32
Annie
Annie tied her hair back into a messy bun, put on her favourite blue sundress, and headed downstairs.
Unlike the night they’d gone to the festival in Mimette, Sebastian was not waiting for her at the bottom of the front steps.
Instead, she was greeted by a hubbub of people.
All around the fountain, miniature food stalls had been set up. Sebastian had hung fairy lights from the trees, lined up large upturned barrels for people to use as tables, and raided the wine cellar to set up a bar.
The mayor had helped to spread the word and, even though they weren’t yet completely ready to begin, people were starting to filter up from the village.
Beside her, the blues band from Mimmette was setting up on the front terrace.
Annie smiled and thanked them in French for coming at such short notice. The saxophonist grinned. “Your French is improving, Annie,” he said with a wink.
“I’ve been practising,” she replied, smiling.
She was about to walk down and help the onion bhaji lady finish getting her stall ready, when she felt a hand on her shoulder.
“Annie…”
It was GiGi, and she was smiling proudly.
“This is absolutely beautiful. I can’t think of a nicer goodbye for the chateau.”
Annie sighed and shook her head. “GiGi, I…”
But her grandmother put her finger on Annie’s lips and made a shhhh sound. “Annie, my love. Some things are not within our control.”
Annie leaned closer and rested her head on her grandmother’s shoulder.
“What happens to the chateau is no longer in your control.” GiGi paused, then slowly said, “But some things are in your control.”
Annie stood up straighter and tilted her head questioningly at her grandmother.
But GiGi didn’t reply. She simply turned her head and looked down at the fountain, where Sebastian was standing with a hose pipe, filling it up so that he could put floating candles into it.
“He said he wanted it to be beautiful, even though it is broken,” GiGi whispered.
And as Annie watched him, suddenly, she knew what she needed to do.
By nine p.m., the chateau was full of life and light and music. Annie had spent a long time watching everyone, marvelling at what she and Sebastian had created. And then she had spotted Jeremy.
He was slinking off around the back of the house, phone in hand, taking photographs.
She caught up with him by the pool and as she tapped him on the shoulder he put his phone guiltily back into his pocket.
“Annie?” Jeremy didn’t smile at her, just folded his arms in front of his chest.
“Jeremy,” she released a huff of air to try and propel herself into saying what she wanted to say. “What you said yesterday morning? About this not being me.” Annie put her hands on her hips and tried to make herself a little taller.
“Mm hmm...” Jeremy was smiling at her as if she was about to tell him he was right.
“You were wrong. So, very wrong.”
Jeremy’s smile faltered.
“What isn’t me is the kind of life I was living in London. Being here the last few weeks – it’s given me the time and space I needed to see that my whole life, everything I’ve done, it’s all been because I thought it was what I should be doing. I’ve been so desperate for my parents’ approval that I’ve put my own dreams and fantasies to one side.”
“I’m sorry, Annie, but that’s nonsense.” Jeremy shook his head sternly. “You love the agency. You love the high-brow clients and the excitement of it all.”
Annie tilted her head and smiled. In the background, she could see the silhouette of Sebastian’s house in the trees. She could see the fairy lights springing to life and hear the guitar music and the chatter of the festival. “See, that’s just it, Jeremy. It’s crazy really that it took so long for me to figure it out. I thrive on solving problems and making things happen that people thought were impossible.” She waved towards the front of the chateau. “But this is what I should be doing. Using those skills to actually make people happy. In the kind of place where I can work doing something I enjoy and have a life at the same time.”
Jeremy narrowed his eyes at her, then raised his shoulders into a half-hearted shrug. “Well, that’s all great. But this place isn’t going to exist in a few months. So, maybe you should come back to London and forget about this floppy-haired Frenchman who’s turned your head to goo and do your real job. The one that pays you real money.”
As Jeremy spoke, any ounce of goodwill Annie still felt towards him evaporated into thin air. “Jeremy, that Frenchman is ten times the man you’ll ever be. And, you know what? Yeah, probably my head has turned to goo. Because I’ve been in love with him my entire life. And being back here reminded me that I was a fool to let him go.”
Jeremy blinked slowly at her, making a scoff sound in the back of his throat, but tugging uncomfortably at his shirt collar. “So, you’re going to stay here and marry Sebastian?”
Annie swallowed hard. “I don’t know what I’ll do. But I do know that I’m not coming back to London.”
“Fine!” Very suddenly, Jeremy’s face reddened and his voice became gruff and loud. “Then my solicitor will be in touch because I didn’t go into business with you wanting a silent partner, Annie. I need someone who’s going to actually be present. So, don’t think you can leave me to run things and live happily off of the proceeds because I’m telling you now – it’s not happening!”
33
Annie
Annie’s legs wavered as she watched Jeremy walk away from her. Her eyes were watery and the moisture was threatening to turn into full-on tears, so she shook her arms, redid her bun, and walked briskly back towards the house.
She was half-way up the steps to the terrace when she heard Sebastian’s voice.
“Annie? Can I talk to you?”
“Sebastian?” Annie turned, her cheeks blushing furiously. He wanted to talk to her. But Sebastian wasn’t alone; he was standing beside a smartly-dressed couple who were smiling widely at her.
Sebastian waved his hand at the woman next to him. “Annie, this is Isabelle and her fiancé Michael. They are from England.”
Annie walked slowly back down the steps and extended her arm to shake hands with first Isabelle and then Michael.
Isabelle glanced at her fiancé then, still holding Annie’s hand said, “We have a favour to ask you.”
Slightly hesitant, and unable to distract herself from the heat of Sebastian’s gaze, Annie took her hand back. “A favour?”
“We were supposed to be getting married next week in Mimette. It’s been planned for months. Our families are arriving tomorrow. My dress is already here—”
Michael wrapped an arm around Isabelle’s shoulders and cut in, “But our venue was damaged in the storm. They have cancelled.”
“We have nowhere.” Isabelle finished, widening her eyes.
Suddenly, Annie understood what was happening.
“I explained that the chateau is no longer hosting weddings,” Sebastian said. “But they wanted to speak to you personally.”
Annie smiled sorrowfully at the couple. “I’m sorry. Sebastian’s right. We don’t—”
“But what you’ve done here, the festival, it’s so beautiful.” Isabelle glanced back towards the front of the chateau where the fire pits were being lit.
Michael nodded. “We have wedding insurance, so we can pay you exactly what we’d have paid the other venue. The caterers will be happy to divert here, I’m sure. So, it’ll just be...” he waved his hands, clearly not up-to-scratch with all the finer details involved with planning a wedding, “everything else.”
Annie smiled as sweetly as she could. “Thank you for thinking of us, but I’m afraid we’re just not wedding-ready. The chateau has been in some difficulty. We’re actually selling up. I’m so sorry.”
“Oh, but we wouldn’t want you to change
anything,” Isabelle implored. “We love it exactly how it is right now. Even the fallen trees out front as benches. It’s so quirky, unique...”
“People would certainly remember it,” Michael added, smiling at his fiance. When he turned back to Annie, his face was more business-like. “We were paying the other venue fifteen-thousand Euro.”
Annie glanced at Sebastian, swallowing hard. Fifteen-thousand? Her brain was starting to tick with the hint of an idea. She paused, holding her breath in her lungs for longer than normal. “Could you give me a while to think about it? I’ll come find you.”
“Of course,” Isabelle reached out and wrapped Annie into a tight embrace. “Thank you. We’ll be out front.”
As the couple walked away, Annie breathed out slowly and tried to order her thoughts.
“Annie... fifteen-thousand is a lot of money.”
Sebastian was right. It was a lot of money. “But it’s not enough, is it?”
Sebastian opened his mouth to speak but Annie shook her head at him. “I need some time alone, Sebastian. I need some time to think.”
“Annie, wait.”
She was almost back to the terrace, but Sebastian was jogging up the steps two-at-a-time and he stopped in front of her. “I think you should say ‘yes’ to Isabelle and Michael... if you want to.”
Annie sighed. She was exhausted. “Sebastian, there’s no point. Tonight was the chateau’s big finale. Why prolong it?”
“Because it doesn’t have to be the finale.” Sebastian gestured to the wall. “Sit down with me for a moment?”
Annie did as he asked, sat down, and swung her legs gently back and forth.
“I have a solution – a way for your grandmother to keep the chateau. A way for you to stay here... if you want to.” He met her eyes as he said ‘if you want to’ and didn’t let them go.
She didn’t reply.
“Annie, I heard you talking to Jeremy. I heard what you said to him.”
Annie felt a warm fuzzy heat crawl up her neck towards her cheeks. Sebastian heard what she said. He heard her say she wanted to stay here. He heard her say that she’d never loved anyone the way she loved him.
Sebastian sat up a little straighter and reached for Annie’s hands. His palms were warm and soft. He cleared his throat. “Annie, you remember that my parents passed away when I was very young?”
Annie frowned. “Of course. How could I forget–”
“Well, I didn’t know until I was twenty-four-years-old that they left me some money. Lots of money.” Sebastian paused and squeezed her hands a little tighter. “When I found out, I had no idea what to do with it. I kept a little, but the rest I wanted to be sensible with. So, I began to look for something to invest in.”
Something in the back of Annie’s mind started to tingle.
“I reached out to some companies who organise these things and one of them came back to me with an interesting offer. A start-up London-based business offering a very big share because they were finding it hard to secure an investment. So, they sent me the portfolio and I said okay.”
Annie was holding her breath. Even though she thought she knew what was coming, she could still hardly believe it.
“Annie, I’m the one who invested in your company. I’m your silent investor.” Sebastian’s eyes were searching her face, as if he was desperately trying to figure out whether she was happy or sad or angry or ecstatic.
For a moment, she couldn’t make any words come out so she just sat, staring at him.
“Annie?”
“You invested in Jeremy and I? You are the person we have to thank for everything that we managed to build?”
Sebastian shook his head. “You don’t need to thank me.”
“Seb, of course I need to thank you. You changed my life… All this time, it was you. And you never told me? You never reached out?”
“I wanted to help you, Annie. That’s all.”
“And you did. You did...” Annie’s head was spinning. “But, what has the investment got to do with the chateau?”
“I heard what you said to Jeremy.” Sebastian moved a little closer and allowed one hand to rest on Annie’s knee while the other stroked her arm. It was making her feel warm and light-headed and she was struggling to focus on the relevance of his confession.
“I meant what I said...”
“I know, which is why I think we should ask Jeremy to buy our shares.”
“Buy our shares? Why would he do that?”
“Because if he agrees to buy us out, we let him go ahead with the merger.”
Annie let Sebastian’s words sink in. “Which is what Jeremy has always wanted...”
“And if he has control of our shares...”
“He’ll make far more money from the merger than he would if all three of us went through it, or if I continued refusing him.”
Sebastian nodded. “Exactly.”
“But, Seb, your shares will be worth so much more after a merger. Why would you...?” She trailed off, because she already knew why.
“Because I never did it for the money, Annie. I did it to help you. And if we sell to Jeremy, we can reinvest our money in the chateau.” Sebastian waved up at the house, standing tall and proud and beautiful behind them. “This can be our fresh start. Right where we’ve always wanted it to be. We can work together, watch our children grow up here, become old and grey and be sickeningly happy... just as we always planned.” He traced his index finger down the side of her face, then slid his hand around to the nape of her neck.
Annie shook her head and smiled at him through watery eyes. “I spent my whole life trying to forget you Sebastian – and you were right there all along.”
“And while you were trying to forget me, I was waiting for you to come back. I knew you would, Annie. I knew that one day I’d be able to hold you in my arms again and tell you that I have never loved another soul. And I never will. Not if I live until I’m one-hundred years old. It will always, only, be you. And I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you this the second I saw you standing there in your red dress at the airport… I should have. I should have told you weeks ago.”
Annie leaned forward and pressed her forehead to Sebastian’s. She reached up and stroked his stubbled jawline and let her fingers tease through his thick wavy hair. “I should have told you too,” she laughed.
“I love you, Annie.”
“I love you too.”
And then finally, just as fireworks began to pop and fizz and explode into the sky behind the chateau, Sebastian kissed her. It was a kiss she’d been waiting over a decade to feel again... and it was even better than she remembered.
Epilogue
Annie
TWO YEARS LATER
Annie stood on the balcony in front of the large glass windows of Sebastian’s old stable, looking at the trees and the stream below. It had become a long-term work in progress, the rest of the chateau’s renovations taking priority as its reputation, and bookings for weddings, had continued on an upward spiral.
But, despite the fact it remained unfinished, the stable was still one of Annie’s favourite places. Recently, they’d decided that when it was finished – and Seb’s workshop had been moved to a new location on the other side of the property – they would offer it to newlyweds who wanted to stay on for a few days in somewhere extra-special.
Annie rested her hands on her stomach. It was growing bigger by the day, and it was only just starting to dawn on her that she would be heavily pregnant at the height of both the wedding season and the French summer.
After their wedding last year, they had planned to wait a while before starting a family; they wanted the chateau to become fully re-established before throwing a spanner in the works. But then their unexpected, but joyful, surprise came along and the decision was taken out of their hands.
On hearing the news, GiGi had announced that she would be moving to a small apartment in the village — to give them space, and to give herself a well-deserved re
tirement from life at the region’s most popular wedding venue.
Afterwards, Annie had finally given in to Sebastian’s suggestions and they had begun interviewing for a site manager, who would be in charge of all the day-to-day maintenance of the property, and an events manager, who would eventually be able to take over from Annie while she was on maternity leave... and after, too, if she decided not to return to the business full-time.
Annie was still debating whether she liked Katherine, who was fresh out of college and very keen, or Martin – older and more experienced but not quite as enthusiastic — when she heard Sebastian’s scooter pull up at the chateau. Looking past the trees, she saw him wave.
As he always did, as if he couldn’t wait to get to her, he jogged down the path towards the stable. But this time, he stopped down below. “Would you like to come for a swim?”
Annie smiled and sighed. A swim sounded heavenly. “Absolutely,” she called back. “I’ll be right down.”
“Annie?” Sebastian shouted her name just as she was about to turn around.
“Oui?”
“Je t’aime!”
“I love you too, Sebastian.”
THE END
BLURB
He's her best friend's brother. She's spending the summer at his ranch. What could go wrong?
Out of all of her friends, Rose is the ‘single’ one. She isn’t lucky in love. In fact, she’s the opposite. So, her friend Katie decides to whisk her away for a few weeks of sun and relaxation.
There’s only one problem – they’re off to visit Katie’s brother Thomas at his magnificent Italian ranch. And Rose is petrified of horses.
Deep in the Tuscan countryside, Rose faces her fear and slowly discovers that the freedom of riding a horse is like nothing else in the world. But she also discovers Thomas and – despite Katie’s warnings – she begins to fall for his charms.
The True Love Travels Series Box Set Page 41