Chapter 28
28
Suddenly all the other noise in the bar fades away and I’m focused on what Sébastien and Fleur are saying. ‘What’s happened? Is he okay?’
‘He’s fine, but he needs you,’ Fleur says.
‘We all do! You need to come back with us to the presentation.’
I look at Daniel. ‘I’m sorry, Daniel. I have to go.’
I can see he’s peeved. Cross, even.
‘Go? Go where?’ he shouts over the music, which is getting louder.
‘I’m sorry. I have to find out what’s going on.’
I swear he sniffs.
‘What? Back to your chocolate school?’
‘Yes.’ I take a deep breath. ‘It may be a little chocolate school to you, Daniel, but actually chocolate is what I’ve always loved. But more than that I’ve come to love the people I’ve met at the school. The friends I’ve made. I love the passion people have for chocolate. The creativity. The flavours. The craftsmanship. I love the community it created for me when I needed it most. That chocolate school, right now, means so much to me. And if you can’t understand that, you’ve learned nothing about me during our twelve dates. And if you needed to find physical contact elsewhere, I’ve learned everything I need to know about you. That little chocolate school means way more to me than you ever will.’
He says nothing.
I step forward, hand him my glass and start to walk past him. Sébastien sneers at him as he follows me with Fleur.
‘Clara! Clara!’
I turn.
‘Do what you need to do but be back by twelve, okay?’
‘Or what?’ I ask.
‘Or that’s it. We’re done. I’ve tried my best, but you need to start making a commitment to me, putting in some effort. I’ve done your silly twelve dates. You can’t blame a man for looking elsewhere if you’re holding out.’ He takes my elbow and says into my ear, ‘But you can’t embarrass me like this, with your friends turning up and taking you away.’
As I look at him I feel not a shred of attraction. In fact, I’m repelled. This is why we should have got to know each other first. This is why the twelve dates were an excellent idea, because they’ve shown me where I want to be, and who I want to be with. It’s not Daniel.
‘Let go, Daniel,’ I shake off his hold on my elbow. ‘There’s someone I need to be with.’
‘Twelve o’clock, Clara. Think about it. We can still make this work. We can still be adults about this. You just need to realize that you could fit into this world if you put the chocolate business behind you. Go back to being the woman I first met.’
‘This was a mistake, Daniel. You’re not a boy. You’re in your forties, far from a boy, and one who has never had a long-term relationship. Now I’m beginning to see why.’
‘Hey, that was because I was waiting for the right woman.’
‘Well, it’s clearly not me!’ I say. I look at him and James, then Sébastien and Fleur.
‘To be honest, Daniel, it wasn’t you I needed to get to know. It was me. Now I’ve found her, I rather like her.’ And I hurry to the door, pick up my coat, grab my suitcase and head for the lift.
‘Don’t forget to get your hand stamped so you can get in again later,’ says the doorman.
I smile. ‘Thanks, but I won’t be coming back.’ I really don’t want to return to being the woman Daniel first met. I like me just the way I am. Clara Mackenzie the chocolate-maker.
We hurry down in the lift and out into the street, away from the thumping music. We take gulps of air, as the snow swirls around us. I can hardly see my hand in front of my face.
‘Tell me what’s going on,’ I say.
‘Gabriel will explain when we get there,’ says Sébastien.
I look down the street towards the station. ‘How are we going to get back to the town? Are the trains still running?’
Suddenly I hear a toot and there, driving towards us, is a snowplough.
‘Ta- da !’ says Fleur.
‘A friend of Alain’s!’ says Sébastien, holding out a hand to the huge machine.
The driver beckons us through the snowstorm and I feel I’ve been sprung from a place I really didn’t want to be. ‘Fleur, please, tell me what’s going on?’
‘I’ll tell you as soon as we’re back at the chocolate school, if you’re sure you’re okay to leave the party. But it isn’t bad news.’ She smiles her beautiful smile, one of her cheeks dimpling. ‘I wouldn’t have come all this way if it wasn’t important.’
We climb up into the cab of the snowplough, pushing my case and squeezing in together. When we’re seated, the driver gives us a thumbs-up and we start our journey out of town.
‘For someone who wasn’t here to make friends, you’ve done a poor job of sticking to it. You’ve turned out to be one of the very best friends I’ve had,’ I tell Fleur. ‘Both of you!’ I look back at the bar, which is all lit up, knowing that wherever I go from here, I’ve done the right thing.