Page 82 of Love In Provence
He looks around the group, who have fallen silent. Even the record has ended.
We shuffle up on the bench to make space for him, and my eyes prickle with pride. He steps forward and accepts a glass of wine that Graham has poured for him. ‘It’s just the local stuff,’ says Graham.
‘It’s fine. Perfect.Merci.’ He takes a sip and stiffly, with a gash on his forehead, he hands a cardboard box to me. ‘Crème caramels … like Henri used to make, on a Saturday night for me,’ he says. ‘Henri. Papa.’
I take the box from him, open it and peer in. Everyone is watching me. A smile grows across my face as I reach in and take one out. ‘Hardly like Henri used to make!’ I laugh at the beautifully crafted little morsels, breathing in their caramel scent, with other miniature desserts, beautifully crafted.
‘Well, a blend of the two of us. The classic tastes and flavours, and the flair of the new,’ he says, with a respectful nod.
‘The past, the present and the future,’ I say. It’s perfect.
‘There really is room for both of us in the town. All of us,’ I tell Zacharie, as he sips his wine.
‘I know. I’m sorry. I behaved badly. I was angry, letting the past cloud my judgement of what is right here, under my nose. The love for my father is real. I’m sorry,’ he says, turning to Rhi, who stands. ‘Would it be all right if …’ She doesn’t let him finish before she’s hugging him hard and he slowly, as if taken a little by surprise at first, hugs her back in a clumsy but still well-meaning gesture.
‘Please join us,’ I say, and Fabien brings another chair, placing it next to mine.
Graham tops up the drinks and Ed repositions the record player arm so Edith is singing ‘La Vie En Rose’. We clink glasses, ‘To Henri,’ and sip.
Then Zacharie says, ‘The bistro is gone. Once the insurance comes through, I’ll be looking at new premises. We could always talk about some ideas, working together in a new venture.’
‘Ah, it’s good of you, but I don’t think that’s going to work now,’ I say. ‘I’m not sure I’m a Michelin-star sort of cook. But that’s okay. Like I said, there’s room for everyone.’
‘There is.’ He nods and smiles.
‘You could carry on with the supper club here,’ Fabien says. ‘My profits have never been so good! However, you will be taking things a lot easier from now on,’ he says to me.
‘I will.’ I laugh.
‘And I apologize for my behaviour, both of you,’ says Zacharie. He holds out his hand to me, and I shake it, then to Fabien, who accepts it and shakes. They both know it’s what Henri would have done.
‘However,’ I look around the table, ‘the autumn is coming. Maybe we could do the supper club next summer, but in the meantime, I was thinking about events catering, weddings, christenings, first communions, even moving into catering for film crews or food festivals. Anywhere that needs us to feed people.’
Keith and Graham, Maria, Ed and Jen all look at each other and smile.
‘That sounds amazing!’ says Graham.
‘Brilliant,’ says Jen.
Maria’s phone pings. She looks at it. ‘It’s Marco. He’s heading for the airport tomorrow and wants to know if I’ll be joining him to travel home.’
She looks at Ed. ‘Well, I have to be going back, so …’ She trails off.
‘You could stay,’ I say. ‘If you wanted to. All of you. Us. Working as a team. Doing what we do now. It’s a leap of faith. I don’t know what work we’ll get, but if we managed to pull this off, I’m pretty sure we can set ourselves up as an outside catering company. We can call it Henri’s At Home! Chez Henri!’
And they nod in agreement.
‘I’d like to stay on here for a while,’ says Keith to Graham. ‘Find ourselves somewhere to rent. Somewhere I can create a home for us.’
And Graham beams. ‘Perfect!’
‘We should let Bobby know,’ says Graham, picking up his phone, his hands shaking with his excitement.
‘What about you, Jen?’ I say.
‘Well, I was going to offer you a lift to the airport, Maria, but, actually, it’s time for a rest. The van and I should stay exactly where we are. I’d like to think my travelling days are over, that this is where my journey ends. I can’t run for ever. I messed up and there’s nogoing back, but that’s not to say I don’t still have a future. Like you say, don’t wait for it not to be hard to be happy.’
Then I look at Ed.
