Page 79 of The Village Cafe in the Loire

‘Guess we’re both unemployed.’

‘And unemployable.’ Amber’s remark sobered them both up for a moment. ‘What are you going to do?’ she asked. ‘You could still retract it? Say you were stressed? You’d probably be able to speak to?—’

‘No.’ Becky shook her head.

‘It’s worth a?—’

‘It’s not,’ she said. ‘Yes, I could probably pull a few strings, do a bit of grovelling. Cite stress or bring up hormones –Maurice can’t handle talk of hormones, he’d probably give me a promotion just to shut me up. But you know what? It felt right. It feels right still.’

‘Storming out?’

‘Gettingout. Getting away. I… This is going to sound crazy but I feel like something’s changed in me. I don’t belong there any more.’

‘Really?’

‘Yeah. I mean, I probably should have done things more professionally, but…’

‘That ship has sailed?’

‘It’s disappeared over the horizon for good.’

Amber looked at her hands as they rested on her duvet. ‘Are you going to go back to France or something?’

‘No, don’t worry. I’ll go and do the launch. Say goodbye to Maud properly. See the café for the last time. But I’m not going to stay there.’

‘Are you sure?’ Amber shifted slightly, her voice more animated. ‘Because you know what I’d do if I were you? I’d get on that plane and not look back. You’ve got Pascal, you’ve got a business. Everything’s opening up for you over there.’

‘You would?’

Amber squeezed her hand. ‘In a heartbeat. I mean. Look at me. I’ve lost all of it. Rufus really has it out for me?—’

‘We can take him down. Together. I’ll help. We’ll get a lawyer?—’

‘I don’t know. We could. And probably should. But it will take ages and lots of energy that I don’t have yet. Either way, for now, my career is… tarnished, to say the least. And I have no idea when I’ll feel OK to work. Physically, I’m all right. They told me to start exercising, start getting on with life. But mentally I’m… stuck.’

‘Oh Amber.’

‘Yep. Do you know what I’d give to have options? That’s what money gets you, you know. Options.’

Becky nodded.

‘But look,’ Amber said smiling. ‘You quit your job for me. That’s pretty amazing.’

‘For you,andfor me. And because I guess I’ve changed.’

‘Or you’ve found who you really are. Who you already were. There was something right about seeing you in France.’

‘Maybe.’

‘So go back over,’ Amber said firmly. ‘Finish the job. See what you feel like. But, well… at least don’t write off the possibility that you could stay. I know I would.’

Becky reached for Amber’s hand. ‘But what about you?’

‘I’ll be fine. You know for a fact I won’t starve. There’s always soup! And if you stayed because of some sort of loyalty to me, I’d hate that. I really would.’

‘Oh.’

‘I love you, chick. But I’m not responsible for you. I can’t carry that as well,’ Amber said firmly.

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