Page 59 of Love in Bloom

“Hmm.” Camille perused her menu to hide the blush on her cheeks. “I doubt I could survive another vacation as your fake wife.”

“Who said anything about you being fake?”

Camille’s heart thudded in her chest. Was this a hint of a forthcoming real marriage proposal? They hadn’t solved the “where to live issue.” Tristan’s work was organic medical while hers was organic makeup. While there was some crossover, the application process was different. With Tristan’s last remark, Camille’s heart whispered to her that if he did propose, she would answer yes, despite the challenging logistics.

The waiter came, and winced as Camille ordered in her broken French and Italian. She picked the taglierini with tomato sauce and burrata, while Tristan ordered the Gorgonzola gnocchi with walnuts and green apple.

“Are you going to share?” she asked.

“Perhaps. Are you?”

“Perhaps,” she teased.

They talked over their favorite sites on the tour while they ate their Italian fare.

“If the food is this good in Italy, then sign me up. Though we’ll have to walk a million miles so I don’t blow up like an air balloon.” Camille sipped her water.

“I think that can be arranged.”

“I’m going to use the loo before we adventure farther.” She set her napkin on her chair and searched out the facilities. As she washed her hands, a woman entered.

Camille glanced in the mirror and froze. Mrs. Chan.

“I finally caught you.” Mrs. Chan smirked. “I’ve been trailing you all day.”

Camille turned off the water and grabbed a paper towel. “What a waste of your time at Château de Versailles. It’s far more interesting and beautiful to look at than I am.” What did this viper want with her?

Mrs. Chan advanced, pointing a manicured finger in Camille’s face. “You’re married to a criminal and an adulterer.”

Camille didn’t give way. “He’s divorced. And he made an error in judgment, just as you have by coming in here to accuse him and try to intimidate me.” She batted Mrs. Chan’s finger away, her ire rising.

Mrs. Chan hissed and narrowed her eyes. “You dare to touch me.”

“I’ll do a whole lot more if you refuse to move out of my way.” Camille clenched her fists.

“Did he tell you about the money?”

“What money?” Curse her lack of a filter!

With a snakelike smirk Mrs. Chan backed up a step. “The money he was paid for his silence. Blood money. Your husband’s soul is bought and paid for.”

“You’re a liar. A twisted old woman who only cares about stirring up trouble in the lives of others. You want everyone to be miserable like you in your loveless marriage.” Camille tossed her towel in the waste basket. “And your makeup is all wrong for you. Whoever picked out your palette should be shot. Instead of making you look younger, it adds ten years to your face.” She knew she’d hit Mrs. Chan’s vanity mark.

Mrs. Chan’s eyes blazed. “Ask him about the money. He’s a gold digger. He’ll be after yours next, Miss Slade.”

Camille exited the loo and beelined for Tristan. What a vile woman. Making all sorts of insinuations. What worried Camille most was that Mrs. Chan called her by her real name. Did she know they weren’t married? It was the last day of the tour. Did it matter if they got kicked out?

Tristan’s smile faded as she approached. He tossed some bills on the table and took her hand. “Camille, are you okay? Your face is all red.”

“I had a run-in with Mrs. Chan. She said some awful things about you. About us. She called me Miss Slade.”

Tristan took her hand and hurriedly led her away from the restaurant, back toward the gardens. “I’m sorry she upset you.”

“She said you took money from Jia, that you were after my money.”

Tristan shook his head. “I’m not after your money, Camille.”

In her flustered state, she caught onto the fact that he hadn’t denied taking money from his ex-wife. “But you took money from Jia’s family in exchange for your silence about their animal testing and treatment?”

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