“Er, yes, maybe,” I mumble, purely to be polite, but I feel Leo’s hand tighten reflexively on my shoulder, even as Jacques leaves.
“I’ll pick you up at nine a.m. on Saturday, okay?” Leo smiles at me, but there’s a shadow of something dark clouding his eyes, making the smile a tad grim.
“Okay. Thanks for rescuing me.” It seems the right thing to say, but I would’ve found a way of saying “no” to Jacques on my own. A roundabout, extremely polite way, but with my own instincts and the oblique warning from Sophie, I know to steer clear of Jacques.
Leo reaches down to stroke the dogs, Treacle included. When he looks up, his smile has lost its hard edge and seems genuine, his lips wide and sensual.
If it weren’t for the spiders’ webs and diffident stares, I’d be floating on currents of possibilities right now, even though I’m inhabiting dangerous rebound territory.
“You’re welcome.” He turns and leaves the café carrying the large paper bag containing his order.
I can practically hear the gossip grapevine coming to life at the nearby tables occupied by locals. No doubt by tonight the Chinese whispers will have it so that the two men came to blows over the new “anglaise” who’s just been dumped by her English boyfriend.
Way to make a discreet entrance into village life.
I raise my eyes at Sophie and take a bite of my bacon roll. I feel a gentle nudge at my shins and pull some bacon out of the roll to divide into three bite-sized tastes.
Three tails wag beneath the table – one cream, one ginger and one a slightly stringy Yorkie tail. They’re in raptures as they take their tastes of bacon.
Dogs. So much simpler and easier to please than men.
From Leo@cabinetvétérinaire-saint-quentinsur-aude
To SarahSheldon@cliniqueamivet
Subject: Slight complication
Hi Sarah,
What did I say in my other email that made you think I fancy the English woman? I wrote that I felt sorry for her, and I did. I still do, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want Les Coquelicots – Madeline and Amelie’s home – back in the Dubois estate.
Though maybe you’re sort of right. If things were different, yes, I would fancy her. She’s cute, sexy and a little bit quirky. There’s definitely something there I’d pursue if she were French. Before you accuse me of being anti-foreigner (which I’m clearly not given I bought into a veterinary practice with an American!), what I mean is I’ve got no interest in starting a relationship with someone who’s almost certainly going to leave the country. I’ve had too much loss in my life recently to willingly sign up for an extra helping.
But while I might be ready to snap up the property when she goes, that doesn’t mean I want to see her hurt by Jacques either, not after what he did to my sister.
So I plan to be her friend and only that. Yes, I can almost hear you laughing all the way from Paris, but I’m serious. You know how what happened changed me. I’ve got too much on my plate here at home without making things more complicated than they already are.
As it is I’m going to have to replace the Estate Manager. I’ve been through the Vineyard books with the accountant, and some things simply don’t add up. My parents have said not to involve the police. They don’t want any fuss, just to let him go quietly. I’m not sure that’s the right decision, but at least I can make sure someone more capable is put in charge.
Now I’ve just got to talk to my father’s doctor about his test results, try to get Angeline to toughen up on her customers so they pay their animals’ bills so she’s not running a charity … oh, and keep Jacques away from Poppy.
Add in a full day’s work and you’ll understand why I don’t have time for more … complications.
I’m going now. Go harass and matchmake another one of your friends.
See you soon,
Leo
Chapter Five
‘Keep your heart open to dreams. For as long as there’s a dream, there is hope, and as long as there is hope, there is joy in living.’
Unknown Author
From [email protected]
To [email protected]
Subject: Not a date!
I told you it’s not a date.
This neighbour Leo is showing me around because, well … I’m not entirely sure. There are some weird undercurrents around here. I’m not sure what’s going on. And no, I don’t mean in a weird sci-fi TV show kind of way. I’m pretty sure I’m not stuck in a time warp alternate existence. Although the shops close at lunchtimes and on Sundays, the village notaire has lizard lips and I’m filled with a strong conviction that I never, ever want to leave … Oh and I forgot the morning alarm call dog and football playing donkeys. Hmm. Maybe we should re-think the sci-fi theory.
Okay, if I spot any demons or aliens I promise to let you know. Or if I die in suspicious circumstances you have my permission to sell the ‘best friend story’ to the papers. If I’m dead one of us may as well profit from it ;-)
You never know, maybe Leo is taking me up into the mountains so I can fall ‘accidentally on purpose’ to a horrible death, and then he can reclaim my house for the Dubois estate?
I’ll let you know how it went later, if I’m not lying at the bottom of a mountain ravine that is!
Love Poppy
xxx
From [email protected]
To [email protected]
Subject: Not a date!
Or, you never know, maybe he just fancies you!
xx
P.S. Lizard lips? WTF???
So, I’m outside waiting for Leo and it’s not been the best start to the day. I couldn’t sleep, so at about three a.m. I got up to make a cup of tea and managed to drop my iPhone on the kitchen floor. The lovely old stone tiles may be authentic, but they’re also very unforgiving. My phone screen is now well and truly cracked, so it’s hard to actually read anything. I managed to cut my finger on a glass splinter when I was trying to swipe down to find out about Montsegur, a Cathar castle not far from St Quentin, so I don’t sound too ignorant if Leo takes me there.
Given I couldn’t sleep, it seemed sensible to use the time to gem up on my history. So I lay down on the bed holding the phone above me, squinting at the screen, when Peanut knocked my elbow, leaping on me a little too enthusiastically. The iPhone flew out of my hand and knocked me square in the corner of my right eye.
By early morning the cut and bruise look almost as painful as they feel. It might not have been so bad if I hadn’t later intercepted Pickwick mid-cat chase when I let the dogs out first thing.
I don’t care what Dad says, the dogs are tiny, and I don’t want them getting swiped by the talons of a creature four times their size. So I scooped Pickwick up as he leapt at the giant ginger tomcat vaulting up a tree.
Unfortunately, Pickwick’s snap, meant to be aimed the tail of the escaping feline, caught my upper lip instead as he twisted in my arms, trying to escape. By the time I got back into the house I had blood all down my t-shirt. Once Pickwick calmed down, he sat in a corner shooting me anxious looks. I know he didn’t mean to bite me, but the few choice swear words that escaped my mouth at the time obviously convinced him he was in deep trouble. I tried to reassure him, but by then my lip had started to swell and carried on swelling like a lip plumping injection gone horribly wrong. No amount of ice pack application seemed to help.
So now I’m about to go out on a non-date/maybe-a-date looking like an earthquake survivor or a domestic abuse victim. The dark shadows under my eyes from lack of sleep don’t help. It’s probably just as well Pete isn’t here because of the way gossip spreads in villages. Who’s going to believe I’ve been beaten up by an iPhone and a miniature Yorkshire terrier?
I’ve tried putting on makeup, but nothing helps, so I’ve cleaned it all off and just stuck with my usual tinted SPF moisturiser.
When Leo drives his battered SUV round to my gate and gets out, I can’t help laughing at the look of horror on
his face.
“Mon dieu, Poppy, what has happened to you?” His eyes are wide, and in the sunlight I see flecks of amber in with the tones of dark brown.
It’s one of the few times his expression isn’t guarded, that I feel I’m actually meeting the real man, and it feels good. Even with the fat lip.
“I’ll tell you on the way. It’s a bit of a long story.” I shrug as though these things happen to me all the time. Unfortunately, that’s closer to the truth than I’d like. If I can injure myself with an inanimate and totally innocuous object, I will. I actually do walk into doors, usually because I’m in a world of my own.
“Okay to go in my car? I don’t want Maxi slobbering in your Mini.” Leo eyes me with concern. “Are you sure you’re okay? Your voice sounds a bit odd.”
“Yes, I’m fine.” I sigh. The swollen lip does make me slur a little. Sod it, so what. “ And yes, I’d like you to drive if that’s okay. You know the roads.”
I put a small hold-all containing a water bowl, water and other dog paraphernalia in the footwell and then attach the dogs by their harnesses onto a towel on my lap. Peanut gives Leo a regal look when he gets into the driver’s seat, as though he’s the lowly chauffeur. Treacle creeps over and gives Leo’s wrist a tentative lick, and Pickwick settles down for a snooze.
Maxi whines in the back.
“Sorry, Maxi, I can’t fit you on my lap, too,” I call back to him.
I turn to the front and see Leo frowning at my lip.
“So, who exactly has been beating you up?” There’s a tension in his voice as he puts the car in gear and backs down the lane.
“An iPhone and a miniature Yorkshire terrier. Although a cat does come into the explanation, too,” I reply.
It’s almost worth the injuries to see Leo’s jaw drop. It’s always nice when you manage to get a real reaction out of the kind of people who guard their emotions under lock and key.
After I’ve finished explaining the whole story, it takes Leo a while to stop laughing. It’s great to see him laugh. It transforms his face and gives me a glimpse of the man before the family tragedy. It’s only now I fully appreciate how much Leo is carrying – dealing with bereavement, worry about his parents’ grief and his father’s health … plus there’s probably a great deal else I don’t know about.
I remember once when I was with Gran we’d just bumped into a walking stick-wielding battle axe who almost clobbered our legs. Gran mouthed the word “pain” to me and then afterwards said you can never know what someone else is dealing with – an illness, a bereavement, a broken heart, or maybe just loneliness – you shouldn’t leap to make judgements, and you should try to meet grumpiness with kindness.
I’m ashamed I’ve been falling short of that recently, but then I haven’t exactly felt like myself either.
“Well, I’m glad my sufferings have given you some entertainment.” I raise my eyebrow, and my tone is dry, but I actually mean it. I’m glad I gave Leo a laugh. I get the impression he doesn’t do much of that nowadays.
It’s also broken the ice between us. The top layer, anyway. Who knows what icebergs still lurk beneath the surface. I know Michelle thinks I’m being suspicious because I’m suffering from low self-esteem, and maybe I am a little. When you’re rejected, of course it knocks you, unless you’re supremely confident or a sociopath maybe. The idea that someone you’ve shared your body with and entrusted with your hopes and dreams has turned around and said “Nah, no thanks” is soul-crushing.
Leo is pretty damned gorgeous, and my body has certain … reactions to him. The reactions are nothing like I’ve felt before, but it’s just powerful body chemistry.
I think.
I can’t trust it anyway. I don’t know what I can trust.
My body might be giving the green light, but my emotions are stuck on red, with only the slightest flicker to amber – “proceed with caution” – when I’m feeling confused.
I’ve just been betrayed by a man I trusted implicitly. I’m not about to launch into a relationship of any kind with a man whose motives are less than clear. The one thing I think I might be able to trust is my intuition, and it’s been sending me some pretty complex signals since I got here.
I won’t be made a fool of again. That’s assuming Leo even wanted to, well, do more than half kiss me. I turn and pretend to be immersed in the view. It’s not difficult; the rolling green hills and distant mountain tops are beautiful, and as we head towards the Pyrenees the view gets ever more spectacular. It’s not hard to let myself be absorbed.
“How much do you know about the area so far?” Leo asks, breaking into my thoughts.
“A little,” I reply cautiously. “Enough to know I want to find out more.”
“Did you know the Pyrenees were formed about five hundred million years ago?”
I shake my head. “That’s so far back I can’t begin to imagine it. I did hear there were pre-historic cave paintings in the area.”
“There are. I can point them out on the map or take you one weekend if you like. There’s a whole labyrinth of caves, underwater lakes and rivers too if you’re into that sort of thing.” Leo glances at me as if trying to gauge my interest. “Also, they found a lot of dinosaur remains and eggs near Espereza. There were a few intact skeletons, too. They fascinated me when I was younger. I kept begging to be taken back to the dinosaur museum. I think I drove my parents half mad.”
I laugh and tell him about my friend Michelle and the Shaun the Sheep DVD that has mysteriously disappeared.
“I suppose it’s a bit harder to lose a museum,” I add. I want to ask what his sister was into, but I don’t want to spoil the upbeat mood.
“True.” Leo laughs. “I think they tried to distract me by getting me to do odd jobs around the estate and vineyard in return for pocket money so I could save up for dinosaur books. As well as the museum, there’s a large archeological dig that takes on volunteers in July and August if you’re interested. If you’re going to be around then.”
His tone is diffident again. He’s fishing for information, and I can’t tell if he wants me around or gone. Well, tough. I’m here to stay.
“Why wouldn’t I be around?” I ask sharply. If he’s fishing, I’m happy to bite.
Leo shrugs and focuses hard on the road.
I sigh inwardly.
“That sounds like fun. I’d love to volunteer,” I say decisively and resist the urge to glare at him.
“I can send you the website link if you like?” Leo’s words feel like an apology of sorts. At the very least, it’s an acknowledgement he’s offended me.
I wish I could work him out, strip away the subtext and make him give me something real. Maybe I should just come right out with it and ask him directly why he’s bothering with me and what the scene with Jacques was all about.
He’s doing me a favour though, and I do want a day out. So I’ll have to follow Leo’s lead. Maybe he’ll make it obvious. Eventually.
When we get within site of Montsegur, I forget all about confronting Leo and gaze up in amazement at the castle perched so precariously high up on the mountaintop.
“How on earth did they build that castle in the first place?” I peer up, craning my neck to see it.
“I expect a lot of men died building it. Labour was cheap because labourers were dispensable.” Leo pulls into a lay-by so we can get out and have a proper look. I get the dogs out on their leads to stretch their paws and then fetch their travel bowl and water.
“Shall I give some to Maxi?” I ask Leo. “I’ve got dog treats, too.”
“I’m sure he’d appreciate that. Any human treats in that bag of yours?”
“Maybe,” I say to Leo. “If you’re a good boy.”
I hide my smile as I open the tailgate to offer Maxi some water and a dog biscuit.
When I turn back, there’s amusement dancing in Leo’s eyes, with a definite hint of flirt.
“Have I been a good boy?”
His mouth twitches
, and I remember how our accidental half kiss made me feel. I can’t take my eyes off his sensuous, wide lips and the strong jaw peppered with stubble.
“I don’t know.” I make a show of deliberating, suppressing with difficulty the stirrings of desire prickling all over my skin, deep in my belly and lower still. “Do you know any tricks?”
“Plenty.” Leo’s laugh turns into a smirk
I roll my eyes and try to slow my rapid heartbeat. What would a full kiss with Leo be like? I’m guessing it would be teasing, sensual and all consuming.
I don’t want to be consumed.
Not now. Not yet.
Not ever, maybe. God, I don’t know, this is so … inconvenient. I want to be focusing on my new life. I’m not looking for a new man.
“Do I have to sit up and beg? Or are there other tricks you’d like me to do?” Leo’s grin widens, and there’s a definite hint of wickedness in his eyes. He knows the effect he’s having on me. I’m pretty sure I’m not here today because he fancies me, but his flirt gene has kicked in anyway. Probably just because I’m female; just because I’m here.
“No need,” I say hastily.
Sensing a growing heat in my cheeks, I lean over my bag and pull out a couple of cans of coke and some ham baguettes I made up this morning. I hand them over before he can be more specific about the tricks he has in mind, though he’s got my curiosity well and truly hooked now. I’m dangling on a line at his mercy, and I don’t know if I want him to free me and throw me back in or…
Peanut distracts me by trying to lick my ham baguette. I sit next to Leo on the wall next to the lay-by and we sit companionably while we eat, looking up at the castle. At some point Leo seems to have budged up closer to me so his thigh is touching mine. The touch seems to brand me in spite of the layers of his cargo style trousers and my denim skirt between us. I don’t want to break the connection. It’s compelling; magnetic even.
Is he playing with me because he can, or is he just as confused as I am?
I stare down at my feet, my leather Geox ballet pumps kicking lightly back against the wall.
Poppy's Place in the Sun Page 10
