‘I… I walk BB, read, talk with friends, meet up with my daughter and my grandchildren. All the usual things.’ Belinda took a sip of her drink, before throwing the question back at Alain. ‘What do you do?’

‘I like to walk in the countryside, cook delicious meals for my friends. Your grandchildren? How many ’ave you?’

Belinda kept the thought that Alain’s own list of two things wasn’t exactly fun-filled either to herself, and answered his question about her grandchildren. ‘Two. A boy and a girl – they’re twins. They’ll be three later this year. Do you have any?’

Alain nodded, a wry look on his face. ‘I ’ave a son, but no grandchildren yet.’

The arrival of their food at that moment stopped Belinda asking him about his son and for several moments they were silent as they both tucked into their crêpes. Once her initial hunger had been satisfied Belinda looked at Alain.

‘I’ve a couple of women coming in tomorrow at two o’clock about the receptionist job. Can you be around to meet them?’

‘Are they local? I might already know them.’

Belinda glanced around the bar. ‘One of them is sat over there with Bernie. The woman with the blonde hair tied back. She’s been helping around the site and asked me if we’d consider her. She’s never done a receptionist job before, so we’d have to train her from the ground up. Says she’s computer-literate, though, which is a bonus point.’

‘That’s Marie,’ Alain answered. ‘She’d make a good receptionist. She’s personable and good with people. She’s got my vote. So don’t waste your time, cancel the other interview. Would you like another drink?’

Belinda laughed and shook her head. ‘I can’t do that. No more wine, thanks, but I’d like a coffee please and then we’d better get back.’

Alain ordered the coffees as an assistant cleared their plates. ‘You see your daughter and her family while you’re in the UK?’

Belinda nodded happily. ‘Yes, she lives in the same town. I’ve missed her while I’ve been here, but we don’t see an awful lot of each other anyway. We’re both so busy. I do get to babysit once a week while she and her husband have a “date night”. And we have Sunday lunch together once a month in one of the hotels.’

When the waiter brought their coffees, he placed the bill on the table and Belinda reached for her purse to pay her share. Alain stopped her.

‘I pay for lunch,’ he said.

‘No, I’ll pay my share,’ Belinda said.

‘Please, I insist. Take it as an apology for my behaviour when you arrived.’

Belinda looked at him, a half-smile on her face. ‘You’ve already apologised for that, but thank you,’ and she put her purse away.

‘Can I ask you something?’ Alain said.