Page 35 of Love in Bloom

“I’ll need three of these by the time we get back on the bus.”

“I’m sure you’ll get whatever you ask for since the tour is here to accommodate our every request.”

They made their way through the square hedges, skirted the château, and arrived at the bastion.

“As much as I loved the maze, this may be my favorite part. The rounded greens look as if they house a tiny race like hobbits or gnomes. I keep expecting them to pop out of the shapes. Wouldn’t they make wonderful homes? Of course they would,” she said.

“Don’t hobbits prefer their homes to be in the earth? They do look quite snug though.”

“What’s that?” A strange noise caught Camille’s attention. “It sounds a bit like a saw, but I can’t imagine they’re felling trees here. Can you? Of course not. It would be absurd. They would ruin the garden that way.” She followed the sound, and they arrived at atelier du tourneur. “A wood turner?” Camille crept closer to watch the man shaping wood with a machine. Lined up on a shelf were many of his works. She picked up a simple bowl. “I love this. It would be perfect for something back at home, though I’m not sure what yet.” She set it back down.

“Let’s get one. It can be your honeymoon bowl.” He handed over the required euros. “There, now when you go home, you can see the bowl and think of our time together.”

“I won’t need a bowl to remind me of you.” She brushed her fingers along his hairline.

He caught her fingertips and kissed them. “We’d better get back to the château and meet the bus.”

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