Chapter 47
Chapter Forty-Seven
As I sat at the head of the long table, the cheerful cacophony of clinking dishes and animated chatter washed over me. The golden light from the strings of bulbs overhead cast a warm glow on the happy faces. I couldn't help but smile, even as a pang of sadness tugged at my heart.
"Pass the ratatouille, s'il vous pla?t ," étienne called out, his voice carrying over the din. I obliged, lifting the colorful dish of stewed vegetables and inhaling its rich, garlicky aroma before handing it down.
étienne stood then, tapping his knife against his wine glass with a little too much enthusiasm. The crystal rang out, silencing the table.
Félicité leaned in close. “This should be good."
"Ahem," he cleared his throat, looking suddenly uncertain. "I, uh, I'm not very good at speeches."
"We know," Régis quipped, earning a round of chuckles and a glare from étienne.
"As I was saying," étienne continued, shooting a pointed look at his brother, "I'm not good at speeches, but I wanted to say something about our sister, Elodie. When Elodie first arrived, I thought she was just some American girl trying to cash in on our family's legacy." A few melodramatic, exaggerated gasps punctuated his words, and I felt my cheeks flush. "But I was wrong. I think." He flashed me a cheeky look. "Despite her terrible jokes and even worse French accent—"
“Is this a roast or a toast?" I interjected, causing ripples of laughter around the table.
“Despite all her many flaws," he continued with a wink, "she has brought some much-needed warmth back into our lives.”
“And some more estrogen to balance out you lot,” Félicité added.
étienne raised his glass. “To Elodie!"
"To Elodie!" the table echoed.
I stood, my legs feeling a bit wobbly, whether from emotion or the wine, I couldn't tell.
“Since we’re getting all emotional—it’s only right I gush like a proper American.”
“Make her stop!” étienne said.
I flashed him a mock glare. “I came to Provence expecting to leave with a trinket or two and maybe a few bottles of wine. But instead, I found a family I never knew I had, new friends,” I spared a glance at Remi, “a new house, and a place that feels more like home than anywhere I've ever been. You've taught me so much—about wine, about life. You’ve taught me to slow down. To stop rushing through life."
“And to drink rosé for breakfast,” Remi added. I raised my glass to him.
“The most important lesson.” My voice cracked a little, and I took a sip of wine to steady myself. "I know I'm leaving tomorrow, but it’s not goodbye forever. So, merci beaucoup. For everything."
“Okay, okay. Danielle and I have a gift for you,” Régis said. I turned to him curiously.
“Oh?”
“Don’t let Régis take any credit. It was all me,” Danielle said, grinning.
“I wouldn’t have ever assumed otherwise,” I said.
“You were so kind to me that first day I came here. I am very grateful,” she said. “So I brought you this from my family’s winery in the Loire Valley.”
Régis ducked into the house and reappeared a moment later, carrying the largest bottle of champagne I had ever seen—surely three times the size of a normal bottle, at least.
“What in all that is holy is that?” I asked, laughing.
"Six liters of Crémant. And you, my dear sister, have the honor of opening it," Régis said.
“Ahh, no. I wouldn’t even know where to begin.”
“Come on,” Remi urged. “You can’t call yourself French until you pop the cork on a Methuselah.”
I rolled my eyes at him. “You say things like that a lot.”
A chorus of encouraging cheers rose from the table. I stood, straightening my shoulders and putting on a brave face. "Alright, alright. But if I take someone's eye out, I'm blaming you, Régis.”
I took the massive bottle, its weight surprising me. The cool glass was slick under my palms.
"Okay, here goes nothing," I muttered.
My hands trembled slightly as I peeled off the foil. The wire cage came off easily enough, but as I started to ease the cork out, I felt the pressure building.
“Easy,” Remi said calmly. “It’s not a bomb.”
"Says you," I retorted, focusing intently on the task at hand. "I'm pretty sure this bottle is just waiting to explode in my face."
As if summoned by my words, the cork suddenly gave way with a loud pop. A geyser of foam erupted from the bottle, spraying directly into my face and cascading over my dress.
Gasps and laughter erupted around me as I sputtered, momentarily blinded by the bubbly assault. I stumbled backward, my heel catching on the edge of the deck.
Time seemed to slow as I felt myself falling. In a desperate attempt to regain my balance, I windmilled my arms, still clutching the enormous bottle. Foam continued to spew everywhere as I pirouetted gracelessly.
Just when I thought I'd managed to right myself, my back collided with something solid. I heard a crash, followed by several small thuds and a chorus of surprised exclamations.
Blinking the bubbles from my eyes, I turned to see what I'd hit. To my horror, I realized I'd backed into the dessert table. What was once an elegant display of patisseries was now a chaotic mess of toppled cakes, scattered macarons, and upended fruit tarts.
For a moment, silence reigned. I stood there, dripping with Crémant and decorated with dessert debris, feeling my face burn with embarrassment. Then, I locked eyes with Félicité, whose expression of shock quickly crumbled into barely suppressed laughter.
That was all it took. A snort escaped me, then a giggle, and suddenly I was doubled over with laughter. Remi rescued the bottle from my clutches.
“It lives!” He raised the bottle triumphantly, and everyone laughed and clapped.
"Oh, Elodie," Colette managed between chuckles, approaching with a towel. "Only you could turn opening a bottle into a sideshow."
I accepted the towel gratefully, attempting to dry my face. "Well, you know me," I said, grinning. "I never do anything halfway."
I surveyed the damage, wincing at the sight of the once-beautiful sweets now splattered across the deck.
"I am so sorry about the desserts," I said. "I swear I didn't plan to wear them instead of eating them."
Félicité waved off my apology, still giggling. "Please, this is the most excitement we've had at a family party in a while.”
“Here, I think you’ve earned this,” Remi said, handing me a glass of the Crémant .
Our eyes locked, and he raised his glass in a silent toast. I felt a flutter in my chest that had nothing to do with my recent misadventure.
Félicité clapped loudly. "Well, everybody. I’d say this party is officially in full swing. Who's ready to dance?"
étienne and Régis hooted loudly, and André strummed his guitar enthusiastically.