Rags To Riches: His Wish, Her Command: The Last Summer of Being Single / An Enticing Debt to Pay / A Navy SEAL's Surprise Baby. Annie West

scowl deepened. ‘Three. We met at a charity concert in Sydney.’

      Ella hugged her legs and rested her chin on her knees and smiled at Seb with such a sweet and innocent expression it was impossible for him to be angry with her. ‘You know, I was explaining to Daniel on the way to school this morning how marvellous laptops and wireless Internet connections were. Some people work from home all the time. Without the need to travel at all.’

      She shrugged and pretended to be examining her cerise toenail polish. ‘Of course, after what you have just told me, I would understand if you feel compelled to travel to the other side of the world to talk to men in suits about computers instead of finding out who your real father is.’

      Seb moved forward so that their heads were only inches apart. If he expected Ella to shuffle away as he moved into her personal space, he was thwarted because she did not budge.

      ‘Monday. I’ll stay until Monday.’

      ‘Tuesday,’ Ella retorted immediately. ‘My final offer. But as an added incentive, we can start this very afternoon at Dan’s school fete. All the parents will be there and there is bound to be someone who knows about the Morel family. Then you can go to the party. Just to make sure that we don’t miss any possible leads.’

      They looked at one another for a few seconds the air between them crackling with electric tension.

      But before Seb could open his mouth to reply, there was an almighty crash from the kitchen and Ella leapt to her feet and sped down the corridor.

      She slid to a halt at the door, hand on chest, so that Seb had to slide past and take in the damage.

      Seb’s laptop computer was lying face down on the hard tiles, surrounded by pieces of broken fruit tart, which Wolfie and Milou were gobbling up in delight.

      ‘Oh, no,’ Ella gasped in horror. ‘I am so sorry. I should have closed the outside door. Bad Wolfie! Bad Milou! Is it broken? Please say that it is still working!’

      Seb blew out a long breath and picked up the laptop and they both stared in silence at the smashed Wi-Fi attachment.

      Ella cringed inside, and prepared herself for the onslaught! This was Seb’s work! His precious laptop! She had totally blown it by being so careless. He had to leave now, whether she liked it or not. There was no way she would be able to convince him to stay and see Nicole now this had happened.

      To her astonishment, he simply checked that the monitor and keyboard were still working in complete silence before turning back to her with a nod.

      ‘It’s okay. We build computers with cases designed to be pretty indestructible. Even against dogs and hard floors. I should be able to wire it into your telephone line through a modem. But my dongle is shattered.’

      ‘I couldn’t have put it better myself.’

      ‘Slave driver! Have you seen my thumb? I may never type again. A few balloons you said. Nothing about 200 helium crocodiles.’

      Seb waved his right hand in Ella’s direction, but she was still luxuriating in the soft leather passenger seat with her eyes closed.

      ‘Just part of the service,’ she replied with a grin. ‘Come to the Languedoc for wonderful new experiences. Thanks again for helping Dan with his pirate costume by the way. The eye patch idea was inspired. He looked terrific!’

      She tipped her sunglasses higher and shuffled higher in her seat so that the light breeze lifted her hair down around her shoulders as Seb drove the open topped sports car along the quiet coast road.

      ‘No problem,’ Seb replied, smiling to himself, despite his frown. ‘I had forgotten how much fun you can have at a school fete. I was actually in danger of enjoying myself a couple of times.’

      ‘I noticed. You only answered your cell phone three times during the costume parade and you even put it away while you scoffed my quiche and salad. I take that as a compliment!’

      ‘Oh more than that! I actually turned it off while you were playing piano at the old folks’ home.’

      ‘Wow!’ Ella hissed. ‘The school choir is not that good this year, but I did notice you charming the old ladies. You rogue.’

      ‘Two of my school teachers actually remembered me! But not an Andre Morel. He was obviously not a local boy.’

      ‘Oh, sorry. Even if that does explain the bright orange lipstick on both of your collars.’

      ‘Oh, what?’ Seb replied as he screwed his face up so that he could inspect his dress shirt, and then shrugged. ‘It was worth it for the fringe benefits.’

      ‘Oh? Do go on. Are you calling the bingo numbers tomorrow?’

      He snorted a chuckle. ‘I have the pleasure of escorting a pretty lady home while the young master of the house and his pirate crew are terrorizing the local cinema on a school outing. Even if the lady is taking me on a wild goose chase.

      He started out at the countryside. ‘Are you sure this is the right road?’

      ‘And you a local boy!’ Ella pointed to a signpost on the deserted dusty road. ‘Turn right here and all will be revealed.’

      Seb frowned but gently swung the car down the single track road for a few minutes before the road ran out in a sand swept empty car park. The air was suddenly tangy with salt and the smell of the sea and as he swung out from the car his mind seemed to turn back the years with every caress of the wind on his cheeks.

      They were deep in the Camargue. The huge flat plain of marshland and fresh and salt water ponds created by the river Rhone as it wound its way slowly to the sea over the centuries was laid out in front of him with only the sea in the distance.

      Ella was already out of the car before he realised and automatically reached for his hand as though it was the most natural thing to do in the world, before dragging him through the rickety wooden gate and onto the loose sandy dyke which held back the water.

      ‘Not a wild goose chase. A wild flamingo chase!’

      And just as Seb was about to reply there was a low rustling and rhythmical beat of black and crimson wings above his head as five long necked flamingos flew across the tall grasses and landed perfectly in the shallow water with a quick back brake of soft pale pink wings. They honked and hooted as they flew, louder than geese, but so beautiful it took his breath away just to watch them.

      Wild flamingos! Flamants roses!

      Seb stood in silence with the warm sunshine on his face and watched the tall reeds sway in the sea breeze. Snowy white egrets and grey herons picked around the edge of the brackish pond, but it was the clusters of stunning flamingos feeding in the rich water on their red stick legs that captivated his attention. There were hundreds of flamingos just meters from the shore.

      There was no sign of human life. No cars or houses. No laughing groups of primary school children having fun.

      Simply sea, sky, birdsong and the rustle of tall grasses against the back of his hand.

      And Ella. Captured in a moment in time with the wind in her hair and the sun on her skin.

      Seb sucked in a breath to steady his heartbeat then exhaled slowly.

      And it felt as though all of the tension that he had been holding in his clenched shoulders these past few months building up to the negotiations suddenly released all at once like smoke spiralling into the air.

      His shoulders dropped away from his ears. The creases in his forehead relaxed away and the dull ache at the back of his head which had been bothering him since the long flight from Sydney simply drifted away on the warm tangy wind.

      He would have been content to stand there for hours, but Ella released Seb’s hand so that she could shuffle onto the warm sand and wrap her arms around her knees. Once in place she rested her chin on her hands and gazed in delight at the flocks of wading