Page 44 of The Riviera House Swap
Nina had spent so many years being afraid of undercooked meat since a bout of food poisoning at a birthday barbecue in her teens – the idea of eating it raw was horrifying. ‘But… why, Idon’t…’ she said. She’d seen steak tartare on a menu before but had had no idea what it actually was. ‘I can’t…’
Then she saw the two of them exchanging an amused glance. Sod it, she thought, forking the meat into her mouth and trying to chew. I’m meant to be taking risks. Plus the last thing she wanted to look was uncultured, unfamiliar with what was probably a perfectly ordinary dish. Just one she hadn’t had the pleasure to try before.
But… no. Moments later, she flagged the waiter down and ordered a safer option.
Risking it all for love was one thing, but chewing raw meat and risking a day on the toilet was quite another.
23
BUMPING INTO PIERRE
Pros:
Maybe he will remember
Maybe he’s single
Happy ever after…?
At least I will know
Cons:
What if he doesn’t remember?
What if he’s not single?
Could be embarrassing
It had taken three days for Nina to work up the courage, find the right outfit and get her confidence in check, but she was finally at the entrance of the brasserie. She’d waited, with a giggling Sabine, outside for a bit – out of sight, close to a shop window – until she was sure Pierre had entered. And now she was here, Sabine at her side, ostentatiously to get a bite to eat, but inreality, to potentially change her life/embarrass herself beyond all measure. It was hard to know which way things would go.
Inside the bistro, there was a quiet murmur of conversation. Several of the tables were already filled with people in various types of attire – those clearly on a lunch break from work, others who might be meeting friends or who were there on holiday dressed in shorts and jeans and sweatshirts. As they entered, a waiter came up to them and nodded when they asked for a table for two. ‘We have just one more,’ he said and it occurred to Nina that they probably should have booked.
Thankfully, the table was in an excellent position – towards the back of the dining area, in a corner, unobtrusive, but with a clear view of all the tables in the restaurant. Nina glanced quickly around and noticed Pierre sitting with a group of five other men, talking earnestly to an older man in a suit on his right. She felt a flutter and for a moment wondered if she might be sick. But it was just nerves, she told herself, nothing else.
When the waiter came to serve, she quickly ordered theplat de jour– turkey with haricot verts – and water for the table. Sabine took a little longer, then settled on some sort of sausage dish. As the waiter nodded at their excellent taste and took their menus, Sabine gave her a nudge. ‘So,’ she said. ‘Are you going to go and talk to him?’
Nina looked over. She was so close – Pierre was just a few metres away, looking just as gorgeous as she remembered. But the last few metres between them were somehow enormous. What was she actually going to do? Walk up and ask him if he was Pierre; explain that she was there on holiday and she’d just happened to recognise him?
‘I will,’ she said, taking a sip of her water. ‘I just… maybe in a minute. He seems busy.’
Sabine nodded. ‘What will you say?’ she said.
‘I thought I’d just… well, introduce myself,’ Nina said.
Sabine shook her head vehemently. ‘No, this will not do!’ she said.
‘What do you mean?’
‘Well,’ she said, wrinkling her nose slightly. ‘It is not very romantic, is it? Just to say, “Oh hello, how are you and do you remember me?”’
‘I’m not sure what you mean?’
‘Just think,’ Sabine said, leaning forward conspiratorially, ‘when you tell your children, your grandchildren about how you meet, do you want to be telling them that you said hello in a restaurant? You need something more memorable.’
‘I do?’
Sabine nodded. ‘Definitely. And you want to get his attention, no? So you need to do something that will stay in his memory too. So when later he thinks about it, he thinks about you. And he wonders… whether perhaps it was fate that brought you together!’
