Page 76 of Love In Provence
‘No. It’s not about Henri’s. It’s all about us being together, wherever.’
He takes a moment and the flame dies a little. ‘I can go. If that’s what you want. If it was just part of the journey. The band has another tour coming up, America. Hoping for the big-time. The door is open for me.’
‘And do you want to go?’
‘Do you want me to?’
‘I want you to do whatever you want to do that makes you happy. If that’s going back on tour, so be it. I’ll support you and be here for you when you come home.’
He lets out a long sigh. ‘What do you want, Del? I want what makes you happy.’
Without realizing it I have taken his hands.
‘Del, if you want Henri’s, I’ll support you. We’ll sell Le Petit Mas. Live above the bistro.’
‘You-and-me is far more important, Fabien. I just need to know that you want to be with me.’
‘There is nobody else I ever want to be with.’
‘Nor me, only you.’
‘And is it what you really want, to sell Le Petit Mas?’
‘No.’
‘If it is, I’ll support you. We’ll go for it.’
‘Do you want to be back on tour?’
He shakes his head, and we move closer, our foreheads touching.
‘There’ll be other restaurants. Or you can keep going at thebrocante, get a licence for the summer, making it a more permanent feature. Do weddings maybe,’ he suggests.
‘I like that idea.’ We kiss as the wind weaves through the trees, making them whisper, like passing on a message, letting us know the mistral is on her way back into town, like a returning diva to her home.
‘Le Petit Mas is our home, Stephanie, JB and the children’s too. Henri’s bistro was about me, not about us. It was part of my journey to find myself.’
And I think about Maria, finding her wings. Maybe I found mine, too, in this year’s lavender harvest.
‘I don’t ever want to lose you.’
‘But you were in love with Monique.’
‘Monique and I were a thing of the past.’
‘But you loved her.’
‘Maybe once. But not now.’
‘But she’s your age … I’m older.’
‘More beautiful and way more intelligent. I love the way you are a mother to Stephanie, how you helpothers, not thinking of yourself, how you are there for people when they need you. I promise you, nothing happened. I enjoyed revisiting my past, being with the band, remembering the times we had, but that’s all. You and I, we need to slow life down. Take time for each other. Anyway, my back aches from sleeping on bad beds during the tour. I never want to do that again. I want to wake up every morning with you beside me.’
‘I don’t want you to regret being with me.’
‘No regrets, ever! Think of all the men you could have settled with. Instead you went for a pennilessbrocanteowner, who plays bad guitar so has to play bass.’
‘I love you for your guitar playing. The way you play with the children …’
