Page 37 of A French Affair
He smiled. ‘I can’t possibly disappoint Anouk – I’ll be here.’
‘About supper tonight,’ Fern said. ‘There’s so much food left over from the weekend – lamb, cheese, salad, even some Kouign-amann cake that needs finishing. Would you mind if we had what I call a fridge bits-and-pieces supper?’ She looked at him anxiously. He was technically a paying guest, although she had no intention of charging him for the evening meals they shared.
‘Sounds good to me, I adore cold lamb,’ Scott said. ‘And it means you can stay there and relax while I put everything on the table. Okay?’
‘Oh, but I can’t let you do that,’ Fern protested.
‘Yes you can because I’m not taking no for an answer. Now, drink your wine and let me take care of… dinner.’
Fern watched him go and sat back, closing her eyes again. Had he been about to say ‘take care of you’ not dinner? She’d forgotten how good it was to have someone who cared about you and took the trouble to show and help. Scott was a lovely man and she knew Anouk was right when she’d said he seriously liked her. But liking someone ‘seriously’ when in a few weeks there would be an ocean between them would only lead to heartbreak, and Fern had suffered enough of that. What was the point of getting close to a man who would soon disappear out of her life?
25
The week after the Easter holiday was quiet in the hotel, with everyone back to work and the children at school, Belinda used her time to make sure everything was up to date. She rang Nigel and told him she wanted to talk to him about the campsite renovations. To her disappointment, he said she’d have to wait until the following week.
‘Molly has a temperature, she thinks I’m fussing but I want to keep her quiet. If you come over, I know she’ll want to see you, so can we leave it please?’
‘Of course,’ Belinda agreed. ‘Do you want me to take over Torquay’s books again while you’re looking after Molly?’
‘No thanks. I keep on top of them while Molly sleeps.’
‘Okay. Give my love to Molly and tell her I’ll see her soon.’ Belinda ended the call, wondering what she was going to do to fill her days before she could talk to Nigel. With one hotel sold and Nigel looking after another, she was beginning to feel more than a little redundant. And unsettled, if she were honest. Was this what her job was going to be like in the future?
When Chloe rang to invite her to dinner, she accepted immediately. ‘I’d love to come over. Can I bring anything?’
‘No, just yourself. Do you want to come early and bathe the twins?’
‘I’ll be there at six,’ Belinda promised. She’d missed helping with the twins’ bath and bedtime routine, and then snuggling up together while she read them a story or two. Family time was just what she needed today. It would help smooth away her current frustrations about not being able to deal with certain issues both here and in Brittany.
There was a palpable air of excitement radiating off Chloe when Belinda arrived at their cottage close to the marina.
‘Has something happened? You have that look you used to get as a little girl when you couldn’t contain your excitement over something.’
Chloe shot a look at the twins. ‘We’ll talk later, after these two are in bed. Max has had some exciting news.’
It was almost eight o’clock before the twins were settled and asleep and Chloe began placing dinner on the table. Max opened a bottle of Prosecco and carefully poured three glasses. A knot in Belinda’s stomach made its presence known. She had a feeling that she wasn’t going to like what she was about to learn.
‘Come on, you two. Put me out of my suspense. What are we celebrating?’ She forced herself to sound bright and cheerful as she looked at them.
‘I’ve been promoted at work,’ Max said. ‘The company have just taken on a new marina and have big expansion plans they want me to oversee.’
‘It’s in the Vendée,’ Chloe interrupted him. ‘We’re going to live in France, can you believe? And we want you to come with us.’
‘Congratulations, Max. You’ve worked so hard, you deserve the promotion.’ A stunned Belinda raised her glass to him, trying to ignore the knot in her stomach that was growing by the second. ‘I’m really pleased for you. Even I know how important that area of France is in the boating world.’
‘You will come with us, won’t you?’ Chloe asked. ‘It will be a new beginning for you and us, together. I can’t bear the thought of us living in different countries.’
‘Darling, I’m not sure I can,’ Belinda said. ‘It’s a wonderful opportunity for Max and it will be a great experience for you as a family.’ She took a deep breath. ‘I’ll think about it, I promise. I’ll be a very frequent visitor even if I don’t move over with you.’ Was moving to France with Chloe really an option for her? She couldn’t wish for a better son-in-law but would Max truly welcome his mother-in-law tagging along on his family’s big adventure? And, importantly, did she deep down want to go and live in the Vendée?
‘Mum,’ Chloe pleaded, her eyes glistening with tears. It was Max who interrupted her this time.
‘Darling, give your mum some space. It’s a lot to take in and your mum does have her own life. She’s promised to think about it.’
Belinda looked at Max gratefully. ‘Tell me more about your actual promotion.’
Listening to Max explaining about what he would be doing, Belinda tried hard to concentrate. Difficult when all she could think of was ‘this time next year they’ll have left’. Apparently, Max would be going over on his own for a few weeks, coming back at weekends to help Chloe pack the house up. Their actual move to France would happen in the autumn. Max brought up the website on his laptop and showed her pictures of the marina and the big yachts that were based there already. One photo showed the large hotel that was part of the complex. If she went perhaps she’d be able to get a job there. Mentally she dismissed the thought as soon as it arrived. With Max overseeing things at the marina she wouldn’t want the question of nepotism being raised.
As she left, Chloe gave her a tight hug. ‘Please come with us, Mum.’
