Escape to the French Riviera

Chapter Thirty-Four

My kimono is still on the edge of the bed where I left it this morning, and I gather my things up as quickly as I can. I realise that I don’t know the names of any taxi companies, nor do I know if there are any flights available, but I refuse to ask Elias if he can drop me off at the airport. In fact, as I start packing, I still don’t know where I will go. I remember the lovely neighbour and decide to go to her. She will surely help me find a taxi.

I am sobbing and full of anger as I throw things into my bag loudly, secretly hoping Elias will stop me and ask me where I think I am going so that I can give him a big, dramatic response. But he doesn’t. Elias has no idea I am packing my things as he has been standing by the pool, looking out to sea, since our fight in the kitchen.

From the study window, as I pack my laptop away, I can see Elias running his hand through his hair. He looks stressed, but I can’t be to blame for that. He shouldn’t have lied to me. He could have trusted me. It was Elias I was falling for and not his money. He knew how difficult it was for me to trust anyone again after what happened with Michael. Now I have someone who is faithful but tries to hide what he owns!

Looking around the study, I realise how new it all looks. According to the evidence, Elias has not long bought this villa. A thought crosses my mind that he designed this study especially for me as I notice a sleek silver dolphin statue that I hadn’t spotted before. Did he buy that as a reminder of our day out on the boat? I think back to the excitement I felt that day when we spotted the dolphin and how I didn’t stop going on about it. How I said that dolphins were so calm and joked that maybe I needed to keep one next to my laptop to stop me stressing. Surely, he couldn’t have done this for me? I tell myself not to be such a romantic fool. It is probably because he is as fond of dolphins as I am. Nothing more than that. Besides, a little dolphin isn’t going to charm me right now after finding out all these lies by accident.

With my laptop safe and the wardrobe emptied of a summer’s worth of clothes, I close my case and drag it down the marble staircase. It bangs and clatters on every step, and I am secretly pleased that it alerts Elias, and he returns into the house to see what all the commotion is about. He catches me just as I am about to open the latch of the front door.

‘Where are you going?’

‘Umm, the airport. Where does it look like?’

‘But why?’

‘Because neither of us trust each other, that’s why.’

‘Oh, come on. Please, don’t be like that.’

Even though I desperately want to change my mind and talk to him, it has gone too far for me to back down.

‘No, I’m off. If you don’t trust me, then how can you even have me stay here? I mean, I might run off with… I don’t know… the little dolphin in the study.’

‘Ah, you saw the dolphin. I bought that especially for you. Come on. Sit down. Let’s talk about this.’

Elias closes the front door, which is now ajar, and takes the suitcase from my hand.

‘We need to talk. Please, will you stay, at least until you hear what I’ve got to say? Then it’s up to you to make your mind up about whether you want to go home or not. Just say that you’ll listen to me first.’

‘I don’t know. I think I’ve heard enough. You obviously don’t trust me. Do you even trust me to tell me the truth here?’

‘Of course, I do. Honestly, I wish I’d never won that money sometimes. I’m all over the place. I’m sorry, but please listen to me, and then you can leave.’

Finally, I reluctantly agree to listen to him. I came all this way; I may as well see what else he has to say for himself.

‘Why don’t you go and sit by the pool, and I’ll bring us some coffees out,’ says Elias.

I wander outside and wait for Elias. I look up at the bedroom balcony where I like to sit and drink my coffee in the morning and to the window of the study that I love to work in. One thing is certain, Elias has very discerning taste. If I had to pick a dream home where money was no object, this would be the home I would choose.

Elias walks towards me, holding two mugs, and I look at his face. He looks older and tired. He smiles hesitantly as he approaches me. However, whilst I wanted this relationship to work out so badly, he would have to give me a pretty good reason to accept the fact that he keeps hiding the truth from me.

‘So…’ he says, putting down the coffee on the table beside my sunbed.

‘So,’ I say rather awkwardly.

‘I suppose I need to explain myself properly. I never meant any of this. It’s just that, like I said before, the money I won has been a blessing and a curse. I want people to like me for who I am, not what I’ve got.’

‘I know, but we’ve been through this. I thought you knew that I adore you as a person. I don’t care about the villa, the yacht, or anything else. It feels like the biggest insult to me that you pretended this was some kind of Airbnb and didn’t trust me enough to tell me it was yours. I gave you the chance to come clean when I asked who owned the villa. You’ve had so many opportunities to tell me the truth. It’s not about the money, it’s about the lies. If there’s one thing I despise, it’s a liar.’

‘I realise that now, but I don’t like showing off. I mean, I’m still that window cleaner underneath all of this, and I don’t want to come across like I’m trying to impress or show off. I didn’t mean to lie. I hate liars too. Oh, I’m so, so sorry. I’ve made the biggest fool out of myself.’

‘I just thought that we knew each other well enough now not to play games like this. When Renee from next door came and said that—’

‘Renee?’ says Elias.

‘Yeah, the next-door neighbour. She came around to meet the new people who’d moved in. I felt such an idiot when I didn’t know who owned it. That’s when I started to get suspicious.’

‘I’m so sorry I embarrassed you.’

‘Yes, you have. You’ve not only made a fool of yourself but me too.’

‘Oh, Lucy. Don’t say that. You’re far from a fool. You’re the smartest, most gorgeous woman I am starting to fall for. I thought we had something special here, and I didn’t want anything to spoil it. What if having all of this put you off me? Like I’ve said before, I just don’t know how to deal with all of this without coming across as some kind of knobhead,’ Elias smiles as he says this last bit. ‘I promise I’m not a knobhead, even though I may seem like it right now.’

‘Hmm, you do.’

‘Look, will it help if I promise, promise, promise that I’ll never do anything stupid like this again? I want to be transparent with you. Look, let me show you something…’

Elias fumbles in his pocket and pulls his phone out. He uses his fingerprint to open something and shows me the app for his bank account.

‘Here…There’s the balance. That’s everything I’ve got.’

I look at the balance with all its zeros. ‘You don’t need to show me your bank account.’

‘I do. If you think I’m hiding anything from you, let this show you that I’m genuine, and I’ll never hide anything from you again. If I promise, Scout’s honour, to never lie again, will you stick around with me and give me one last chance?’

I eye him suspiciously.

‘Please stick around a bit longer and don’t walk out on me, despite me being the biggest idiot ever. I’m sorry. The last thing I want to do is come across as some rich poser. I’m not very good at any of this – as you can see.’

‘You just need to be truthful with me. Don’t ever lie to me again. In return, I promise you can trust me. I like you , Elias, and definitely not your money.’

If we have any chance of this relationship working, we both need to be transparent with each other.

‘No more fibs, okay?’

‘Absolutely not. I’m so embarrassed about my behaviour. I can assure you that it’ll never happen again.’

I move over to sit beside him on his sunbed and put my hand on his leg.

‘Friends again then?’

‘Friends.’

Elias looks at me with the biggest grin. ‘So, you know how we said we would tell each other the truth?’

‘Uh oh, what now?’

‘Well, the truth is, all I want to do is jump into that pool with you. How quickly can you get out of those clothes?’

We both start laughing as I remove the summer dress I’m wearing and dive into the pool with Elias right behind me.

We make a big splash together as pool water sprays everywhere. Elias kisses me insatiably and holds me so close to him that I can feel that repaired heart of his beat against mine again. We may still have a few hurdles to climb, but during this intimate moment, I believe that everything may just work out after all.