Jason put his hands up, ‘Hey sorry, didn’t realise I’d touched a nerve. I just thought Allie and Terri were blood related because they look so similar.’
Nobody had a chance to answer as the flight boarding call came over the loud speaker.
They landed in Bordeaux, and Damion picked them up at the airport and drove them to his farm, an hour away. His house was a beautiful barn conversion with high ceilings, exposed beams, and stone walls. French doors opened onto a patio area that overlooked the pool.
Damion’s children, Molly and Ben came running out to greet them full of excited childhood charm. Molly made a beeline for Josh while Ben leaped into Terri’s arms.
Molly was eleven years old and Ben was nine. Originally from a small commune, they moved to London with Damion six years ago after their mother, Leonora, died. Six months ago, the three of them moved to France.
‘These tin-lids have been looking forward to your visit all week. They’ve been driving me crazy,’ Damion said.
As much as Alice loved her half-brother and sister, she found they were hard work and was glad Terri and Josh were there to take most of their attention.
Jason and Alice lugged their bags up to her room, and Terri and Josh, who travelled lighter, took theirs to the guest room, Molly and Ben in tow.
After settling in, they headed back downstairs and sat at the outdoor setting which overlooked an infinity pool and a view over fields of flowering sunflowers.
‘What would everyone like to drink?’
‘White wine please,’ Alice said.
‘Beer for me,’ Josh said.
‘Ginger beer please,’ Terri said. She never drank alcohol.
‘Jason?’
‘Same as Terri. Cheers.’
Damion disappeared inside and brought out the drinks on a tray. He then disappeared again and returned with some Camembert, sliced baguette, and olives.
‘Stunning place you have here,’ Jason said.
‘Thanks, we love it.’
‘How are the kids settling into school?’
‘They’re enjoying it. They both speak fluent French and have fitted in nicely.’
‘Do you speak French yourself?’
‘I’m getting better. I’d learnt it in school and knew the basics, but I’m competent now. I can hold a conversation no problem.’
The sun beat down on them, so Damion put up the market umbrella, and they sat, chatting, drinking, and grazing.
‘The pool’s a comfortable 29 degrees if you want to swim.’
‘Sounds good, you up for it, Jase?’ Alice asked.
‘For sure, I didn’t pack a swimsuit though.’
‘It’s a clothing optional pool,’ Damion said.
‘Haha, no, that’s ok thanks,’ Jason said as his face turned red.
Terri and Josh looked at each other.
‘What? Did I say something wrong?’
Josh spoke. ‘It’s just... Terri and I never swim in our clothes, we much prefer to go au-natural. Do you mind?’
‘Oh... ah... no, of course not. When in France and all that.’
‘I’m with you Jase,’ Alice said. ‘I much prefer to keep my bits covered.’
Alice and Jason headed upstairs. Jason found a pair of board shorts which would do as bathers, and Alice put on her bikini.
‘You not gonna go in nude then?’ Alice teased.
‘Yeah, nah. But you can.’
‘Nope, definitely not. I’m sorry if my family are weird.’
‘Hey, you know me, I don’t judge. Who’s saying what’s normal?’
Alice laughed. Her family wasn’t weird, just unique, but others might not see it that way.
When they came back down, Josh, Terri, Molly and Ben were already in the pool, completely naked. Damion sat and watched from the shade of the umbrella, not liking the full sun.
Molly was smitten with Jason and kept asking him to launch her off his shoulders. Alice watched, loving how he interacted with her younger sister. He’d make a good Dad one day. The only thing was, she couldn’t see herself having children.
Once their fingers resembled prunes, they climbed out of the pool and lay in the sun to dry off.
‘Are you two going to get married?’ Molly asked Alice.
The bluntness of the question took her by surprise. Marriage had never crossed her mind. But how did she answer the question without offending Jason? To her relief, he beat her to it.
‘Molly, we’ve only just started going out together. Marriage is a big commitment, it’s forever.’
Alice breathed a sigh of relief, they were on the same page. To be honest with herself, the thought of marriage terrified her.
‘Well, if you get married, can I be your flower girl?’ Molly asked, full of hope.
‘Of course, assuming I ever get married.’ She winked at Jason, who was trying not to laugh.
‘Ask Terri and Josh, they’ve been dating longer than us.’
Terri shot her a dirty look.
‘Terri said they don’t believe in marriage, and they’ll never get married,’ Molly said.
Alice wondered what that was all about. Her family was odd. Damion had never married either, but he’d been in a serious relationship with Molly and Ben’s mother, Leonora. She sounded like an amazing lady, but she’d passed away five years earlier from cancer. When Alice had asked to see photos of her, Damion said there were none. Leonora had been a private person who didn’t believe in her image being captured for all eternity.
Alice loved people who dared to be different, who didn’t feel the need to conform to society’s rules. She herself had resisted social media for years, but her friends kept nagging and nagging, and the peer pressure had got to her. It seemed she was missing out on too much fun, images of people doing crazy things at parties.
The main reason they wanted her to join was so they could tag her and her drunken antics. She posted nothing herself. Other people posted photos of her, and now there is a drunken cow video to her name.
But to be fair, if it wasn’t for social media, her father would never have found her. Her friend from New York, Jenna, had put a photo of Alice on her Facebook page and had tagged her name. Even though Alice didn’t have a Facebook account herself at the time, Damion’s private eye friend had tracked her down through some facial recognition software. Even though it had worked in her favour, it scared her that such things were possible. So perhaps Damion’s ex had the right idea. No photos, no trace.
Terri and Josh were busy quizzing Damion about his new restaurant, but Alice knew it was a lost cause. It was to be a surprise. He wanted their honest opinion, with no preconceived ideas.
Alice waited until she got Terri alone and asked her about her lower back pain, pleased there was a doctor in the family. Terri only had one kidney herself, which is why she didn’t drink.
‘Does it only hurt after drinking?’ she asked.
‘Yeah, usually after a binge session. It’s a dull pain, always in the lower left-hand side.’
‘Any other abdominal pain?’
‘No, just in the one spot.’
‘It might be dehydration, but best you get it checked out; have a sample taken and blood tests too. But don’t worry too much, you’re young, it’s probably nothing.’
Terri was only two years older than her, and Alice had always wondered why she never drank. It turned out she’d donated one of her kidneys to save a life. It amazed Alice how someone could perform such a selfless act. She wondered if she would do it for a close family member, let alone a complete stranger. She liked to think she would.
Damion prepared a delicious dinner of garlic prawns to start, followed by lamb steaks, cooked rare on the barbecue. Not traditional French food, but it tasted amazing, and if his restaurant was anywhere near this good, it would be a hit.
They polished off two bottles of red wine with dinner, then Damion said he’d be off to bed as he had an early start in the morning, ensuring the restaurant opening at lunchtime r
an to perfection.
Alice grabbed another bottle of red and was fiddling with the corkscrew, when Jason took it from her hands. ‘Haven’t you had enough? You don’t want to spoil your father’s restaurant opening tomorrow by being hungover. Have some water instead.’
Alice considered complaining, then took the glass of water he offered her. It had a squeeze of lemon in it and was tasty. She gulped it down, then said, ‘You’re right, let’s go to bed.’
Chapter 5
The next morning Alice awoke early to chirping birds, and the sun streaming through her window. It was only 8am but already warm as she headed downstairs. She dove into the pool and swam a few laps before breakfast, enjoying having a clear head for a change.
She joined Terri, Josh, and Jason on the patio and helped herself to a spread of fresh fruits, yoghurts, breads, and cheeses. Molly and Ben had gone to stay with their friends’ who live in the next village, and Damion had already headed off to his restaurant.
‘So, what’s happening today? Damion’s told us nothing.’
‘He left a note, there’ll be a car picking us up at 11.30,’ Terri said.
‘One car for all of us? Hope it’s a limo.’ Alice bounced with excitement.
‘Well, we did fly first-class, I wouldn’t expect anything less,’ Josh added.
‘Now we’re really going to be disappointed if it’s just a normal car,’ Alice replied.
They finished up their breakfast and cleared away their dishes, then headed upstairs to get changed. Alice had gone against her non-conforming attire, and had bought a new dress for the occasion. She put it on and it clung in all the right places.
‘Wow, you look hot!’ Jason said. ‘Seriously, you should dress up more often, you look amazing.’
Alice just smiled as she checked herself out in the mirror. She did look good. But she refused to wear make-up, that would be taking things a step too far.
At 11.30am on the dot a stretch limo arrived to pick them up. Alice struggled to contain her excitement as the four of them piled in. She spotted a bottle of champagne on ice and four flutes. She looked at it, then gestured to Josh and he got the message. He popped the cork and poured them all a glass. Terri made an exception to her no drinking rule, given it was a special occasion. Josh and Alice polished off the rest.
They drove to an isolated spot in the country and parked behind a line of four-wheel-drive vehicles. They stepped out of the limo and clambered into a jeep as instructed.
The driver navigated through fields of cows until in the distance a marquee appeared. As they approached, Alice noticed it was set up as an outdoor restaurant. Inside, rows of banquet tables covered in white sheets were adorned with plates, glasses, and cutlery.
‘Oh my God,’ Terri cried out and tears formed in her eyes. Josh also looked moved by the scene.
The car parked, and they piled out. Damion greeted them, and took them to another marquee, where people were milling about drinking champagne and eating canapés.
‘This is amazing,’ Josh said, ‘I love it!’
They chatted amongst themselves, sampling the finger food and fine champagne. Alice enjoyed the drinks more than anyone else, much to Jason’s disgust. But it was a special occasion, who was he to spoil her fun?
She sidled over to Josh. ‘Wish I hadn’t brought him,’ she said, nodding in Jason’s direction.
‘Why? He seems like a nice guy. What’s he done?’
‘He’s always nagging me not to drink. It drives me insane.’
‘What? You? Drink too much?’ Josh cracked up laughing.
‘You don’t think I do, do you?’
‘You wouldn’t be you if you didn’t drink like a fish, Allie. Don’t let him control you, you’re an adult, and capable of making your own choices.’
‘Thanks Josh. That means a lot.’
‘Just make sure you don’t fall down and embarrass Damion on this special day!’ He laughed to show he was joking. But Alice wondered if there was more to his comment. When had she become so paranoid?
Once all the guests had arrived, everyone took their seats at the banquet tables. Damion greeted them all.
‘Welcome everybody and thank you for coming. The concept of my latest project is dear to my heart and I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I enjoyed creating it. I dedicate the restaurant to my late partner and the mother of my two children, and also the mother of Dr Terri Jones. Welcome to Leonora’s.’
Everybody clapped, and Terri let out a sob.
Damion continued. ‘So please sit back, relax, and enjoy the feast.’
He received a warm applause from the audience, and Alice’s heart skipped with anticipation.
Two servers addressed the crowd.
‘Welcome to the dinner service. Today’s meal will be a degustation of eight courses. The first course we present to you are oysters served in the half shell, dressed with fragrant spices.’
Terri mouthed an, ‘I told you so,’ as a stream of waiters brought out plates of food. They sat there for the afternoon, grazing as one delicacy after another was brought to them. The main course was a suckling pig, brought out and shown to them, before being taken away to be carved up.
‘And not even a hint of toe of frog,’ Josh said, and Alice laughed.
Dessert was a stunning display involving dry ice and strawberries, and Alice had tasted nothing like it. Her father’s restaurant would be a hit.
After dinner, they headed back into the arrival tent. The tables and chairs had been moved to make way for a dance floor. A big band had set up and were waiting patiently.
Damion stood up and spoke.
‘Welcome to the entertainment. Let me introduce Grand Musique!’
The band opened with some upbeat tunes, and Terri and Josh led the way to the dance floor, swirling around with no inhibitions. Alice wondered how Terri could dance like that, sober. Brave! Josh too, although he had consumed a few glasses of wine with dinner. Alice and the others joined them and danced the afternoon away.
The day ended with supper consisting of coffee and cake before they were driven back home again.
Back at Damion’s house, Terri bounced around, full of excitement. ‘What an amazing afternoon, thank you so much Damion for recreating something so important to us,’ she said.
‘What’s the significance to you guys?’ Alice asked.
Damion shot Terri a look and answered for her. ‘Terri is talking about how I named it after her mother and I’ve modelled the restaurant on a place where we used to dine together as a family. It holds special memories for us.’
Alice wanted to ask more, but she was used to her family and their secretive past and knew she wouldn’t get any answers from them.
Later that evening she heard Terri and Josh talking with Damion in his office and her name was mentioned. She was about to join them when Damion spoke. ‘You need to be careful what you say around Allie.’
‘Why don’t you tell her the truth,’ Terri said. ‘You know you can trust her.’
‘I’m not sure how she would handle the truth,’ Damion said.
Alice’s heart skipped a beat. What were they talking about?
‘I still think you should tell her about her mother,’ Terri insisted. ‘She should know.’
She backed away, not wanting to be caught eavesdropping. A shiver of dread ran down her spine, wondering what secrets they were hiding from her. Was her mother dead? Or worse, was she in prison?
Chapter 6
Alice found Jason doing laps in the swimming pool, so she put her bikini on and joined him, enjoying the cool water as it swept over her skin, washing away her insecurities. Jason saw her and swam over. ‘Hey you, what’s up? You look sad.’
Alice didn’t want to talk about what she’d overheard. Instead, she put her arms around him, enjoying the wet embrace.
‘It’s nothing.’
‘Do you fancy going to the market up on the hill for dinner,’ he asked.
‘How can you think ab
out food after that huge lunch? I couldn’t eat another thing.’
‘You know me, I’m always hungry. What say we go for a drive? Would Damion lend us his car?’
‘Haha, which one? The Range Rover or the Ferrari?’
‘You know the answer to that!’
‘I’ll ask him, but I’m driving!’
‘Spoil sport.’
Alice got out of the pool and dried herself off, then went inside to ask Damion about borrowing one of his cars. Before she had a chance, he said, ‘Ah Allie, I need to have a word with you about something.’
‘Is everything okay?’
‘Um, kind of, come into my office.’
She followed him and sat down opposite in an armchair, wondering if the conversation she’d heard earlier would be revealed.
‘It’s about your birth mother, Camilla,’ he said.
‘Has something happened?’
‘A while ago, yes, but there’s something you need to know. Terri has told me about the pain in your lower back. It’s probably nothing, but it’s something you need to get checked out. Also, Jason had a quiet word with me about your drinking...’
‘How dare he,’ Alice butted in.
‘Yeah, I thought so too, but he’s worried about you.’
‘I’m not an alcoholic.’
‘Yet,’ he said.
‘Pardon?’
‘You’re not an alcoholic... yet.’
‘Okay, what’s that supposed to mean?’
‘I don’t think it’s anything to worry about, I don’t think you’re an alcoholic, but Terri thought I should tell you about your birth mother.’
‘What about her?’
‘She was an alcoholic.’
‘You say was.. did she overcome it?’
‘Yes, but once an alcoholic, always an alcoholic. She ended up with kidney disease and needed a transplant.’
‘No way!’
‘Yes way. And Terri was her donor.’
‘Are you serious? I thought Terri donated her kidney to a complete stranger. Did she know Camilla beforehand?’
‘It’s a long story, one I don’t want to go into, but Terri is related to Camilla, and no, she didn’t know her at the time.’
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