Dani gave me a head tilt and an “Aww” before she clinked glasses. The others settled on “Cheers” or “Salut”. The wine was good—light, aromatic, dry. I am not one for cloyingly sweet wines—why does anyone like Moscato?—so it was perfect. I picked up a piece of bread and slathered it with the butter.
“Oh, my God,” I said through my mouthful, ignoring my own table etiquette. I pointed repeatedly at the bread, indicating the urgent need for everyone to try some.
“That good, huh?” asked Jae, dryly. I nodded, but she didn’t take any. I’d noticed Jaelee wasn’t into bread and baked goods as much as most people were. The others had some, though, and there was a refrain of “Mmm”s accompanied by nodding heads.
“So, I’m not sure which of you great dirty stop-outs I should start with,” I said after swallowing my bread. I raised my eyebrows and looked at Jaelee, Craig and Dani.
“What in God’s name is a great dirty stop-out?” Jaelee asked, narrowing her eyes at me.
I had forgotten I was the only (sort of) English person amongst a group of North Americans, so I explained.
“It is a person who stays out all night—or most of it,” I added, pinning Dani with a look—she wasn’t getting off the hook. She responded with her own raised eyebrows and defiantly popped a piece of bread in her mouth. I continued, “and, got some.”
There was a beat, then loud laughter from the group. Craig shook his head and brought his fingertips to his forehead. I would have bet a million pounds he was wishing he’d turned down the lunch invitation. I zeroed in on him.
“Craig?”
When he lifted his head, his face was red again. I was having so much fun.
“C’mon, Craig, spill,” said Dani, dodging the first bullet. We’d get back to her later. “Where did you sleep last night?”
“Well, there wasn’t much sleeping …” That brought another round of laughter as he grinned at us. It was clearly a mix of embarrassment and pride. “I slept in Kayla’s room.”
“Good for you,” said Lou.
The first course arrived, another reprieve for Dani, and we all settled down like schoolchildren who’d been misbehaving while the teacher was out of the room.
The soupe au pistou was a clear vegetable and white bean broth served with a quenelle of pesto. It was a vibrant-looking dish and smelled divine. It tasted better than it looked, and I realised it was the most delicious food I’d had in days. I could taste every ingredient, all the fresh vegetables. Dani was having it too and when I lifted my eyes to hers, she nodded her agreement.
When we’d all finished the course, the man cleared the table with a practised efficiency I couldn’t master in a million lifetimes.
“So, Jae, what about you?” asked Lou, her chin propped on her hand.
“Okay! I obviously didn’t sleep at the château. I was at Marc’s cottage, just down past the vines, near the property line. It was really cute, actually, hundreds of years old. But unlike Craig, I actually slept. It was all very chaste.”
“Really?” My eyes narrowed. I wasn’t buying it.
“Really.” She gave me a pointed look, then addressed the rest of the table. “He cooked us a nice dinner and we drank wine and talked. Then, somehow it was nearly two, and rather than stumble back in the dark, I stayed there. He gave me his bed and he slept on the couch. In a different room. Okay?”
“Sounds delightful,” said Dani, but I still wasn’t buying it.
“So, how come you looked so happy this morning, like, you know … something happened?” I asked.
“Because, it was the nicest date I’ve had in … well, I don’t know how long, and I needed that.”
“So, it was a date?” asked Lou. Jae sighed impatiently. “What? I’m living vicariously here. Throw me a bone.”
“That’s what she said,” joked Dani under her breath.
“Hah! Dani, you crack me up.” She threw me a crinkle-nosed wink.
“Are we done with my interrogation yet?” asked Jae. It was crystal clear that she was done.
“Did you at least get a goodnight kiss?” asked Lou.
“I did.”
“And? Geez, girl. Details.”
“Geez, Louise. A lady doesn’t kiss and tell.”
Lou rolled her eyes and shook her head, and Jaelee took a sip of wine, remaining tight-lipped.
“We’re getting nowhere,” I cut in. “Dani, you go.”
“What? There’s nothing to tell. Jason and I danced until I practically fell over, then I went up to bed. The end.” Well, I bought that. No subterfuge with Dani—what you saw was what you got.
“Huh. All right, Craig. It looks like you win this round of Great Dirty Stop-out. Thanks for playing, everybody. See you next time.” I can be quite the comedian sometimes. My friends laughed, but it was probably at me.
Saved by the salad!
Niçoise is a favourite of mine and this one didn’t disappoint. The tuna was fresh, the outside seared and the inside rare and pink, and the tiny potatoes and the green beans were cooked to perfection. The Dijon and vinegar dressing was tangy, and a little spicy. I was in foodie heaven. Although I worried my body wouldn’t know what to do with all the vegetables after three days of baked goods, cheese, and more wine than I needed.
Speaking of which …
“We need more wine.” I looked around for the lovely man in the apron and he magically appeared. “Encore du vin blanc s’il vous plaît, monsieur.” He nodded and disappeared back inside. Dani caught my eye, her eyebrows raised at my near-perfect French. “The more I drink, the better my French gets.”
“Impressive.”
“Thanks, Dan.”
The wine arrived and the table was cleared. This time, Lou poured. “I don’t know if I can fit in dessert,” groaned Dani.
“Of course you can. Don’t be ridiculous,” I rebuked playfully, as five desserts landed on the table. Jaelee and I had ordered the tart, Craig had gone for the chocolate mousse, and Lou and Dani for the clafoutis, a kind of light cakey flan filled with cherries. Dani eyed hers with a pout.
“I’ll eat it if you don’t want it,” offered Craig. At about six-foot-three and a voracious eighteen-year-old, as Lou had described him, it was likely that lunch hadn’t filled him up—even with the generous portions.
“You can have mine,” said Jaelee, pushing her plate over to Craig. I wondered if that had been her intention all along. Dani took one bite of her clafoutis, closed her eyes as she savoured it, then handed the plate to Craig. He finished all three desserts before I’d finished one. Boys.
“Hey, guys,” said Lou, “I hate to be that person, but we need to be back at the coach in less than ten minutes.”
How had that happened? I guess time flies when you’re having a delicious meal in a beautiful location with lovely friends. The day had definitely turned around from its horrendous beginnings.
We finished up, settled up—lunch had been a bargain—and followed Dani back to the square where our coach was waiting. We were the last group to arrive and even though it was before the departure time, Georgina gave us a look that said otherwise.