‘I have had a wonderful evening,’ Audrey said. She smiled at Ella, but then threw a smouldering look Haydon’s way and there was no mistaking the subtext. His response to this was caught somewhere between outright lust and mortification that Ella was present to witness their outrageous flirting. Well, at least Audrey had been flirting outrageously, while Haydon had tried but undoubtedly failed to keep his carnal desires under wraps. He glanced at Ella, but if she’d thought anything inappropriate had been going on under her nose then she didn’t seem too distressed by it.
‘Us too,’ Haydon replied. He looked at Ella, who nodded in fervent agreement.
‘You should come to our villa next time,’ Ella said. ‘We could cook for you.’
‘I’m not sure Audrey would be impressed by my sausages and chips,’ Haydon said.
‘I would love to.’ Audrey took Ella by the shoulders and kissed her lightly on both cheeks. ‘I hope you will call me before you return home.’
‘I will…’ Haydon said, taken by a sudden dreamy stare. He shook himself. ‘I mean, we will. Absolutely.’
‘Don’t make me wait,’ Audrey said, that musical laugh of hers filling the night air. ‘I don’t like to wait – if I want something, I want to have it straight away.’
And then she gave Haydon another look filled with meaning and he almost gulped, cartoon-like. In the back of his mind there was a tiny voice telling him that he might just be the luckiest man on earth right now. Later, he would sit and wonder, still bemused by the idea that someone as impossibly glamorous as Audrey, who could have her pick of men, had deigned to even spend an hour with him, let alone show unmistakable signs of romantic interest. Everything about her was perfect, from the way she laughed to the way she smelt.
Audrey stepped forward, pressing her lips to his cheeks. ‘Au revoir, Haydon,’ she whispered into his ear, her breath on his neck setting him ablaze. ‘Do not forget about me.’
‘No…’ Haydon mumbled as she pulled away, feeling like an unready schoolboy being offered his first kiss. ‘I won’t forget.’ He looked at Ella. ‘Tomorrow?’ he asked her. ‘We could do tomorrow night, right?’
Ella nodded.
Audrey pouted. ‘Tomorrow I cannot do. Perhaps the day after?’
‘The day after… yes, we could do that,’ Haydon said. ‘The day after would be great.’
Audrey smiled, and then she reached to kiss him again, but this time she placed her lips firmly on his. She tasted sweet, like the figs they’d just eaten, and Haydon ached for more, but his mind kept warning him that Ella was right there and he had to be content with a goofy grin as she pulled away.
‘Let me know the time,’ Audrey said. ‘I will be there.’
‘We should walk you to your car…’ Haydon began, but Audrey waved an airy hand.
‘It is not necessary – I am quite safe.’
‘But—’
‘You must take Ella home,’ Audrey said, nodding at Ella, whose mouth was wide in a huge yawn. ‘I think she will be asleep walking if you do not.’
Ella grinned, and without any further reply, Audrey gave one last impossibly dazzling smile and turned to leave. Haydon watched her walk into the night, her skirts swishing around her, her steps light and elegant, and he still couldn’t quite believe his luck.
Walking beneath the twinkling lights, it was hard not to be utterly enchanted by the easy atmosphere of Saint-Raphaël. Ashley strolled past the colourful awnings of shops still open, their bright displays beckoning her in, and the lively chatter underneath the umbrellas of restaurant patios as they fluttered in the breeze whipping in from the sea, and her overwhelming sense of frustration lifted from her, minute by minute. By the time she reached the harbour where the shadows of boats jostled for space on the glittering night-time swells, where distant bells clanged out at sea and gentle waves kissed the harbour wall and people greeted her with open, friendly faces and warm words, she was relaxed and optimistic.
She hadn’t managed to catch Haydon tonight, but she had days yet and surely she could find a moment. It was such a small sentence to utter that she only needed a second to say it. And yet, such a small sentence had such huge implications, but she didn’t want to think that far ahead just yet. For now, telling him was the important bit, and there was a secret hope too that she dare not acknowledge, but one that nested in her heart just the same: that perhaps the knowledge that they shared more than a brief past together might be enough to start something new between them, something real and solid this time, something that he wouldn’t want to run away from as he had done once before. They’d both been young in Ibiza, and perhaps he’d simply felt too young to get tied down to one girl. Blokes liked to sow their oats, didn’t they? But now, with a daughter and a divorce, perhaps the sowing-oats years were well behind him, and perhaps he was ready to commit again. And perhaps that could be with Ashley.
She turned away from the sea now, taking a winding alleyway lit by the golden glow of lamps hanging from stone-walled houses and candles on tables from various eateries. One particularly quaint place drew her attention, a large chalkboard standing outside and announcing fish dishes and house specialities in colourful looped handwriting. Inside she could see that the kitchen was entirely open so that patrons sitting at scrubbed wooden tables could see their food being cooked and the smell on the air was of fragrant herbs and sweet roasted garlic. If Molly had been a more adventurous eater she might have suggested they come down one evening, but she was quite sure no amount of cajoling would persuade her. Perhaps her mum and Maurice would come with her. In fact, she’d probably find Maurice was related to the owners – he seemed to be connected to just about everyone in Saint-Raphaël in one way or another.
With the decision made to walk back and ask them – Ashley had decided right there and then that she would be missing out on something very special if she didn’t try this place out – she turned to continue down the lane, but a voice stopped her. She turned again to see Haydon emerge from the restaurant with Ella and a woman.
Without really knowing why, she slunk back into the shadows of a nearby house and watched. They were all laughing, relaxed, and the woman sounded like a local. Ashley vaguely recognised her and frowned as she tried to place her. Wasn’t she the vendor from the patisserie stall at the market? And then the weight of all Ashley’s newly built hopes and dreams crashed down onto her as the woman pulled Haydon into a kiss, one that he seemed to be enjoying immensely. This was no friendly Gallic greeting – this was a kiss with unmistakable lust in it.
Ashley’s stomach clenched, her throat tightening. She’d been so stupid to fall for his charm and lies once again. All that day on the beach she’d thought him interested, imagined that she’d sensed genuine regret for the way he’d left her that morning in Ibiza. In her foolish daydreams she’d even thought there might be a chance for them to pick up where they’d left off.
Her expression hardened, along with her resolve. There was no way she was letting a man like this be part of her life and even less chance that he could be anything but bad for Molly. Her secret was going to stay secret, and once they were home she’d never have to think about Haydon whatever-his-name-was ever again.
Chapter 11
Ella had been thrilled with the suggestion, of course, but, though Haydon was determined to devote all his attention to giving her an amazing day out at a theme park in neighbouring St Tropez, he was finding it hard to concentrate as they prepared for the day.
Dinner with Audrey had been incredible and he couldn’t help the stirrings of excitement for the start of something new. It wasn’t a relationship that was at all practical, and he had to keep reminding himself of that, but he’d make the most of it in any way he could. He’d been so beaten by Janine leaving him, so lonely and insecure for so long since the divorce, that he’d hardly been able to pluck up the courage to get himself back out and dating again. And even if all meeting Audrey this week led to was one or two lovely dinners, then it was a start. It was
the new confidence it had given him that was buoying him up this morning, and he couldn’t deny that he was looking forward to seeing her again more than perhaps he ought to for a romance that could only be a holiday one at best.
And then thoughts of holiday romances suddenly took him back to Ashley again. The previous morning on the beach with her and Molly had been fantastic – not only for Ella, who was seriously in awe of her new friend – but for him too. And even though his thoughts this morning were filled with Audrey, there were moments when Ashley would pop in there too. But it was strange, because he couldn’t read her at all and he couldn’t understand why he’d be thinking of her that way. He’d gone to bed thinking about Audrey but his first thought on waking was of Ashley, in spite of all this. And all through breakfast he thought of Audrey, but every so often Ashley’s face would appear behind his eyes and his feelings would become confused and muddy, and he didn’t know what to think about any of it. More than once Ella had clicked her fingers in front of his face to gain his attention, and more than once he’d recognised a knowing smile. He supposed it wouldn’t have escaped her attention that he and Audrey had shared a pretty steamy kiss; it was just lucky that she couldn’t see into his head right now or she might want to disown him.
Trying hard to put his conflicted thoughts to one side, Haydon decided that his real focus for today needed to be Ella. He’d promised her a jam-packed day out and that was what he was going to give her. So they finished breakfast and hopped in the car with a bag of supplies and wound their way around precarious mountain roads with drops that made Haydon’s stomach churn, overlooking the glittering swells of a calm ocean, past fields of wildflowers, past orchards and vineyards and tiny farmhouses, past marinas full of pristine white boats and sleepy roadside cafés where old men in cloth caps played card games in the shade of trellises covered in vines. Haydon would have suggested stopping the car to get a closer look at any one of these marvels but Ella was too excited to get to their destination, and, besides, he probably wouldn’t have been able to keep his mind on any of it anyway.
‘Dad… are we lost?’ Ella asked finally, breaking into his thoughts. ‘Only I’m sure we’ve seen that café before.’
Haydon blinked as Ella pointed to a little building with a striped awning throwing shade over a collection of mismatched tables and chairs.
‘Oh…’
Pulling over, he flicked on the satnav that he’d convinced himself he didn’t need. Normally, he’d cast a glance at a map and do a pretty good job of getting where he needed to be. Perhaps if his concentration had been better his usual method would have done just as well for him this time too, but his concentration was shot and it seemed there was no way to deny it now as the screen showed him just how far they’d driven off their route.
‘Sorry. Perhaps we’ll leave this switched on,’ he said.
Giving himself a mental slap, he started the engine again. Focus, idiot! There was a time and place to daydream about what might be with a woman who was way out of his league, but this wasn’t it.
‘I’d say you didn’t want to tell him.’ Sue handed Ashley the lettuce she’d just broken up to wash.
‘Of course I want to tell him,’ Ashley hissed as she ran the tap. ‘Do we have to talk about this now?’
‘Nobody’s listening,’ Sue said. ‘And if they were it might do you a favour because it looks as if someone else is going to have to tell him if you won’t.’
‘It’s not a case of won’t; it’s a case of can’t. It was hardly my fault you turned up with Maurice yesterday and decided to stick around. And I told you, when I went over last night he wasn’t in.’
‘Considering he wasn’t in you were gone for a long time.’
‘I told you I went for a walk to clear my head. There’s no law against that, is there?’
‘No, of course not. As for me turning up with Maurice yesterday, that was hardly my fault either. Perhaps if you’d allowed me to be open with my husband about all this then—’
‘I was about to say something to Haydon when you turned up, actually,’ Ashley said, her voice rising. She checked herself and glanced at the kitchen table to where Nanette and Violette were chatting as they sliced up tomatoes from a huge bowl. ‘You know this.’
‘I’m not so sure you would have done. And you could have asked me at any time to take the girls off somewhere and we would have left you alone with Haydon to tell him.’
‘It was just all wrong after lunch,’ Ashley said huffily. ‘I’d planned it and then my plans were ruined, and if I’d done it after that it would have come out wrong.’
‘I’m not sure there’s any way for that news to come out that isn’t wrong,’ Sue shot back. ‘He’s not going to take it calmly and the longer you leave it the worse it will be.’
‘I know,’ Ashley snapped. ‘You don’t need to keep telling me that leaving it will make it worse because I know.’
Her phone bleeped the arrival of a message and she fished it from the pocket of her shorts.
‘Molly,’ she said, reading it. ‘Says she and Maurice are going to get some fish from the market. Haydon and Ella were out this morning when they called at the house and apparently they’re on their way to the theme park at St Tropez.’ She looked up at Sue. ‘That’s put paid to me going to see him today as well.’
‘I would imagine he’ll be back this evening,’ Sue said. She gave Ashley a pointed look.
‘Yes,’ Ashley sighed. Right now she knew she ought to come clean with her mum and tell her that she’d changed her mind and had no intention of getting Haydon involved in their lives, and that she just wanted to forget about him. But she couldn’t bring herself to say it, to acknowledge the betrayal she felt after seeing him with another woman, to admit just how stupid she felt for ever thinking she could trust him, not even to Sue.
Worse still, there was a part of her that she didn’t want to acknowledge, a part that was still attracted to him. She’d never thought of herself as the sort of woman who went for bad boys but right now her track record wasn’t doing much to dispel that notion. First Haydon in Ibiza, then her three-timing ex, Ethan, and now unreliable Haydon again. If things carried on this way she might need to book some therapy just to meet a decent man.
‘I know,’ she continued. ‘I should go and see him later. It’s just… how am I supposed to have this conversation if Ella is around? Besides, if I’m going over there then Molly will want to come and I have no excuse not to take her.’
‘Leave that to me,’ Sue said. ‘I’ll think of something to get the girls out of the way, but then you’d better sort this before it really gets out of hand.’
He’d tried most of the rides, even the ones that had spun him into a state of intense queasiness, but he’d had to concede defeat when it came to the huge rollercoaster that he was currently standing staring at. Ella was on there, screaming her head off, having decided that even the awkwardness of the single rider queue wasn’t going to put her off giving it a try. As she’d reminded him, once they’d returned home it wasn’t likely they would be coming back to the South of France for a long time, if at all, and she’d regret missing out if she didn’t ride the rollercoaster when she had the chance. So Haydon had watched with a small degree of awe as she’d gone off to join the special queue for those wishing to ride without their companions and almost instantly had begun a conversation in broken French and hesitant English with a girl who looked about her age. It was just another sign of how fast and how confidently she was growing up, and how, before very long, she wouldn’t need him at all.
He watched now as the cars went past with a dull rumble and a wave of screams, so fast that he had no hope of spotting Ella.
‘It looks awful, doesn’t it?’
He turned to see a woman about his age talking to him. She was watching the rollercoaster with a baby clamped to her hip and, as seemed to be the theme for today, his thoughts, momentarily, wandered to Ashley. The woman was blonde, attractive, perhaps in her
mid to late twenties. It could have been her, a few years ago, with Molly in her arms. He tried to banish the image and replace it with one of a very sexy Audrey instead, suddenly feeling duplicitous and guilty without really knowing why.
‘More than a match for me.’ He smiled. ‘You didn’t fancy it either?’
‘Someone’s got to stay on the ground with the baby. It was a hard-fought competition but my husband lost and is currently on there with my son. I’ll bet he’s having the time of his life,’ she added dryly. ‘Your other half on there?’
‘Just my daughter. No other half, I’m afraid. Not now.’
‘Oh,’ the woman replied, and Haydon supposed there wasn’t much else she could say to it. With a vague smile she turned her gaze back to the coaster but Haydon could see her move ever so slightly out of range. Did she think he was going to pour all his troubles out? Did he look like a man who had a lot of trouble that needed pouring out? Oh God, what a notion, that he might look a little bit desperate!
He was spared further torment by the shrill ring of his phone. He pulled it out of his pocket to see Janine’s name on the screen.
‘Hey,’ he said, taking the call with a frown of vague surprise. ‘Everything OK?’
‘I was going to ask you that,’ Janine said. ‘Ella phoned me last night.’
The Summer Getaway_A feel-good romance novel perfect for holiday reading Page 14