do about Chloe moving to the Vendée. Let her go? Or go with her? It would keep until the next time she saw Fern. Sighing inwardly, she went back indoors.
Alain was sitting on the settee, a plate of sandwiches in front of him, a car magazine on his lap. He glanced up as Belinda returned. ‘I ’ope I didn’t drive Fern away?’
‘No of course not. She needed to get back for Anouk,’ Belinda answered and gave him a sharp glance. ‘You’ve got over your bad temper from this morning then?’
‘Oui, it is all sorted now,’ Alain said. ‘You ’ave un problème? You look préoccupée.’
‘I wanted to ask Fern’s advice about something, but we were so busy talking about… about something else, that I didn’t get time.’
‘Want to ask me?’
Honestly, she never knew where she was with this man. One minute he was being obnoxious and the next, well, the next he was being friendly.
Belinda, went to shake her head and say no, but found herself saying instead, ‘It’s my daughter and her husband.’
Alain waited.
‘Max has been promoted at work. They’re moving to the Vendée and want me to go with them.’
‘Do you want to go?’
‘I don’t know,’ Belinda said helplessly. ‘I can’t see the wood for the trees.’
‘Excuse? I do not know that English saying.’ Alain looked at her.
‘It means I can’t see my way to making a decision. There are too many “ifs”.’ She sighed. ‘Anyway, I think I’ll have a shower and then go to bed. See you in the morning.’
30
Over the next few days living in the house together, Belinda and Alain slipped into a comfortable routine without noticing it happen. Alain was always up first to shower and leave the bathroom free for Belinda. By the time she went downstairs, coffee was ready and fresh croissants from the village bakery were on the table. Some mornings, Alain was still around and joined her for breakfast before they left for the short walk across to the office together.
It seemed only fair to Belinda that the afternoons when she was home first she organised supper for them both. Nothing fancy, she knew her limitations. The shop was opening for a couple of hours every day now and Belinda picked up various cold meats, salad stuff and fresh bread on the evenings she did supper for the two of them.
After supper, they settled in for a couple of companionable hours together in the sitting room. Whether by accident or design on both their parts, the ongoing work on the campsite was rarely mentioned. The evenings were getting warmer and they were able to open the French doors onto the little terrace. Sometimes they watched TV, but mostly they read. Belinda a book and Alain one of his endless car magazines. Conversation was limited but friendly and the silences were becoming those that happen between people who were becoming comfortable with each other.
Alain went out every evening at about ten o’clock to check all was well on the campsite and Belinda usually said goodnight then and went to bed before he returned.
One particularly lovely evening, she stood up with him.
‘Mind if I join you tonight? It’s such a lovely evening, I fancy a walk.’
‘Bring a jacket, it’s always a bit cooler down by the river at this time of day,’ Alain said.
A couple sitting outside their camper van with a glass of wine called out ‘Bon nuit’ as they walked past. The other two nearby vans had their lights on and curtains drawn, the muted tones of TV programmes could be heard. Bernie was sitting outside of his cabin, Ging curled up on his lap. Belinda stood and smiled at him as Alain had a brief conversation with him, before they moved on down towards the river.
Belinda gave a happy sigh. ‘I love this part of the site. The noise of the upstream river weir, the ducks, watching the herons. I can’t wait to show it all to Chloe and the twins when they arrive. I’m so pleased she’s coming for a holiday.’
Alain, staring out over the river, nodded. ‘My son used to love it here.’
Belinda turned to look at him. ‘He doesn’t come here any more?’
‘No. He’s thirty this year and lives in Canada now, so he’s got all the wide-open spaces he needs. I rarely see him these days.’
‘That must be hard,’ Belinda said quietly.
‘I am used to it. He lived with his mother after the divorce and seeing ’im has always been difficult. Especially when I lived