Chapter 20
‘Not at all, Fliss. Maxine’s very geniale.’ J-F was all excuses, overly friendly. ‘It’s nice to see you again, Max. Yes – it was kind of you to let me sleep on the couch that one night.’
‘Oh, any time,’ Maxine said and wished she hadn’t.
‘Good. That’s… good… to know.’ J-F turned to the rest of the group, smiling too widely. Maxine knew how he felt. She hoped their mutual embarrassment wasn’t completely obvious.
Who was she kidding?
‘It’s good to see you – all.’ J-F tried again. ‘Well, I have the canoes ready. You are going bi-place, yes?’
‘In twos,’ Shirl translated. She took Joel’s hand. ‘Yes – we owe you and Théo a beating, Fliss.’ She laughed. ‘Watch out for Fliss and Théo – they’re so competitive.’
‘Right.’ Maxine looked around awkwardly, realising there was only one person left for her to sit in the canoe with. Things were becoming even more embarrassing.
‘Have you done much canoeing before?’ Manu asked kindly. Maxine shook her head.
‘No, I’m a total novice.’
‘You’ll soon pick it up,’ Shirl said. ‘Manu’s a good teacher.’
‘Oh, you’ll enjoy being cosied up with Manu,’ Fliss said. ‘Who wouldn’t, darling?’
Maxine looked from Manu to J-F, who was scowling. It felt as though everyone knew that she’d slept with him and it was just as obvious that she’d thought Manu was a ten out of ten. Her face was giving all her emotions away. She wished the ground would swallow her up.
J-F said, ‘You’ll need to put a casquette on. And a life jacket.’
‘Oh, those things are so grotesque,’ Fliss grumbled and Théo pressed her arm playfully.
‘But when you fell in the river, you were glad to be wearing it.’
‘I recall you falling in the river with me, Théo,’ Fliss teased, ‘and you weren’t at all heroic. You didn’t save me or my shoes.’
‘You have plenty more shoes,’ Théo joked. ‘And you saved yourself.’
‘Let’s get this race under way.’ Shirl was buttoning up a life jacket. ‘We’re feeling lucky today.’
‘Shirl and Fliss have become very skilled,’ Manu explained. He helped Maxine with her life jacket and helmet. ‘We’ll have to work hard to beat them.’
‘But afterwards, we come back to Le Shack for lunch,’ Joel explained, squashing his helmet over his hair. ‘Shirl and I have been working on a new recipe. There’s something I want you all to try.’
‘We could invite J-F,’ Théo said. ‘I think he closes up here at twelve.’
‘I’ll ask him.’ Fliss met Maxine’s eyes and gave a complicit wink that no one else saw.
J-F turned from unfastening the canoes. He hadn’t heard. ‘Are you all ready?’ He held out a hand to Maxine. ‘You’re the beginner. I’ll help you to climb in.’
Maxine took his hand and tottered into the canoe, sitting down gingerly as the boat tipped to one side, then the other. ‘Thank you,’ she said in a strangled voice as Manu clambered adeptly behind her.
‘You’ll be quite safe.’ Manu leaned forward. ‘I’ll steer and match your stroke and we’ll be fine.’
‘Thank you,’ Maxine said again as J-F handed her a paddle.
She gazed at him for some indication of how he was feeling, but he’d recovered his composure and was being professionally detached.
Maxine asked herself how she felt. Was she disappointed, or embarrassed, or happy that she was about to set off into the water with Manu? She had no idea.
Manu dipped his paddle and the canoe began to glide across the river.
Fliss and Théo had already set off and Joel was sitting comfortably behind Shirl, cracking a joke in French.
J-F waved a hand and slunk away towards the outbuilding – Maxine thought he didn’t look very happy.
But at least the embarrassment was past. She gave a sigh of relief and gazed out into the distance, where the river coiled towards the first bridge.
Maxine rowed clumsily, digging the paddle into the water as if she were shifting soil – in a wobbly boat.
Manu explained patiently. ‘You move forward and backward. Reach, catch, pull. Twist your body – no, like this – may I help?’ Manu’s arm circled her waist; with gentle pressure, he guided her movements.
‘That’s much better. Now you have it well. ’
Maxine was doing her best. The casquette was cumbersome and heavy and her hair stuck out; with the life jacket on, she thought she must look like a stuffed scarecrow. A feeling of awkwardness filled her.
Manu seemed to be enjoying the workout. ‘I think we make good canoeists.’
‘I’m improving.’ Maxine was still feeling slightly uncomfortable about meeting J-F: Fliss had guessed they’d slept together.
Or perhaps Maxine was reading too much into things.
She heard a high peal of laughter and glanced further up the river.
Fliss and Théo were forging ahead in perfect synchronisation.
Maxine decided she’d just concentrate on enjoying Manu’s company.
Make conversation. Make friends. After all, they hardly knew each other and it might be a sensible place to start.
Shirl and Joel were in the distance now, their canoe skating smoothly on the surface.
‘You’ve been doing this for a long time,’ Maxine said. ‘Canoeing, I mean.’
‘Théo and I spent ages on the river as boys – we loved to fish, to swim.’
‘I’m sure.’ Maxine imagined him swimming. She couldn’t help seeing herself swimming in the sea next to him.
She was furious with herself. That wasn’t who she was. She certainly wasn’t giddy and impressionable. She concentrated on rowing and tried again. ‘Do you swim much?’
‘Yes, when I can, now I’m back in Brittany. When I was in Paris, it was all work.’
‘Oh, I forgot. You had a business there.’
‘I did. It was called Cool Calecon.’
‘Calecon? Was it a pastry shop?’
‘No,’ Manu laughed. ‘Calecons are boxer shorts. That was how I met Fliss. She sold lingerie and I sold underpants.’
Maxine imagined Manu in cool calecons. Black ones.
Stop! Being in France was making her behave in this ridiculous fashion. Perhaps it was Fliss’s influence? Or Béa’s? She needed to get a grip. She concentrated on pushing the paddle into the water, making small movements, watching the ripples expand.
‘Fliss is nice,’ Maxine said.
‘She has a good heart,’ Manu agreed. ‘For a time in Paris we were lovers, but now we’re friends. It’s much better that way.’
Maxine thought about his words and wondered if he was implying that he didn’t want a relationship with anyone. No, he was simply talking about Fliss.
‘Were you married, Manu? Do you have children?’
‘I have a daughter who lives in the south, who’s grown up. My wife and I drifted apart and now she’s married again. We’re good friends – it wasn’t always that way.’ Manu waved his paddle expertly. ‘And you? You’re enjoying your holiday?’
‘Yes.’ Maxine wasn’t sure how much more she wanted to tell him. ‘Brittany’s lovely. And I’ve met such nice people.’ She thought he might think she was flirting. Concentrating on moving the paddle, she added, ‘Fliss – and Shirl and her daughter and – your family.’
‘And J-F too, I think?’ Manu said quietly.
‘Yes, he – came round to the cottage, when I first arrived.’ Maxine heard herself babbling.
‘I’ve known him many years.’ Manu was propelling the canoe forwards strongly. ‘He’s a good person but he’s had to live with tragedy.’
‘Oh?’ Maxine wondered if he’d say more. There was silence, just the slapping of water against the boat.
‘You too?’ Manu asked kindly. ‘You lost someone special?’
‘I did.’
‘You’re a widow?’
‘No, I—’ Maxine turned sharply to see Manu’s expression, to meet his eyes. The canoe rocked beneath her and she caught her breath as Manu placed a hand over hers.
‘Don’t worry – the canoe won’t flip over.’
‘Fliss told me she fell in the first time.’ Maxine tried a laugh.
‘I remember her standing up in her high-heeled shoes, shouting at everyone.’ Manu grinned. ‘Fliss likes to rock the boat – literally.’ His gaze was level. ‘Tell me – are you enjoying the canoeing?’
‘I am,’ Maxine answered honestly.
‘Good. Then I think we’re ready to challenge Théo and Fliss to a race. I’m sure we can win.’
‘Really?’
Manu’s eyes twinkled. ‘Why not?’
‘But Théo and Fliss are so competitive.’
‘They are, but Fliss will give him orders and Théo won’t do as he’s told. They won’t row in harmony, whereas you and I—’
‘I’m a novice,’ Maxine blurted.
‘But we can make it work.’
‘Oh, all right.’ Maxine laughed nervously.
‘Let’s try,’ Manu said calmly. ‘We’ll see what happens.’ He pointed towards Théo and Fliss, who were paddling towards them. ‘A little healthy competition’s a good thing, yes?’
‘Yes, totally.’ Maxine grabbed the paddle, leaning forward. She was ready to focus on the race, to throw herself into the challenge. The initial awkwardness with Manu was gone. She’d had a moment’s weakness. But now she’d found her old self. She wanted to beat Fliss and Théo at the race.
Three canoes were lined up in the water, the occupants sizing up their opponents.
J-F was standing on the riverbank, ready to start the race.
‘I’ll give the starting orders. You go as far as the first bridge, then you turn round and come back.
I’ll judge who is the winner.’ J-F’s hands were in his pockets; he looked so much more relaxed.
Fliss had her game face on, leaning forward, glaring ahead towards the bridge, Théo behind her, the paddle clutched in his hands. Shirl glanced over her shoulder at Joel, who said, ‘I make food. I’m no oarsman. The only boat I know how to handle is a gravy boat.’
Shirl wasn’t put off. ‘You’ll be fine. When I was a child, my mother used to say, “We should run the boat.” It meant everyone in the neighbourhood cooking together.’
‘So we’ll run the boat, then we’ll go back to Le Shack and run the boat?’ Joel said, confused.
‘Exactly,’ Shirl agreed. ‘Let’s get this race over. I’m hungry.’
‘Théo and I are hungry for victory,’ Fliss declared loudly.
Manu put a hand on Maxine’s shoulder. ‘So – just reach, catch, pull. Twist your body. I’m here, behind you.’
Maxine nodded nervously. Then J-F raised a hand in the air.
‘A vos marques, prêts, partez.’
They were off, paddles deep in the water, canoes surging forward. Théo and Fliss were momentarily in the lead, Maxine and Manu lagging behind. Shirl, her face determined, shouted something to Joel and they shot forward, arms moving in harmony.
Maxine’s muscles burned with the effort; she repeated Manu’s words in her head, creating a rhythm: Reach, catch, pull.
Reach, catch, pull. Competitiveness had taken over – she’d forgotten she could feel that way.
Now she was filled with the desire to row until it hurt. She was determined to do well.
They reached the bridge and Manu was calling out instructions, how to turn the canoe around.
Maxine did as she was told, then she realised Fliss and Théo were next to them, an arm’s length away.
Fliss shouted something out in jest and tried to push their canoe with her paddle.
She was laughing, pretending to aim the paddle at Manu, who was trying furiously to get away from her.
Théo said, ‘If Fliss can’t win by skill, she’ll cheat.’ He watched in horror as Fliss stood up, their canoe wobbling from side to side, and he shouted, ‘Sit down, you crazy woman.’
‘I demand a restart. You’re too slow, Théo.’ Fliss put her hands on her hips. ‘Right. I’m changing partners. I’ll get in with you, Max. Manu – you get in with Théo and we’ll finish the race, men against women.’
‘Now’s not the time to change canoes,’ Théo said warningly.
Fliss wasn’t listening. ‘I want to swap.’
Maxine glanced down the river; Shirl and Joel were a long way ahead, almost level with J-F.
‘Girls against boys – are you afraid, Théo?’
‘Of course not. Sit down. You’re rocking the boat again.’ Théo was joking but there was anxiety in his tone.
‘You’re afraid we’ll beat you. Max, I’ve been watching you row. You’re good. Let’s give these boys a good thrashing. I’ll clamber in. Manu, can you take my place here, darling?’
‘Sit down, please,’ Théo said warningly, but it was too late. The canoe tipped to one side and Fliss lost her balance. Time seemed to slow down as she tottered for a moment and then she screamed and fell into the water with a loud splash.
‘At least she has sensible shoes on this time,’ Théo said dryly.
Fliss emerged from the river, hair dripping, squealing in delight and horror. She was enjoying being in the spotlight.
‘Be careful,’ Manu warned Théo, who was already holding out a hand, trying to tug Fliss into the canoe.
Fliss pulled hard on his arm, launching herself desperately onto the side of the canoe, making it tip over, plunging Théo into the river head first. He bobbed up next to Fliss, spitting water, and said, ‘Putain de merde.’
The two swimmers glared at each other. Then Fliss burst out laughing, Théo too, and, somehow, they managed to drag themselves back into their canoe.
They sat hunched, dripping, wiping water from their eyes as Théo said, ‘Joel and Shirl have won again.’
Manu turned to Maxine. ‘And we’ve all taken the lanterne rouge.’
‘The last place,’ Maxine agreed. ‘Are you all right, Fliss?’
‘Oh, I’m fine, darling. In life and canoe racing, one has to expect snags.’ She lifted a wet leg. ‘At least I’m dressed for it nowadays. I don’t know where we’d be without these disgusting jackets.’
‘We’d be sunk,’ Théo said, shaking his head.
‘But it certainly works up an appetite. Let’s have lunch. What do you say, Max?’ Fliss raised an eyebrow.
‘Definitely.’ Maxine looked at each shining face and felt happy. This was what she needed, the smiles and the camaraderie.
Camaraderie. A French word. Meaning true friendship.
Fliss pushed back her hair and said, ‘I must look a mess. Still, it’s nothing wine won’t fix.’
‘That’s not sweat on your brow, it’s glitter – from the shoes you lost last time,’ Théo said and Fliss punched him playfully on the shoulder.
‘Can we have a rematch?’ Maxine asked, and she meant it.
‘Can I dry out first?’ Théo countered.
Manu seemed to notice her smile. ‘Have you enjoyed today, Max?’ he asked as he lifted the paddle and they struck back towards where J-F, Shirl and Joel were waiting on the bank.
‘It’s been wonderful,’ Maxine said.
It had been the best day so far. Being among nice people meant that all her problems, all difficult relationships and tough decisions had disappeared. They’d melted away. They were unimportant.
What did any of it matter? It didn’t. She was living in the moment.