Everything Love Is

Book excerpt: A poignant, mysterious, and unforgettable story of love, and of the happy endings we conceive for ourselves. Baptiste Molino has devoted his life to other people's happiness. Moored on his beloved houseboat on the edge of Toulouse, he helps his clients navigate the waters of contentment, whilst remaining careful never to make waves of his own. Unlike those who come to him for help, Baptiste is more concerned with his past than his future: particularly the mysterious circumstances of his birth and the identity of his birth mother whose only legacy to her orphaned son was a violin, a wooden statuette, and a word inked into the skin of her arm. But Sophie, the young waitress in his local bar, believes it is time for Baptiste to raise his aspirations and rediscover passion . . . and she thinks she can help. She talks of striving for something more and leads him into the world on his doorstep he has long tried to avoid. However it is Baptiste's new client who may end up being the one to change his perspective. Elegant and enigmatic, Amandine Rousseau is fast becoming a puzzle he longs to solve. As winter approaches and tensions rise on the streets of the city, Baptiste's determination to avoid both the highs and lows of love begins to waver. And when his mother's legacy finally reveals itself he finds himself torn between pursuing his own happiness and safeguarding that of the one he loves.