Page 57 of Under the Shade of the Sycamore

A few moments passed with serenity as my companion before a tiny dog rocketed past me to make a few laps on the lawn. Claude’s arms circled my shoulders from behind, his soft beard tickling my ear when he gave my cheek a kiss.

“Bonjour, mon amour,” he said before releasing me to sit down beside me. He was freshly showered, his hair still damp, and his eyes sparkling. He’d pulled on a soft sweater of pale blue, sleek dark slacks, and a pair of fashionable loafers. He dropped down on the hard metal seat, winced, and lifted his ass up to grab an extra cushion.

“You’re in pain,” I said, feeling shitty for fucking him so often in such a short amount of time.

“It’s nothing. A sweet pain born of passion and love.” He gently got his rump situated. “I think I will not be riding horses today though.”

I snickered into my coffee while he gave me a naughty wink. Madame Bouchard arrived with a smile and a platter of tartines which she lay between us. She and Claude chatted for a moment as I perused the open-faced sandwiches.

“Madame wishes me to ensure you that the smell of the hardboiled egg is strong but not vulva strong?” Claude seemed totally perplexed. I turned beet red. Madame giggled into her hand before disappearing back into the manse. “Dare I ask?”

“Americans with no translator app trying to speak French,” I sighed and got a warm chuckle from my lover. “You feeling well other than your tender ass?”

“Marvelous. A robust lover in a man’s bed is a boon to not only his ego but his happiness.” He reached out to take my hand, hazel gaze grabbing mine. “I wish to tell you this in the light of day so you do not think it was said in the dark due to a stiff cock. I do love you, Kinder.”

I smiled softly then gave his fingers a squeeze. “And I love you. Eat, the egg and avocado one looks amazing. I might have one next.”

I dove into my tartine, lifting the thick slab of toasted French bread covered with goat cheese, warm honey, figs, and some walnuts to my mouth to rip a chunk off and chew. It was the best goat cheese and fig breakfast toast I’d ever had. True, it was the only goat cheese and fig breakfast toast I’d ever had but still…

“How are you?” he asked as he cut into a tartine with avocado and hardboiled egg with his knife and fork. Madame arrived with a coffee set including cream, sugar, and a French press she sat on the left of Claude before removing herself from the patio.

“I feel amazing,” I replied around a mouthful of food.

“Aside from the sexual satisfaction. How are you? It’s been a tumultuous time for us. Surely you are feeling some sort of way?”

“Oh, yeah, sure.” I swallowed before taking a sip of coffee. “I mean…” I sat back to watch Pamplemousse rolling around in the grass like a chicken taking a dust bath. “Things are so up in the air yet. I lost. I had such big plans for that money. And for school.”

“Did Carlton not discuss the scholarship opening with you?” He looked up from his plate. I nodded. “Are you not interested in attending the academie?”

“Well, I’d love to go but there are other options. Mickey offered me a job at his shop when he opens it which would be an amazing opportunity but it’s in London.”

“London and France are not that far apart,” he pointed out.

“I know but it’s really far from America. Now that I don’t have the prize money I’m going to have to go home and find another fucking job. I can’t help my family and attend school here, and I’m not sure school is what I want to do. I have cards in my wallet from four or five fashion houses to join them as an intern. Then there’s you.” His fine brow arched. “Carlton said I work with you as some part of an off-campus thing where you’d pay me and I could earn credits.”

He nodded, chewed, and then swallowed before dabbing at his kissable lips with his cloth napkin. A horse whinnied. Pamplemousse barked in reply but continued his roll in the grass.

“The other houses are shit. They would not pay you. If you came to work for me I would teach you all you need to know, pay you well, and after you graduate I would be willing to back a capsule collection for you at the Paris shop.” My mouth fell open. A capsule collection under Claude’s name would be huge. It would leverage his massive distribution network while giving me creative control and massive brand exposure. “Of course you would need to keep your grade point average up. The reapplication process would be easily enough handled and you could come away with a two year associate degree which would be more than enough schooling. You are a highly talented designer who would make a marvelous design assistant.”

It took a moment for the dream bubble to slowly deflate. “But people will think that I got the capsule collection, and the job, because I’m sleeping with you.”

He laid down his fork and knife to settle all his attention on me. “Kinder, if you walk away from the opportunity that you earned because people might talk, then you’re letting gossip decide your future.”

“But didn’t you do the same thing? Walk away because of gossip?” He drew in a slow breath.

“I walked away from the academie to protect you. To ensure that you had the options that you have so diligently earned.” Oh. Well sure but… okay, yeah. “Also, I was ready. I’ve started to discover as I wade through my fifties that what I want most is to design clothes and be with a man who loves me. That is it. Perhaps the older a person gets the more they cherish the simple things. Gah, I sound like a greeting card. My tenure on the board is what it is. I’ll still be a board member emeritus. The school shall always carry my name. What I am saying is that our reasons are vastly different. Go to the academie with your head high because you are good enough to be there. The board would not have offered you the scholarship otherwise. The rest will fade over time.”

I felt a relief wash over me. “Someone once said that the moment you allow someone else to hold the shears you’re allowing them to create the pattern of your life. Always trust the original thread of your creative process.”

His smile was pure Claude. “That someone is quite wise.”

“Yeah, he is, and sexy too.” He tipped his head in thanks for the compliment. “All of that is nothing though if my family is scraping by back in North Dakota. Sure, I’ll be able to send them money but—”

“One moment.” He hurried to eat his last bite of tartine, wash it down, and stand. He held out a hand. “There is something I wish to show you. I’ve been mulling over possibilities for us, a maybe future if you did decide to come to me. I think I have a plan.”

I gulped down my coffee, rose, and took his hand. Pamplemousse darted around our legs as we made our way to a big house tucked back among some old trees. Claude dug into his pocket, pulled out some keys, and unlocked the door after three wrong keys were tried.

Stepping inside the wind rolling in the open door stirred up dust motes. There were furnishings covered with sheets of white muslin. I could make out several rooms on the ground floor with a staircase which climbed to another floor above us. Stone hearth, wood floors, and graceful windows that looked out over the pond and the horses.