Claudine stopped a moment, deadpan. ‘Oui, what else could it be?’ Then a grin spread over her lips. ‘We actually made it, but it’s thanks to you.’
Bella flushed at the compliment. ‘I had a lot of help,’ she said.
‘So, the job is yours if you want it. Permanently.’
It had been Bella’s dream to succeed in this role, and she allowed herself a moment to soak up the news. Qualifications or not, experience or not, she had pulled it off. And that was something to be proud of.
Subconsciously, she reached out and touched the feather she kept in her pen pot. ‘Only…’ she said. ‘Before I can accept… There’s something you need to know.’
‘Then you’d better tell me.’
To Bella’s surprise, Claudine was relatively relaxed when Bella relayed the news about her true CV credentials. In fact, she shrugged. ‘Hotel,chambre d’hôtes, I do not see much difference,’ she said. ‘You have experience, and you have that certainje ne sais quoithat you don’t often see in candidates.’
‘Aje ne sais quoi?’
‘Oui, I don’t know exactly what it is, but you have a resilience. A drive. And you proved it too. Perhaps it was what made you able to pivot after the fire. But it is surely a quality I need in my hotel. So the offer stands.’
‘Although I did have a bit of help,’ she reminded her boss.
‘Yes, of course, your wonderful friends made it all possible. And the art Odette provided!’ Claudine gave a chef’s kiss. ‘And Madame Roux, that was quite a surprise.’
‘Yes, she’s very talented.’
Claudine nodded. ‘Did she tell you I’ve asked her to stay?’
‘At the hotel?’
‘Oui, if she wants to. For as long as she wants.’ Claudine shrugged. ‘I felt as if she was a burden, and lonely here. But when I took a little more time to talk to her…’
‘She’s happy?’
‘She likes to be in the centre of things. It suits her. And she told me,’ Claudine leant forward, ‘she is not ready to be in plastic knickers yet.’
Bella barked out a laugh. ‘Oh, she’s brilliant.’
‘Yes. I think she could actually be quite an asset to the hotel. She has some fabulous ideas for the decor in the restaurant. But this is not what we are here to talk about. The job is yours. Will you take it?’
‘Well, yes. I’d like to. It’s a great opportunity. But do you mind if I ask you something else?’ Bella said, making a face. ‘Before I accept?’
Claudine’s eyebrow had begun to travel north by this point, arching incredulously as its owner looked at Bella, half-smiling, half-frustrated.
Bella took a breath. ‘I just— I wanted to ask whether you’d consider giving me a little time off first. Then perhaps… maybe slightly lighter hours?’
‘Oh my goodness! You are pregnant!’ Claudine said, clapping her hands together. ‘This is wonderful news!’
‘No, it’s not that.’
‘Oh. Well.’ Claudine straightened her jacket, self-consciously. ‘Then what?’
‘I’m going to England.’
‘Oh!’
‘Not permanently. But for a few weeks. I want to stay with Kitty, really spend some time together, you know?’
‘This is the sister you can’t stand?’
Bella felt her cheeks get hot. ‘Did I say that? Poor Kitty. I think perhaps I’ve made her out to be a bit of a monster.’
