‘Welcome home,’ Joe said, taking her coat as she walked slowly forward, looking at the enormous mirror that it must have taken an army of men to hang.
‘This is where you grew up?’
‘No, we had a house closer to my school, and it was nothing like this,’ he said. ‘My mother sold the big house when my father passed, and she became obsessed with interior design.’
‘If this is the small house, then I’m imagining the last place was a chateau.’
Joe smiled and pointed ahead, towards the noise. ‘My father loved the country and my mother the city, so as much as everyone else might have loved our chateau, it was never her dream.’
So itwasa chateau? Mia was starting to think that she’d unintentionally met French royalty, but she tried not to look too bug-eyed and followed Joe. Two blond-haired children were playing on the floor, with a woman who looked slightly older than Joe’s other sisters sitting on the sofa beside them. But it was Joe’s mother who properly caught her attention, opening her arms and coming towards them.
‘You made it! Bonjour, Mia,’ she said, giving her a warm hug and kissing her cheeks.
‘Thank you so much for inviting me. Your home is absolutely amazing. I could stand in awe and look around for hours.’
‘It’s been my project for the past ten years,’ she said. ‘Only one of my children has been kind enough to give me grandchildren, so I have far too much time on my hands.’
Joe groaned, and his sister Vivienne came and took Mia by the arm, leading her away. She heard his mother speak French and wished she could have understood even part of it.
‘You’ve caused quite a bit of excitement,’ she said, leading her into the kitchen and pouring them both a glass of wine. ‘Joe can be…’ Vivienne frowned. ‘Let’s just say that he keeps things close to his chest. We were surprised to meet you at the party.’
Mia felt that tug of guilt inside, not liking that they were fooling anyone. Although, given the warm reception she’d received, she was starting to wish that it was real, because they were a lovely family.
‘Do you know anything about his last serious girlfriend?’
‘Ah, no, we haven’t really known each other for long, so…’ She took a sip of wine, trying to buy herself some time.
‘Let’s just say that she was after Joe’s money, not his love. She heard that he owned a successful restaurant, and we think she decided she wanted to be with him because of it.’
Mia couldn’t hide her surprise, and she lowered her glass. ‘That’s awful. You know, he let me believe he worked in the bar when I first met him, which makes complete sense now.’
Vivienne laughed. ‘That doesn’t surprise me. He’s worked so hard for everything,’ she said. ‘Our father was so hard on him when he was younger. He told him that he had to make his own way in the world, that he needed to create his own fortune, and from the day Joe could get a job after school, he was working. Our dad was so proud of him.’
‘I don’t, I mean, I want you to know?—’
‘I’m telling you, so you know why he gets how he gets sometimes,’ Vivienne said. ‘He’s found it hard to trust ever since, and I understand why, I do, but we all want him to be happy.’
They were interrupted by the matriarch of the house calling them all to the table, and Mia carried her glass of wine through to the dining area and took the seat she was directed to. She would have offered to help, but Joe came to sit beside her and warned explicitly against getting in his mother’s way.
‘She likes to do it herself,’ he said. ‘Until it’s time to clear up, and then she’s very good at delegating.’
‘And our brother is very good at getting out of that,’ Vivienne said as she breezed past.
Mia studied Joe while he bantered with his sisters, taking in the stubble along his strong jaw, the dark brows and thick dark hair that he often ran his fingers through. She’d noticed he had a little habit of tugging his fingers through the ends when he was talking to his sister, and it made her smile. She was an only child, but she’d always been fascinated by the relationships betweensiblings and had often wondered what it would have been like to have a brother or sister.
And even though she’d come here hoping to discover more clues about her past, Mia found she couldn’t think about that as she was welcomed into the kind of family gathering that made her forget everything else. She watched as Joe refilled everyone’s wine and made a fuss of pouring juice into the glasses of his niece and nephew; at the way his mother served each of them, clearly taking so much pride in feeding her family.
But it was noticing her watch her son a little longer than she did her daughters that tugged at Mia’s heartstrings, and it made her wonder if there was something else she didn’t know about Joe. There was a reason he’d asked her, she could sense it, and it was more than just wanting to distract his mother and sisters from his lack of a love life. She had the distinct feeling that there was something else under the surface, something much deeper, that he was trying to hide from.
‘Are you okay?’
She glanced at Joe, wishing she knew him well enough to lean in and press a kiss to his cheek, but instead she nodded and turned back to listen to his family.
‘Marguerite, there’s something I need to tell you,’ Mia said to Joe’s mother, as they stood shoulder to shoulder in the kitchen. She’d been warned about offering to help, but his mother hadn’t shooed her away when she’d come to visit her in the kitchen as she prepared dessert. ‘You’ve been so kind to me, and the way you’ve opened your home, and…’ Her voice trailed away and she inhaled and turned to face her, setting down the plate she was holding.
‘You’re trying to tell me that you’re not actually dating my son?’ she asked, with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes.
‘You knew all this time?’ Mia asked. ‘Why didn’t you say anything?’
