“It’s great to see you,” he said. “I just wish the circumstances were different.”
“Yeah, me too!” said Nicole.
“Let’s get going, shall we,” he said as he picked up her bag and they headed for the exit.
“How’s she doing?” asked Nicole as they came out of the airport building and walked along in the sunshine towards the car park.
“OK, I think,” responded Carter, “It’s been a horrible time for her one way and another but she’s strong, like her mother. I think she’s coping.”
“And what about this boyfriend of hers, Jacques? What do you know about him?”
“Not that much actually. He’s had a pretty rough ride too, and not just over the last week. But I think he’s an OK guy. We’ll go straight to the Capitainerie after we’ve dropped your bag off at the hotel so you can meet him and see for yourself.”
Nicole nodded as Carter put her bag into the boot of his car.
_________________________
As Carter and Nicole drove from the airport to Port Grimaud, on board the Esprit, Eloise and Jacques awoke from their deep sleep and got up. They had decided what they were going to do but there were some things they needed to deal with first, not least of which was to get Nicole’s blessing.
By the time Carter and Nicole arrived at the Capitainerie, Jacques had tidied up the Esprit and Eloise had boiled the kettle and put some coffee in the cafetière. When she saw Carter and her mother at the end of the Rue Grande, she poured water from the kettle into the cafetière and went out to meet them. As she passed the steps to the master cabin, she called out to Jacques who was putting the finishing touches to his hair in readiness for meeting Nicole.
“They’re here,” she shouted down the staircase.
Eloise came out of the saloon and crossed the gangway onto the quayside. She waved to Carter and Nicole as they approached the Esprit and Nicole immediately ran over to her.
By the time Nicole and Eloise had finished greeting each other, Jacques had come out onto the rear deck and was watching from the stern of the Esprit. When Carter saw him, he gave him a wave and Jacques waved back.
Carter escorted Nicole and Eloise across the gangway and onto the boat. When they were all standing on the deck, Eloise began the introductions.
“Mum, this is Jacques,” she said, a big smile on her face as she indicated Jacques to her mother, “And Jacques, this is my mother, Nicole.”
Jacques and Nicole greeted each other with a kiss on both cheeks.
“You have a fine boat!” said Nicole smiling.
Jacques shrugged self-consciously and smiled back. “Eloise has made some coffee,” he said, “Please, come into the saloon.”
Nicole nodded and they all trooped into the saloon.
After an hour of polite conversation, during which Nicole warmed to Jacques and during which she confirmed that she had no objection to Eloise going away with him to an as yet unknown destination, they all came out of the saloon onto the rear deck. Carter, Nicole and Eloise crossed the gangway onto the quayside while Jacques remained on the Esprit. He leant on the guard rail at the stern of the boat as he watched them.
“I’ll see you at the hotel,” said Carter, feeling the need to leave the women alone to say their goodbyes.
“I won’t be long,” responded Nicole.
As Carter walked away towards the hotel, Eloise looked at her mother and a sad expression crossed her face. “Will you be OK without me for a while?” she asked.
Nicole nodded as she reassured her daughter. “Don’t worry, sweetheart, I’ll be fine. It’s going to take time for us both to get over all that has happened but I think that maybe getting away for a while is a good way for you to start the process.” Nicole looked up at Jacques. “And he seems like a good man. I’m sure he’ll take good care of you.”
Eloise smiled and sniffed. “Yeah, I’m sure he will. I love him very much. And I think he feels the same way about me.” She paused for a few moments before continuing. “Are you sure it’s OK for me not to come to Grandpa’s funeral? We could wait and leave after that, if it would help to have me there.”
“No, it’s fine, honestly, Carter will be with me,” responded Nicole, dismissing the idea with her hand.
“Seems like maybe you have found a good one too,” said Eloise.
“I’m taking it one step at a time but, yeah, I think maybe I have. We’ll see.” They both smiled as they prepared to part and go their separate ways.
“Take care of yourself, Mum,” said Eloise.
“I will. And you just make sure you stay in touch, OK?”
Eloise nodded and smiled as they hugged and kissed before she went back on board the Esprit. Standing on the deck, next to Jacques, she watched her mother walk towards the Rue Grande. Before she disappeared round the corner, Nicole turned and waved and they waved back to her.
Once Nicole had gone, Jacques climbed the steps to the fly bridge and started the engines. When he was ready he signalled to Eloise and she quickly ran onto the quayside, untied the mooring warps and threw them onto the boat before running back across the gangway. When she was on board the Esprit again, she raised the gangway and called to Jacques who pushed the throttle levers forward and the Esprit began to move away from the quay, across le Lac, and towards the gap in the breakwater.
When they were under way, Eloise climbed the steps to the fly bridge and stood next to Jacques. He put his arm round her waist, looked at her and gave her a peck on the cheek. The Esprit began to pick up speed, and with the wind in their hair, they smiled at each other before Eloise rested her head on Jacques’ shoulder and sighed a happy sigh.
At the Capitainerie, Claudine emerged from where, unobserved, she had been watching Jacques and Eloise prepare to leave. She had decided not to accept the invitation to meet Nicole as she felt it would have been awkward, at best, given her past involvement with Philippe. She watched the boat pass through the gap in the breakwater and then she turned away and headed back home.
As the Esprit cleared Le Lac and headed out into the Bay of St. Tropez, Jacques pushed the throttles fully forward and the boat started to plane across the sea as she carried Jacques and Eloise away from their past and into their future.
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A week later, Carter was back in Belize at his desk writing away furiously on his laptop completing his report to the FIDT. As he did so, Nicole came back into his mind. He stopped writing and leaned back in his chair, revisiting all that had happened.
Once again, he had successfully concluded his investigations and had solved the mystery of where the diamonds had come from. His connection with Nicole had complicated matters but it had also given him the chance to make contact with her. Seeing her again after so many years and then finding that his feelings for her were as strong as ever despite the passage of twenty-five years had been both challenging and enjoyable. From the time they had parted in Oxford, he had always hoped that one day he would find someone whom he cared about as much as he cared about her, but he never had and he had resigned himself to a life of bachelorhood. As he was letting his mind wander around these thoughts, he felt a touch on his shoulder.
“Penny for them,” said Nicole as she stood behind him and put her hands on his shoulders.
Carter smiled and reached up to put one of his hands on hers. “Just thinking about all that has happened,” he said as he looked up at her and smiled. “Especially the good things.”
Nicole smiled back and kissed him on the brow before walking out through the French doors and onto the beach.
Carter watched her walk down the beach for a few moments before getting up from his desk and following her. When she got close to the sea, Nicole stopped and stared out towards the reef, deep in thought. Carter walked up beside her and put his arm round her waist and they both stared at the sea, revelling in its beauty.
After a few moments, Nicole suddenly grabbed Carter’s arm and a smile crossed her face as she dragg
ed him, unresisting, into the sea where they cavorted happily with each other, lost in the joy of just being together.
THE END
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