Page 14 of The Riviera House Swap
Nina found a couple of bios of Pierre’s through another link, but nothing referred to any sort of love or family life. All strictly business. Did this mean he was single? Available? Or just private?
Then she laughed inwardly and closed the page. What was she suggesting? That she’d track down a crush twenty-three years too late and see if he was still interested? Even Tinder seemed a more viable and less desperate solution to her love-life woes.
She settled to listen to the rest of the unnecessary meeting before closing the laptop and making her way back upstairs. Once there, she tucked the shoebox into the spare room wardrobe and closed the door.
Noticing, when she did, Pierre’s letter still on the bed, she slipped it into a beside drawer out of sight, turned out the light and returned to her kitchen office.
8
‘So,’ said Bess in a rather too-loud voice, head between her legs and gazing at Nina from an unflattering angle at their weekly yoga class that evening. ‘You’ve actually tracked down the one who got away?’
‘Shh,’ someone at the front of the class hissed.
‘And now, descend into child’s pose, then stretch forward, turn your toes and bring yourself into downward dog,’ the teacher continued in her soft, hypnotic tones.
‘Yes,’ croaked Nina as softly as possible, feeling her thighs roar with protest at the stretch. ‘He still lives in Cagnes-sur-Mer, as far as I can tell. Or nearby.’
‘Near Nice?’
‘Yeah, you know, same place we went to on French exchange.’
Bess had been a witness to Nina’s first crush, but at the time had been too concerned with her own pen pal and all the fun she was having to realise what an impact Pierre had had on her friend – plus she’d been none-too-happy that Nina had dropped her in his favour during the week they’d spent in France. But now, happily married and old enough to be nostalgic about pastmisdemeanours, she grinned – her face red in her upside-down position.
‘So he hasn’t moved far from home then?’
‘And step or jump forward into forward-fold.’
With a grunt, Nina managed to bring her reluctant legs forward and, doubled-over, looked at her friend. ‘Seems not,’ she said, hoarsely.
‘That’s amazing,’ said Bess. ‘God, I hope nobody from that era is stalking me on the internet!’
‘And slowly, carefully roll yourself up into standing…’
‘Bess, it isnotstalking. I was just curious. I mean, he meant something to me back then.’
‘Arms over your heads and down into prayer pose…’
‘Nina,’ said Bess out of the corner of her mouth. ‘Robbie Williams meant something to you back then.’
‘Well yes, but…’
‘Plus, you were fantasy-cheating on him with Brad Pitt,’ she said, raising an eyebrow.
‘Shh!’ this time a woman to their left frowned at them.
‘Sorry,’ Bess whispered, then turned back to Nina with an unrepentant grin. ‘I’m not saying it wasn’t cute. Apart from the fact it meant I was on my tod for half of the trips out.’
‘You were not! You and your pen pal were tight as anything! It was me who was practically left to her own devices,’ she countered.
‘Oh, I forgive you. I think twenty years plus is time to put these things aside, don’t you?’ Bess said.
‘Sounds about right.’ She grinned.
‘And up again into downward dog, making sure you keep your back flat, stretch out those hamstrings…’
‘I couldn’t help thinking, looking at him, you know. What if?’ Nina said. ‘I mean, you were telling me,’ she jumped forward as instructed into forward fold, ‘you were saying I never take risks,that I don’t believe in fate. But this could have been my fate, Bess! What if I’d been braver, taken a chance back then? I could be happily married. Be living on the French Riviera, for God’s sake. Maybe even have a kid or two.’
Bess shook her head – quite a feat from her upside-down position. ‘Don’t be daft,’ she said. ‘That’s not the sort of risk we meant. You had a good thing with Rory. People split up. It doesn’t mean the whole of your marriage was a mistake.’
