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

“No, I’m sure it won’t be. You’ll be utterly charmed by the shops. This is why I always walk to the village. Then I won’t be tempted to bring home more than I can carry.”


“Except now you have me to carry things for you.”


Simon smiled at him. “No, I’ll probably end up carrying things for you. Which is fine with me. I don’t mind being your faithful servant.”


“You say that now. But will you say as much if I ask for other sundries during my stay?”


“It depends on the other sundries, I suppose.”


Something about his tone made Alain pause. They hadn’t discussed the events of the previous night, even after they had occurred. Once the matter had been dropped, that was it. Now, he wondered if he was wrong to ignore it, but until Simon did or said something a tad more overt, he would remain wary of ruining what was already the best relationship he had.


Chapter 8