Chapter 21 #2
Eliza opened her mouth to argue, but before she could formulate a response, Jean Pierre was calling them. ‘Ladies, over here!’
Eliza slipped effortlessly back into professional mode, as though her conversation with Vivi had never happened. As she strode towards them, she smiled at Max and Daisy, practically glowing with excitement as they gazed at the vineyard. ‘It’s perfect, don’t you think?’
‘Well, I think we’ve found our place,’ Max announced, draping his arm around Daisy’s shoulders. ‘What do you reckon, shall we just go for it?’
‘Yes, I love it!’ Daisy agreed, looking at him, her eyes shining. ‘When can we book it?’
Jean Pierre looked over towards Eliza, who nodded at him. ‘Consider it done. The vineyard is yours for the dates you want, and how exciting to think that young love shall flourish from right here!’
‘Excellent,’ said Max. ‘Thank you so much, this is all so exciting – going on tour is going to seem like a massive anti-climax after this!’
As Max and Daisy wandered off to take photos of the view and the vines, Vivi tucked her arm through Eliza’s.
‘Well, that went well! How exciting. And we get you back in Farmington, even if it’s just for a few days.
Will you stay for dinner? Please say you will.
I’m making a coq au vin tonight – we can eat early so you can still get back to London.
It will give us time to properly catch up. ’
‘I can’t,’ Eliza said quickly. ‘I’m so sorry. I really do need to get back. There is so much planning to do now that we have the venue locked in, and I’m already insanely stressed about how I’m going to get it all done in time. I wouldn’t be very good company. Please don’t be cross with me!’
Vivi looked disappointed, but didn’t press the issue. ‘I get it, but I thought it was worth a shot. At least take some bread and cheese for your journey – and perhaps a bottle of wine? Then you can have a picnic when you get home.’
‘Now, that I can do. It sounds so very chic and French,’ Eliza said, smiling gratefully at Vivi. ‘Thank you.’
Walking towards the cars, Jean Pierre whispered into Eliza’s ear, ‘You know, chérie, if you want to speak with him, I happen to know where he will be this evening.’
‘Jean Pierre,’ Eliza warned, giving him a glare.
He raised his hands in surrender. ‘Just information. Nothing more. What you do with it, c’est votre affaire.’
After promising to call Jean Pierre with some more details on the big day, and saying goodbye to Max and Daisy, Eliza climbed into her car with Vivi’s care package on the passenger seat.
She took one last look at the vineyard bathed in the late afternoon sunlight.
Despite everything, she couldn’t deny that Farmington had a beauty that London could never match.
If the weather delivered for them, she knew that she could pull off an incredible wedding.
And maybe even find herself a hot rock star in the process.
Kicking the car into gear, Jean Pierre’s words were still echoing in her mind: ‘I know where he will be this evening.’ With a frustrated groan, she drove round the front and trundled off down the drive.
She knew she should just drive straight back to London – just as she had told Vivi she would.
She had a mountain of work, a life-defining wedding, and an event taking place in a number of days.
Heading to Nancy’s was the best plan. It was absolutely the sensible thing to do.
But instead, she found herself turning in the opposite direction.
‘This is ridiculous,’ she muttered to herself, as she followed the familiar route to the lake behind Stanley’s. ‘I’m just going to drive past. I won’t stop. He won’t even know I’ve done it.’
She started to slow Daisy down, telling herself she was just being cautious on the narrow track as her suspension was shot, but her heart hammered in her chest as she rounded the final bend.
Sure enough, there he was. Luke, standing on his wooden dock, his face silhouetted against the golden light from the sun.
He was skipping stones across the surface of the water, each one bouncing four or five times before disappearing beneath the ripples.
Even being this far away from him, Eliza thought she could see the tension in his shoulders, but then that might have nothing to do with her.
He had much bigger things going on in his life.
Stopping the engine anyway, Eliza just sat there, feeling totally frozen, unsure whether she should drive away or face him.
Like Agatha said, she had to speak to him again. She really did wish Nancy would come home from her holiday – she needed her wingman! Nancy would know what she should do, so Eliza impulsively decided to text her. ‘Quick one, get out of the car or don’t get out of the car?’
She came back immediately. ‘What the hell are you talking about, Eliza?’
‘What would you do? Just choose one,’ she texted back.
‘Is this about Luke? Get out of the car!’
He hadn’t noticed her yet, and she suddenly felt panicked, remembering the lies.
Shit, she didn’t have the headspace for this right now.
Seeing him was enough, Eliza decided, so she slowly reversed her car out.
It had been a hot, heavy, summer fling, nothing that couldn’t be forgotten with enough distance and time.