Page 67 of A French Affair
The rest of the drive passed quickly and once back at the campsite, Chloe had to wake the twins up. Both Aimee and Charlie woke up grumpy, so Chloe said she’d walk them down to the cabin and see if playing with BB and Bernie would cheer them up.
Before Belinda and Alain went to the office to check that all was well, they took the baby seats and the buggy out of the car and took them into the cottage, where Belinda thanked Alain for the day.
‘Lac de Guerlédan was a great idea,’ Belinda said. ‘Just what was needed to lift Chloe’s and my spirits after the hospice.’ Belinda ran her hands through her hair. ‘Seeing my dad for what I know will be the last time was harder than I thought.’
‘Come here,’ and Alain pulled her into his arms for a hug. For several seconds, Belinda stayed there savouring the closeness and knowing Alain felt concerned for her.
‘I could get used to these comfort hugs you keep giving me,’ she said softly.
Alain looked at her wordlessly before giving her a gentle kiss on her head and releasing her.
44
Fern, busy fine tuning things in the café to her satisfaction before the impending dreaded hygiene inspection, hummed happily to herself as she worked. It had felt strange today arriving at the campsite without Belinda or Alain being there to greet her. She hoped that their visit to the hospice was not proving too traumatic for Chloe or Belinda. At least they were in good hands with Alain.
Fern smiled to herself. As much as Belinda might deny it, the telltale signs of their growing closeness were there for all to see. The evening they’d come for supper before Scott left, she’d detected a softness in Alain’s eyes as he’d looked at Belinda. The solicitous way he’d silently watched her, ready to shield her from anything that might upset her when Anouk had mentioned her family, well that spoke volumes. She could only hope that things had progressed between them before Belinda left.
As she cleaned the café windows it struck Fern how much her own life had changed in the last few months since she’d met Belinda. Anouk moving in with her was, she supposed, the biggest change of all so far, closely followed by this job – something which would never have happened she suspected without meeting Belinda. She was so looking forward to summer and earning some extra money. Extra money that she could save towards recuperating the money invested in the auberge. And then there was Scott.
The café door opened at that moment and Fern, expecting it to be a hopeful camper looking for food, opened her mouth to apologise for the café not being open, but it was Fabian. She looked at him in surprise.
‘Hi. What are you doing here? Anouk said she was expecting to see you this morning. Oh,’ her hand flew to her mouth, ‘has something happened to her?’
‘Non. Anouk is fine,’ Fabian quickly reassured her. ‘I wanted to see you. You look well. Are you ’appier too?’
‘Yes I’m happy,’ Fern said, smiling at him. ‘How are you all settling in at the Huelgoat house?’
‘It is wonderful. Carole she too is ’appy,’ Fabian said. ‘Anouk tells me you are the manager here for the season.’ He hesitated. ‘She also tell me you have met a man?’
Ah, so this is where the conversation was headed, Fern thought and waited for Fabian to continue.
‘An American?’
‘Yes Scott is American.’ Fabian, she could tell, was having difficulty in finding the right words to say what he wanted. Was he about to accuse her of being disloyal to his father? Tell her that it was too soon after Laurent? Well, she wasn’t going to help him out, put words in his mouth, so she waited patiently.
‘I am very ’appy for you,’ Fabian said, taking a deep breath before continuing. ‘But you tell this Scott please, that if he ’urts my step-mama he will regret. I will be on his case.’
Fern stared at him in astonishment. Fabian was concerned about her new relationship but not for the reasons she’d been expecting. He could have no idea how much his words had moved her. How much he’d reminded her of how protective Laurent had always been of her. Anouk had been right when she’d said Fabian was more like his father than he realised. Impulsively Fern leaned in and kissed Fabian’s cheek.
‘Thank you. I’m really touched by your concern. Scott will be back here in a few weeks and you’ll meet him then. Anouk likes him and I’m sure you will too.’
‘Good.’ Fabian exhaled a deep breath, clearly relieved he’d said his piece. ‘This place it looks good, you will ’ave a busy summer ’ere when people learn about your cooking. I ’ave to go.’ A quick hug and he was gone, leaving Fern with a happy smile on her face.
She finished cleaning the windows, putting everything away tidily in the designated cupboards before standing and looking out of the now sparkling windows, deep in thought. She might have blithely told Fabian that he would meet Scott soon but in truth she had no idea of when that would happen. Every day when they spoke Fern hoped Scott would give her a return date she could write on the calendar and begin to cross the days off but so far all he’d been able to tell her was that things with his cousin were improving.
Thoughtfully she fingered the Scotty dog pendant that permanently hung around her neck these days. As much as she longed for his return, and she’d surprised herself when she’d inwardly acknowledged just how much she longed for that, there was nothing she could do except wait. Scott had promised he’d be back as soon as possible and she believed him. She could tell when they spoke on FaceTime that he was hating the separation as much as she was.
Absence makes the heart grow fonder might be a true saying but it was a difficult one to accept and live with. Fern sighed. All either of them could do was to knuckle down in their different countries, keep busy and the time would eventually pass. At least with summer fast approaching, Fern knew she’d soon be busy with the auberge and now the café.
She couldn’t help wishing though, that as well as Scott returning so they could be a proper couple and enjoy the summer together, that Belinda wasn’t leaving. The first real girlfriend she’d made in years, Fern knew Belinda was really going to leave a gap in her life when she left.
45
The next day when Belinda went down to the cabin with the usual breakfast croissants, Chloe greeted her with a sad smile. Charlie and Aimee took their croissants and went to sit with Bernie and BB as usual and Belinda glanced up at her daughter as she placed a cup of coffee in front of her.
‘What’s wrong?’
Chloe shook her head. ‘Nothing anyone can do anything about.’ She pulled her croissant apart and spread some marmalade over it. ‘It’s just I can’t stop thinking about Granddad. I’ve thought more about him in the last twenty-four hours than I have done in twenty-three years.’
