‘Well, that was true once. Only things changed last year, and I never got around to… updating them.’
‘Oh?’
‘Yeah, so I moved permanently to France when I got married, like fifteen years ago now. And I started up this little café near the beach in Nice. It did OK. So I opened another. Soon I had, like, five of these cafés. I was making some real money too.’
‘Right?’
‘But then I started to do more. So I got a couple of little restaurants, nothing fancy. And things kept building and building. I was getting more and more hands off, just organising things. Overseeing it all, I guess. It was kinda dull, but kinda exciting too because I was making good money. For a bit it was like I had the golden touch or something.’
Bella waited for him to continue.
‘But you know, I got kinda greedy too. I felt like I had something special. A good eye for business or whatever. So I began to invest in different things. Then last year I ended up putting a load of my money into this little start-up – two friends, nerdy dudes, starting their own software company. I thought I’d be able to retire once they launched their product.’
‘But…?’
‘But here I am!’ He opened his arms as if illustrating. ‘The thing went bust and I lost thousands. Hundreds of thousands.’
The idea of losing so much made her go cold. ‘What did you do?’
‘I had to sell the cafés, most of my property – I had quite a good portfolio by then. Kept the Versailles house though, because of my grandma. Closed everything else down.’
‘Oh no!’
‘It’s OK,’ he shrugged. ‘I’ve got a couple of assets to tide me over. I’m doing OK, I guess. Looking to start again. Hardly a success story though.’
‘But it’s great you’re picking yourself back up.’
He grabbed a packet of sugar, ripped it open and emptied half into his coffee. ‘I wouldn’t say I’ve quite picked myself up yet.’ His eyes had developed a sheen that threatened to become something more. He wiped a hand roughly across his face. ‘Stupid fool. Split up with my wife too, did I tell you that?’
‘Oh. No.’
‘Yeah.’
‘Well, if she split with you because of money then she’s not wor?—’
‘Nah. It was before. A mutual thing. We’d kinda grown apart. Probably my fault. But you know, even though we both wanted it, it still made me feel kinda… rejected.’
She gave him a sympathetic smile.
‘And I guess lonely?’ He looked at her. ‘That’s why I came to Versailles. Ah, I know I don’t exactly hang out with you guys, but it’s nice knowing someone else is in the house.’
She nodded. ‘I’m like that too. In Peyrat, you know, my old place. Sleeping there alone. It felt— I mean I’m more or less alone now too, but nearer people. It’s nice. I get it.’
‘You’ve got Henri, too.’
She made a face. ‘I guess.’
‘Can’t get over the cheating?’
‘Something like that.’
He tipped his cup to drink the last of his coffee. ‘I’m not sure why I told you all that,’ he admitted. ‘It makes me look like a bit of a loser.’
‘A loser? Have youmetme?’
He smiled. ‘I love that about you.’
‘What?’
