Chapters (79)
- COVER
- About the Author
- Also by Jo Thomas
- DEDICATION
- ONE
- TWO
- THREE
- FOUR
- FIVE
- SIX
- SEVEN
- EIGHT
- NINE
- TEN
- ELEVEN
- TWELVE
- THIRTEEN
- FOURTEEN
- FIFTEEN
- SIXTEEN
- SEVENTEEN
- EIGHTEEN
- NINETEEN
- TWENTY
- TWENTY-ONE
- TWENTY-TWO
- TWENTY-THREE
- TWENTY-FOUR
- TWENTY-FIVE
- TWENTY-SIX
- TWENTY-SEVEN
- TWENTY-EIGHT
- TWENTY-NINE
- THIRTY
- THIRTY-ONE
- THIRTY-TWO
- THIRTY-THREE
- THIRTY-FOUR
- THIRTY-FIVE
- THIRTY-SIX
- THIRTY-SEVEN
- THIRTY-EIGHT
- THIRTY-NINE
- FORTY
- FORTY-ONE
- FORTY-TWO
- FORTY-THREE
- FORTY-FOUR
- FORTY-FIVE
- FORTY-SIX
- FORTY-SEVEN
- FORTY-EIGHT
- FORTY-NINE
- FIFTY
- FIFTY-ONE
- FIFTY-TWO
- FIFTY-THREE
- FIFTY-FOUR
- FIFTY-FIVE
- FIFTY-SIX
- FIFTY-SEVEN
- FIFTY-EIGHT
- FIFTY-NINE
- SIXTY
- SIXTY-ONE
- SIXTY-TWO
- Epilogue
- Acknowledgements
- RECIPES
- Lavender shortbread
- Apricot jam sponge cake
- Lavender lamb
- READ MORE
- Prologue
- ONE
- TWO
- THREE
- FOUR
- THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING
I think about Carine. I have plenty of time before I should start preparing for lunch at the bistro. I want to see how she is. Maybe she’ll have time for coffee before work. Maybe she’ll know what’s going on at the clearing. Has Cora got her way?
FORTY-SIX
‘Carine?’ I say tentatively as I push open the glass door and step into the cool air-conditioned estate agency, out of the morning sun. Carine has her back to me and may be wiping away a few tears with a tissue. She turns to me, her nose red and her eyes a little puffy. She sniffs, then smiles.
‘Del, how are you?’ she says, stepping forward and kissing me on each cheek. ‘I hear you are doing a wonderful job at Henri’s – Stephanie too.’ She gives her nose a quick wipe, then puts her tissue into her handbag on her neat, tidy, minimalistic desk, with its clear plastic chair, everything in its place, ordered.
‘Je suis très bien!’ I smile, then try to rein it in a bit. I’m not ready to share my news about Fabien with anyone. I’m enjoying the delicious memory of last night and keeping it to myself just as we agreed. Take things slowly.
‘You look well,’ she says. ‘Clearly life in Provence and at the bistro suits you.’
I catch sight of myself in the mirror on the wall and, again, feel happy to see the old me back again. I’m hoping Carine doesn’t detect another reason for my rosy glow.
‘I just wondered if you had time for coffee, before starting work. I’m early. Stephanie is handling all the baking at the house, so I thought …’ I tip my head to one side, seeing her eyes fill with tears again.
She pulls out her tissue. ‘Oh, stupid hay fever,’ she says, and blows her nose in a noisy, very un-Carine way. Then she puts away the tissue and looks at me. ‘I’d love to come for coffee but …’ she pauses ‘… I have an appointment. Somewhere I need to be.’ She glances at her watch.
‘A work appointment?’ I ask.
She shakes her head. ‘The doctor,’ she says.
I bite my bottom lip, wondering how much more I should say or ask. ‘Talking of doctors,’ I break the awkward silence, ‘it’s great news on Henri, eh?’
‘It’s wonderful! The best. He’s a good man,’ she says, and tries to smile, attempting to put on lipstick using a small compact mirror.
‘I, er, I hear you have some news of your own,’ I say softly.
‘Ah.’ She puts down the mirror and the lipstick. ‘Fabien told you?’
I nod, not wanting to tell her it was just before he took me to bed last night. ‘Yes.’