Gemini Rain (33 page)

By the time they got to the house and safely installed
Emma
and Keith in bed, Lauren successfully changed his mind about not acting in the film and suggested enrolling Pierre and Chantal into the private school her children attended.

‘That way I can bring and collect them with
Emma
and Keith. It’ll help Gabrielle a bit when school does restart and then before you know it you’ll be back in October.’ She added, ‘It might even help the four children become friends.’

David chuckled, he knew it would be no problem with Chantal being friends with Lauren’s children but then there was the moody, straight to the point Pierre. He mischievously decided to keep quiet and see what Lauren’s reaction would be when she met them tomorrow.

‘I told my two I had work in Marseille and would stay with Claude tonight,’ he kissed the back of her neck as he wrapped his arms around her waist.

Lauren was making some tea she turned around and gave a pitiful look, ‘David I’m exhausted not tonight please.’ 

He was stunned, his jaw dropped.

‘Gottcha!’ she exclaimed.

Later that night David confessed to her of his other reservations about going to Columbia. Lauren promised to help him check further on the Internet about the political situation there. The following morning she showed him how to search for information and left him to delve into the world of search engines. After an hour she rejoined him and he was still unsure, ‘the CIA recommend that Americans never travel there although they can’t stop them,’ he informed her.

She quickly scanned through
the contract, twenty-four hour armed security, full protection when leaving and returning to the hotel, organised safe tours. ‘It’ll be like a prison, David,’ Lauren was surprised so much detail was in the contract.

David explained that the Colombian government was trying to entice more and more companies to invest in their country and one good way is through Hollywood and a successful movie. Lauren hesitat
ed and asked him was it worth the hassle
after all he was now retiring. David admitted he needed to think more and would phone Jacques with a decision later this evening.   

Lauren was unusually nervous when she entered the Corvasieur household for her ritual Saturday evening dinner with them. Only knowing David’s children through the few brief descriptions he reluctantly donated to her and the photo in his wallet of them when Chantal was born, she knew nothing of what was in store. His reluctance surprised her until he expressed how much it hurt when he spoke or thought of them.

The usual warm welcomes were made and the children were introduced to each other. Chantal was beautiful and every bit her mother even her hair, although Francoise had kept her own a lighter chestnut in colour Chantal’s looked as if it had never been touched by a scissors in the five years she existed on this earth. David then introduced Pierre to Lauren, as they shook hands David stood behind him and placed his hands on Pierre’s shoulders, prepared.

‘So
everybody’s saying
you’re the new item Papa’s saved from the top shelf,’ he stated.

Everybody gasped then silence; David turned to Joel and Claude trying to hold in his laughter.

Lauren eyeballed Pierre, ‘No, actually I caught him as he was falling off it. I’ve never had the time to climb up that high.’ 

Pierre just stared at her blankly.

‘Right I think its time for aperitifs everybody,’ David announced and immediately moved his son away towards Jean-Pierre, looking to his father for help. Veronique winked at Lauren and gave her the thumbs up sign. Lauren smiled back but inside she was annoyed wanting to thump David, why the hell didn’t he warn her. She knew now exactly what type of child he was. Looking at her own son knowing how he could be so antagonistic sometimes she hoped Keith didn’t end up like that, Francoise’s heart must have been broken with him and knowing David, he obviously enjoyed annoying her by tolerating him.

The evening passed too quickly and Lauren ignored the ghastly stares from Pierre; she and David deliberately sat opposite, agreeing to be discreet in front of the children. When they were walking towards her house David asked her what
she thought
of his children
. Lauren was waiting for the subject to come up and immediately thumped him. 

‘Ouch!’ he rubbed his arm, ‘What was that for?’ he laughed.

‘You know exactly what it’s for, David Corvasieur and don’t you dare place me in a situation like that ever again!’ Anger and annoyance lined every word she shouted at him.

Emma
and Keith turned back to see what was happening, they looked to each other and threw their eyes up to heaven
and shrugged
.

‘He’s really a nice guy you know, bit like his father,’ David grinned.

‘He’s more handsome than his father, God help any woman foolish enough to fall in love with him,’ Lauren looked
up to the heavens then added, ‘a
nd just like his father, he should have got a clip around the ear a long time ago.’

Lauren decided to get her point across and sent him home after coffee, when he arrived back Jean-Pierre and Gabrielle were waiting for him.

‘Serves you right,’ Gabrielle was delighted that Lauren
had sent him packing
making her disapproval known
as
she left for bed.

Jean-Pierre smiled at the frustration on David’s face,
‘y
ou should have warned Lauren. I knew by the look on her face she wasn’t expecting t
hat sort of greeting from a ten
-year-old child,’ he tried to sound stern.

David cheekily grinned, ‘b
ut she handled him brilliantly, don’t you think!’

‘Yes,’ Jean-Pierre couldn’t hold in his laughter any longer. But he quickly changed his tone, ‘You’ve got to talk to Pierre, I don’t want him resenting Lauren and her children. Remembe
r you’re leaving in three weeks;
sort the problem out before then.’

‘I know Papa and I will. I promise,’ David said dreading the thoughts of acting as an authoritative father.

It wasn’t long before Lauren forgave David spending their time together as much as possible, as discreetly as possible in front of the children as indiscreetly as possible when alone. David tried to have a man to man chat with his son without success, losing his patience when Pierre commented about how he always came back from Claude’s home driving his bike downhill
from their old home
instead of the usual uphill route from Marseille.

Jean-Pierre volunteered
knowing because of David’s work
Francoise was often left acting as both mother and father to the children. In his frustration David admitted to Lauren one night that he hardly knew Pierre or Chantal, ‘I was the Papa who disappeared for months on end, then arrived home with loads of presents only to disappear
again
a few weeks later.’

Lauren then understood it was guilt as well as hurt when he refused to talk about them previously. She was also now worried about his decision to go on the Colombian trip, okay so he wanted to finish with a big movie but would it be worth it? Davi
d was adamant all would be okay
the security was more for a Royal or Political tour than for just a film.

‘Besides,’ he reassured her, ‘who would pay attention to a bunch of mad actors and crew in the middle of the rainforest!’

Chapter 34

All too soon, the time arrived for David to leave for Colombia. He was disappointed he wouldn
’t be here to stand for his new God-daughter
, he and Claude were proud to accept the honour when Joel asked them but Joel promised to wait until he returned for the christening.
David insisted it had been delayed too much and agreed that Jean-Pierre would take his place.
Then there was the little problem of Pierre’s intolerable behaviour toward Lauren and her children. She assured him it meant nothing and maybe things would change, but David hated it. Pierre acted as if they didn’t exist, it was inexcusable and David regretted laughing the first night. Saying his good-byes to all at the farm, Lauren drove him to the airport. When she parked the car, she said she wasn’t going inside with him.

‘Why not?’
he was
surprised by her announcement.

Tears were starting to well up in Lauren’s eyes, she couldn’t look at him, ‘I hate good-byes,’ she murmured, ‘I’ve said too many and especially in a crowed airport, it’s too public.’

He understood what she was saying, knowing some idiot fan would probably ask for an autograph while they kissed goodbye. He twisted the Claddagh ring on his finger, hesitated but then took a small box out from his inside pocket, ‘Lauren,’ he opened the box, ‘will you marry me?’

Lauren cried with happiness and sadness all the way home, needing to stop the car several times. She looked at the ring now placed on her wedding finger, it was beautiful. It was a Claddagh ring too, except where David’s heart and crown was gold hers were shaped diamonds. Agreeing to announce their engagement when David returned, regretfully she placed it back in its box as she arrived at the farm to collect
Emma
and Keith.
Never feeling this ecstatic before, she vowed he would never have a reason to fall into another woman’s arms, they would never be separated ever again. 

During August Lauren and Gabrielle brought the childr
en and an increasingly housebound
Veronique to the seaside and picnics on several occasions.
Joel told h
is mother that he was concerned
he couldn’t work out if it was because of the birth or Francoise’s death.

Les Calanques are one of the many attractions Marseille is extremely proud of, famous for hiking and underwater diving, to name but a few of the many attractions, the region alternates between steep cliffs and beautiful creeks hiding many small beaches. Then there were the Prado beaches in the 8
th
Arrondissement
, a word Lauren could never pronounce and what the French called their different districts within their largest cities. Gabrielle’s favo
u
rite was the Pointe Rouge beach because it was so popular with the locals; she often met up with old friends catching up with the gossip. Veronique loved the relaxed atmosphere, often repeating, ‘Mon Dieu not a roller blade or windsurfer in sight.’

Lauren held a small birthday party for Keith inviting some of his friends from school and of course Pierre and Chantal. Pierre refused to go but Lauren wasn’t surprised by his protest. Keith was delighted with his new puppy but there was intense arguments about what it was to be called, ‘Keith honey, believe me when I say Godzilla is not a good name for a puppy dog,’ Lauren tried desperately to persuade her stubborn son. 

It was one of the hottest days of summer and they were all baking themselves on a small sheltered beach they found in the Sorm
iou Calanque close to Marseille.

‘Lauren,’ Gabrielle decided now was her chance to talk. Pierre was asleep on one of the towels and Lauren was adjusting
one of
the Parasol so it shaded him.

‘Hmm,’ Lauren checked
on the baby and
that the other three were not annoying Veronique too much as she paddled in the water.

‘Can we talk?’ Gabrielle asked.

Lauren turned to her puzzled, ‘w
e’ve never hesitated before,’ she laughed.

‘I know, but this is different it’s abo
ut Pierre,’ Gabrielle sighed, ‘d
o you hate him for the way he behaves?’

Lauren checked he was still asleep and the sat down on the pebbly sand beside Gabrielle’s chair, ‘I don’t like his attitude to
Emma
and Keith but I don’t know him enough to say I hate him.’

‘Maybe he fears you are trying to replace Francoise,’ Gabrielle said softly.

‘I haven’t tried and I never will,’ Gabrielle
nodded agreement
as Lauren continued, ‘It’s like David trying to take the place of Peter, you can’t compete with the dead it’s a lost battle before it’s even started.’

Both women were silent for a moment, deep in their own thoughts then Lauren added, ‘If Pierre doesn’t want me or the children as friends then so be it, but there are others involved and I wish he
could realise
that. It’s breaking David’s heart to see him this way.’

‘David must make him feel more secure than it’s been so far in his short life, Pierre can read the headlines in gossip magazines too,’ Gabrielle felt her throat dry up stretching out for some water.

‘But will Pierre allow him to?’ Lauren added sadly.

‘Mammy!’
Emma
cried out, ‘Mammy there’s something wrong with Veronique!’ Veronique was bent over holding onto
Emma
’s shoulder;
she
weakly
waved to them her face in pain
. Pierre quickly sat up and Lauren realised then that he was only pretending to be asleep, ‘the little git heard everything,’ she smirked
as she ran towards Veronique
.