Page 32 of Love In Provence
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‘Now, you mentioned lunch?’ He gives a wide, attractive smile, reminding me of Henri. I thaw a little. ‘Give me the address and I’ll be there.’
My hands shake as I describe how to get to Le Petit Mas. He’s Henri’s son, I remind myself. He’s in shock. Henri would want me to welcome him.
‘I’ll see you there,’ I say, hoping we can sit down and talk about Henri over a glass of wine and some bread and cheese. I really hope he enjoys hearing how fond we all were of Henri and how much Rhi loved him.
‘Oh, and, Del?’
‘Oui?’ I say, turning back to him.
‘Les clefs?The keys. I’d like to take some time to look around my father’s home, if that’s okay.’ He gives me another smile, reminding me again of Henri, and holds out a hand.
‘Of course!’ I say quickly. ‘Take your time. It’s a beautiful home. So much like him.’ I rummage in my bag and pull out the keys.
I’m about to tell him there’s a spare set under the geraniums to the right of the door, but he turns to Carine and says, ‘Will you join me?’
‘Oui, bien sûr,’ she says, shrugs in her usual way and looks at me.
I can’t read her expression – perhaps that’s down to the Botox. But I wonder if this could be the start of something and back away. ‘I’ll make myself scarce,’ I tell her.
They can spend some time talking about Henri. It’ll be good for them. We can discuss his service over lunch at Le Petit Mas.
Zacharie must be hurting. Henri would want us to look after him. He and Carine may be good for each other.
‘Your father’s things are just as he left them,’ I say. ‘You can feel Henri’s presence as soon as you walk into the apartment, like Rhi did. Finding comfort in just being there. Actually, I need to look through his paperwork, get it into order. Find out who the insurers are for the window.’
He nods. It must be a lot for him to take in right now.
Besides, he probably needs to get the place valued for probate or whatever they have in France. It will allbe part of the process. Carine is the best person to be there for him right now.
‘Your father was very proud of this place,’ I say, feeling comforted by talking about Henri. Little steps. ‘I’m looking forward to you seeing it up and running again.’
‘Hmm, me too,’ he says, this time without a smile. But why would he? His father has just died, and not just any father: Henri.
‘I’ll see you at Le Petit Mas for lunch.’
‘See you then,’ he replies, turning from me. And Carine kisses me on both cheeks, with more affection than she would usually show. Usually Carine barely touches your cheek when saying goodbye or hello. This time as she does, I get a slight jab from her high cheekbone against my cheek and I’m hoping that now we can all start to move forward. Get the bistro running again, money, which I really need to keep the pickers fed, coming in, and soon, hopefully, the harvest will be over and Fabien will be home. Little steps, I think again, but good ones, moving forward. I turn up the alleyway, leave them to it.
I text Fabien as I walk, letting him know that Zacharie is here and how I’m hoping this will mean we can arrange a service for Henri and start to move on with our lives. I add that I’m missing him.
Fabien doesn’t reply.
Lunch in the open-side barn is a quiet affair. It’s hot, and getting hotter, when the pickers come in from the field and head to their accommodation for showers. The barn is welcomingly cool.
I’ve told Rhi that Zacharie is here and excited to meet her. She feels the same. I go to greet him when he arrives.
‘Let me show you around.’ I hold out an arm to Zacharie.
‘This is where we’re harvesting first.’ I show him the field, wishing once again that Fabien was here to speak to him. He knew Henri for far longer than I did. If Fabien was here he’d find common ground. He has a way of doing that. And suddenly I’m thinking about him and Monique, again, finding their common ground … when they used to hang out together as youngsters, members of a cool band. I shake myself. Is this all in my head? Has anything happened to make me think he’s reconnecting with Monique? No! She just called him to go for lunch. Just like I’m here having lunch with Zacharie. It means nothing. Stop it, Del! It’s the shock of Henri’s death, reminding me that nothing is for ever. But we have today! The here and now.
‘It was this view I fell in love with,’ I tell Zacharie. And I’m transported back to when I first arrived. ‘Actually, I didn’t think there was any way on earth I couldlive here. I was a complete fish out of water. But something big, a break from my past, made me see how beautiful this place is. I could imagine the field being full of lavender again. Like this. But it’s taken time to get here. Things do, don’t they? Little by little. Next year I hope to have a still in one of the barns,’ I tell him. I’m determined to make it happen, once Fabien is home and the harvest is over. The money from the sale of the lavender could go towards it.
I have no idea if I’m saying the right things or helping Zacharie in any way.
‘I lost my mother just before we came to live in France. Although I was an adult, I felt lost. It made me look at myself, I suppose, and where I was in life.’
He says nothing. Not the common ground I was hoping for. My mouth feels dry. I can’t think about my mother on top of everything else right now. I cough to try to ease my tightening throat. ‘What do you do for a living, Zacharie?’
