BooksBarbecue
Back Escape to the French Farmhouse
Chapters (79)
  1. COVER
  2. About the Author
  3. Also by Jo Thomas
  4. DEDICATION
  5. ONE
  6. TWO
  7. THREE
  8. FOUR
  9. FIVE
  10. SIX
  11. SEVEN
  12. EIGHT
  13. NINE
  14. TEN
  15. ELEVEN
  16. TWELVE
  17. THIRTEEN
  18. FOURTEEN
  19. FIFTEEN
  20. SIXTEEN
  21. SEVENTEEN
  22. EIGHTEEN
  23. NINETEEN
  24. TWENTY
  25. TWENTY-ONE
  26. TWENTY-TWO
  27. TWENTY-THREE
  28. TWENTY-FOUR
  29. TWENTY-FIVE
  30. TWENTY-SIX
  31. TWENTY-SEVEN
  32. TWENTY-EIGHT
  33. TWENTY-NINE
  34. THIRTY
  35. THIRTY-ONE
  36. THIRTY-TWO
  37. THIRTY-THREE
  38. THIRTY-FOUR
  39. THIRTY-FIVE
  40. THIRTY-SIX
  41. THIRTY-SEVEN
  42. THIRTY-EIGHT
  43. THIRTY-NINE
  44. FORTY
  45. FORTY-ONE
  46. FORTY-TWO
  47. FORTY-THREE
  48. FORTY-FOUR
  49. FORTY-FIVE
  50. FORTY-SIX
  51. FORTY-SEVEN
  52. FORTY-EIGHT
  53. FORTY-NINE
  54. FIFTY
  55. FIFTY-ONE
  56. FIFTY-TWO
  57. FIFTY-THREE
  58. FIFTY-FOUR
  59. FIFTY-FIVE
  60. FIFTY-SIX
  61. FIFTY-SEVEN
  62. FIFTY-EIGHT
  63. FIFTY-NINE
  64. SIXTY
  65. SIXTY-ONE
  66. SIXTY-TWO
  67. Epilogue
  68. Acknowledgements
  69. RECIPES
  70. Lavender shortbread
  71. Apricot jam sponge cake
  72. Lavender lamb
  73. READ MORE
  74. Prologue
  75. ONE
  76. TWO
  77. THREE
  78. FOUR
  79. THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING

‘Beautiful,’ he repeats, his eyes scanning my face. I don’t know whether to laugh or cry as he moves his lips towards mine. And although everything is telling me I shouldn’t be doing this, I can’t stop myself.

And just as his lips touch mine, they are gone. ‘Oooffff!’ He reels away and the dream is shattered.

‘Fabien!’ Tomas has launched himself at Fabien’s legs, taking him by surprise. We laugh, and I see Stephanie, back from her visit to town, her face as thunderous as it was the first time I met her. Cold and closed against the hurt in her heart.

‘Stephanie!’ I call, hoping she didn’t see what I think she might have seen. But she doesn’t answer and runs to the caravan. I hear the door slam. Fabien and I gaze at each other, worried.

‘I’ll go after her, explain,’ I say.

‘Explain what?’

‘That it was nothing …’ I wave a hand, trying to think on my feet ‘… just a silly kiss.’

‘Just a silly kiss?’ he says, his face darkening too.

‘Yes, I mean, no …’ That’s not what I meant!! ‘I mean …’ I have no idea what I mean or what it was. I just know how I feel and how I’ve made Stephanie feel.

‘I think I’d better go,’ says Fabien, closing the van on the lavender plants. And I’m flustered. I take hold of Tomas’s hand as he waves to Fabien, begging him to stay and play.

‘Fabien!’ I don’t want him to go like this. I need to explain. But ‘The plants!’ is all I can think of saying.

‘I’ll bring them back later,’ he says, gets into the cab and turns the van in the drive, accelerating at speed in a cloud of dust. Suddenly there’s the blast of a horn and he swerves to avoid another car coming up the drive. I look in the direction of the caravan, then at Tomas, still waving, and then at the car.

Ralph appears from the back of the house, barking with delight.

Who can this be?

TWENTY-TWO

‘So, this is where you’ve been hiding?’

‘Lou!’ I say in disbelief, as she emerges from the back of the car, then throw myself forward and hug my friend, hoping the tears won’t spill: I’ve upset the two people closest to me.

‘And me!’ The other door of the taxi opens and out steps Rhi. ‘Surprise!’

I run around the car and hug her too. The taxi driver fetches their cases from the boot, then climbs back in and, with a friendly toot, disappears down the drive. I’m left staring at my two best friends and wondering what they’re doing here.

‘Ollie sent us,’ says Lou, answering the question before I’ve even asked it. ‘Wants us to see if you’re okay and when you’re coming back.’