‘Of course. Who else would I sell the villa to?’
‘But you don’t know whether we can afford it,’ Sandy protested.
‘I do.’ Guy looked at her. ‘Romain told me you were looking to buy and your price range at the barbeque and the villa is well within that range. Please don’t tell me you don’t want to buy it.’
‘Of course we want to buy it. We just never considered it would be possible. It’s wonderful news,’ Sandy said, moving over to throw her arms around him and give him a hug. ‘We can’t thank you enough.’ She gave him a look. ‘Does this mean you’re leaving Antibes? Or are you staying around?’
‘That will depend on how things work out in the UK in the next week or so,’ Guy said quietly. ‘But Liz and I will definitely be back for visits.’
‘When you will stay here with us,’ Romain said. ‘No argument.’
‘I’m so happy for you and Liz.’ Sandy smiled at him. ‘You deserve to be happy after everything.’
‘Talking of Liz, I’ve got a plane to catch,’ Guy said. ‘I’m off to surprise the love of my life. Ciao.’
* * *
Liz answered her phone happily when it rang at three o’clock Friday afternoon, the phone ID showing her it was Guy.
‘Hi. You’re early today. Everything okay?’
‘Everything is totally fine. Can I come and visit you please?’
‘You know you can any time. I’ve been wanting you to, but you’ve just been so busy.’
‘Have you finished your book?’
‘Sort of. I’ve got a first draft down, but I’ve still got to edit and pull it into shape a little more before I send it to my agent for her opinion. So another few days should do it.’
‘In that case, we’ll just have to celebrate early. I shall be with you in about an hour and a half with a bottle of champagne. Okay?’
But he’d hung up before a startled Liz could reply. She spent the next hour tidying the cottage, taking a batch of scones out of the freezer, before hurrying to the bedroom to make herself presentable and wondering about the timing of the unexpected but welcome visit.
* * *
She was waiting for him when he drew up outside Sunshine Cottage and flew into his arms. ‘I know we’ve been videoing and talking, but it’s not the same. I’ve missed you. The last few weeks have been hard. How long are you here for?’
‘As long as I want to be,’ Guy said. ‘We’ve got lots to talk about.’
Sitting out in the garden with tea and scones, Guy gave deep sigh as he looked around.
‘You have no idea how happy I am to be sitting in your garden with you.’
‘If it’s anything like I feel having you here, I think I do,’ Liz said. ‘So how did you leave things in Antibes?’
‘You mostly know what I’ve been up to since you left, but what I haven’t told you before is that the main thing I’ve been organising is for Sandy and Romain to buy the villa. I broke the news to them this morning that the villa is theirs if they wanted it. Which they definitely do.’
‘Oh, that is wonderful news,’ Liz said. ‘I know Sandy was worried about finding a venue. It’s such a perfect villa for retreats. I’d go back in a heartbeat.’
Guy glanced at her. ‘I want to go and see Dad soon and I’m hoping you will come with me so I can introduce the two of you properly face to face, instead of via video calls.’ Guy drank his tea and placed the cup back on its saucer. ‘And then we need to talk about our future.’
‘Have you decided what you want to do – stay in catering or do something completely different?’ Liz asked.
‘I love cooking and I’m proud of my Michelin stars and honestly I can’t imagine doing anything else,’ Guy said slowly. ‘My dream years ago was a small intimate restaurant in a country village, which rather got bulldozed into something else. You know the sort of place I mean – only a few tables, maybe a dozen people of an evening, one sitting, small menu.’
‘There used to be a restaurant like that in a picture-book cottage in the next village, very popular. The couple that ran it didn’t even have a table licence, but the cottage was opposite the village pub, so people would say the drinks they wanted, give him the money and off he’d go to the pub. It worked well for both of them.’
‘Why did it close?’
