“We need something to wear to the dance in Cassis tonight.”

“That,” said Vivi, “is my favorite kind of problem. If you like, I can drive you down there, and you can get something new at the street fair.”

“Really? That’d be awesome,” Julie said.

That evening, the three of them drove to the coast in Vivi’s mustard-colored Renault, a scenic ride along narrow country roads surrounded by fields and forests, vineyards, rock walls, and old farms. Castles, or remnants of castles, were as common here as rest stops were in the States. Julie loved it here. She loved it even more when Vivi helped her pick out a great dress and sandals for the evening. She and her friends danced and laughed, and when André took a break from playing, he put his arms around her and gave her a kiss. Her first actual kiss from a boy. Like everything else this summer, it was magic.

Camille’s night with Finn was the start of something she wasn’t ready to define—or maybe she was afraid to define it. And their assignations didn’t just take place at night. They stole away together in the early morning after a swim at a secluded beach, or when others lingered over a lengthy Provençal lunch. One time, he cornered her in a shed on the property, and they went at it like a pair of teenagers rather than functioning adults. She could not deny that she was falling fast and hard for him, almost against her will. The feelings were too much too soon, she told herself. She tried to keep her heart out of the relationship, but her heart wouldn’t listen.

She also tried to keep the burgeoning romance a secret, not wanting to have to explain it to her father or to Julie. Yet both her father and daughter seemed to be well aware of the situation. And Julie, never the soul of discretion, didn’t hesitate to send the news to Camille’s mother and sisters. They peppered her with instant messages and e-mails, wanting details. Camille could scarcely explain what was happening to herself, much less her family.

When she awakened alone at Sauveterre, she missed Finn, and then felt silly for missing him. She reminded herself that he would be here later today. He was driving Papa’s cousin Petra from Marseille to Sauveterre so everyone would meet her.

Before that, Camille had an even more momentous meeting. Michel Cabret was coming to have lunch. Papa said that learning Palomar was not his father had given him the courage to make amends with his boyhood friend. Now he wanted to introduce Camille to him. Watching her father prepare for Cabret’s visit, Camille had a strange notion. In some way, Papa’s fluttery excitement reminded her of herself, anticipating the next encounter with Finn.

“Did your friend always make you nervous?” she asked, bringing a tray of fresh drinks to the garden, where they would have their lunch. In the shade of a pergola, the table looked inviting with colorful blue and yellow linens, Madame’s bright cobalt pottery, and clear wineglasses embossed with a bee, the symbol of Sauveterre.