Page 58 of Love in Bloom

“It was an I-don’t-want-to-say-goodbye-kiss.”

She chuckled. “That was some convincing kiss.” Camille rested her head back against the bark and brushed a wave of hair off his forehead. “I don’t want to say goodbye either. I’ve been thinking it over, how we can make us work.” She gestured between them.

“And?”

She shook her head. “Every scenario seems more farfetched than the last. We can do the long-distance relationship.”

“Which probably wouldn’t satisfy either of us.”

“Or one of us will have to move.”

“Except our jobs are on opposite sides of the globe.”

“We could bounce back and forth, a month here a month there.”

He rested his hands on the trunk of the tree, on either side of her shoulders. “Could either of us bear to work remotely? Could our research proceed the way we want?”

“You sound like you’re arguing against us making this work.”

He traced a thumb over her cheekbone. “I bet you’ve had the same arguments in your head as I have. I’m voicing those thoughts.”

“Yes. I’ve had the same cycle of dead ends too.”

“Then what do we do?” He ran his fingers down her straight blonde hair.

“I still don’t know. Just as I still don’t know how to solve the blush issue I left behind at work a few weeks ago.”

He smiled. “Still musing over that one I see.”

“Have you truly left all your work behind on this vacation?”

“I’ve certainly neglected it the past few days. I haven’t even checked email. I’ve been rather preoccupied by my wife.”

“Yes, but where does that leave us?”

“Committed to finding a solution.” He kissed her gently. “Now that we know that much, let’s go see the rest of Château de Versailles and perhaps a solution will present itself.”

♥ ♥ ♥

Camille settled into her chair at the table and fanned herself. “I’m starved,” she declared. “Seeing the castle and the domaine de Trianon section of the gardens has given me an appetite. I could really go for some fish and chips.”

“I don’t think they serve that here.” Tristan smiled, and Camille was reminded of how much she would miss seeing him each day. Video chat would be nice, but not the same.

“Funny to be eating Italian in the middle of the great French castle,” she said.

“Well, we’ve seen several Italian gardens on our tour of France.”

“True.” Camille sipped her water then played with the condensation on her glass.

“Think of it as the best of both worlds. Perhaps we should consider a tour of the gardens of Italy.”

“Does Italy have a similar tour to the one we’re on? You know, all exclusive, posh, and ridiculously expensive.”

“I was thinking more of roughing it.”

“In hostels?”

“More like small hotels and bed and breakfasts.”

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