For more than a decade, renowned chef Alain Tiessart has been married to his restaurant, driven to make it one of the finest in Paris. But time is slipping away. Lonely and ready for a change, he packs up his bags on one of the busiest holiday weekends of the year and drives into the French countryside.<br><br>Retired Brit Simon Hastings is prepared to spend Bastille Day as he always does -- quietly and alone. When his oldest friend arrives on his doorstep prepared to spend the next few days together, Simon is surprised but welcomes him in. He’s even more surprised when Alain suggests they move their relationship to a deeper one.<br><br>Unwilling to jeopardize their friendship, Simon turns him down, a decision Alain accepts gracefully. Until a friendly bet and an eager young man cast Alain in a new light. Now, Simon doesn’t know what he wants. Or who ...

Vintage

“I wonder if it’s necessary for us to feel quite so lonely while I’m visiting,” Alain said. “I wonder that quite a bit, actually.”


Simon studied the hand on his knee for a beat, though it wasn’t completely unusual. Alain often became casually affectionate the more he drank. And Simon didn’t have any problem with being touched. But this felt a little different somehow.


“I haven’t felt lonely since your arrival.”


“Neither have I. I’ve been looking forward to this for weeks.”


“Weeks? Earlier you made it sound like this was a more recent decision as you planned for the holiday.”


“Oh. Did I?” Alain grimaced, though he didn’t pull back from where he touched Simon. “Well, I suppose I’ve been found out then.”


“Yes, you have. But I can forgive you for deceiving me. If you had a good reason.”


Chapter 6