The Riviera. Karen Aldous

in for Friday. It’s only some renovation ideas. Shall I hold them off until you get back?’ Lizzie asked, knowing how excited he was to have now finally got the keys and how much he was looking forward to visiting his very own Provençal house and vineyard. His life-long dream.

      ‘Well, why don’t you go along and show them around? The keys are still in the envelope, I’ll put them on the hook.’

      ‘I don’t know the first thing about what your plans are. I’d rather we go together. We’ll postpone it. I’m sure they won’t mind.’ Lizzie kissed him lightly on the lips feeling disappointment hiding behind them.

      ‘Our plans. Don’t you forget that! Besides, I barely looked at the house. It looked about the right size, but I was focusing on the vineyards.’ As he held her, his seductive eyes bored hungrily into her before his lips pressed harder onto hers, his arms wrapping tightly around her sending whirls of lust through her. Before she knew it, he’d lifted her and placed her on the bed, firmly closing the door behind him.

      ‘Just remember I love you,’ he told her stroking her now loosened hair.

      ‘I love you too,’ she told him, finding his lips and savouring every second she could as they made love. She would miss him dreadfully. As Cal pulled away, she held onto a lock of hair. She sighed. ‘You stay safe. I couldn’t bear anything happening to you. I just hope everything goes well with Jack.’

      ‘I’m sure it will be fine. God, I hope it will. Just for once, I feel he really needs me,’ Cal said jumping up from the bed and sliding into the shower room. ‘I can’t let him down.’

      Lizzie nodded. ‘You won’t.’ She padded out to the kitchen and pressed the button on the kettle and shot back for her slippers.

      ‘So,’ Cal added switching on the shower, ‘why don’t you meet Annatia and Jean-Luc anyway so that they can work on some ideas whilst I’m away? At least you can get the ball rolling.’

      ‘I just don’t like to feel I’m interfering in your project. And you have only just got the keys. It can wait.’

      ‘Lizzie, it’s not mine it’s ours,’ Cal shouted from the shower. ‘It will be our home.’

      A shard of warmth shot to her heart. Our home, he’d said. Not only was Cal the most amazing man she’d ever met, but he just happened to have bought a sizeable vineyard with a house; a home which could potentially be for their future family. What more could a girl want, she asked herself. To love, be loved and to share, to belong. She could only pray Jack was OK then Cal would be happy and return soon.

      ‘I can wait,’ she repeated as he appeared wrapping a towel around his naked body. Criminal! ‘Heesh,’ her breath escaped trying to resist. ‘I’d rather we share the occasion.’

      ‘I’ll leave it up to you,’ he said softly, his eyes beckoning her.

      ‘Coffee.’ She turned before she stalled him further.

      Once Cal was packed, and after a long lingering kiss, Lizzie waved him goodbye from her apartment terrace wiping a stray tear from her cheek. There was no way she could go back to bed right now. Her own heart was still thumping with fear. Whether it was fear for Jack and his crisis, for Cal, having to rush to Nantucket, or fear for herself now alone, she couldn’t be sure. Quite possibly it was all three. Stupid, she told herself. You’ve got Thierry here safely tucked up in bed, a child you’ve had from birth. Cal will probably be a few days at the most and he only sees Jack twice a year.

      Stepping back into the living room, she pushed the solid-glass terrace door to. She began to imagine what was going on in Cal’s mind. He’d never had much say in his son’s life and he had to trust that Kelly and her husband Reuben made the right decisions on a daily basis. She couldn’t imagine how Cal must have felt discovering his pregnant girlfriend was marrying someone else. And to think Kelly was trying to pretend it was Reuben’s child. That was just such an evil thing to do. Ironic really, she had always imagined herself cruel for failing to reveal her pregnancy to Thierry’s father about their son, but at least she had good reason. Cal was not a fucked-up druggy like Anton. Hmm, huge difference, she consoled herself.

      Having fallen asleep on the sofa, it was Thierry who woke her. First she’d felt the tiny fingers tickling her neck then, as he wasn’t getting the response he expected, he climbed up and jumped onto her torso beginning to bounce. His nanny, Marie-Claire was close behind.

      ‘Thierry, no.’ Marie-Claire cussed him in her stern French accent and reached out to him.

      Lizzie forced her eyes open and swung her body round. ‘It’s OK, Marie-Claire, I’m sure it must be time to get up. Hello, my darling,’ she said hugging Thierry to her chest and then tickling him back. He chuckled, displaying shiny milk teeth.

      ‘It’s seven-fifteen. I’ll make coffee,’ Marie-Claire said, turning towards the kitchen.

      ‘Oh lovely, thank you, and, just one. Cal had to catch a flight this morning.’

      Thierry’s laughing eyes suddenly frowned. ‘Where’s Cal gone?’

      ‘He has gone on an aeroplane to see Jack. Do you remember Jack?’

      Thierry’s eyes opened wide. ‘Jack, my friend Jack. Can we go and see Jack? And Harry and Bea?’

      ‘Yes, maybe. His daddy has some important work to do and then he’ll let us know. What do you think would make Jack smile? Would you like to draw Jack a picture to take with us?’

      Thierry jumped up with a new burst of energy and waited as Lizzie unfurled slender legs from the sofa and took his hand to lead him to the dining table. After their awful year last year, she prayed that this would just be a minor incident. She felt so blessed right now.

      ‘Yes, I can draw Sulley and Mike. Jack likes Monsters Inc.,’ he said, climbing up on a chair.

      Lizzie giggled knowing how much her son adored the film. ‘Of course he does. I’ll get you some paper to make a start. He’ll want one of each character you know.’

      Yawning, Lizzie collected her phone as she uncovered Thierry’s colouring pencils and some fresh A4 sheets from her printer. She saw the text message from Cal. He’d obviously got his flight, and on time.

      ‘We’ll do just one now because Marie-Claire will have your breakfast ready and be taking you to nursery soon.’

      After a quick shower, Lizzie arrived at Beauté Dedans and Sophie, her best friend and business partner, was just unlocking the door.

      ‘Morning, Soph. Aren’t you supposed to be at school today?’ Lizzie always called it school but Dr Sophie Pitou was not only the cosmetic surgeon at their new beauty clinic, she also lectured and continued research at the University two days a week.

      Sophie hurled a shining smile. ‘Yes. I’m running late but I need to collect a few photographs of a client I worked on last week. It seems the procedure I carried out, based on my trials, of course, has caught some industry attention.’

      ‘What, in a good way?’ Lizzie held the door as Sophie dropped the keys in her bag.

      Sophie grinned. ‘Yes. It’s quite exciting. I’ll show you quickly,’ she said racing up the stairs. ‘Won’t be a mo.’

      Lizzie switched on the lights and immediately she saw her reflection in Betty, her cleaner’s, highly polished window and mirrors. The familiar freshly used cleaning products wafted to Lizzie’s nostrils as she placed her bag down on the chair behind the reception desk. She quickly checked Lucie’s call list just in case anyone needed contacting but couldn’t see anything particularly urgent.

      ‘I’ll be in the kitchen,’ she shouted up.

      Sophie rushed in behind her as she poured hot water into a cup.

      ‘I took these in stages and it probably won’t mean much to you, but this was how I Pitou’d her.’

      ‘Ha! The Pitou method,