Chapter 39
Guy caught his breath as he stepped onto the roof terrace and saw Liz sitting in the egg chair waiting for him and looking perfectly at home.
‘Seeing you sat there waiting for me makes me feel so happy. It’s a lovely feeling – I like coming home at the end of a day to someone special.
’ Liz smiled happily as he bent and kissed her cheek. ‘Thanks for coming up early. Drink?’
‘Not for me tonight, thanks. Maybe a glass of water? The wine was flowing freely at dinner. A dinner which was wonderful. I loved seeing you in your full chef’s regalia. Love the toque hat especially.’
‘I always feel they look ever so slightly ridiculous, so I rarely wear it, except when I have to flambé Crepe Suzettes in public,’ Guy said as he fetched Liz a glass of sparkling water and poured a glass of red wine for himself.
Now the adrenaline of the final evening was slowly dissipating, his thoughts were returning to Liz.
And to Leon, but it was mainly Liz who occupied his mind at the moment.
What had she decided? He didn’t want her to feel he was applying pressure, so he would wait patiently for her to give him her answer.
‘Tonight was fun. Possibly the last time for me cooking professionally in the kitchen.’
Liz looked at him. ‘Seriously?’
Guy nodded. ‘Come and sit next to me on the settee and we can talk about futures. Your future. My future. Our future. What happens to Villa Celestia at the end of the year.’
Sitting on the settee, his arm around Liz’s shoulders, Guy told her about renting the villa to Sandy and Romain for the rest of the year’s retreats.
‘Gosh, that must be such a relief to them, being able to keep the business going,’ Liz said.
‘I’ve told them they will have to find another chef as I currently don’t know where I’ll be or what I’ll be doing.’ He took a mouthful of his drink. ‘I was hoping to have heard from Leon by now. I’d hoped he’d be as keen as I am to meet up.’
‘He’s got a boss and a daily working routine,’ Liz said. ‘His time off is probably limited. And, also, I think he’ll probably need time to let the news sink in.’
‘Maybe Joan hasn’t even told him about me yet?’
‘I expect she has. She’s only here for a couple of days and she’d want him to know before she leaves.’ There was a short silence before Liz spoke again. ‘Do you have any idea of what you want to do now with all your free time?’
‘I think the best thing I can do is not to plan too much – just go with the flow. Take the next six months to look at all possibilities and see what happens before making any long-term decisions. Although there is one long-term plan I would like to settle because a lot of other things depend on it.’ Guy ignored Liz’s raised eyebrows at his words and carried on speaking.
‘Also, I need to visit Dad as I want to introduce Leon to him as soon as possible. There are a couple of things I need to settle here in Antibes, other than that, no plans.’ And he raised his glass in a toast-like gesture as he gave her a happy smile.
‘You asked me if I would do something the other evening and I said I’d think about it,’ Liz said.
‘And have you?’ Guy asked, suddenly feeling apprehensive.
‘I’ve changed my flight to Wednesday afternoon,’ Liz said. ‘I hope that’s all right,’ she added.
‘I wish it was for longer, but it’s definitely all right. You can always extend it if you decide to stay longer,’ Guy said, pulling her in for a hug.
Liz shook her head. ‘No. If I’m not part of that long-term plan you mentioned, I’d rather have a few days with you and go home before I get hurt.’
Guy gently put his finger on her lips. ‘Shh. Didn’t you hear what I said a moment ago? About the future – yours and mine? You being in my life is my long-term plan,’ he said slowly. ‘We will decide together on a future for both of us, because without you in it, my future will be empty.’
Liz sighed happily. ‘Now that’s settled, you can walk me home.’
‘I thought maybe you’d…’
Liz shook her head. ‘Not tonight. Tomorrow when we are here alone.’ And she leant in and kissed him goodnight.