Flick, again, looked to her mum for reassurance as all three entered the room.
“Bonjour,” said the mayor, rising to his feet to greet them.
A handsome man about the same age as Julia, he wore smart trousers, a crisp white shirt and a tie. Approaching their interpreter first, he seemed warm and welcoming, although watching their exchange, Flick thought him a bit too friendly on that front. She wondered if she were imagining things. The way he spoke, the way he looked at Nate’s aunt, and the way she played with her hair in response – Flick had to ask herself if there was more to this relationship than anyone had let on. She might not have understood their words, but the subtleties in their interaction pointed to a lot more than that of a public figure meeting a member of his community.
Flick took the opportunity to scan the room. Piles and piles of files lay stacked across the floor and there were two desks, one home to yet more mountains of paperwork, the other obviously kept clear for meetings such as this. Taking in all the mess, she questioned how on earth anyone knew where anything was, the phraseorganised chaosautomatically springing to mind. Faded out-of-date event posters adorned the walls, with a presidential portrait taking pride of place amongst them. And there was a small drinks table upon which sat a half-full decanter of wine plus four glasses; one of them used, she noted. Alcoholic beverages aside, the whole place reminded her of the headmaster’s office at the local comprehensive school she’d attended as a girl.
“Right,” Julia said at last, turning her attention to Flick and her mother. “To business.” She began the formal introductions. “Monsieur le Maire, voici Flick et sa mère…Ladies,Monsieur le Maire.”
He stepped forward, greeting both women with the usual cheek kisses. Flick blushed, unlike her mum who, as always, enjoyed the moment.
“Oh.” Flick suddenly remembered the whiskey bottle in her hand. She thrust it towards the mayor. “For you.”
“Merci.” He smiled, happy to accept the offering and, checking out the label, raised an appreciative eyebrow. He placed it on the drinks table and poured each of them a glass of wine. “S’il vous plait?” He indicated for everyone to take a seat then settled himself behind his desk, taking a moment before commencing. “D’accord.”
Julia translated as he welcomed Flick and Brenda to his little town, adding that he hoped they’d both be happy there. Apparently, he was as delighted as everyone else to see the chateau occupied again and was intrigued by their plans for it. Julia must have already told him about the video, Flick realised, as he took no prompting at all when it came to discussing the band starring in it. Like everyone else, the man was clearly a fan of Argon Fire, leaving Flick wondering if she were the only person on the planet to have never heard of them. She nodded regardless, making sure to sayouiandnonin all the right places, while politely sipping on her wine.
After a while, the mayor and Julia rose to their feet, leaving Flick and Brenda no choice but to follow suit. It seemed the meeting had come to an end and as they said their goodbyes, Flick breathed a sigh of relief. It felt good to have the mayor’s support, as if she had one less hurdle to overcome.Or to put it another way,she thought,I’m now one step nearer to a brand-new life.
“Do you have time for a coffee?” she asked Julia, as they made their way outside. “My way of saying thank you.”
“I’m way ahead of you, my dear.” She checked her watch. “It looks like we got out of there just in time.”
“Sorry?” Flick asked.
Her mother smiled. “Come on, you’ll see.”
Flick looked from one woman to the other. Clearly that morning wasn’t just about meeting the mayor and she wondered what else her mother had gotten up to behind her back.
25
Flick had an idea they were going to Café Ange when they headed up the main street on foot rather than driving to their destination. What she didn’t expect, however, was the welcome party waiting to meet them. She felt lost for words.
“Ma cherie.” Gigi jumped from her seat to give Flick a hug.
Flick couldn’t help but laugh at the speed at which the old lady moved, telling herself that with any luck, she’d be equally as spritely when she reached that age.
“How did it go?” Dee asked, also rising to her feet.
Flick wondered what they were all doing there. But thanks to everyone’s eagerness, not to mention the round offaire la bisethat ensued,her bewilderment got lost in all the excitement.
“Let me get you a drink,” Jess said, as usual the consummatehostess with the mostess.
Pete appeared in the doorway, a bottle of wine and tray of glasses at the ready. “No need.”
Flick took in the group of smiling faces. She suddenly felt ambushed, without knowing the reason why. “What’s going on?” she asked, finally finding her voice.
“First thing’s first.” Pete proceeded to pour the drinks.
As he handed them out, Julia indicated they should all sit down. Once seated, she raised her glass. “Cheers, everyone.Salute.”
“Cheers.Salute,” they replied, including Flick, who despite her obliviousness, felt compelled to join in.
“Right, shall we begin?” Nate’s aunt continued.
Glad they were finally getting to the point, Flick watched her pull a posh looking notebook and a pen out of her handbag.
“You’ve probably realised by now, my dear, that we’re all aware of this up and coming video shoot?”
