Page 61 of You Had Me at Chateau
‘It’s… never been said before,’ he jokes. ‘Let me try a bit of that tart.’
‘Now that I bet you have said before,’ I tease.
We both dig in, savouring each bite, and I have to admit, it’s pure heaven. The flavours are rich and decadent, and varied – although that could be because we’re having everything on the menu. If you’re the kind of person who looks at a dessert menu and struggles to choose (which is what I’m like, and yes, I’m aware that is the opposite of what I’m like with main courses) then it really is a great solution.
But then, mid-bite of the chocolate layered thing that I want to actually marry, something occurs to me. Shiiiit. Bette is cooking dinner for everyone tonight. And I’m supposed to show up and eat it. Oh, God, and I’ve just eaten so, so much food. Honestly, I’ve been like a magician, because anything that has been put in front of me I have made disappear.
Panic flickers for a moment, and I know that the best thing to do is to stop eating the desserts, but surely I’m in too deep now, and all of this is far too good to waste.
I’ll just have to hope that I can make another dinner disappear – ideally without resorting to sleight of hand.
31
As grateful as I am that Caleb is insisting on walking me back to the château in the dark, I’m a little on edge given that I don’t want anyone to spot him. Still, it is dark, cold, and snowy, so it’s probably for the best that I’m not doing it alone.
We walk together, along the snow-covered path towards the château, his footsteps crunching softly beside mine. As soon as the château is in sight, I’ll tell him that I’ll be okay from there, so that he can head back, before the snow starts falling again. I’ll just have to hope that he isn’t so much of a gentleman that he refuses. No, I never thought I would worry about a man being too much of a gentleman.
‘You really don’t have to walk me all the way,’ I say, glancing sideways at him.
‘It’s no trouble,’ Caleb replies, his breath visible in the chilly air. ‘If you slip, fall down the mountain and die, then who will be in my photos?’
I know that he’s joking but he actually makes a good point. If I slipped and fell down the mountain, how long would it be before anyone noticed, if it weren’t for Caleb being here with me? Even my own parents haven’t been taking my calls today.
‘Well, I can use my torch, for the last stretch,’ I reply. ‘And I can always google how to do an SOS.’
I reach into my pocket and pull out my phone, for the first time in ages, and notice a notification from my mum that came through earlier. My heart skips a beat.
‘Is everything okay?’ Caleb asks, noticing my sudden change in expression.
‘I’m not sure,’ I say, opening the message. ‘I have a message from my mum, it says: “Sorry we didn’t answer. Your dad was in the hospital. I’m on my way there now. Will call later.”’
Panic sets in. I stop in my tracks.
‘Shit, I need to call my mum,’ I blurt. ‘My dad’s in the hospital, and she’s just dropping it into a text like that? Fuck, I don’t have any signal here.’
Caleb quickly reaches into his pocket and hands me his phone.
‘Here, use mine,’ he tells me, offering me his phone. ‘It has some kind of special SIM. I don’t know how it works, I think it uses satellites or something. You should be able to get through.’
I fumble with his phone, my hands shaking as I dial Tom’s number first. I can’t believe he hasn’t let me know.
It rings and rings, but no answer. I try to steady my breathing and punch in my mum’s number next. Each ring feels like an eternity, but finally, she picks up.
‘Mum! What’s going on? Is Dad okay?’ I blurt out, my voice a mix of worry and fear.
‘Amber, it’s you! Okay, calm down,’ she says, her voice soothing. ‘Your dad’s fine.’
She sounds confused that I’m even worried, which only confusesmefurther.
‘What?’ I blurt. ‘You said he was in the hospital…’
Mum laughs.
‘Amber, you silly goose, you worry too much,’ she says – which is rich coming from the world’s most spectacular worrier. ‘He was just visiting a friend. You know Elsie, from down the street? Remember her son, Ron, and his wife, Erica? We went to Spain with them, years ago, when you were two – remember?’
‘No, Mum, I don’t remember going to Spain when I was two,’ I reply, my tone totally flat.
‘Anyway, he was visiting Ken,’ she continues her explanation. ‘He’s broken his hip.’
