Chapter 18 #2
And that was even more significant because she knew him now.
Possibly better than anyone had ever known him because he hadn’t felt the need to hide anything.
He’d had the freedom to be whoever he wanted to be during that time together and he had discovered that who he really wanted to be might have been hiding in plain sight all along – in his heart, rather than his head.
He’d been able to say goodbye to Moira this time with genuine affection – friendship, even – and the conviction that her presence in his life had been a blessing.
Even the way she’d ended any possibility of a meaningful relationship was something he could appreciate now.
He wasn’t about to forget what she’d said that night about what it should feel like to be in love with someone.
‘Someone that makes anywhere in the world suddenly feel like the most exciting place on earth – as if you could never get enough of it. Or them.’
Yes… the excitement was most certainly there.
The anticipation had built from the moment Angus walked out of his office, leaving Moira in charge of any administrative tasks, and headed home to pile his cases into a taxi and get back to the airport.
It had, admittedly, been tinged with nerves when he’d been waiting to hire the much more sensible rental car that was a practical SUV, but it had morphed into something totally new when he’d arrived at La Maisonette to find that Tilly was there to welcome him.
The ground beneath his feet suddenly felt different.
The air he was breathing felt different.
All the possibilities and pleasures that life could offer suddenly seemed bigger and brighter and… almost within touching distance.
As Angus had taken Tilly into his arms and kissed her, her knew that this was exactly where he wanted to be.
Where he wanted to belong.
Because it was more exciting than anywhere else on earth.
* * *
‘Perfect timing.’ The man waiting for Tilly in the parking area close to the entrance to the clifftop medieval village of èze was nodding as he checked his watch. ‘We’ve got forty-five minutes to get up to the Jardin Exotique d’èze and get set up for the finale.’
‘Sorry, I meant to be here before you, Marc.’ Tilly lifted the cool bag from the back of her van. ‘I had a last-minute phone call that I couldn’t escape.’
Because Sophie hadn’t been about to let her escape.
* * *
‘He’s come back to Provence? To be with you?’
‘No… well, not entirely. He just likes it here.’
‘He likes you. That’s the reason he’s come back. He likes you a lot.’
‘Peut-être.’
‘And you like him. Are you in love, Tilly?’
‘Peut-être…’ Emotion had made Tilly forget to speak English. Not that it mattered when this was Sophie. ‘D’accord, ouais…’
‘Is he in love with you?’
‘Peut-être.’ This time Tilly’s change of languages was a deliberate form of distraction. ‘Perhaps. I don’t know. I don’t think he knows…’
‘I’m going to talk to Luc. We need to come back as soon as possible. I have to meet this Mr McLeod.’
* * *
Marc, the photographer she’d been working with for months now, adjusted the strap of his large camera bag over his shoulder. ‘Not a problem. I’m good to go. Are they here?’
‘They’re having a pre-dinner cocktail at the Chèvre d’Or, where they’re going to be having dinner and staying the night.
I’ve told Wyatt that the best light will be between eight fifteen and eight forty-five and he knows exactly where the summit terrace is.
I sent him a map with an “X” marking the spot.
The waiter’s primed to suggest they come up here to see the best of the sunset before they eat and he’ll get them out the door by eight, but I suspect Lucy knows it’s all a set-up. ’
Tilly and Marc had begun walking up the hill towards the gates of what had once been a walled village.
‘Has she done the whole spa thing with the nails and hair?’
‘Yes.’
It wasn’t the first time today that Tilly had been reminded that this was exactly the programme she’d had planned for Moira before her proposal would have happened in this same village.
Not quite in the same location, fortunately.
Angus had chosen the castle ruins at the very highest point in èze, with the most sweeping views of the village, coastline and sea.
Today’s proposal was happening on a stairway that led up through the more lush part of the exotic garden covering the steep slopes of the clifftop – in a particular spot that had a clutch of impressively tall cacti.
‘So there’s no danger of her saying no, then?’
Marc was ahead of Tilly, his long legs covering the endless steps easily.
They passed courtyards and fountains, a tall stone wall with a waterfall of blue plumbago blossoms, and crowded cafés that offered the clink of plates and glasses and cutlery, whiffs of garlic and thyme and tomatoes and the rich aroma of a seasoned steak searing in a pan of butter.
Steak and frites. Tilly would never be able to even think of that combination without feeling almost possessive. It was their signature meal, wasn’t it? Hers and Angus’s.
‘No chance,’ she responded to Marc. ‘They’re the sweetest couple – almost too good to be true.
They met at school in Montana, when they were fourteen, and they’ve never even been out with anyone else.
He’s a cowboy, she’s a kindergarten teacher.
They’re only twenty-two but they want to get married and start a family. ’
‘A cowboy?’ Marc looked back over his shoulder as he took a turn that was the most direct route to the exotic garden. ‘From the Wild West? And he’s come all the way here to propose with cacti?’
‘I know.’ Tilly smiled. ‘But I get it. They wanted the romance of the South of France. But they want something familiar from home as well. I think it’s cute.
He’s quite the romantic. He had the ring specially made from a blue sapphire that was mined in Montana.
And be warned, he’s wearing his best cowboy attire, including his hat and boots. ’
Marc blew out his cheeks. ‘That’ll be hot. But very picturesque.’
Oh… If Angus hadn’t made that last-minute decision to stay in Provence longer, reminders like the smell of steak and the word that had become their code for something romantic would have been daggers to Tilly’s heart.
Instead, knowing that she was going to see him later tonight and climb that little staircase that led upstairs to the bedrooms of La Maisonette was feeding the hope she was holding close to her heart.
Tightly but still gently enough to not let it break.
And tomorrow, they would have the whole day together and she was hoping to persuade him to go with her to one of her special places – up to the cross on top of the Baou des Blancs.
She couldn’t wait. Having been so busy with Wyatt and Lucy’s proposal for the last couple of days they hadn’t spent any time together, but it was too soon to sink into that curl of delicious anticipation.
Tilly couldn’t afford to drop the ball as this destination event she’d worked so hard to achieve was about reach its romantic climax.
Marc positioned himself out of sight above the chosen spot.
Tilly stood as a marker, moving seamlessly out of the way as Wyatt paused, taking off his hat as he let Lucy climb a step or two above him, which gave the same perspective as going down on one knee.
The big belt buckle he was wearing was gleaming and he had one of those odd ties around the collar of his white shirt that looked like a long shoelace.
Lucy had a cowboy hat on top of her beautifully curled blonde hair and she was wearing a pretty floral dress with a full skirt, tight bodice and puffed sleeves.
She even had pale suede cowboy boots on, which told Tilly that she’d known exactly what was going to happen this evening.
The sun was going down, bathing the couple facing each other with one of the best views of the French Riviera laid out below them in an unreal glow.
Marc was moving, taking endless shots of Wyatt delivering his impassioned speech and heartfelt proposal, first from above and then on the same level as the ring slid onto Lucy’s finger, and there were tears and hugs and a very emotional first kiss as an engaged couple.
Tilly knew that the photographs would be just as romantic as everything else about this betrothal, but, for the first time, she found herself at enough of a distance in her mind that she could see this through Angus’s eyes.
A performance.
And yes, these two young adults totally believed in their love and the significance of this moment and it was gorgeous and they would treasure the photos but… was it what really mattered?
What if the glue that really kept two people together for a lifetime was simply the underlying love that made it acceptable to jump through these stylised romantic hoops?
The cake beneath the icing? If that was there, this icing was undeniably magical, but why would you even think of putting it on if there was something vital missing from the ingredients of the cake?
Or if, in fact, it had never been more that a hollow sham?
Like those empty boxes that got wrapped to look like gifts and put under a Christmas tree in a shopping mall?