang.<\/p>\n<p>He looked mortified. \u201cI\u2019m so sorry. I thought I turned it off. It\u2019s new.\u201d He took it from his pocket and fumbled for a minute to locate the Ignore button. Before the backlight went off, I saw the caller ID.<\/p>\n<p>Nancy.<\/p>\n<p>I met his eye and he looked away, and then the waiter brought our salads. While he ground some pepper for Dan, I reminded myself, You\u2019re not at the exclusive dating level yet, as far as he understands, so he doesn\u2019t have to explain himself to you, right?<\/p>\n<p>Right.<\/p><\/div>\n<p><strong>MY REVIEW:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/exec\/obidos\/ASIN\/1400073294\">Pi\u00e8ce de R\u00e9sistance<\/a> is a fitting end to Sandra Byrd&#8217;s engaging <strong>French Twist<\/strong> series. The final installment finds Lexi back in Seattle working in a newly opened branch of the Delacroix family bakeries. The challenge to make the new bakery a success within a year, strained relationships with coworkers, and\u00a0 juggling with the two men in her life\u00a0 keep Lexi&#8217;s life in a continual flux.<\/p>\n<p>I thoroughly enjoyed <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/exec\/obidos\/ASIN\/1400073294\">Pi\u00e8ce de R\u00e9sistance<\/a>. After all, who could resist a tale set in a bakery, especially one that deliciously describes the wonderful food in such glorious detail. As an added bonus,\u00a0 recipes for many of the dishes are scattered throughout the book. I can&#8217;t wait to try some of them. I enjoyed following Lexi&#8217;s journey to both personal and spiritual maturity. I liked the way her quiet time in Philippians helped to guide her daily decision making.<\/p>\n<p>Will the bakery succeed? Will she and Margot ever get along? What about the guys &#8211; will Lexi choose Phillipe or Dan? I can&#8217;t say. You will just have to get your own copy of <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/exec\/obidos\/ASIN\/1400073294\">Pi\u00e8ce de R\u00e9sistance<\/a> to learn the answers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8,39,29,41],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2898","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-books","category-chick-lit","category-cooking","category-romance"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2898","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2898"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2898\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2912,"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2898\/revisions\/2912"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2898"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2898"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2898"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}