Rags To Riches: His Wish, Her Command: The Last Summer of Being Single / An Enticing Debt to Pay / A Navy SEAL's Surprise Baby. Annie West

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      ‘Oh, what?’ Seb replied as he screwed his face up so that he could inspect his dress shirt, and then shrugged. ‘It was worth it for the fringe benefits.’

      ‘Oh? Do go on. Are you calling the bingo numbers tomorrow?’

      He snorted a chuckle. ‘I have the pleasure of escorting a pretty lady home while the young master of the house and his pirate crew are terrorizing the local cinema on a school outing. Even if the lady is taking me on a wild goose chase.

      He started out at the countryside. ‘Are you sure this is the right road?’

      ‘And you a local boy!’ Ella pointed to a signpost on the deserted dusty road. ‘Turn right here and all will be revealed.’

      Seb frowned but gently swung the car down the single track road for a few minutes before the road ran out in a sand swept empty car park. The air was suddenly tangy with salt and the smell of the sea and as he swung out from the car his mind seemed to turn back the years with every caress of the wind on his cheeks.

      They were deep in the Camargue. The huge flat plain of marshland and fresh and salt water ponds created by the river Rhone as it wound its way slowly to the sea over the centuries was laid out in front of him with only the sea in the distance.

      Ella was already out of the car before he realised and automatically reached for his hand as though it was the most natural thing to do in the world, before dragging him through the rickety wooden gate and onto the loose sandy dyke which held back the water.

      ‘Not a wild goose chase. A wild flamingo chase!’

      And just as Seb was about to reply there was a low rustling and rhythmical beat of black and crimson wings above his head as five long necked flamingos flew across the tall grasses and landed perfectly in the shallow water with a quick back brake of soft pale pink wings. They honked and hooted as they flew, louder than geese, but so beautiful it took his breath away just to watch them.

      Wild flamingos! Flamants roses!

      Seb stood in silence with the warm sunshine on his face and watched the tall reeds sway in the sea breeze. Snowy white egrets and grey herons picked around the edge of the brackish pond, but it was the clusters of stunning flamingos feeding in the rich water on their red stick legs that captivated his attention. There were hundreds of flamingos just meters from the shore.

      There was no sign of human life. No cars or houses. No laughing groups of primary school children having fun.

      Simply sea, sky, birdsong and the rustle of tall grasses against the back of his hand.

      And Ella. Captured in a moment in time with the wind in her hair and the sun on her skin.

      Seb sucked in a breath to steady his heartbeat then exhaled slowly.

      And it felt as though all of the tension that he had been holding in his clenched shoulders these past few months building up to the negotiations suddenly released all at once like smoke spiralling into the air.

      His shoulders dropped away from his ears. The creases in his forehead relaxed away and the dull ache at the back of his head which had been bothering him since the long flight from Sydney simply drifted away on the warm tangy wind.

      He would have been content to stand there for hours, but Ella released Seb’s hand so that she could shuffle onto the warm sand and wrap her arms around her knees. Once in place she rested her chin on her hands and gazed in delight at the flocks of wading and flying birds on the pond.

      Seb smiled down at Ella as she shirked off her pretty daisy sandals and squeezed her toes into the sand with a soft sigh of delight.

      Then he glared at his dusty black business shoes and the tight black high socks which were digging into his calves below black business trousers. And felt totally ridiculous!

      Without hesitating, Seb collapsed down on the sand, loosened his laces and shocked his bare feet by exposing them to the sunshine for the first time in months. He vaguely recalled the beach barbecue party he had set up for his design team in Sydney at New Year, but not the reason he had been called away at the last minute.

      He wiggled his toes a few times to make up for lost time. It felt wonderful.

      And then it hit him out of nowhere. Like a meteorite falling onto his head.

      He had turned into a time poor cliché of a bloke who had all this money in the bank but no time to enjoy it!

      How totally crazy was that!

      It was so ridiculous that the laughter that burst through without warning came from a place deep inside his body, low in his abdomen. It was the kind of laughter that made his jaw ache for a few seconds before he was able to sniff and wipe his eyes.

      Only then did he dare to turn his head towards Ella.

      She smiled at him closed mouthed for a few seconds before shuffling over in silence then faced forwards so that they could both stare out at the flamingos, side by side and only inches apart. Their world encased in a cave of grasses and low shrubs.

      Seb felt the sun and warm wind on his face and toes, and a strange sense of contentment and something close to joy filled his heart and his mind. Mingled with regret.

      There had been a time when he loved to experience every new sensation with such pleasure and delight. When had he lost that ability?

      And it had taken an English girl to help him to reconnect to this world free from high tech communications—and to make this moment something truly special.

      ‘Sometimes I like to cycle down here out of season. Just to find some peace. I hope you don’t mind?’ Ella whispered.

      He reached out for Ella’s hand, raised it to his lips and grinned at her. Strange how he kept a tight hold of her hand and they sat huddled together in comfortable silence, just smiling. And she did not seem to mind at all.

      ‘You could have warned me that I would have a reception committee,’ Seb whispered to Ella as she hooked her arm around his and wound their way through the assembled guests towards the piano at the back of the room.

      ‘What? And spoil the fun of seeing you charm the ladies?’ She chuckled. ‘You’re quite the celebrity guest!’

      Then she squeezed his arm a little tighter and joked, ‘Sandrine has already ordered a fattened calf!’

      Seb almost choked on his fizzy water. ‘I’m hardly the prodigal son,’ he spluttered.

      ‘Um. I wouldn’t be so sure about that,’ Ella replied, dabbing with a napkin at the droplets of water he had sprayed onto the sleeve of his beautiful suit jacket. ‘It was very kind of you to offer to take a look at Sandrine’s Internet connection for her. I know she relies on those online bookings. It’s not often they have a tame computer tech guru at hand.’

      Before Seb could reply, Ella glanced over his shoulder and nodded. ‘Speaking of shouting, I’m getting the nod from Sandrine. The buffet is about to be served, which is my cue to start work. I hope you like piano music!’

      Ella slipped onto the piano stool and moved her hands swiftly up and down the keyboard, СКАЧАТЬ