Luc shook his head. ‘It’s the Tour de l’Horloge,’ he told her. ‘One of Draguignan’s most interesting tourist attractions.’
‘So it has a clock?’
Luc shrugged. ‘It was a watchtower that sat on the original city walls, back in the 1600s. It might have had a clock at some point but, as far as I know, the only thing in the iron cage now is the bell.’
‘It’s beautiful,’ Sophie said. ‘I love it.’
Luc smiled. ‘So do I. That’s why I bought this apartment.’
Maybe it was something in his voice. Or perhaps it was because Sophie knew him better than anyone else on this planet that made her catch his gaze, her own softening in a way that told him she knew there was something much more personal behind his words.
He turned to look at the tower again.
‘I lived here with my grandmother when I was very young,’ he said. ‘My mother worked in Nice and just came back for weekends. One of my first memories is climbing that tower. I was only about four years old and it seemed like an adventure that was big enough to be scary but Mamie held my hand, helped me count all the steps to get to the top and then told me how brave I was.’ He had to clear his throat. ‘I loved mymamie,’ he added. ‘But I never saw her again after my mother took me to England.’
Sophie’s touch on his arm was gentle. A gesture of empathy that didn’t need any words. Luc didn’t dare meet her gaze. He would fall into the blue of her eyes and then he would have to kiss her senseless and they’d never make it out the door of his apartment in time for dinner.
‘There are seventy-nine steps,’ he said, his voice a little rough. ‘And a great view at the top but I won’t suggest we climb it today.’ Now it was safe to look at Sophie. To drop a soft kiss on to her lips, in fact. ‘I’ve booked us a table at a favourite restaurant of mine. I think you’re going to love the food.’
He led Sophie through the paved streets of the old part of the city, many of which were too narrow for cars. It might not have quite as much medieval charm as Sophie’s hometown of Saint Jeannet but it was still pretty. They passed shops and a park, squares that housed outdoor cafés with umbrellas that were hardly necessary given the shade from the old plane trees and then wound their way uphill towards the tower. The restaurant he was taking her to was known for its menu rather than its view, however, and it had an ambience that Luc loved.
He had booked a table on the paved outdoor courtyard that was shaded by the foliage of trees as well as a grapevine, trained along wooden beams. There were rustic wicker chairs around tables covered with crisp white linen and sparkling glassware. Ivy was trying to smother the stone walls that enclosed this space, clouds of tiny white flowers in hanging baskets added to the sense of being in a garden, and shaded corners provided a privacy that felt delightfully intimate. The only company Luc wanted this evening was Sophie’s and the table for only two, screened by the large trunk of a tree, wasparfait.
The look in her eyes, as she touched her glass of champagne to his, a short time later, told him she was just as happy to be here with him and Luc could feel something expanding in his chest so much it hurt. Was it possible for a heart to actually burst when it was so full of… this feeling?
Love was too small a word to describe it.
This was…everything. It was as simple as that.
It was his past, his present and his future. He was with the person he loved most in this world.
A person who’d always had his heart, even if she hadn’t asked for it.
A person who, by some miracle, wanted to be withhimjust as much.
It was a gift that was so unexpected, it seemed too good to be true.
But here they were. Like any other lovers, out to share a meal on a summer’s evening.
He could hear the raw edge to his next words that probably made it obvious they were coming straight from his heart.
‘À nous,’ he murmured.
‘À nous,’ Sophie echoed. ‘To us.’
The summer menu was inviting. They both chose an entrée of white Alsace asparagus that was served with a hollandaise foam and scattered with micro herbs and tiny edible flowers, which made it a perfect fit for the garden room they were in.
‘So pretty.’ Sophie admired the food before taking a bite. She closed her eyes as she tasted it. ‘And so delicious.’
Luc sat back in his chair, preferring to watch her eat for a moment than taste his own food just yet. He took a sip of the crisp Sancerre that had been recommended by the chef to accompany this course.
‘Tell me about your day,’ he invited. ‘Did you go to the beach?’
‘I did. It’s just as gorgeous as the first time I went. It’s going to be absolutely perfect for this wedding.’ Sophie was smiling again. ‘I think you’re going to enjoy your last wedding. This one’s going to be so much fun.’
‘Will the bride want a “drown the dress” at the end of the day?’
Sophie laughed. ‘Laura’s not wearing a traditional gown. She and Noah have been together for years now. They have two children. Lili’s coming up to five and she has a little brother, Gabriel who’s just old enough to be able to toddle around and throw some rose petals out of a basket.’
