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“I got you something, by the way.”
Amber leaned up on her forearm, her mouth dropping open in surprise. “Me?”
“Yes, you.” I did an ab curl to sit up and reached into my pocket. I pulled out a small brown paper bag and handed it to her.
Greedy fingers pulled it open, and she looked inside. I watched as a beautiful smile blossomed from her pink lips. “Oh Ronnie, I love it.” She pulled out a key ring of a miniature Mona Lisa painting. Then she frowned. “But what’s the key for?”
My heart started to race as I considered her response. Either way I was going to be disappointed. “It’s the key to the cottage. The deal went through.”
She looked up at me with huge eyes. “Really?”
“Yep. So, it’s all yours to move into when we get back. If you want to. Unless you’re thinking of moving away or—”
She flung her arms around me and squealed down my ear. “Yes, of course I still want to move in to the cottage.” She sat back and gazed down on the keyring and key. “You don’t know how much this means to me, Ronnie. I’ll feel safe and happy. Honestly, I can’t thank you enough.”
My heart thudded slowly with disappointment. Not because she would be close, not because she didn’t say she’d prefer to make a new start somewhere else. I was disappointed because she hadn’t preferred to stay with me.
I plastered on a smile. “I’m glad I could help. Although, that’s a spare key to my front door. My solicitor couldn’t get a cottage key here in time, seeing as the deal only went through last night.” As she studied it, I cleared my throat. “I would like you to keep that one as well, though. You know, just in case you need it.”
She looked up at me. “Are you sure?”
“Absolutely.” More than sure. I didn’t want her to leave, so at least if she had a key she might come and visit me.
I was given another hug. “You’ve been so good to me. I’ll never be able to repay you.”
“Buy me an ice cream?” I offered and pointed to a kiosk.
“It’s a deal. What flavour?”
I thought about it. “Not, yet. Let’s just stay here for a little longer.” I lay back down and held my arm out. “You can use it as a pillow.”
There was a slight blush to her cheeks, but nevertheless she lay next to me. Her head rested on my bicep, and I didn’t think I’d ever felt more content. When she reached her arm across her body to lay her hand on my stomach, the contentment amped up and coupled itself with the shyness that I could feel pouring from Amber.
“I can’t believe no one has recognised you,” she said as she settled into my side. “I mean, I know we’ve found a quiet corner of the park, but not one person has given you a second look.”
I wiggled my eyebrows behind my sunglasses. “I told you I had some great disguises.”
“Although, I think I did see an old lady looking you up and down when we left The Louvre.”
“I think maybe she was wondering who the hell I thought I was, hanging around with someone as beautiful as you.”
“Oh please.” She giggled and slapped playfully at my stomach. “You know she was checking you out. Particularly your bum.”
“It is a nice bum.”
Amber sniggered and then sighed. “I could stay here all afternoon. It’s so peaceful.”
It was, despite the number of people milling around. Tourists taking photographs, locals chattering and talking on mobile phones, a group of old men on a bench arguing good-heartedly, by the sound of their raised voices and laughter, and children shouting with excitement as they rode bicycles and scooters along the path.
“We don’t need to do anything else, if you want to stay here.”
“What else did you have planned?”
“A boat trip and then you can’t come to Paris without going up the Eifel Tower.”
Amber gasped. “Oh, they both sound perfect.”
As much as I loved lying there with her in the sun, I had arranged for us to have dinner on a boat at dusk and then a car was taking us to the tower to see it lit up. Okay, so I’d used my money and fame for the boat, hiring the whole thing out just for the two of us.
