AllFreeNovel
Share Us
‘Don’t worry, I called Mum before I called you. She’s fine about it. And don’t tell me you were looking forward to attending her G&T soirées with the local Salsa club. I swore I wouldn’t tell you, but she’d also booked the two of you in for a session of goat yoga.’
‘What on Earth is goat yoga?’
‘I assume it’s yoga with goats.’
‘Euew!’
‘Exactly, and did she tell you that her friend Solange has had her navel pierced? She’s seventy! I warned Mum that I’d disown her if she followed suit.’
Jen released an impatient sigh at the antics of their youthful, energetic mother – a response Millie had grown familiar with over the years since their father had passed away and Monique had returned to her hometown of Antibes to reinvent herself as a social butterfly.
‘So…is it a yes?’
Millie blew her fringe, the colour of liquid gold, away from her eyelashes. She could almost hear the steamroller’s engine revving up behind her as her sister prepared to press her case even harder, but she allowed herself a wry smile. She was pleased that Jen had confidence in her organisational skills – which was more than the evidence on offer warranted – and a couple of weeks relaxing in the Caribbean sunshine certainly appealed to her.
‘Okay, it’s a yes. What exactly does Claudia want me to do?’
‘The villa is part of an old cocoa plantation which Claudia and her husband Tim renovated a few years ago to use as a holiday retreat from the frazzled lifestyle they lead in London. There’s an estate manager who lives on site to look after the grounds and the buildings, but that’s a full-time job in itself and Claudia feels he’s too busy to make sure the kitchen upgrade will be finished to an ultra-high spec. The first workshop is scheduled for two weeks’ time. It’s a pre-wedding bonding bash, organised and paid for by the bride’s mother for her daughter’s bridesmaids and girlfriends to have fun and to relax before the main event. They’re staying at a five-star hotel nearby, where the wedding ceremony will take place in a pavilion in the grounds – so romantic!’
‘And Claudia is sure she’ll be well enough to fly out to deliver the classes?’
‘Absolutely!’
‘Good, because I don’t know the first thing about running a cookery school.’
‘Claudia told me that the week-long course is calledChocolate & Confettiand will be focusing on all things chocolate-related. Apparently, the plantation used to grow cocoa beans commercially until fairly recently when the business became unviable and the estate was put up for sale. Claudia is planning to produce cocoa from the estate for use in the cookery schools, at some point in the future. And anyway, Millie darling, even if she isn’t fully recovered, you could handle the classes with your eyes closed. A few chocolate soufflés and ganache-covered cupcakes pale into insignificance compared to theFaisan en Croûtewithfoie grasor theLapin à la Cocotteyou were used to producing before… well, before your change in career direction, don’t you think?’
‘Stop the flattery, Jen. I’m your sister, I can see right through you.’
Jen laughed, the relief evident in her voice. ‘Thanks for doing this, Millie. I owe you one. And will you humour me by keeping an open mind on the possibility of a holiday romance? Even Mum has started dating again. Life goes on. It’s important to respect the past, but not to let it control your future. What Luke did was totally unforgiveable, but not everyone is like him; there are some good guys out there.’
Millie had no intention of straying into the pain-strewn territory of romance, either in her conversation with Jen, or when she arrived on St Lucia. She swallowed down hard on a surprise upswing of emotion as she swivelled on her heels and dragged her wheelie suitcase towards the British Airways desk, thanking her guardian angel that she had at least packed the right clothes for a trip to the Caribbean.
During one of their lengthy telephone calls, her mum had warned her that Provence was experiencing one of the warmest Septembers on record, so she had filled her luggage with floaty sundresses, strappy tee-shirts, and linen shorts. She had also spent a fun afternoon with Pippa picking out several bikinis and flimsy chiffon cover-ups, not to mention the gorgeous jewel-encrusted sandals she hadn’t been able to resist, even though her bank balance didn’t warrant such over-indulgent expenditure.
‘I told you before, Jen, I’m not ready to—’
‘It’s been six months now, Millie. You’ve got to break free from the mist of misery you’ve taken refuge in. So, it hurts, I get that, but it’s just one of the many dips in life’s rollercoaster of ups and downs. Happiness could be just around the corner if you take the chance to explore the many possibilities that are out there for you.’
‘Iamexploring…’ Millie murmured. But in truth she knew her love life was like the reverse side of one of her mother’s embroidery projects; knotted and disorganised, waiting for the creator to switch the fabric round to display the beauty of the front.
‘What? As a pastry chef in a tiny café in a drab side street in London?’
‘It’s apatisserie…’ Millie repeated but she knew Jen wasn’t listening.
‘That’s not exploring; that’s punishment after everything you’ve achieved in the culinary arena over the last few years. Hey, Lola, stop that, please! Okay, darling, I’d better go before the girls start bickering. I’ll email you the information Claudia sent through to me, and the photographs – the villa is truly stunning. Oh, and have you got your scrap box with you?’
‘I’ve always got my scrap box with me.’
Millie patted her straw shoulder bag and was comforted by the reassuring presence of the lever-arch box file that never left her sight. It was crammed to bursting with recipes, snippets of foodie articles, glossy photographs of unusual dishes, information on a newly discovered spice and its potential uses. There was no elaborate filing system for Amelia Harper – she’d meant to get one started, but who had the time?
‘Good. Now, go grab your ticket and enjoy the flight. Lucky you! It’s free Champagne and canapés, you know. Text me when you get there. I love you, Millie.’
‘Love you too, Jen.’
I think, she thought.
Chapter Two
