Page 44 of The Magic of Provence (A Year in France #3)

There was no doubt about how magical the old walled city of St Paul de Vence was, but Laura was still puzzled, the next morning, about how that brief visit to the famous tourist attraction had achieved what she’d given up hope of happening anytime soon.

That Ellie would find something – anything – to hold onto that might help her find her way out of that dark space she was in.

Not that it mattered what had made Ellie change her mind about staying here to renovate La Maisonette herself.

This was a huge step forward, and Laura was not only applauding it, she was quite prepared to cover any associated costs herself until the property was sold.

It was an investment, after all – in both the real estate market and in her sister’s future.

As a bonus, it was a totally new challenge for them both, and the need to make a plan and sort what was needed to begin that – all in a race against the ticking clock of Laura’s flight to get back to Scotland – was energising.

Exciting, even. Last night had been all about making lists.

Laura couldn’t wait for Ellie to finish her shower this morning so they could get on with what needed to be done.

Did Noah Dufour ever feel like this about his life, or work?

Laura doubted it. As she’d said to Ellie when they were walking towards the historic section of St Paul de Vence, if that man was any more laid back, he’d be horizontal.

That an image of that shaggy hair on a pillow, framing those intense hazel eyes, appeared in her head so readily was even more irritating than the fact that she was thinking about him at all.

Surely she’d got that out of her system when she’d been staring at the ceiling for far too long, trying to fall asleep last night?

It was too early to ring anyone else in the UK, but Mam was always up at the crack of dawn. The running water in the bathroom would make the conversation completely private, but Laura still stepped out onto the balcony of their hotel room.

Her mother was worried about Ellie not coming back when she needed to be out of her apartment so soon.

‘I’ll organise it,’ Laura promised. ‘I know a cleaning firm that will make it spotless as soon as we get her stuff out of there.’

‘But what will we do with all her things?’

‘I don’t know, Mam… I guess we’ll just store it. You’d have room for the cot in the attic, wouldn’t you? We can fill it up with all the clothes and toys and suchlike.’

‘Have you talked about that with Eleanor? Is this really a good idea?’

‘No, of course we haven’t talked about it.

’ Like everything else that could cause painful reminders, they’d tiptoed around the logistics of Ellie taking any first steps away from the shattered remains of her old life.

Laura closed her eyes for a heartbeat. ‘But she said she’s happy for us to clear the place out, and I don’t think there’s any need to remind her of the details of what she’s leaving behind.

This is the chance for a fresh start. A completely clean slate, in fact.

Couldn’t be cleaner – all she’s got here so far is a change of knickers and her toothbrush. ’

How impulsive would you have to be to do anything with no more than a change of knickers and a toothbrush?

Laura couldn’t begin to imagine doing it herself.

She’d been as worried as her mother that Ellie might not have the emotional resources to put her life back together, but she didn’t want her mother to undermine the courage Ellie was demonstrating in her decision to stay in France alone, and she heard her breath coming out in a heartfelt sigh.

‘No… I’m not sure it’s the best idea. But I think she thinks it is, and that’s what matters, isn’t it?

Look, I’d better go, Mam. Ellie will be out of the shower any minute and we’ve got a ton of shopping to do before I head back to the airport.

I can’t miss my flight. I’ve got that awards dinner to get to this evening and it’s the biggest night of the year in the real estate world. ’

A text pinged into her phone as she ended the call.

Bonjour, Laura. Can I help you with anything this morning?

Laura’s heart actually skipped a beat. She’d given Noah a card that had her personal cell phone number on it but… she hadn’t expected him to use it.

No… that wasn’t true. She just hadn’t been prepared for the tiny thrill it gave her that he had , even though his message couldn’t have been any more professional, could it?

Tout est bien. Mais, merci beaucoup, Noah.

Laura had learned French at school. It had been one of her favourite subjects.

She’d even spent a gap year in France. Not that she’d had any idea there was genuine French blood in the family back then, but it had been surprisingly pleasant to be able to brush some of the rust off her language skills at the airport and restaurants yesterday.

It didn’t excuse her imagining that she could hear an echo of Noah’s voice as she’d read that message from him, however.

To be reading the words in her head with a French accent and hearing her name spoken with an inflection, the guttural growl on the letter r that made it sound so… good grief… sexy?

The sooner she left this sultry part of France behind, the better, Laura decided.

It was doing her head in.