“But…”
“Look, I’m not saying the pair of you were wrong for buying it. I think this place is wonderful. To be honest it’s given me a new zest for life. But it wasn’t your job to keep my ambitions alive, was it? To turn my dream of running an art school into a reality. I should have done that for myself.” She paused to pour them a drink. “If I had, you and Dad could have spent your money on enjoying yourselves.”
“Maybe.”
“Even the video shoot was thanks to you and Nate. And it was a great solution to a big dilemma. But you shouldn’t have had to resort to blackmail on my behalf.”
“I am sorry for that.”
“Don’t be, Mum, I’m the one who’s at fault. I should have taken charge of events, come up with my own plan to make this place work for us. I’ve been such a bloody wimp, all I seem to have done, especially in the last year, is feel sorry for myself. I’ve turned everyone I know into some knight in shining armour on arescue memission.”
“We only wanted to help.”
“And I understand that. But it’s high time I helped myself, don’t you think?”
“And how do you plan on doing that?” her mother asked.
Thanks to her walk, Flick had already done a lot of soul-searching and, admittedly, most of it thanks to something Jess had said about Nate. It was pretty obvious that he wasn’t the only one carrying emotional baggage, she seemed to have collected quite a few suitcases of her own. Suitcases that, like his, needed offloading.
The beginnings of a smile appeared on her face and her chair legs suddenly scraped against the hard floor, as she jumped up from her seat. “You’ll see,” she said, all at once grabbing her bag and exiting the room.
“You’re going out?” her mum asked, following her. “Why? Where to?”
Flick donned her boots and coat before opening the door to leave, her smile replaced with a wide grin as she raced out to the car. “I’m going to take charge. Starting with my love life.”
Brenda put a hand up to her chest, her concern continuing.
“Don’t worry,” Flick said. “I know what I’m doing.”
Climbing into the vehicle, Flick rooted in her bag for her keys. Finally locating them, she started up the engine and set off down the drive. Leaving the chateau behind, it got smaller and smaller with every check in her rear-view mirror. Her pulse quickened the further away she drove.
As she approached the large iron gates, Flick eased off the accelerator, forced to bounce up and down in her seat as she negotiated the potholes. Bringing the car to a standstill, she checked the road was clear before pulling out onto the main drag. “There’s no turning back now.”
Continuing on her way, it wasn’t long before she reached her journey’s end.
Parking up, she didn’t have a clue what she was going to say, she didn’t even know if he’d be there. Her chest felt light thanks to the anticipation. “You’re doing the right thing,” she told herself, and taking a deep breath got out of the vehicle.
She stared up at the building. With its four floors and numerous large green shuttered windows,Le Grand Hotelcertainly lived up to its name. Not that she should be surprised, Flick realised, Matthew had always liked the finer things in life and she dreaded to think what its room rates must be. Climbing the steps up to the ornately porched entrance, she was keen to see inside and glancing around, it didn’t disappoint. From the antique furniture, to the designer wallpaper, to the massive reception desk, it was all very posh, and she’d have put money on the artwork adorning the walls being original.
The receptionist, a very smart suited chap, looked up from his work. “Puis-je vous aider, madame?”
Flick stared at him blankly. She didn’t have a clue what that meant.
He smiled. “Can I help you?” he said, clearly recognising the rabbit in headlights expression coming back at him.
She quickly took another glance around, spotting Matthew through an open door that led to what seemed to be the bar area. “Non, merci. May I?”
The receptionist nodded, indicating that, indeed, she may, and thanking him once more, she approached the doorway. She suddenly paused before entering, it appeared that her husband had company and while she watched him easily chat to his female companion, she used the time to gather her thoughts. She let out a laugh, when her husband finally noticed her presence. The poor man looked mortified.
He seemed to garble some excuse as he jumped out of his seat to join her. “Flick,” he said, rushing over. “I didn’t think I’d see you until tomorrow.”
“I noticed,” She nodded to the mystery blonde.
“What?” Matthew said, his voice panic-stricken. “No. Please don’t think I’m–”
“It’s okay,” Flick interrupted. “I don’t think anything.”
At last, he began to relax. “Good. Because after you know what…” He paused, clearly expecting Flick to silently fill in the gap. No longer willing to vocalise his past behaviour, Matthew was obviously ready to brush it away as if it hadn’t happened. He looked at her directly, his gaze suddenly eager. “So, does this mean you’ve decided?”
