Page 8 of One Last Thing
‘Breakfast is served between seven and ten in the Morning Room, and if you want to make a reservation for dinner, then you need to let me know that morning by eleven.’
Desperate to be by myself, I move towards the stairs while he’s still talking, thanking him over my shoulder. He watches as I lift my case and begin the climb to the first floor.
‘Are you sure you don’t need my help?’ he offers, leaning on the counter.
‘I’m fine, thank you,’ I wheeze.
‘Megan.’
I stop, my case hitting the step I’m on with a loud thud, before I peer down at him over the banister. ‘Yes?’
‘Welcome back to Château du Chèvrefeuille,’ he says, smiling up at me as though he knows something I don’t.
‘Thanks,’ I murmur, before I pick up my case and begrudgingly haul it upstairs.
4
DAWN
Imust have drunk a little more than I thought on the flight because I feel absolutely exhausted by the time I get into the taxi at the airport. I fall asleep and the poor driver has to wake me up to let me know we’ve arrived.
‘Merci, merci!’ I trill as he offers his hand through the open door.
Stepping out, I straighten and gaze up at the building. I take a deep breath in and sayChâteau du Chèvrefeuilleon a long exhale out. It’s exactly as I remember. A magnificent nineteenth-century castle in the heart of an exceptional wine estate. It looks like something out of a story book. I’ve wanted to write about it before, but something always stopped me. An internal acceptance, I think, that I’m not a good enough writer to capture its spirit.
God, I never thought I’d come back here.
I turn to the driver as he lifts my suitcase out of the boot and lugs it over.
‘You’re very kind, thank you, merci,’ I say, hand on my heart.
Wiping his brow with the back of his hand, he offers to carry it in for me and I accept, leading the way into the hall confidently as though I’m delighted to be here. I am, I think. I’m not sure. It’s complicated. But there’s no point in hesitating. I’m here now, aren’t I.
The driver sets my bag down and, once I’ve thanked him, he leaves me to stand in the middle of the hall and take a moment to drink it all in. I catch my appearance in the gold-framed mirror hanging on the wall in the midst of all the paintings and murals. I’ve been wondering how it would be, coming back. I try to work out how I feel from my reflection, but it’s no use –she looks entirely too put together. Not a hint of sadness or regret. I must credit that to my old friend Chanel. The flawless finish foundation really is a marvellous feat of engineering. I stride over to reception and ring the bell loudly and clearly.
There are footsteps approaching from the door to my left that leads down to the kitchens. I steel myself, shoulders back, chin high, ready to greet her with grace.
A young man appears instead. He starts when he sees me and then he breaks into a dazzling smile, much too dazzling for such a remote location where I worry it goes unappreciated. He is a hero, no doubt about it. A pitch perfect Love Interest. Handsome enough to make your heart leap, but soft enough around the edges so as not to be intimidating for the loveable but hopeless heroine.
‘Hello, Nico,’ I say, smiling at him as I hold my arms out.
‘Dawn Dixon,’ he replies, coming over to greet me with a kiss on each cheek. ‘It has been a long time but you look the same.’
‘You look different,’ I laugh, stepping back so he can move behind the reception desk. ‘You were a tall gangly teenager when I last saw you.’
‘I’m still tall, no?’
‘Tall, dark and handsome,’ I observe with a pointed quirk of my brow, and he laughs modestly. ‘How are you, darling? I heard you were running the place now.’
‘I try,’ he says with a sigh. ‘It’s a big job.’
‘You’re the perfect man for it. It’s even more fabulous than I remember.’ I hesitate, my voice lifting a little as I speak again despite my best efforts. ‘And your aunt and uncle? I . . . I heard they are still around here somewhere.’
He nods. ‘Yes. They come and go. You will definitely see my aunt at some point, she still helps out a lot. I’m very lucky to have her.’
‘Oh. Great.’
‘She knows you’re coming. She said she was looking forward to seeing you.’
