‘And perhaps you could remind him not to traipse mud into my kitchen.’
Hattie sneaked a quick look at Luc. He winked at her and turned and left, leaving her stirred-up hormones on a low simmer.
‘So,’ said Fliss as she steered Hattie back into the kitchen, almost as if she knew that given a choice Hattie would bolt straight off in Luc’s direction. ‘I’ve got a final menu suggestion. What do you think about an asparagus, assorted peppers and new potato salad for the starter? Followed by lemon sorbet and then, as a main course, either a filet mignon with potato, onion and smoked mozzarella pavé and asparagus bundle or herb-crusted wild salmon with lemon-scented mash potato, green beans and parsley sauce.’
‘All sounds delicious to me.’
‘Good, I’m going to write it all down and then you can see what your cousin thinks. And you’ll need to ask her again about the wedding cake. I’m surprised she’s not come back about that yet. You don’t think she might call off the wedding, do you?’
’No! Definitely not. She and Hugo are perfect for each other and … the family all love him.’
‘Right. Well, I’m going to start cooking for dinner tonight and you can help.’
An hour later, exhausted by Fliss’s demands, Hattie asked, ‘Can I do anything else?’ her gaze inadvertently drifting to the doorway for the ninety gazillionth time in the last hour. She’d grated cheese, washed up and laid the table, so she hadn’t been entirely useless.
Fliss tilted her head on one side and levelled an exasperated look at her, before marching over to the fridge, grabbing a bottle of wine and pouring a glass.
‘Here. Take this. Go have a shower or whatever you need to do and get out from under my feet. This is just a simple meal and Solange will be here soon.’
‘I was helping,’ Hattie said indignantly, trying to pretend that she wasn’t hanging around hoping Luc might materialise.
‘Course you were. Vamoose.’ She flicked one hand, shooing Hattie to the door. ‘You’re like a mooning teenager.’
‘I don’t know what you mean,’ said Hattie..
‘Course you don’t.’ Fliss made a big deal out of rolling her eyes. ‘Now bugger off and leave me to cook in peace. You’re useless to me like this.’
It was a relief to give up and go up to her room. She’d been fidgety and distracted all afternoon. She’d see Luc soon enough. After a refreshing shower, she bundled her hair up, turban style, wrapped one of the large bath sheets around her chest and stepped out onto the balcony to enjoy the early evening sunshine with her glass of wine and to give Gabby a call.
She hung over the wrought-iron balustrade taking in the view as she phoned her cousin’s number. It rang a couple of times and then annoyingly went to voicemail.
‘Gabby, it’s Hattie. Good news, we’ve got some menu ideas for you. Perhaps you could take a look and let me know what you think. With a sigh, she put the phone on the small metal table and took a seat at the little patio table, raising her face to enjoy the sensation of warm sun on her skin.
She could hear the peep of small birds flitting in and out of the clematis climbing up the wall below and the distant chug of a tractor on the small road that wound down through the valley. A pattern of greens spread before her, colouring the soft, undulating landscape, bisected by the immaculate lines of the vines. She loved this view from high up with its wide panorama and the sensation of somehow being part of the scene but distant at the same time. There was a feeling of peace and having some time to herself. No sooner had the thought popped into her head than a message beeped on her phone.
Hi Hattie. Hope you’re having a great time. Haven’t heard from you this week so I hope everything is okay. Always here for you. Would be great to hear how it’s going? Cx
Reluctantly, she typed:
All good here. Busy but making progress. Hope all good with you. H
She paused. Should she put in a kiss or not? That bloody x should be deleted from the alphabet; it served no main purpose unless you were having an x-ray. She regretted not being honest when he asked to try again instead of vaguely avoiding answering. Worse, she knew that if she missed the x it would bring a torrent of worry and anxiety that they weren’t still friends.
‘You look deep in thought.’
Hattie jumped and inadvertently pressed send before she was ready, without the kiss, which was going to cause consternation. She looked up to find Luc with a towel around his waist, the white fabric enhancing his deep tan. Her simmering hormones almost burst into flames as her gaze strayed over the low-slung towel and the hairline below his belly button, bringing with it an instant and insistent tug of lust.
‘Twins,’ said Luc, nodding to her towel, coming to stand at his balcony’s edge, a scant metre from hers.
‘Mm,’ she said, nonplussed by the sight of his bare chest. He grinned as she automatically tucked her towel in tighter around her chest.
Should she stay or go? He clearly didn’t feel the least bit awkward.
‘Lovely view,’ she said, for want of anything better to say, and then immediately could have bitten her tongue off.
‘It is,’ he said, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
She gave him a severe look and then burst out laughing. Rising, she went to stand opposite him. He was so close and yet so far. That earlier kiss sizzled between the divide and the small hairs on her arms rose as she wondered what would happen right now if it weren’t for that small but enormous gap.
