Belinda couldn’t summon the energy to argue and followed him out to the 2CV. She bit back on the memory of a long ago yellow 2CV as BB jumped onto her lap for the short drive to the village and she gave him a tight hug.
Most of their current workforce had opted for lunch in the bar and smiled at her and Alain as they walked in. After asking her what she would like – ‘Ham and egg crêpe and a glass of white wine please’ – Alain went straight to the bar while Belinda found an empty table near the window and settled BB under it.
‘Five minutes for food,’ Alain said, joining her with the wine she’d asked for and a beer for himself. ‘Santé.’
‘Santé,’ Belinda echoed as they clinked glasses. ‘Hope it is only five minutes for the food. I can’t believe I Iet you talk me into coming here. I should be back at the office doing stuff I didn’t get to do this morning.’
Alain looked at her but didn’t say anything.
‘Why are you looking at me like that?’ Belinda demanded.
‘I think if you ever relax. Ever stop thinking about work. Have fun.’
‘Yes, of course I do, but right now I need to stay on top of things here before I return to England.’
‘So what is it you do, when you are on top of things?’
‘I… I walk BB, read, talk with friends, meet up with my daughter and my grandchildren. All the usual things.’ Belinda took a sip of her drink, before throwing the question back at Alain. ‘What do you do?’
‘I like to walk in the countryside, cook delicious meals for my friends. Your grandchildren? How many ’ave you?’
Belinda kept the thought that Alain’s own list of two things wasn’t exactly fun-filled either to herself, and answered his question about her grandchildren. ‘Two. A boy and a girl – they’re twins. They’ll be three later this year. Do you have any?’
Alain nodded, a wry look on his face. ‘I ’ave a son, but no grandchildren yet.’
The arrival of their food at that moment stopped Belinda asking him about his son and for several moments they were silent as they both tucked into their crêpes. Once her initial hunger had been satisfied Belinda looked at Alain.
‘I’ve a couple of women coming in tomorrow at two o’clock about the receptionist job. Can you be around to meet them?’
‘Are they local? I might already know them.’
Belinda glanced around the bar. ‘One of them is sat over there with Bernie. The woman with the blonde hair tied back. She’s been helping around the site and asked me if we’d consider her. She’s never done a receptionist job before, so we’d have to train her from the ground up. Says she’s computer-literate, though, which is a bonus point.’
‘That’s Marie,’ Alain answered. ‘She’d make a good receptionist. She’s personable and good with people. She’s got my vote. So don’t waste your time, cancel the other interview. Would you like another drink?’
Belinda laughed and shook her head. ‘I can’t do that. No more wine, thanks, but I’d like a coffee please and then we’d better get back.’
Alain ordered the coffees as an assistant cleared their plates. ‘You see your daughter and her family while you’re in the UK?’
Belinda nodded happily. ‘Yes, she lives in the same town. I’ve missed her while I’ve been here, but we don’t see an awful lot of each other anyway. We’re both so busy. I do get to babysit once a week while she and her husband have a “date night”. And we have Sunday lunch together once a month in one of the hotels.’
When the waiter brought their coffees, he placed the bill on the table and Belinda reached for her purse to pay her share. Alain stopped her.
‘I pay for lunch,’ he said.
‘No, I’ll pay my share,’ Belinda said.
‘Please, I insist. Take it as an apology for my behaviour when you arrived.’
Belinda looked at him, a half-smile on her face. ‘You’ve already apologised for that, but thank you,’ and she put her purse away.
‘Can I ask you something?’ Alain said.
‘You can, but I reserve the right to remain silent.’ Belinda looked at him as he carefully replaced his coffee cup on its saucer.
‘Do you remember that first day when you arrived and I told you I didn’t want you ’ere and you stormed off saying you, and I quote, “sure as ’ell” didn’t want to be ’ere. Why was