Author's note: Thank you very much for all the reviews and messages.

Part Three: Saint Raphaël, France – poulation: 34, 115

Chapter Nine: Unplanned Confusion

Jane went to grab a plate then headed towards the buffet. The Serendipity had just left Saint Tropez and would arrive to Saint-Raphaël – a bit further down the coast – within the next hours. She was kind of looking forward to reaching their new destination as she knew that they would go hiking. A brand new activity sounded appealing after days spent in a very aquatic environment.

"You've been very quiet, this morning. Are you sick?" Angela approached her daughter and started filling her plate. She liked a lot the idea of having a luxury buffet on board every day. With thirty people on the boat, it was the best option Battistu had come up with. "I remember you didn't like sailing as a kid. Do you have an upset stomach?"

Jane shook her head at her mother. She cast a brief glance around her to make sure that nobody had a chance to overhear their conversation. Luckily, the guests seemed to be way too busy eating and chatting in the indoor and outdoor lounges.

"Nah, I'm good. I just didn't sleep very well. I... I've got a lot on my mind." Her voice broke. She swallowed hard. "I mean I'm fine. It's okay, it's nothing."

And it was nothing, actually. Yet Jane had obsessed over what Sarah had inadvertenly confessed about Maura and it drove her mad. It was ridiculous. She had spent half of the night thinking about it while Maura was peacefully sleeping by her side. Innocently. Completely unaware of the fact Jane had got to learn a side of her life that she – Maura – had preferred to keep under silence until now.

"What's going on?" Angela's features darkened. She set down her plate by a tray of gambas before squinting worried eyes. "Tell me what's wrong."

Jane felt the urge to speak. The timing wasn't good at all – her interlocutor was not the person she would have hoped for – but the words were dancing on her lips asking for nothing but to finally come out.

"Do you think I'm a good friend? A reliable one...?"

Her self-confidence had been bruised. She didn't mind it if Maura had dated – or even still dated – women. She couldn't care less. However the fact she hadn't let her know bothered Jane a lot. It made her feel bad and uncertain about her very own behavior. Had she done something wrong that Maura hadn't wanted to share such piece of information with her? It was a detail but an important one because it was part of who Maura was.

And she wasn't supposed to hide it from the person she saw as her best friend.

"Did something happen with Maura?" Angela blinked – taken aback by Jane's question – then couldn't help turning her head around to look for Maura. She was sitting at a table with some relatives and seemed to be enjoying a nice talk. Nothing indicated that she might have just argued with Jane. Nothing at all. "Of course you're reliable. You're faithtul, Jane. And I know Maura has no doubt about it. As a matter of fact... You're so much more than just a friend to her. Just as she is for you. Your relationship is unique, and very strong. It's not... It's not a classic friendship at all."

Jane nodded but her mother's words actually added confusion to her current state of mind. What was she trying to tell her? They were friends – very close friends, yes – but it didn't go any further than that. Or at least she didn't think it did.

"Yeah I... I know that...?"

Needless to say that her lack of certainty showed in her reply. It still seemed to reassure Angela who grabbed Jane's hand in a supportive gesture. The smile that played on her lips turned out to be among the sweetest ones.

"You're on vacation, Jane. Stop overthinking and let... You know, go with the flow. Enjoy the time being because it doesn't last, actually. Enjoy what life has to offer you right now. Be a little selfish for once, don't pay attention to what others might say. Be yourself, trust your heart."

Angela grabbed back her plate then walked towards Korsak and Maura's parents who had chosen to sit down at a table in the shadows, outside on the deck. Jane remained still, confused at her best.

Had her mother had too much rosé?

...

"There will be DJ Snake. C'mon, Maura. You have to come with us."

Margaret pouted and tried to give her cousin her best puppy eyes impersonation ever. They had just made it to Saint-Raphaël and there was no way the young woman would miss one of the best summer nights ever of the coast.

"I don't know... I'm not much in electro music, actually. Besides, Jane doesn't like dancing."

Maura choked on her iced-coffee. Why on Earth had she mentioned Jane? They weren't glued. Of course in her head it was clear that she wanted to spend as much time as she could with her friend but a bit of subtlety wouldn't kill. She didn't have to sound so desperate.

The smirk that appeared on Margaret's lips resulted enough for Maura to understand that she had talked way too much. She grabbed her large coffee mug and took a long sip, drowning herself in the very awkward silence of the deck.

"You like her a lot, don't you?" It was a pure rhetorical question. Margaret laughed lightly – warmly – then shook her head. "I'm sorry but it's so clear... The way you look at her... It doesn't take long to understand that she's not just a friend to you."

"That doesn't change the fact she doesn't like dancing. She's not a night-club kind of person. Forget it. It's... No. She won't come."

Why fighting for a lie anyway? Maura was emotionally too tired for it. She trusted Margaret. Her cousin had guessed everything and so what? The world wouldn't stop turning. It hadn't when her mother had got to know about her so-called secret. Nope. Although the aforesaid world had become way more complicated. And stressing.

"Tell her it's on a private beach... With a nice bar and awesome couches." Margaret ran her tongue over her lips then adjusted her sunglasses. "Besides, it's full moon tonight. Wouldn't it be romantic for you to watch it with her while the moonlight embraces the Mediterranean Sea?"

Maura didn't reply right away. Margaret had a point, a very good one actually. But how would she manage to convince Jane to come with them to the beach party? Unless she simply didn't tell her. It was a very coward option but effective enough. She simply had to let Jane think that they would go to some restaurant in Saint-Raphaël and – before Jane had a chance to realize what was happening – they were both enjoying the moonlight on the beach.

"You're evil, Maggie." Of course Maura didn't think what she had just said. She was joking. "What is Thomas going to say about you attending this party without him?"

"He's in Ibiza, Maura. So I don't think he has anything to tell me about my Saint-Raph' plans." The young woman grabbed her sunscreen spray bottle and began to apply some. Sunbathing on the upper deck was a nice idea but it was a very sunny and hot day. Way too much for her red-haired skin. "So tell me more about Jane now. Where is she, by the way? You won't get anything from her if you don't spend more time with her. Elementary knowledge, my dear cousin."

Maura rolled her eyes but didn't complain. There was something actually relieving in the possibility she now had to talk about her feelings – openly – with someone else than her mother. Constance hadn't been too intrusive today. After the mini-disaster in Saint-Tropez, she seemed to have adopted a low profile. Maura had never felt so relieved.

"Beach volley with the guys. She loves sports and has the competitive spirit that comes within the whole thing."

Maura was about to add something when the sound of a guitar stopped her. It came from the lowest deck. Her curiosity piqued, she stood up then walked on her tip toes to the banister where she leaned over to see who was playing. Battistu had sat in the shadows – two floors down – and hummed along whatever song he was playing.

The scene was rather unexpected and Maura regretted Jane's absence. They nicely made fun of the Corsican man. Battistu didn't talk much and he always looked serious, not very friendly. The fact he played the guitar added an unexpected touch to the mystery that surrounded him.

Nobody had managed to know whether he was married.

Amused, Maura rushed back to her deckchair. She grabbed her cell phone then hurried to the best spot by the banister that would allow her to have a wide angle. She took a picture and proceeded to send it to Jane.

"Don't take it badly but I guess we all understood that Jane had a competitive spirit the evening we played Trivial Pursuit. I'm actually rather eager to see her tomorrow night when we play Pictionary. Unless it's Monopoly?" Margaret squinted her eyes. "No, it has to be Pictionary. Monopoly is too vulgar for the Isles."

Maura laughed out loud. Margaret was right. If there was one social boardgame that she hadn't been allowed to own as a child, it had to be the Monopoly. Playing with money – as ficticious as it could be – was not really well perceived in her family.

"It should be memorable, indeed."

Margaret tied her hair up in a bun before lying down on her deckchair. She closed her eyes and let a delicate smile light up her features. Unless it was a smirk? Maura frowned. Of course it was a smirk. She knew her cousin way too well.

"Perfect, Maura. I'm looking forward to it... If the two of you ever come back from your full moon romantic date tonight, that is."