Page 77 of The Riviera House Swap
‘Yes,’ he said, suddenly relaxing. ‘It is just my watch; it was a little tight.’
‘Oh. OK,’ she smiled.
There was a clink of metal on floor and he bent down hurriedly, almost banging his head. ‘I am sorry,’ he said,emerging. ‘I dropped some money.’ He seemed a little unsettled this evening, not the smiling, relaxed guy she’d been dating recently. Maybe, like her, he was sick of restaurant food. Perhaps he’d had a tough day at work. She needed to remind herself that, unlike her, he was not on holiday. Perhaps meeting her all the time was becoming tiring for him?
‘You seem a bit stressed,’ she told him. ‘Was work OK?’
‘Yes,’ he said. ‘I am sorry. I am a little preoccupied.’
‘With the woman?’
His eyes widened. ‘What woman? What do you mean?’
He really must be scared of this woman, Nina thought. It was a bit crass of her to have just dropped her into the conversation.
‘Don’t worry,’ she said, trying to diffuse the situation. She reached across the table for his hand. ‘I meant your stalker. Sorry. You’re probably trying not to think about her.’
His furrowed brow smoothed. ‘Oh yes,’ he said. ‘Her. Yes, she is a difficulty. But I suppose not really a stalker normally. She saw us and it made her mad, I think. But no, I am not worried about her.’
‘Good,’ she smiled.
He leaned forward, smiling. ‘In fact, I can only think of you,’ he said. ‘And I wonder – there is a beautiful hotel near here. Perhaps we can go there after this… Perhaps to spend some time together?’ He looked at her meaningfully and her heart skipped a beat.
She’d been wondering when he’d ask to come back, or ask her back to his. But this was far more romantic – the idea of spending their first proper night together in a beautiful, neutral setting was simply perfect.
‘Perhaps,’ she said, coyly, and trying to repress the urge to simply shout,YES! What took you so long!?
When they’d filled their plates, they sat opposite each other again. Pierre was still quiet and Nina tried desperately tothink of ways to fill the silence. Their other meals had been concentrated on filling the blanks – talking about their past twenty years and what they’d been up to, or talking about Cagnes-sur-Mer, with Nina asking Pierre about various places and him suggesting she visit this sculpture or that museum or try a walk along the front.
They’d talked very little, she realised, about their shared past, though. She seized on a memory. ‘Hey,’ she said, smiling. ‘Do you remember the disco?’
He looked up. ‘A disco?’ he said.
‘Yes. Oh, not a recent one. I mean the one back when we were at school. How you…’
‘Oh yes,’ he smiled. ‘We danced the night away.’
‘No,’ she said. ‘You know, when you grabbed my hand and we…’ It had been one of the most thrilling nights of her teenage life. To have this boy who she’d fancied and talked to but who she’d assumed she didn’t have a chance with, grab her hand and take her from the dance floor to a quiet spot at the side of the building and kiss her so lovingly, had made her melt.
He looked at her. ‘We…’ he said, encouragingly.
‘You don’t remember?’ she said, surprised. ‘When we ran off and well, you know…’
‘Ah yes,’ he said, his features breaking into a smile. ‘When we kissed for the first time.’
‘No!’ she said, a little sharply. ‘We didn’t. It was more than that… it…’
‘Ah sorry,’ he said. ‘I think it was my expression. Of course I mean when we made love. I remember it very well.’
‘OK,’ she said, feeling a little hurt that the moment that had meant so much to her had seemingly meant so little to him. But then that was a man thing, maybe. Perhaps he’d romanticised other moments and dreamed about those.
‘What’s your best memory from that week?’ she asked him, biting into a spring roll.
‘Ah, there are so many,’ he smiled. ‘It is impossible to choose.’
A sudden, horrible thought gripped her. ‘What about when we went to the zoo,’ she said slowly. ‘You know, when you were allowed to hold the baby monkey?’
‘Ah yes, that monkey. He was a rascal!’ he said, grinning. ‘But what an experience, huh?’
