“You have got to be kiddin’ me!” Diamond exclaimed with glee.
“Dis is no joke,” Emmanuelle, the landlady said. She was a beautiful older French woman with perfect silver hair, tied in a chignon at the back of her neck.
Diamond was looking out towards the sea, which she had a perfect view of from her bedroom.
“I mean, you for real? It looks better than the pictures,” Diamond went on.
“Those were old pictures, I’m afraid. We’ve done much work on the property since then. But it’s a rather old building to begin with,” Emmanuelle explained, walking around the one bedroom. It was on the upper level of the house, but refurbished in order to be a separate apartment. It was designed to look like a little French cottage, and it was very cozy indeed.
“Ain’t nobody going to believe this,” Diamond went on, taking out her phone and beginning to take pictures. She thought about it for a moment and then put the phone away. She wanted to have the experience all for herself, and she wanted to be fully in that moment. Diamond wasn’t going to be able to do that with that damned phone in her hand, so she put it back in her bag. “I’m so happy.”
“Oh, yes. You look very happy!” Emmanuelle said with a smile. “Veules-les-Roses has that effect on people.”
“Have you lived here all your life?” Diamond asked.
“Since I was a little girl. I never wanted to live anywhere else. Pardonesmois, I must get the tea,” Emmanuelle said, walking towards the little balcony. There was a jar of sun tea out there, brewing in the warmth of day. She returned with the jar of tea and poured it into two glasses that already had ice in them.
“That looks lovely, thank you,” Diamond said, accepting the tea.
“Do you take sugar?” Emmanuelle asked.
“I love me some sweet tea,” Diamond replied. Sweet tea wasn’t really a Chicago thing, but she had relatives down south, and she remembered being served sweet tea as a girl.
“What brings you here?” Emmanuelle asked, seating herself in an old, comfy chair.
“Well, I guess it’s kinda a long story,” Diamond began. “There was a little heartache involved.” She didn’t know why she was saying so much, but there was something about the presence of the elderly French lady that inspired the truth.
“You don’t have to tell it. You can share some time over Beaujolais.”
“That sounds wonderful,” Diamond said with a smile. She looked back out at the water again, sparkling in the sun. She felt like she could breathe again, for the first time in a long time. The memory of Malik was far behind her. Her former life seemed to dissolve that afternoon.
“We have a little boat if you ever want to go out on the water,” Emmanuelle said. “My husband Claude keeps it maintained.”
“Yes, I would love that, but I’m afraid I don’t know how to sail.”
“Oh, it’s just a little rowboat, so not much trouble. That being said, it’s a lot more fun when a gentleman is doing the rowing!” Emmanuelle said with a laugh. An idea came to Diamond’s mind.
“Can I ask you something?” she said.
“But of course,” Emmanuelle replied.
“Do you know of Baptiste Laurent?” she asked.
“Hm,” Emmanuelle replied, looking at Diamond with curiosity. “I suppose everyone knows of him. The Laurents take their summers here.”
From the sound of that statement, Diamond assumed that there was a Mademoiselle Laurent in the picture.
“Baptiste has been coming here since he was a young man,” Emmanuelle went on. “He was such a precocious boy. His mother treated him as though he were made of glass. There was a frailty to him, indeed. His health was always so so. And then, it was a surprise when he grew up to be such a powerful man. Whenever I see Baptiste in town, I still think of the little thing with the skinny arms and the lonely blue eyes.”
Diamond sat listening in awe. She wanted Emmanuelle to say more.
“He now lives here with his wife?” Diamond asked.
“Non, non, non,” Emmanuelle replied. “Baptiste is not married. In my opinion, he’s far too busy. His mother and father are long gone as well. He uses the old estate as a second office, I suppose. Always conducting business. In my opinion, this is no good. Everyone needs time to enjoy life. That’s why they come to Veules-les-Roses!”
“His parents must have died young,” Diamond said, thinking that Baptiste could be no older than his early thirties at best.
“I’m afraid it was very tragic. A plane crash. Their private plane. Baptiste was eighteen at the time.”
Diamond was overcome with sadness. She looked down at her sun tea and wondered how it was that a boy so young would be able to deal with such tragedy.
“I think that is what pushed him so hard to be a success,” Emmanuelle explained. “When his parents were alive, he was rather a quiet boy. Once they were gone, he turned into a lion.”
“I guess that makes sense,” Diamond said. “He had to take care of himself.”
“And he wanted to make them proud.”
There was silence for a bit as the two ladies contemplated things, but something in the window caught Emmanuelle’s attention and she got up from her seat.
“Just over there,” she said, pointing up the coast. Diamond got up as well to see what she was motioning towards. There, off in the distance, she saw a gorgeous estate, just a hundred or so feet from the water. It was stately yet tasteful. “That is the Laurent estate.”
“Damn,” Diamond said. “That’s impressive.” Actually, impressive was a bit of an understatement. It was one of the most beautiful homes that she had ever seen.
“Has been handed down for generations in the family. And trust me, that is modest compared to the flat in Paris.”
“I’m not going to think about it,” Diamond said, stepping away from the window. The thought of it was literally making her dizzy.
“Well, I shall give you privacy now. I’m sure that you wish to unpack.”
“Shouldn’t take long. I didn’t bring that much. Then I think I’m going to walk through town,” Diamond said.
“A fine idea. This is the perfect day for it.”
“Emmanuelle, I can’t thank you enough. This is just perfect,” Diamond said, her heart full of gratitude.
“It’s my pleasure, my dear,” Emmanuelle said. She exited through the door and closed it behind her. Silence. Diamond was finally alone in one of the most beautiful places she had ever lived in her life. She collapsed onto the couch and felt it envelope her. Her entire body relaxed. Bliss.
“I travel all the way to France and I still can’t drag my ass off the couch,” Diamond said to herself, willing herself to get up. “Here we go.”
Diamond set to work on the unpacking. She placed all her clothing in the drawers, and hung her sundresses up in the closet. The toiletries were put in the sweet little bathroom, the tiles of which were a pale pink, and lastly she took some framed photos from her suitcase and placed them around the room. The picture of Bernice went by her bed. A fine photo of she and Tanesha getting hammered on her birthday at a Mexican restaurant went in the living room. Lastly, a polaroid of she and her two little nieces went on a side table. Everything was set. Diamond felt instantly at home.
She could hear her phone ring and she wondered who would be calling her. Her friends and family knew that she was traveling, and ain’t nobody want to foot that bill. She walked over to her bag to pick up the phone and see who it could be.
“Damn,” she said under her breath. It was Malik. Diamond knew that she should have changed her phone number, but since she was getting her ass out of town, if Malik called she would just not answer. Unfortunately, what she didn’t anticipate was that just seeing his name pop up on that phone would fill her with dread. She felt that old feeling in the pit of her stomach. She didn’t want that feeling entering into her new life in Veules-les-Roses.
Diamond quickly threw the phone back into her bag and walked towards the window again. The balcony was small, but large enough for one person to stand out there comfortably. She climbed out and felt the warmth of the sun on her face. Her cares quickly melted away again, and off in the distance, she was comforted by the presence of the Laurent estate. How odd that she didn’t even know Baptiste, but already, there was something comforting about his presence.
*******
Waking through Veules-les-Roses was everything that she had hoped it would be and more. There were many tourists in town, because Veules-les-Roses was famous for its untouched beauty and old buildings, but it didn’t feel crowded in the least. The cobblestone streets left ample room for wandering, and Diamond found herself perusing the various shops that inhabited the main drag, which led towards the sea.
There was a delightful little creek that was parallel to the main street of town, and several houses were situated on it. Diamond wondered what it must be like to live on that creek, and listen to the tinkling water throughout the night. Yet still, she couldn’t be any more pleased with the apartment that she had found. Her view of the sea was without question one of the best. She planned to sit at her window for hours on end, just staring at the water.
“Un baguette, s'il vous plaît,” Diamond said to the baker in the Veules-les-Roses boulangerie.
The rotund baker grabbed one from the display and placed it in a paper sleeve. It was perhaps silly of Diamond to choose something so simple in a bakery that was practically brimming with so many different kinds of breads she had never even known existed. But in all honesty, it was the only kind that Diamond could pronounce and so that’s what she would buy. Perhaps for dinner, since there still wasn’t much in her fridge, she would simply dine on bread and cheese. It seemed very French and entirely satisfying. A cool bottle of chardonnay would help it go down.
The baguette was handed to her and Diamond leaned down to smell it. The aroma was warm and yeasty and Diamond was convinced that it was more intoxicating than a spa candle. She closed her eyes and savored the fragrance, and anticipated how much more enjoyable it would be when she was eating it while staring out at the sea.
“It is merely a baguette, but you look as though you’re talking to God in heaven,” a voice said, and Diamond turned and was startled.
“You seem to turn up in the funniest places,” Diamond said, lowering the baguette and placing it in her grocery sack.
“Haven’t I already explained that I seem to be everywhere at all times?” Baptiste Laurent said.
“You weren’t kidding,” Diamond said with a laugh.
“You picked a nice baguette,” Baptiste said, inspecting it. “But it appears that there is not very much in your bag.” Concern came over his face as he looked at her paltry selections.
“Well, there’s been a lot of travel in the past couple days, and I wanted to keep it simple,” Diamond explained.
“Bread, camembert, and tomatoes,” Baptiste said, raising his brow dubiously.
“Can’t you live off bread and cheese?” Diamond asked, thinking that everyone must.
“Non,” Baptiste replied seriously.
“Oh. . .” Diamond said, becoming a tad self-conscious.
“Let me take you out to dinner,” Baptiste said. He signaled to a man in a suit nearby who rushed in to take his orders. “Jean, write a note that I’m to have dinner with. . .?” Baptiste turned to Diamond.
“Diamond. Diamond Wilson,” she said.
“I’m to have dinner with Diamond Wilson tonight. Cafe Jardin, 8pm,” Baptiste dictated.
"Je l’ai,” the man replied.
“Well, that is all settled,” Baptiste said, turning back to Diamond.
“Weren’t you going to ask if I was available?” Diamond asked, thinking it very forward of him to just assume that she wanted to have dinner with him. Even though she seriously did.
“No. Because you already told me that you were having bread and cheese for dinner. That means that you clearly aren’t having company,” Baptiste said with assurance.
“Do you always wear that suit?” Diamond asked playfully.
Baptiste looked down at himself. Yes, he was away from the city and at his country estate, and yet still he couldn’t manage but where his normal costume.
“Would you rather I didn’t?” he asked.
“Maybe, not for dinner. Otherwise, I might feel like your assistant,” Diamond replied.
“Right,” Baptiste said, thinking it over. He looked at Diamond and smiled. That was one minor victory that she had over him. He found it amusing.
“I’ll just meet you there, I suppose,” Diamond said, ready to leave.
“My driver will pick you up,” Baptiste replied.
“That’s totally unnecessary Mr. Laurent, I live within walking distance of town.”
“That means nothing to me. I would rather you be picked up.”
“Well, okay then,” Diamond replied, unsure of what to make of his insistence. “I best be goin’,” she added, making her way to the exit.
“I look forward to it,” Baptiste said. There was a wonderful warmth and tenderness in his eyes, and it brought a chill to Diamond’s skin. She had goosebumps.
“Me too,” she replied and turned towards the door. Her heart was racing, and she was filled with excitement. Had Baptiste Laurent really just asked her to dinner? Damn. She would have to call Tanesha when she got home.
*******
“Girl, it’s seriously your first fucking day!” Tanesha said in her ear.
Diamond was walking around her apartment in a daze, rushing to get ready for dinner. She held the phone tightly to her ear.
“I don’t know what’s going on. It’s like everywhere I go this guy shows up,” Diamond replied, opening the closet and looking at the few dresses that she had brought in her suitcase.
“This is a booty call,” Tanesha said.
“Come on now. Don’t you be judging this guy because you be gettin’ booty calls left and right all day long,” Diamond said humorously.
“Nah, I ain’t got no booty calls today. Wait. . .” Tanesha had to think it over for a minute. “Darnell done call me at 11am this morning, and I just hung up on that fool.”
Diamond laughed. Thank God Tanesha was always lightening things up. She was feeling a bit nervous about the evening ahead and Tanesha was calming those nerves.
“Now, I told you don’t be messin’ with Darnell,” Diamond scolded.
“Girl, did I not just SAY that I hung up on that fool?” Tanesha said.
“I know. But you know that I worry about you. Darnell is no good.”
“Darnell is no good fo sho’, but damn does he know how to put out the FIRE,” Tanesha said. Diamond didn’t have to be there to know that Tanesha was doing her little sexy dance while holding the phone. She broke out into that little dance every time that she talked about business in the bedroom.
“You crackin’ me up now,” Diamond said, grinning from ear to ear.
“So, this guy is paying for all this, right?” Tanesha asked. “That dinner gonna be expensive as fuck.”
“Girl, I don’t care whether or not he be payin’ for it. Didn’t I explain to you that I’m on a mission to blow through my savings?” Diamond said humorously.
“Well, some rich guy be hoverin’ around you, so I think that your savings no longer need to be touched, if you know what I’m saying.”
“He seems like a nice guy. I don’t care that he’s rich,” Diamond said, finally deciding on a blue wrap dress.
“You don’t care he be rich!” Tanesha exclaimed. “And I don’t care that I be broke, either.”
Diamond just laughed. In all honesty, the fact that Baptiste Laurent was loaded with money didn’t mean anything to her. It was intriguing, of course, but far more intriguing than that was the nature of his presence. There was a mystery about him that filled her with anticipation.
“Girl, I gotta go,” Diamond said into the phone.
“You do that. Best be using your cocoa butter tonight on them ashy feet,” Tanesha said lovingly.
“I’m done with you. But I love you,” Diamond said.
“Love you too,” Tanesha replied, and the two friends hung up their phones simultaneously. Diamond looked down at her feet and realized that Tanesha might have been right.
“Damn, ashy-ass feet,” Diamond said, shaking her head. She looked up at the clock and realized that it was already 7:30pm. There wasn’t much time left before the car picked her up, and she hadn’t even shaved her legs yet. She ran to the bathroom and turned on the shower. Diamond went back to the closet and took the blue dress and laid it upon the bed.
The shower didn’t take long, and Diamond managed to shave, exfoliate, moisturize, and apply makeup in 20 minutes flat. She put the blue dress on and inspected herself in the mirror. She turned from side to side, watching herself at every angle.
“Ain’t half bad,” she said to herself, not displeased with what she saw. Diamond heard a honk outside and her heart began to race. She looked up at the clock and realized that the driver had arrived 5 minutes early. She rushed to put some diamond studded earrings in her ears and a simple silver bracelet on her wrist. “Here we go, then,” she said to herself.
Diamond ran to the window and looked down to see a black town car with heavily tinted windows waiting for her. Was Baptiste inside, or would he meet her at the restaurant? Diamond was unsure.
She grabbed her purse and keys, closed the door behind her, and ran down the stairs. In the hall, she was greeted by Emmanuelle.
“You look so beautiful,” Emmanuelle said.
“Oh, thank you,” Diamond replied, out of breath. “I think I might be going on a date!” Emmanuelle’s expression became gleeful.
“I knew that you’d be turning heads the moment that I met you,” Emmanuelle said warmly.
“The only sista in Veules-les-Roses is bound to get some attention,” Diamond responded humorously.
“It has nothing to do with your skin, chéri,” Emmanuelle replied. “You’re a true gem.”
“Thank you,” Diamond replied warmly. “Here I go.”
She ran out the door. Should she have told Emmanuelle that she was going on a date with Baptiste Laurent? It seemed like bragging. No, she’d rather just have it be her little secret.
“Mademoiselle,” the driver said, greeting her outside the door.
“Bonsoir,” Diamond replied.
“Monsieur Laurent is waiting for you at the cafe,” the driver said, opening her door.
“Merci,” Diamond replied, thankful that she would have a few moments alone in the car to compose herself. In the rush to get ready, she hadn’t yet applied even a touch of lipstick.