Chapter 30
Snowflakes swirled outside the French doors and draped the vineyard in a sparkling white duvet. The twinkling white lights of the Christmas tree bathed the great room in a soft glow. The Yule log snapped, and through the speakers a children’s choir sang Il est né le divin enfant.
Puppies of different breeds were printed all over Luca’s pajamas. He snuggled next to Claire, his arm around Remy, who snoozed on the couch beside him.
Claire had expected Luca to be uncontrollably excited on Christmas morning, but she sensed his heart was heavy, missing his parents.
Gilbert, too, was quiet. She missed David and, although she’d never met Sophie, Claire missed her, too.
At that moment she was surprised she had forgotten that her and David’s anniversary had been the day before, and she’d not acknowledged it.
She thought it odd that as she was getting to know more about David, his presence seemed to dim.
Was that because she was getting to know Luca? Or was she letting David go?
They sipped their café au lait, watched the snow, listened to the music.
“Are they singing about baby Jesus being born?” she asked Luca.
He nodded. “It was Maman’s favorite carol.”
Claire pressed him to her, hoping he felt safe, cared for, loved. Oddly, she felt those same emotions just by holding him close. She’d not known what she was missing as a child, and she pitied her mother who never had this experience. Loving Luca was also loving the child she had been.
“Did Papa David tell you that he and I were married in, how do you say the name of the town near here that starts with an ‘R?’”
“Riquewihr?” His eyes brightened.
“Yes. In the tiny chapel.”
“Madame Claire, it is a difficult word, but you are a fast learner, you can say it. REE KA-veer. Try.”
“Ree…K—”
The doorbell rang. Remy was off like a shot, barking, his fur aquiver.
Gilbert stood. “Odd, no one ever visits on Noel.” He fought a smile and headed for the door.
Luca grinned up at her.
Claire wondered what they were up to. Had they invited Sister Georgette?
“Joyeux Noel,” came a voice.
Claire blinked. “Marti?” She jumped up and took Luca’s hands. “Come meet my best friend!”
Arms open wide, Marti rushed into the salon. Shopping bags filled with beribboned gifts dangled from her wrists. Dragging suitcases, her husband, Stephen, followed in her wake.
“I was so worried when you didn’t answer your phone.” Tears flooded Claire as she embraced her dearest friend. “You were on your way here!” Together, they laughed and cried and laughed again.
“We’ve spent the last twenty-six Christmases together; I couldn’t let this one get away.” Marti squeezed Claire. “Besides, it was the perfect excuse for Stephen to deliver on his promise of taking me to France.”
Stephen pulled off his knit cap and scarf. “I owe it all to you, Claire.” He collapsed into a chair. “Merci.”
Gilbert introduced himself and Luca.
Luca took Marti’s hand and gently kissed it. “I am enchanté to meet Madame Claire’s dearest friend.” He stared at Marti’s husband. “But you look very sleepy Monsieur Stephen.”
Marti bent down, like she was melting with love for the child, and hugged him. “I am enchanté to meet you, Luca.”
Gilbert popped a Champagne cork, and Luca rushed to the bar for glasses, which Gilbert began filling. After Luca delivered a coupe to everyone, Gilbert splashed a tiny bit in Luca’s coupe. Luca raised his. “Bien venue au Chateau Soltner.”
Gilbert rested his hand on Luca’s shoulder and raised his glass. “We are very happy to have you here, and we wish you a merry Christmas.”
“Bien venue et joyeux Noel,” Claire chimed.
“I am teaching Madame Claire French.” Luca’s dimples deepened. “She is a very fast learner.”
“I suspect the travelers must be hungry?” Gilbert asked.
“Ravenous,” replied Stephen.
“I will return in a moment.”
Claire followed Gilbert into the kitchen. “You knew about Marti and Stephen and kept it a surprise.”
“Bien s?r.” He put his arms around her. “I hope you don’t mind, but after you were so sad not to be sharing Christmas with Marti, I called her and invited them to stay with us.”
“That was so very thoughtful and kind of you.” She kissed him. He returned her affection with far more enthusiasm than she’d anticipated. Breathless, she eked out, “Merci.”
The timer dinged. He let her go. “I must serve le déjeuner.”
She wasn’t finished. She waited for him to pull the quiche from the oven and set it down, then wrapped her arms around his waist. “Merci. Merci for inviting and welcoming my friends into your home.”
“I hope you will consider this your home. You and I and Luca and Remy—we all welcome them together.”
Claire smiled against tears, tears of happiness and joy.
“We’d like you to stay with us, but it looks like we might have to fight Marti for you.” He smiled and picked up the quiche.
Her heart beat wildly. She’d been awake all night considering his job offer as vintner.
He’d presented her with an entirely new career possibility, along with the adventure of living in France and being close to Luca and falling in love with Gilbert.
Could she move here? She couldn’t wait to discuss it with Marti.
She picked up the plate of croissants and a pot of jam and followed him into the salon.
As they sipped and laughed and ate, Claire marveled at how her life had changed within a week. She felt warmer and more relaxed than she had over the past year, which had been chilled by an emptiness the loss of David had opened and couldn’t be filled by the companionship of Marti and Stephen.
Luca clapped his hands. “I spy a large package, and I think it is time to open it, oui?”
“Oui,” Claire replied. “It is a gift for you and Onc.”
Luca wrapped his arms around the large box, lifted it, and placed it on Gilbert’s lap. “Ready, Onc?”
“Let’s do it,” replied Gilbert.
Together they tore at the paper, opened the box, and pulled out the dog puppet.
Gilbert took one set of the cross-sticks and Luca the other, and together they brought the dog to stand on his paws.
Gilbert rotated his crosspiece, and Luca brought up one of the strings, which made the puppet tilt and dip his head.
Remy’s fur trembled, and he woofed.
Claire laughed. Gilbert put out his hand to her. “Show us how to make him run.”
Relieved the puppet man showed her how to operate the dog, she stood between them, tilting their hands, plucking the strings, wiggling the sticks.
Marti and Stephen snapped photo after photo, as Remy ran in circles and barked at his new competition.
Claire bent down and called Remy. He was at her side in a second. She hugged him and knew, for the first time in her life, that she’d fallen in love with a dog. She soaked in the warmth, the fun, the laughter, the love.
How could she ever leave this happy place?
Marti pulled out a package sporting hot pink and lime green polka dots. She held it out to Claire. “A surprise for you.”
Claire accepted the box. “Your packages are in Seattle.”
“We can wait. Open yours now.”
Claire sat on the couch, and Luca sat next to her. “I can help,” he offered as he ripped the wrapping paper.
The plain brown cardboard box gave no clues about the contents. She glanced at Marti, who studied the Christmas tree, refusing to give Claire any hint.
“A diamond necklace?” asked Luca. “A wide-screen TV?”
Claire laughed, removed the lid, and gasped. “My prototype!” She pulled out the swimsuit and held it up, showing it to Luca and Gilbert. “This is my invention.” She turned to Marti. “How did you get this?”
Marti laughed. “I hounded Rick and guilted him into giving it to me.” She crossed her legs and cupped her knee. “By the way, you owe him three-thousand dollars.”
“What?”
“Kidding. He said to tell you, good luck because you’ll need it.”
Luca lifted the turquoise and green Spandex above his head. “This is your life-saving maillot?”
“Sadly, yes, Luca.”
“Why are you sad?”
“Because it doesn’t work.”
He bit his lip, examining the floatation device, and then held it out to Gilbert. “Onc, you can fix this, right?”
Gilbert ran his fingers along the tubing. “This is like the Mae West Survival Vest?”
“Yes,” exclaimed Claire. “You’re familiar with the design?”
“It saved thousands of lives in World War II, many of them Allied pilots and seamen and French sailors.” He withdrew a metal cylinder. “But this is the wrong valve. And the cylinder is too big—it overinflated the tube, did it not?”
“Yes,” echoed Claire and Marti.
He ran his fingers through his hair. “Luca, you think we might have the right size cylinder in the cave?”
Luca’s face grew serious. His eyes pinched in concentration as he examined the metal cartridge. He ran his fingers through his hair as Gilbert had. “I think we do.”
“Really? Why?” asked Claire.
“Onc is the winemaker. He is the engineer, and together, we figure out how to store and age the wine.”
“So, you know how these cartridges work.” Claire’s heartbeat raced.
Luca gave a Gallic shrug, pushing out his bottom lip, lifting his little shoulders, his palms facing her. “It is a simple thing.”
Claire suppressed a laugh.
Gilbert hugged his son. “And I know that you do not want the valve to release when it touches the water. You want the user to have control over activation, right?”
“Right!” Claire jumped up. “Yes! You both understand the concept!”
“It is not difficult.” Luca looked a bit bored.
Gilbert held her invention tenderly, like a cluster of grapes. “We will work on this tomorrow for you.”
“One problem. Do you know anyone thin enough to model this and test it?”
Luca stood, stuffed a ball of crinkled wrapping paper under his pajama top, thrust his arm up, and bent his wrist. His other hand rested at his waist, and he batted his eyelashes. “I will be your mannequin.”
Their boisterous laughter drowned out the carols.
In her mind, Claire saw David, the day she’d met him at the café, striking the same pose, and hearing him exclaim, Ah, you’re here for the fashion! A tear escaped, and she quickly wiped it away as she silently thanked David for his son.
Claire wrapped Luca in her arms and sat him on her lap and kissed him all over until he squirmed away to play with the dog puppet.
Gilbert smiled at her as he lifted his glass, silently toasting her. Raising her glass, she sighed with not only relief, but also, dared she trust her heart—love? She certainly admired Gilbert, and she loved the father he was to Luca.
Although she was excited about her invention finally working, really, did it matter? It certainly didn’t make her as happy as loving Luca…and Gilbert.
Gilbert had seen her at her worst—as she grieved her husband, as she remembered being dragged from a river, as she slayed her monster of darkness. He said she was safe with him, and she felt safe and believed in and loved. What was winning a patent compared to being embraced by a loving family?
But selling a patent might pay for all the flights Marti and she would need to visit each other if she accepted Gilbert’s offer.
Luca sat on the couch between Claire and Gilbert, smiling broadly. Was he up to something?
She clinked her glass to Luca’s and reached over Luca to touch her glass to Gilbert’s. After sipping, Gilbert leaned over Luca and whispered to her, “Je t’aime.”
She whispered, “Je t’aime, aussi,” and kissed him.
Luca giggled and clapped. “You are a very fast learner.”
THE END
I hope you enjoyed His Last Christmas Gift. If so, you might like to try my award-winning series that takes place in France.