Epilogue
One Week Later
Olivier – Tilgate Road, Brighton
‘I’m going to miss you. Be a good boy now,’ Ashleigh said.
Olivier smiled and went over to put his suitcase in the boot of his car where it was pulled up in front of their houses.
‘Don’t get up to any mischief,’ she continued. ‘I’ll know. Oh no, don’t look so sad. I’ll see you again soon.’
‘For goodness’ sake, Ashleigh. He’s not sad, he’s just spotted the cat from two doors down,’ Christine sighed.
Ashleigh turned her head, her long ponytail swinging as she looked over her shoulder towards the cat that Simon was staring at. ‘Hmm, might’ve known.’ She laughed and gave her dog, cradled in her arms, another kiss on the head before handing him back to her nan. ‘Best put him in the house then, in case he tries to chase her.’
Olivier came back over and grabbed Ash’s suitcase to tuck in beside his own. He closed the boot and joined them at the bottom of Ashleigh’s path. They exchanged excited smiles while they waited for Christine and his maman to join them again.
‘I’ll miss you too, Nan,’ Ashleigh told Christine, hugging her now.
‘Don’t go missing me. Have fun. You’ll be in Paris.’
‘I know.’ The grin on Ashleigh’s face was so wide and wonderful, Olivier thought his heart was going to burst. How lucky was he?
Working his last month at the restaurant was going to be amazing when he had Ashleigh to come home to at the end of a shift. And in his free time, he’d show her around all the famous landmarks, as well as his personal favourite places that were a little less well known. It was going to be the perfect way to say au revoir to the city he’d grown up in.
‘You’re sure you’re going to be okay to get the Christmas lights down by yourself?’ he asked Christine as he gave her a hug too and kissed her cheeks.
‘Oh, don’t you start. I’m sure I can manage a stepladder. And they will be coming down. Very soon.’
The minute his car was out of sight, no doubt.
‘Well, if you do have any trouble, you know you can always ask Thomas across the road to help. He is an expert and I’m sure he’d bemorethan willing to help.’ Ashleigh kept her face so straight, Olivier had to turn away suddenly towards his maman to hide his laughter.
‘Au revoir, maman. I’ll see you soon.’
She kissed his cheeks and then Ashleigh’s too. ‘Have a safe journey. Go on, my darlings. It’s a long drive to Dover.’
He went over and held the door open for Ashleigh and then climbed into the car himself. ‘Ready?’ he asked her.
‘Yes. Very.’
He started the engine and turned the wheel, beginning to pull away from the kerb, when she shouted out, ‘Wait. Stop.’
‘What is it?’
But she was already climbing out of the car. He leaned across, looking out of the passenger door to see what had happened, his heart thumping. She couldn’t have suddenly changed her mind, surely.
He unbuckled his seat belt and climbed out too. There, running down the pavement towards them were Romesh and James.
They’d already seen them and said goodbye on Christmas Day, when they’d all crowded into his maman’s house, along with Ash’s nan, her work friend Selina, Tante Ruby and Celeste with her husband and the baby.
He supposed that they might have wanted one last goodbye though and Ro did love to create special moments.
‘I’m so glad I caught you.’ Romesh was breathing hard as he stopped in front of the gates and Ashleigh hurried up to him. His smile was enormous, and he was kind of wild-eyed. ‘I just couldn’t wait to tell you, and I didn’t want to tell you on the phone.’
‘What is it?’ Ashleigh grabbed his hands. ‘Ro, what’s going on?’
Olivier came up behind her and glanced at James as he joined them too – his face equally bright.
