It felt strange sitting out on the terrace listening to the activity in her kitchen and not being involved. Maddy and Sam had given her tickets for a ballet at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco as well as a coffee table book filled with glorious pictures of gardens in the south of France. Looking at the book now, she couldn’t wait to show it to Joel. Joel. Where was he this morning? She hoped he hadn’t forgotten he was invited to lunch today.
Sam appeared with a cup of coffee for her. ‘She who must be obeyed sent me out with this.’
‘Thanks. And thank you for the ballet tickets and this wonderful book.’
‘Our pleasure. Can’t stop. I’ve got to go and skewer chunks of lamb and cherry tomatoes ready for tonight. Your daughter can be incredibly bossy, you know.’
Carla laughed as Sam disappeared back indoors. Oh yes, bossiness was second nature to Maddy. She was surprised it had taken Sam so long to realise it.
Josette and Gordon arrived shortly afterwards. With a twinkle in her eye, Josette handed Carla an envelope. ‘From Gordon and me. Joyeux anniversaire ma chérie.’
Carla opened the envelope carefully and took out a voucher for a paragliding trip for two people.
‘You need to do it before you’re too old,’ Josette said, laughing at the expression on Carla’s face. ‘Trust me. You’ll enjoy it.’
‘Oh! You’re incorrigible. Thank you.’ Giving Josette a quick thank you hug, Carla couldn’t help but think how different Josette’s attitude to life was from Amelia’s and how hard it had always been to get Amelia to laugh.
Joel was home from wherever he’d been just before lunch.
‘I thought you’d forgotten about lunch today,’ Carla said. ‘I’m so glad you hadn’t,’ she added, smiling at him, realising how disappointed she’d been feeling at his absence.
‘Joyeux anniversaire, Carla,’ Joel said, kissing her on the cheek and quietly saying, ‘I have a small present to give you later.’
Lunch, a mixture of cold meats, cheeses, salads and fresh baguettes, was accompanied by ice-cold rosé. To Carla’s surprise, Sam poured everyone a glass but himself.
‘Would you like a beer instead?’ she asked.
Sam shook his head. ‘No thanks. I’m driving this afternoon. I’ll make up for it this evening.’
‘Oh. Where are you off to?’ Carla said, surprised. She’d been expecting him and Maddy to spend the rest of the day at the villa with her.
‘He’s taking me to Saint Paul de Vence,’ Maddy answered. ‘One of my clients has a holiday home there and has invited us over. Late afternoon is the only time she has free.’
‘I would ask if I could come with you – a visit to that perched village is on my list – but obviously if it’s a client…’
‘Sorry, Mum. We’ll take you another time,’ and Maddy pushed a plate full of charcuterie towards her. ‘Have some roast pork – it’s delicious.’
Carla took a piece of meat and placed it on her plate. She didn’t for one moment believe Maddy had a client with a home over here. She knew instinctively her daughter was up to something. Why hadn’t she mentioned earlier that the two of them were going out for the afternoon? Something in their story didn’t add up.
‘Impossible for you to go anyway. I’m going to need you to help me with the garden lights for this evening,’ Joel said, breaking the silence that had fallen.
‘Solar lights? I thought you said they were bad for the insects?’ Carla said.
‘Not solar. A string or three of battery operated bulbs and tea lights in jars.’
The rest of lunch flew by in a mixture of laughter and chat. Gordon had them all crying with laughter as he recalled a particular birthday of his, when he’d ended up being besieged by a group of women determined to find the answer to that age-old question, what does a Scot wear under his kilt?
‘In the end, I jumped into the river and swam to the other side to escape them. My problem then was the twenty-five-mile trip to get home with no money and soaking wet.’
It was gone four o’clock when Maddy and Sam stood up and said they had to go. Josette and Gordon also said their goodbyes.
‘See you back here at seven o’clock,’ Carla said, walking to the driveway with them.
Joel had disappeared when she went back out on the terrace and she started to carry the dirty plates and glasses into the kitchen. As she closed the dishwasher door, Joel came into the kitchen, holding a small box.
‘Happy birthday again.’ And he handed the box to her.
‘Joel, you didn’t need to buy me a present. I know how difficult things are for you at the moment,’ Carla said, touched that he’d bothered. Unwrapping the box, she found a glass pot nestled in amongst a layer of tissue paper. A glass pot like she’d never seen before. So many colours swirled together creating a riot of colours all nudging up against each other.
‘It’s from the local glassworks, what they call their end-of-day creations,’ Joel told her. ‘All the leftover chips of glass are reheated, fused together and blown into various shapes. I thought this one was the right size for your basil plant on the kitchen windowsill.’
‘I love it. And you’re right, it’s perfect. Thank you so much,’ Carla said, impulsively leaning in to give him a thank-you kiss. Time seemed to stand still for several seconds before Joel moved back and Carla was left wondering what had just happened.
‘Glad you like it.’ Joel smiled at her. ‘Come on, we’ve got work to do in the garden.’
Carla was quiet as she followed Joel out into the garden. She hadn’t meant anything special by the kiss, she just wanted him to know how much she loved the little pot. The unexpected feelings it had flipped inside her were a surprise. Joel on the other hand didn’t seem disconcerted in the slightest.
Together they strung one set of lights around the cherry tree and stood close together, untangling a second set.
‘What is it with strings of lights? Every New Year I carefully tidy the Christmas tree lights away and eleven months later they’re tangled up as if I’d just thrown them in the box,’ Carla said, laughing. ‘Which is something I’d never do.’
‘I can vouch for that. You were always the Queen of Tidy.’
Carla dropped the lights as she spun round. ‘David. What the hell are you doing here?’
‘Come to wish you happy birthday.’ He held out the large bouquet of roses he was holding. ‘It is a big birthday, after all.’
Carla stared at him as she silently took the flowers.
‘You’re looking good,’ David said. ‘Life in France clearly suits you.’
‘You’ve lost weight,’ Carla said, thinking, but not putting it into words, how gaunt he looked.
‘Where’s Maddy? She here with that boyfriend of hers?’
‘Yes, she and Sam are here. Except they’re not at the moment. Did she know you were planning to come?’ Carla asked, feeling flustered. Was this why Maddy had elected to disappear for the afternoon?
David shook his head. ‘No. I was at a loose end and fancied a weekend in France. See, I can be impulsive too.’ He turned to Joel and held out his hand. ‘I’m the ex-husband. You are?’
‘Joel, the gardener.’
Carla stared at him. Why had he said that? He was more than the gardener.
‘Working on a Sunday? There’s devotion to duty for you,’ David said.
‘Joel is a good friend of mine and he lives here,’ Carla said, a sharp edge to her voice.
David looked at them both, before he nodded and gave her a knowing smile. ‘Oh, having a bit of a Lady Chatterley moment, are we?’
‘That is extremely rude of you and I think you should apologise to Joel, if not to me. And then leave.’ Carla stared at him furiously and refused to be the first to look away. The seconds ticked by as David tried to outstare her and she knew he was planning his next move.
Finally he held up his hands. ‘I apologise to you both. Unreservedly. I was out of order. There, happy?’ He looked at the lights Joel was still holding.
‘Are the lights for a party this evening? Am I invited?’
‘You seem to have forgotten the bit about leaving, so I’ll make it easy for you. No, you’re not invited. Goodbye, David,’ Carla said.
As David made no attempt to move, Joel stepped forward and said quietly, ‘You know the way out.’
David glared at Joel and turned on his heel to leave at precisely the moment Sam came up the driveway and parked.
Carla watched in astonishment as Maddy got out of the car followed by…
‘Ed. What a wonderful birthday surprise,’ and she flew across to hug her son.
‘Not the kind of welcome I got,’ David muttered as Maddy joined him.
‘You didn’t really expect to be made welcome did you, Dad? Why are you here anyway?’ Maddy demanded.
‘Big birthday for your mum, thought we were all supposedly being civilised about the divorce,’ David shrugged. ‘Realise now it was a big mistake. I was about to leave when you arrived. I’d like to say hello to Ed before I go though.’
‘Not sure he’ll be pleased to see you either. Like me he’s pissed off with you over the way you’ve treated Mum.’
‘You know what? I’m pretty pissed off with myself,’ David said. ‘I keep making things worse too.’ He glanced across at Joel, who was stringing a second set of lights around the garden with the help of Sam. ‘Mum tells me he lives here. Are they an item?’
‘No. He needed somewhere to live and Mum offered him a room. He’s nice. Helps Mum around the villa. Means she’s not lonely living here on her own.’
David nodded. ‘That’s good. She’s looking really well.’
‘Mum’s changed a lot recently. I think she’s enjoying her new independence and living in France.’ Maddy glanced at him. ‘In fact, every time we come over, she seems happier than ever. Especially now all the business with Josette is settling down.’
‘Okay, I get the message,’ David said. ‘No need to rub it in. But just so you know, I do have regrets. Can we have a truce please? I’ve missed you not being around too. Come and see me at home soon?’
‘Promise you’ll be nice to Sam? No sarky comments about his work.’
David nodded. ‘I promise to try. Will you go and put in a good word for me with Ed now?’ He looked across to where Carla was talking animatedly to their son.
‘I’ll try, can’t promise anything though,’ Maddy said, starting to walk away.
‘Oh, hang on a minute. What did you mean – business with Josette?’
‘I’m sure Mum would have told you if she’d wanted you to know,’ Maddy said and continued to walk towards her mother and brother.
‘Ed, Dad wants to talk to you. I’ve warned him he’s not our favourite person right now, but he does seem to want to try and put things right between us.’
‘Hmph. How d’you feel about that, Mum?’
‘Whatever I feel isn’t the issue. He has always been a loving father to you two, cutting him adrift on my behalf will really tear the family apart. I don’t know why he came today, but I’m guessing it was more a case of him wanting to be part of the family unit rather than causing trouble – although he managed to be very rude earlier.’ Carla said, looking over to where David cut a lonely figure, standing by himself watching them.
She sighed. It was her birthday. And not any old birthday. A big one. She didn’t want the day marred by unpleasantness and she and David had been together a long time. They had definite history that couldn’t be ignored. Her life now was good. She could afford to be generous.
‘Go and talk to him. You two are all he’s got now and it’s actually because of his philandering that I’m the happiest I’ve been in years. He asked earlier if he was invited to the party and I said no. Go tell him he can come if he would like to. Seven o’clock. But tell him he has to lose the snide remarks.’ And she pushed Ed in the direction of his father.
36
A couple of hours later, Carla came out of her room wearing her new chiffon maxi dress that both Maddy and Josette had insisted she buy from the trendy boutique they’d found in Cannes, along with the pair of high-heeled sandals that were already killing her.
‘You look great, Mum,’ Ed said, coming out of the kitchen with a tray loaded with food for the barbecue. ‘I’ll just get this over to Sam so he can start cooking, then I’ll be back to pour you a glass of champagne.’
Joel was busy lighting the tea candles in their jars hanging from various trees and shrubs around the garden, as well as standing alongside the pool and down the paths. So many flickering candles. Carla was looking forward to dusk descending when the candles and the lights would come into their own, casting long shadows over the garden, creating a mysterious, magical atmosphere as they did so.
Joel had exchanged the shorts and coloured T-shirt she was used to seeing him in for dark jeans and a white shirt, the sleeves of which he’d rolled up, leaving his suntanned muscular forearms exposed. A pair of sunglasses were pushed back on his head. She laughed as she saw Leroy stalking him around the garden. Nothing new there. Whenever Joel was home, the cat could always be found close by.
She wished Joel hadn’t told David he was the gardener the way he had. Surely he regarded himself as a friend first and foremost? She knew that was how she thought of him – a good friend too.
‘Here you go, Mum, one glass of bubbly,’ Ed handed her a glass of pink champagne. ‘Your lodger seems a nice bloke,’ he said, following her gaze.
Carla nodded, still watching Joel as he switched on the lights in the trees. ‘He is. He’s a good friend.’
‘Nothing more?’ Ed asked quietly. ‘He seems very fond of you.’
Carla turned to look at him. ‘No. I’m barely divorced from your father and happy enjoying the single life. Santé.’ Ed looked at her quizzically, but the arrival of the neighbours, Heléne and her husband, prevented him from pursuing the subject, to Carla’s relief. David arrived soon after, carrying a magnum of champagne.
‘I had the hotel keep it in their fridge for me, so pop it back in yours for half an hour and we can drink it later. Happy birthday by the way.’
Dutifully, Carla did as she was told. Coming back out, she smiled at Josette and Gordon, going across to greet them and make sure they too had a glass of bubbly.
Josette looked over to the barbecue, where Sam was turning the meat. ‘Who’s that talking to Sam and Joel?’
‘It’s…’ Carla stopped. ‘Of course, you’ve never met him have you? That’s David. Come on, I’ll introduce you.’
‘David as in ex-husband? What’s he doing here?’
Carla shrugged. ‘Said he wanted to wish me happy birthday, but really I think he wants to mend bridges – particularly with the twins.’ As she headed over, she called out. ‘David, come and meet…’ for a second she was almost tempted to say ‘meet my mother’ but knew David would think she’d flipped and demand an explanation. An explanation she’d give him another time, but not tonight. ‘Meet Josette. And this is her friend, Gordon.’
‘Hello, Tante Josette, the mysterious unknown aunt,’ David said, holding out his hand. ‘Good to meet you after all these years. Gordon, pleasure to meet you too.’
Carla gasped. ‘Oh, I’ve just realised. Ed’s here too. You’re meeting all my family today. Come and sit on the terrace and I’ll bring him over.’ Carla grabbed Josette by the hand and started walking quickly towards the terrace, leaving Gordon to talk to David. ‘David doesn’t know you’re actually his mother-in-law yet – well ex-mother-in-law now. I’d rather not have to break the news to him tonight, so promise you won’t say anything, will you?’
‘Promise,’ Josette said. ‘You’d better tell the twins to be careful to not mention it as well.’
‘Gordon won’t say anything, will he?’ Carla asked, anxiously glancing back at the two men.
‘Non. Gordon’s a very discreet man,’ Josette assured her. ‘Now, where’s my,’ she dropped her voice to a whisper, ‘grandson?’
By the time
Carla had introduced Josette and Ed and made both twins promise not to breathe a word of Josette’s story to David, the other neighbours and Bruno had arrived. Five minutes later, Sam and Joel shouted, ‘Food’s ready.’
Dusk was falling by the time Maddy appeared, carrying a birthday cake ablaze with candles. After everyone had sung ‘Happy Birthday’ and Carla had managed to blow out all the candles, Maddy took the cake back into the kitchen to cut it up. In the lull that followed before the slices were handed around, Carla overheard Bruno quietly ask Josette why she hadn’t answered his uncle’s letter.
Josette looked at him before answering equally quietly. ‘Because I’m not sure what to say to him after all this time,’ and she’d moved closer to Gordon and caught hold of his hand. Bruno watched her thoughtfully before accepting a slice of cake from the plate now being offered by Maddy. Ten minutes later, he made his way across to Carla to say goodbye.
‘I’m sorry to leave, but I have an early morning flight to catch tomorrow,’ he apologised. ‘May I call you when I get back next week? Maybe we can have dinner again.’
Smiling, Carla agreed. ‘That would be lovely.’
An hour or so later, sitting next to Joel on the terrace, sipping a last glass of champagne, Carla sighed happily. It had been a good evening. Bruno leaving had been the signal for the others to drift away, including David, who’d said he’d see them all in the morning before he left for the airport. Carla resisted the urge to ask ‘why?’ Ed had taken himself off to bed, muttering about jet lag, but Josette and Gordon had said they were in no hurry to leave.
Now, quite dark, the garden was bathed with a romantic glow from the candles and lights. Someone – she suspected Maddy – had put some ‘music to smooch to’ on and she and Sam were gently swaying together by the side of the pool. As were Josette and Gordon, Carla saw with delight.
Carla closed her eyes and let the gentle music float over her. The past year had been fraught with problems and stress, but things were on a more even keel now, despite everything. A new year stretched ahead of her. A year she was determined to make the most of. She sensed someone standing in front of her. She opened her eyes to see Joel looking at her.
Villa of Sun and Secrets Page 20