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“And did you speak to the chap in Ars about the faulty fanbelt?”

“Yes. I said I didn’t need to talk to you about work.”

The corners of my dad’s mouth curled up, mostly masked by his bushy beard. Not quite as lush as mine, but close. I intended to let mine grow out even more now I knew how much Caspian liked me rubbing it along the length of his inner thighs.

“So why are you here?”

“To inform you that my friend is now my boyfriend. His name is Caspian, and he has significant mental health issues, which is why he visited Colette.”

“Oh.”

“He’s English,” I added. “But that’s not why he has mental health issues.”

“Probably doesn’t help,” said my dad. I think he was joking. He stopped sharpening his chainsaw chain and glanced up at me. “Boyfriend, eh?”

“Yes. I’m homosexual.”

He nodded. “Your mother always said you might be. That woman was never wrong about anything.”

I frowned. “Except for that time when she went to pick Nico up from a school trip and was a day early. And also, when she said thatbranleurMacron would lose the next general election.”

My dad laughed. “Yes, okay, she was wrong occasionally.”

Noir was digging up potatoes in the vegetable patch. I hoped my dad didn’t notice. “How did she know,” I asked him. Reminiscing about my mother still had the capacity to upset me, especially if I was already stressing about other things. Like Caspian being at work, for instance. So I counted my fingers and rocked a bit. I didn’t need to hide it from my dad.

“Florian,” he answered, and a wave of heat stole up my neck. “You used to stare at him with hearts in your eyes.” He threw me a cheesy dad grin. “Oh, and that gay porn magazine you kept under your mattress for about three years until it fell apart. The guy on page four—putain, was that actually his?—”

“Do you mind,” I interrupted. “That I’m homosexual. Are you disappointed.”

“God, no. I suppose I’m a bit disappointed you didn’t think you could tell me. Or Nico, or your sister.”

“It wasn’t important then. But now it is.”

I watched as my dad, his hands big and rough like mine, tried to rethread the chainsaw chain onto the saw. “So, this boyfriend, then. Caspian. He hanging around after the filming stops?”

“I want him to. But Éti says I can’t make someone love me, so it’s up to him.”

“Another woman who’s always right.”

“Yes.”

The chain slipped into place with a satisfying click. My dad tugged on it a couple of times. “What’s made this particular lad turn your head, then? Good-looking fella, is he?”

“I think so, except he’s quite small and his teeth aren’t as good as mine.” I didn’t mention the scars. “He’s also excellent at all the things I’m not, even though he doesn’t think he is.”

I didn’t need to explain those to my dad. Avoidinghidden social curriculum violations.Like carrying on talking to someone, even though they are looking at their watch. Sitting next to a person I don’t know at the cinema when there are lots of other empty seats to choose from. Telling my sister her dress is too tight and it doesn’t suit her. Explaining interesting nature podcasts to someone who hasn’t asked. (Although Caspian loves it when I do that.)

“And I’m excellent at the things he’s not. Like whittling and looking after dogs and snakes and not being anxious all thetime.” From the corner of my eye, I saw Noir running down the path with his three paws covered in mud and a dirty potato stuffed in his mouth.

“Especially looking after pets. Bye. I’m going now.”

Caspian manoeuvred through the door armed with shopping bags.

“I’m cooking dinner tonight,” he announced. “It’s the least I can do. Emma and I nipped to the indoor food market in Ars during a break this morning.”

He smiled at me, though his eyelids drooped. If he was a phone, his battery would be alerting at 5 percent.

“I can do it,” I offered, taking the bags from him. “And these are too much for you to carry on your own.”

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