What Happens at the Beach...

‘Well, well, well. Who’d have thought? So, anyway, did you get the job?’ Natalie nodded excitedly and sat down to tell her about what they had discussed over their lunch together. She could hardly call it an interview.

‘So, when do you start?’ Her grandmother was clearly delighted for her.

‘Tomorrow, if that’s okay with you. He’s very accommodating and says we can decide on a day by day basis when I go up to the chateau to work.’ She beamed. ‘And he’s paying me shed loads of money.’

‘I should think so, too. I’m sure you’re worth it. So, tell me what you had to eat.’ Colette clearly approved of the meal and Natalie resolved to get a couple of lobsters one of these evenings as a treat and to say thank you to her gran for taking her in. They were terribly expensive, but her new job with Mark would provide easily enough money to pay for them. Colette moved on from the food to the host. ‘So, what’s he like, our Dr Markeson? Apart from having a very silly name. How on earth could his father have burdened him with a name like Evelyn? Some people don’t really think things through, do they?’

‘He’s very nice. I’ve been looking him up on the internet and his company’s huge. He’s a scientist, and pretty clearly a very good one, but he certainly seems very keen on learning all about the Cathars.’ As she said it, she reflected how nice it was to meet a man who shared her historical interests. He certainly didn’t think her PhD was a hobby.

That afternoon, Natalie got a text from Dominique, asking if she could help out in the restaurant again. She went down gladly and, while they were getting the tables ready, told her and Laure about the job offer. She also told them this shouldn’t interfere with her ability to come and work as a waitress when required. Dominique was fascinated to hear about the man in the chateau and immediately began hinting that Natalie could do worse than start an affair with him. Natalie was grateful she hadn’t told her any more than Mark’s name. She had avoided any mention of the fact that Mark was very wealthy as she was sure this would just fan the fires of Dominique’s matchmaking obsession. Laure gave her a little smile and said she, too, had noticed the tall, handsome swimmer with the lovely dog. Laure was very pretty and she was a few years younger than Natalie. To her annoyance, Natalie felt a sensation that was suspiciously akin to jealousy as she noted Laure’s interest in Mark. For somebody who had publicly declared she had no desire to find herself a man, this was a very strange reaction. She shook her head and concentrated on getting the tables ready for the evening onslaught.

As it was, that evening Philippe came to eat in the restaurant once more and Dominique was temporarily diverted from trying to get Natalie hitched up with Mark. The restaurant was packed that night and Natalie didn’t have much time to spare to chat to Philippe. There was also an influx of people just before nine o’clock so she was still working flat out, well after Philippe had finished his meal. He sat there hopefully for a while and then, when she dashed across to his table with his bill, he caught her eye and made a proposal. ‘I’ve got the boat moored at the jetty. Would you like to come round for an aperitif tomorrow evening?’

He was looking as smart as ever and he was smiling broadly. Natalie was still on a high after her job offer, so she said yes, reflecting that if the yacht was moored up, she could always make a run for it if he tried to get too intimate, not that he had demonstrated any inclination to try anything like that. Besides, she thought to herself with a little smile, her height advantage was reassuring if he were to choose to behave badly. The other reason for saying yes, she reluctantly admitted to herself, was so as to divert her from thinking too fondly of Mark who was, after all, now her boss. They arranged that she would come down to the boat at six o’clock the next day and he went off happy. She returned to her busy evening’s work.

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