Escape to the French Riviera

Chapter Twenty

Our fingers are intertwined as though we never want to let go of each other, as we walk downstairs to the table that Elias has booked for dinner. We pass a big wine cellar as we find our table on the terrace outside. It is a good job we are not into fancy wines, as I would imagine some serious damage could be done with this selection.

We sit at the table we have been given, which looks directly onto the sea and the coastline below. I sit tight against the elegant black metal railings. It’s so close to the drop below that if this railing gave way, I would be straight over the edge.

‘I really can’t get over this place, Elias. What a hidden treasure.’

‘It’s beautiful, isn’t it? I always fancied staying here, but since having the money to come, I haven’t had the company. It’s not the same coming somewhere like this on your own.’

I hold my glass up to his and say cheers. ‘To the meeting of two strangers.’

‘Maybe it was meant to be,’ says Elias.

‘Well, I certainly never expected we’d end up like this when I met you at the supermarket, that’s for sure. This was supposed to be a men-free holiday.’

‘Well, I’m glad I managed to change your mind on that one, Lucy.’

I have goosebumps as I look at Elias and our surroundings. I don’t know if it is the emotions of being somewhere so beguiling or the slight chill in the air from being above sea level, but I wrap my pashmina around me that little bit tighter.

When the food arrives, it warms me up. The crab ravioli is to die for, and when dessert comes around, Elias’s eyes light up at the waiter’s suggestion of rice pudding.

‘I bet it won’t be as good as my mum’s,’ says Elias.

‘Was she a good cook?’

‘Oh, she was the best. I’d come home from school, and she’d always have something piping hot from the oven. She enjoyed her cooking, did my mum.’

‘Yeah, my mother used to be a good cook. I hate to admit, but I definitely didn’t follow in her footsteps. She used to try and show me stuff, but I was too young to be interested in cooking, really. I was more bothered about going out clubbing.’

I think of Poppy and Jasmine, who I am starting to miss. Maybe that’s why I am so protective of them on their nights out. I still remember what Soraya, Carol and I used to get up to.

‘So, were you a wild party boy when you were younger then?’

‘No. Met Jane in school. We got engaged at eighteen. I took her out on her first date when she was fourteen. Only to an amusement arcade, mind you.’

‘That’s so sweet.’

‘How about you? I can see someone annoys you on the phone from time to time. Your ex-husband, I’m guessing?’

Despite all our discussions, I have tried to keep Michael out of our conversations until now.

‘Ha. Yeah. He’s always annoying me. So Michael… Or Mickey, as he prefers to be known nowadays… wasn’t a bad husband. I loved him. Met him when I worked in a retail store in town. He used to come in every Saturday looking for something to wear out on the town. He kept asking me for advice and then buying whatever I suggested. The girls in work always teased me that he fancied me. Eventually, I realised they were right when he asked me out one Saturday. I agreed, we went on a date to the cinema, some cheesy film, which I’m ashamed to admit I don’t even remember now, and then we just hung around all the time. Then one day we realised we’d been dating for two years, and so we got engaged, married, had the girls and then… Well, he decided he wasn’t getting any younger and, let’s say, wanted to experience new things. Anyway, it’s beautiful here, and that’s enough about him.’

‘Of course. I’m sorry to hear about what happened, though.’

‘It’s worse for you, losing the love of your life like that. I suppose Michael and I just plodded along. We fell into it all. It sounds like you and Jane knew from the start what you both wanted.’

‘Yeah, we did. But sometimes you just do.’

I look away as Elias smiles at me. I gaze down at the flickering candle, anywhere but his eyes, which seem so sincere. It is all getting so intense.

‘And now we crossed paths. If Michael hadn’t had his midlife crisis, I wouldn’t be sat here. I’d be watching TV back home in my dressing gown most probably.’

We both laugh as the waiter turns up with our bowls of rice pudding. They are a lot fancier than anything a normal mum would make, with the side of the dish decorated with pretty little lavender violas.

I take a spoonful of my creamy rice pudding. It has a tang that I can’t quite place, but I expect it is a melange of so many different ingredients.

‘What’s the verdict then? How does it compare with your mum’s?’

Elias looks around, leans in and whispers closely, ‘It’s nice. But not a patch on my mum’s and a damn sight more expensive too.’ Then he laughs and makes a face and we both start to get the giggles. The other diners, enjoying the candlelit romance of our surroundings, look at us in disgust as Elias’s loud laugh reverberates throughout the terrace. It makes us laugh harder and louder until we can’t stop, and I begin to realise that as fabulous as this place is, we probably don’t fit in with the rest of the guests, who seem to think we are a bit beneath them.

‘Old money,’ winks Elias.

We manage to stop laughing before we get told off and finish the evening with a nightcap at the bar where Elias tells me about his heart attack.

‘I have to confess, when we stayed on the boat, I was so worried about my scar. You’re the first person to have seen it and the only woman since…’

‘It doesn’t bother me at all, Elias. I hope you realise that things like that mean nothing at all to me. I’m just glad the op saved your life and you’re here with me now and okay.’

‘That means a lot. My confidence took a bit of a hit after it. Of course, first of all I was paranoid about having another heart attack. But I was never in bad shape doing the window cleaning round, you know? It kept me fit, and suddenly, I realised I wasn’t as fit as my body looked on the outside. Maybe it was the stress of the business side. Chasing payments and all that.’

‘It’s hard as we get older with health scares. You just have to try and do everything in moderation and look after yourself.’

‘Yes, indeed. Time is limited. So, what do you want for the future?’

‘A best-selling book? My friends seem to think I can do it! I guess that’s every writer’s dream, though.’ I laugh to hide my embarrassment in case it sounds pretentious. ‘Of course, that’s probably never going to happen, and that’s absolutely fine. I don’t know that I’d even want that level of success. What do I really want though? I suppose to be healthy, live a quiet life and write. Like, can you imagine being in one of those villas we saw and going out onto your balcony with your laptop and just sitting there writing?’

‘That sounds pretty good to me.’

‘Definitely. So, what do you wish for, Elias?’

‘Now that’s a good question. I guess someone to share things with. Someone to take out for dinner. To share interests with and to wake up with every morning. Isn’t that what everyone wants?’

‘Yeah, unless you’re completely introverted and prefer your own company.’

‘Well, I can definitely see that could be appealing for some folk – no arguments over who’s having which side of the bed or pulling the duvet off in the night.’

‘Exactly.’

‘You know, I’d let you have my duvet. Even if I had to shiver all night. You could have it,’ says Elias.

‘Such a gentleman.’

Elias gives me that intense look again, and I realise that I might be ready for a relationship in my life, after all. That’s something I never considered when my trust was shattered after finding out about Michael’s two-year affair. I didn’t think I would trust anyone ever again. But as I look into Elias’s clear blue eyes, I begin to wonder if I could trust this man.

But then I remember how all of this started and how it was based on a lie. What if Elias has other secrets, or skeletons in the cupboard? What if it’s best I have fun on holiday and then end it all when I step on that plane? It certainly might save a lot of heartache down the line. Besides, we live nowhere near each other, and this is just a holiday romance.