The True Love Travels Series Box Set

by Poppy Pennington-Smith

  She almost told him not to. But he was already walking away. And when he returned, he had a strange, almost grey, expression on his face.

  “Who is it, Seb?”

  Sebastian glanced towards the front of the house, then looked at Annie. “It’s your business partner – Jeremy.”

  Annie waited on the front steps. Her chest felt tight and she was jigging up and down on the balls of her feet. Sebastian was standing beside her but as Jeremy’s silver rental car appeared at the end of the driveway, peeking through the slowly opening black gates, he said, “Annie, I should go.”

  “No,” she replied, a little too quickly. “You don’t have to.”

  Jeremy’s car was approaching and Sebastian leaned down to kiss Annie on the cheek, one-two-three. “I will see you later.” Then he retreated through the house.

  When Jeremy got out of his car, he looked up at the sun as if it had served him a personal insult. He was wearing a suit – jacket, shirt, tie, trousers and shiny brown shoes. He must be sweltering.

  Annie didn’t descend the steps, just waited for him to slowly walk up to her.

  “Evening,” he said, tipping his head at her and making a salute-like motion.

  Annie folded her arms in front of her chest. “What are you doing here, Jeremy?”

  “Aren’t you going to invite me inside?” Jeremy looked up at the chateau. “Impressive. Bigger than I expected.”

  Annie thought about making him remain on the terrace to explain himself before allowing him inside. But eventually she rolled her eyes and told him to follow her.

  In the kitchen, she fetched him a tumbler of iced tea and leaned back against the counter-top, waiting for him to speak.

  After sipping his tea slowly, almost enjoying keeping her in suspense, he finally said, “I got your email.”

  “And you couldn’t have simply replied to it?”

  “I wanted to talk to you in person – about this place, and our business.” Jeremy said ‘business’ as if Annie had forgotten all about the agency. It made her twitch guiltily and, almost straight away, her skin started to prickle with the familiar tension she always felt back in London.

  “Again, you couldn’t have emailed?” Annie asked.

  “I thought it would be better in person.” Jeremy put down his glass and opened his hands at her, the way he always did in meetings when he was trying to convince new clients that he was trustworthy. “Listen, I know it took a lot for you to send that email. You probably left London hoping never to speak to me again, right?” He laughed a little and it made Annie’s frosty exterior soften. “So, this place must mean a lot to you – for you to reach out like that.”

  “Yes,” Annie said curtly, “it does.” She paused. A flicker of hope began to dance in her belly. “So... have you found an investor? Is that why you’re here?”

  Jeremy shook his head and began to shrug off his suit jacket and loosen his tie. “Sadly, no.”

  Annie breathed in deeply through her nose and closed her eyes. Of course he hadn’t. Good news would have been too much to ask.

  “But I have found an alternative solution...” Jeremy smiled. It wasn’t a twinkling, cheeky smile like Sebastian’s; it was a self-assured, almost arrogant smile. Back in London, Annie had found it attractive. Here, it seemed utterly out of place.

  “What kind of solution?” she asked tentatively.

  “I have an old school friend, Charles Radcliffe. His family own a chain of luxury hotels across Europe.” Jeremy waved his arms at the kitchen. “Places just like this. They’re mostly in Italy right now but looking to get into France.”

  “Hotels?” Annie instantly hated the idea, and she knew GiGi would too.

  Jeremy leaned forward and pinched an olive from the bowl on the countertop. Chewing loudly, he said, “Yes. But they’re very sympathetically done, Annie. I can show you their portfolio. They’d treat the chateau well, and they’d give your grandmother a good price.”

  “She won’t like it,” Annie said, shaking her head.

  “What other options have you got?” Jeremy asked, cocking his head to one side and chewing loudly on another olive.

  Annie sighed. “Right now, none. But...”

  “Listen... your grandmother is too old for a loan or investment. It’s harsh but it’s true. She’s going to have to sell. It’s the only way. This way... she’ll get a fair deal and someone she knows will take care of the place.”

  “And what’s in it for you?” Annie narrowed her eyes at him, speaking before she had chance to stop herself.

  Jeremy chuckled. “Well, I won’t lie. Charles’ father has offered me a small finder’s fee if I seal the deal, but I’m not trying to pull the wool over your eyes Annie – I’ll give you all the facts. Let’s just sit down with your grandmother and —”

  “She’s in hospital.”

  “Oh.” Jeremy flinched. Family matters and anything bordering on emotional made him uncomfortable.

  “She had a fall. She’s fine, but they wanted to run some tests. She should be back home tomorrow.”

  “Great.” Jeremy clapped his hands. “That’s great. So, tomorrow—”

  “Jeremy, listen. I appreciate you doing this... coming here.” Annie was treading carefully. If the offer from Jeremy’s friend really was a good one, she didn’t want to chase him off. But at the same time, she wasn’t going to bombard GiGi with it the second she walked in the door. “But GiGi’s going to need some time to settle back in before I start talking to her about all of this.”

  “Alright,” he said, draping his jacket over his forearm. “I’ll come back tomorrow afternoon. We can talk business – because there are things I need your input on – and if she’s up to it I’ll show her Charles’ portfolio. If not, I’m here for a week.” He reached into his wallet and took out a business card. “I’m staying at The Grand in the next town over. I didn’t think you’d want me camping out here at the chateau.” He raised an eyebrow at her, then completely unexpectedly leaned forward and patted her on the shoulder. “Good to see you, Annie.”

  25

  Annie

  Annie woke feeling sick to her stomach. She should have been excited. GiGi was coming home. It was almost time for the festival. But Jeremy’s arrival had changed everything.

  Yesterday, she’d been excited about the festival and thinking of little more than trying to figure out what her feelings were for Sebastian. Now, she was facing the prospect of GiGi selling the chateau and she was no longer able to ignore the life she’d abandoned back in London.

  Jeremy had made sure of that when he’d flown out to France rather than just replying to her email.

  Eventually, Annie forced herself to get out of bed, open the shutters and confront the day.

  The humidity was, if it was even possible, worse than yesterday. The slightest movement made her feel hot and uncomfortable and she almost couldn’t bear the idea of putting clothes on.

  Eventually, though, she took a freezing cold shower, put on her shorts and a loose red t-shirt, and ventured downstairs.

  Sebastian was nowhere to be seen.

  For the last fortnight, he’d been in the kitchen making coffee when she woke. But this morning, the chateau was empty. So, Annie brewed the coffee herself then sat on the terrace and tried to calm her nerves.

  She couldn’t work out whether she was nervous that GiGi would be cross she’d emailed Jeremy and invited the idea of a hotel chain buying them out. Or whether she was nervous that GiGi would like the idea and go for it.

  Annie hated the thought of her grandmother being upset with her, but she also hated the thought of the chateau being sold to a stranger.

  She sighed and scraped her hair back into a ponytail. Then she spotted Sebastian emerge from the trees.

  He waved as he approached but didn’t sit down beside her. Instead, he leaned back against the knee-height wall and combed his fingers through his hair.

  “I thought we could go into the village for breakfast? We ca
n check on the progress in the village square, and I will treat you to a coffee and a croissant from the bakery by the river.”

  Annie smiled. Whatever Sebastian thought about Jeremy’s visit, he wasn’t giving anything away – or behaving any differently – so she nodded enthusiastically and followed him out front.

  As they drove over the bridge and pulled up beside the river, Annie smiled. The coloured flags they’d chosen had finally been strung up and were criss-crossing all the way down the street. Beyond the archway that led to the village square, she could see that the stage for the band had been erected too.

  “I can’t believe there are only two days to go,” she said, enjoying the beat of her sandals against the shiny stone floor beneath the arch.

  “It’s going to be great, Annie,” Sebastian put his arm around her and squeezed her shoulders. “And it looks like your grandmother will be back home to enjoy it.”

  Annie smiled at him, trying to force thoughts of Jeremy from her mind so that she could enjoy the moment.

  After walking around the village square and ticking some things off their list, they retreated to a cafe by the river. Annie sat down and ordered coffee, while Sebastian ducked into a nearby bakery and returned with a bag full of croissants.

  He handed it to her, and Annie tore it open, spreading it out on the table between them and leaning back in the chair. This was, undoubtedly, her favourite thing about being in the South of France; warm sunny mornings, people buying breakfast from bakeries and taking their food to a nearby cafe. In London, if you turned up at a coffee shop with food you’d bought elsewhere, you’d be swiftly asked to either throw it away or leave. But here, it was expected. Welcomed, even.

  Sebastian didn’t ask her about Jeremy. He was almost purposefully not asking. He simply sipped his coffee, devoured his croissant, and chatted to her about the day’s final preparations.

  Eventually, Annie just couldn’t keep quiet any longer. “Jeremy’s here because I emailed him about the chateau.”

  Sebastian tweaked his eyebrows upwards and swept his fingers through his hair. He let his arms relax across his chest. “You asked him to come?” There was no hint of accusation in his voice, but the question still made Annie blush.

  “No. After looking at the accounts for the chateau, I just couldn’t see a way out for GiGi. The only thing I could think of, apart from selling up, was trying to secure a silent investor, like the one Jeremy and I had when we started out.”

  “An investor?”

  Annie nodded and tapped her fingers on the table. “Yes. Jeremy has contacts in the City these days, so I asked him to put some feelers out.” She sighed. “But he came back blank. Apparently, with the books the way they are – and GiGi’s age – investment isn’t an option.”

  Sebastian shook his head and frowned. “Then why is Jeremy here?”

  “He has a friend whose father owns a chain of luxury hotels in Europe. He said they’re interested in buying the chateau. He said they’d be very sympathetic to the building... that they do good work.”

  “You don’t believe him?”

  Annie bit her lower lip and tried to picture Jeremy’s face. “I think I do. But he’s admitted he’d be given a finder’s fee if it all went ahead, so I’m treading carefully.”

  “I can’t imagine your grandmother liking the idea.”

  “No, I can’t either.”

  “Are you going to tell her?”

  “Not today. If she comes home, I want to get her settled in – and do some digging about this company – before I mention anything to her.”

  Sebastian sat up, reaching out to take Annie’s hand in his as if he could sense that she was on the verge of crying even at the thought of selling the chateau. “I hate the idea too. But it might be your grandmother’s only option.”

  Annie smiled a thin, resigned smile and tucked her hair behind her ear. It was unbearably humid today and the heat was making her neck feel sticky. “I just wish I could help. But all of my money’s tied up in the business and Jeremy certainly wouldn’t make it easy if I wanted to sell my shares.”

  Sebastian’s eyes narrowed a little, as if he’d misunderstood what she’d said. “Sell your shares? You mean leave the business you and Jeremy own?”

  Annie had been thinking about it for a while. The thought kept popping up in the back of her head and she was finding it increasingly hard to ignore; the longer she was in France, the more distant London felt and the harder she was finding it to imagine herself going back there.

  “I thought you loved your work?” Sebastian’s crystal blue eyes were searching her expression, trying to work out what she was thinking.

  “I do.. I mean, I did.” Annie sighed at herself. “But being here has shown me that maybe things don’t have to be quite so... stressful.” She laughed, as if it was a silly thing to say. “I don’t know. Back home, it’s like you’re on a treadmill that you just can’t step off of. Everything is so fast-moving and it’s all about being bigger and better and more impressive than everyone else.”

  “And here?”

  “Here...” Annie looked out at the river, at the clear blue sky and the children playing under the bridge. “It just feels different.” She could feel Sebastian watching her and what she wanted to say was on the tip of her tongue. She wanted to say, And you’re here, Seb. You are here in France, and I don’t know if I can leave you again. But she didn’t.

  After a pause, Sebastian cleared his throat and said, “Well... I suppose we should go and visit Mayor Debois while we are here?”

  “Yes,” Annie said, feeling her cheeks flush as she looked at him. “I suppose we should, shouldn’t we?”

  26

  Sebastian

  Annie said she was thinking of selling her shares. She said she was thinking of staying in France.

  Sebastian had replayed the conversation in his head again and again, and he was certain that’s what she’d said. But Annie had made a promise like that once before, and despite the fact he was desperate to pick her up and whirl her around and shout at the top of his voice, Yes! Yes! Stay with me – he didn’t.

  Last night, he would have. If she’d said this when they were sitting side by side looking at their memories and almost-kissing, he would have whooped and hollered and let the whole of Saint-Sabran know how overjoyed he was.

  But after standing in the shade of the trees and watching Jeremy stride up the steps towards Annie, he had the sinking feeling that Annie wasn’t going to cut her ties with London.

  Jeremy oozed money and sophistication and glamour. His rental car probably cost more per day than Sebastian made in a week. He spoke with an upper-class lilt in his voice and would, in all likelihood, look at Sebastian as if he was a groundskeeper or handyman.

  Jeremy’s world was Annie’s world now, and even though she said she was starting to feel like she didn’t belong there, Sebastian couldn’t quite believe that she’d want to leave all that behind… for him.

  27

  Annie

  The village was finally ready for the festival.

  The mayor was thrilled, and Annie couldn’t believe they had actually done it. They had ticked everything off the list and now it was just a case of setting up the tables and making sure the decorations were up.

  When Annie asked about the possibility of a storm, Mayor Debois simply shrugged and said, “Whatever will be will be. Storms pass quickly here.” And so they had left her to direct the set up in the village square, and gone to fetch GiGi from hospital.

  As soon as they arrived back at the chateau, GiGi looked brighter and happier. As they drove up the long driveway to the house, she smiled and sighed.

  “Oh, Annie, it is good to be home.”

  In the front of the car, Annie glanced at Sebastian then looked quickly away.

  But, of course, GiGi spotted it.

  “What is it?” she asked, instantly. “Annie? Has something happened?”

  Annie was about to protest, but then she si
ghed and angled herself backwards so she could talk to her grandmother.

  As they pulled up outside, Annie took a deep breath and said, “GiGi, I didn’t want to tell you this now. I wanted you to settle in first. But…”

  GiGi raised her eyebrows at Annie and waved a hand at her to hurry up.

  “My business partner Jeremy is here. I emailed him and asked if he had any ideas about helping the chateau. And, well, he does have one.”

  GiGi’s eyes brightened, but then she narrowed them and said, “I sense a ‘but’ coming on…”

  “But his idea involves selling up.”

  GiGi breathed in the cool of the air-conditioned car and pursed her lips thoughtfully. “We already knew that was an option, Annie. I’m not sure we needed your business partner to tell us that.”

  “No,” Annie replied. “But Jeremy has a friend whose father owns a chain of boutique hotels. He’s very interested and he says it would be fair price.”

  GiGi blinked hard for a moment. “Boutique hotels?” She looked out of the window as she spoke, taking in the weathered exterior of the once grandiose chateau.

  “Why don’t we get you inside, Angelique?” Sebastian interrupted. “We can talk about this later. I’m sure you’re ready for a drink and a sit down in your own chair.”

  GiGi smiled and reached forward to pat Sebastian’s shoulder. “What I am desperate for, my boy, is to see my orchids. How are they?”

  “Oh, don’t worry,” he replied, laughing a little. “I didn’t let Annie near them.”

  Annie tutted at him and nudged him playfully on the shoulder. Behind them, she noticed her grandmother give a knowing look, as if she could tell something had changed between them, but she didn’t say anything.

  “You’re right,” she said. “Let’s go inside.”

  They had barely sat down with their iced teas, in the shade of the parasol on the terrace, when the front gate buzzed.