Page 67 of The Riviera House Swap
‘Morning,’ she said. ‘Did you sleep well?’ Her eyebrows raised in mischief. ‘Sweet dreams, I bet?’
Nina smiled. ‘Yes,’ she said. ‘Very well.’
She’d been surprised last night to find that Sabine had waited up for her. She’d found her on the sofa watching TV wrapped in a blanket. When the door had clicked, she’d looked up immediately. ‘You are home!’ she’d said, almost overjoyed. ‘You must tell me everything!’
So Nina had relived the evening that was already a contender for the most romantic of her life. On paper, perhaps it was an ordinary date – a meal followed by a walk on the beach and a kiss. But in her life, it was momentous. Twenty-three years had passed and yet she’d still felt that passionate pull towards Pierre.
Sabine had been thrilled. ‘I knew it!’ she’d said. ‘It is so romantic!’ She’d hugged her and pulled back, her eyes shining. ‘Now I can leave with a smile on my face,’ she’d said.
Sabine had earmarked Friday for the start of her trip – one she planned to take six weeks completing. She would arrive in Vienna by December having taken her time stopping at some of the places she longed to visit. ‘I will go to Genoa, perhaps even further into Italy,’ she’d said when she’d explained her plans. ‘I want to see as many beautiful places as possible – and it is important to go slow, as my van cannot do too many miles at once.’
Nina had listened rather jealously. She’d longed to visit Italy for years and it seemed ludicrous that in all that time, she hadn’t booked a weekend away there. Perhaps once she’d settled either here or back home, she’d save up for city breaks to the places she thought she’d love. It wasn’t as ‘free’ and authentic a trip as Sabine would have, but it would be something.
‘I am starting to pack the van today,’ Sabine said, putting the top back on her pen with a click. ‘I need to clear everything out and start again, I think.’
‘Shall I help you?’
‘I am sure you have better things to do than help me with this dirty van,’ Sabine grinned.
‘Actually,’ she said. ‘I don’t really. And… well, I sort of need to be busy today.’
Sabine nodded. ‘It is hard to wait until your next date, I think?’ she said, looking at Nina from the corner of her eye and smiling.
‘Yes,’ she said. ‘That’s probably it.’
‘Perhaps you should try something else – something new. It will distract you – and like you say – you are here for an adventure, not just for love,’ suggested Sabine. ‘You mentionedrollerblades – Jean-Luc, he has a pair if you would like to borrow.’
‘Maybe later,’ Nina said, imagining the spectacle she’d make of herself rolling along. Then she thought of Pierre’s teacher, how nonchalant she’d looked on her longboard, how unashamed. Was it really ever too late to do something new? And should she be so worried about what she looked like, especially in a town full of strangers? Perhaps she’d give it a go after all.
For some reason, though as she stepped out onto the driveway and began to lay items from Sabine’s camper on the ground as they sorted the possessions she’d need and ones she could do without, Nina couldn’t shake the feeling that something was about to go horribly wrong.
‘You are alright?’ Sabine said, handing her a box of kitchen utensils. ‘You seem a little, sad?’
‘Yes, I’m fine, just thinking,’ she said.
‘But these thoughts, they make your face look troubled,’ Sabine said. ‘I can help, perhaps?’
Nina shook her head. ‘It’s just a work thing. Nothing interesting – I’m just trying to get my mind off it, to be honest.’
Sabine smiled. ‘I understand. I will say no more.’ She mimed zipping her mouth shut. ‘But I will say,’ she added, ‘that if you do need advice, I will try to help. Or Antoine. He is more experienced at work problems.’
‘Thank you.’ Nina sighed, looking at the interior of the van and thinking how cosy it must be to nestle inside it for the night, how nice to be able to meander and stop where you wished – with no one emailing you snotty missives and making you feel at fault. ‘I sort of wish I could swap places, you know,’ she found herself saying.
‘Swap? With me?’
‘Yes. Setting off on an adventure. Being completely free. The… well, the uncertainty of it all – it must be exciting to think you can do whatever you want.’
Nina shrugged. ‘Perhaps. It is not easy sometimes. Money can be a problem. Getting a little work. I suppose, for the most part, you are right. But also, I don’t understand.’
‘Don’t understand what?’
‘Why you say you are not free. You are as free as I am. If you like, you can come with me. I have space,’ she said, gesturing the interior of the van. ‘It is close, but you will find it is not too hard to live in.’
Nina laughed, then stopped when she realised Sabine wasn’t joining in.
‘What is funny?’ her friend said.
‘Sorry, I didn’t realise…’ she said. ‘Oh, Sabine. I’d love to be the sort of person who could do that. But it’s not for me. I just don’t think I could… cope. But maybe I will fly to Vienna, meet you at the markets when you are there.’
