Tilly pressed the button to roll down her back seat window a little further as they waited for Roy to come back, having gone to speak to the driver of another ground crew vehicle.
When he got into the driver’s seat he was holding ademi-bouteilleof Veuve Clicquot – the perfect size for two people who were celebrating a breakfast-time end to a balloon adventure.
Tilly could feel the wave of incredulity coming off Angus, who was sitting in the front passenger seat.
‘I amsosorry,’ Roy said. He offered the small bottle to Angus, who shook his head and turned away to stare pointedly out of the side window. Roy looked at Tilly then, with such an expression of dismay that she could only reach for the bottle with a smile of thanks. There was plenty of room for it in her satchel, after all, and who knew, she might need a nice bottle of bubbles to cheer her up later, given how the day had begun.
‘I will, of course, give you a total refund,’ Roy continued, ‘or a credit for a balloon ride of your choice anytime in the future.’
Angus muttered something about pigs flying.
‘Pardon?’ Tilly raised her eyebrows.
‘I said that pigs might fly. Which is quite an appropriate expression because therewerepigs and it means never. Pigs will never fly and I will never fly in a balloon again.’
‘Oh…’
That his tone sounded like a small child who was refusing to eat his vegetables made Tilly want to smile. Instead she nodded.
‘It’s a good expression,’ she said. ‘I will remember it. In France we say “quand les poules auront les dents” which means “when hens have teeth”.’
The sound Angus made suggested he wasn’t in the mood to learn a French phrase. Maybe Tilly would be better to apologise.
‘We can go back into Aix,’ she said, ‘and go shopping. I will replace your shoes. We can just forget about the next destination that was on the itinerary for this afternoon.’
‘Which was?’ Now Angus sounded like he couldn’t be bothered remembering.
Tilly closed her eyes to take a breath and find some strength. ‘A walk in the lavender fields,’ she admitted.
Oh,merde… Why did that bring an instant image to mind of a couple walking hand in hand through swathes of fragrant purple flowers? Pure romance. Did she dare suggest that she hadn’t already decided to avoid the experience because it was something everyone who came to Provence wanted to see? Could she even make a joke that it would have beenpicturesque?
No. Never might be too soon for that. When those pigs were flying.
Nobody spoke for the rest of the mercifully short journey, and they were dropped off, with more profuse apologies, to beleft alone, in a rather awkward silence, in the car park of the vineyard that was not yet open for tastings or tours.
If nothing else, Tilly had to offer another apology of her own before they ended up in an even more confined space together.
‘I’m really sorry about how this turned out,’ she said.
But Angus was already walking away, towards the little red car.
Tilly swallowed hard. Her next words were not planned at all.
‘It could have been worse,’ she called after him.
His steps were slowing as she tried to offer the only comfort that came to mind.
‘At least it wasn’t romantic!’
* * *
Angus opened the boot of the Alfa and took out their holdalls.
How on earth had she managed todothat?
She’d actually coaxed a snort of laughter from him when he’d all but decided to pull the plug on what appeared to be an epic failure to regain control of his future by coming to France alone. He’d almost been rude enough to tell Roy where he could put his offer for a future balloon ride because it was now at the top of the list of things he would nevereverconsider doing again.
Tilly dusted dried mud off her hands and removed a blue dress from her bag. She scanned the car park.
