Chapter Twenty Two
With her heart hammering out a symphony of anxiety in her chest, Poppy took a gulp of her wine, inhaled a long, fortifying breath, and met Fabien’s eyes.
‘I do feel the same way,’ she said, smiling nervously at him as she said it. ‘A Riviera Garden Café sounds like a fabulous idea, and I’m honoured that you would want me to join you in Nice. However, you’re right, we haven’t known each other for long, and it’s just that… well… something happened… in the past…’
‘It’s okay, Poppy,’ said Fabien softly, his eyes full of compassion. ‘I don’t expect you to explain anything,’
‘No, I want to… I need to…’
Poppy swallowed down hard on the upswing of emotion that threatened to overwhelm her. However, when she thought of what had happened to Suzie at the hands of Adam, and how she had found solace – and closure – by sharing her story with Christos and her friends in Santorini, she was able to gather the courage she needed to continue to tell her own story.
‘Just over a year ago, I met someone, someone who set my heart on fire within moments of meeting him. Drew was different; he wasn’t one of my brothers’ friends, or someone I’d met at college, or the gym, or through one of my cousins, which, looking back, was probably part of the attraction. It was the classic first encounter; he accidentally bumped into me, I spilled my drink, he offered to buy me a new one, and from that moment on it seemed as though I was caught up in a whirlwind of happiness.
‘Drew worked as cabin crew, and he was in Sidmouth on a stag weekend for one of his colleagues, so when he asked if he could take me out for dinner that night to apologise for the mishap, I was surprised, but I happily accepted. We went to a quirky Italian restaurant near the seafront and we talked about lots of things, but mainly about all the amazing places Drew had been to since joining the airline. He was gorgeous, full of energy and chatter, and by the end of the night I think I was already in love with him.’
Poppy paused to take a sip of her wine as memories of that heady time came flooding back to her. Even now, after everything that had happened, the time she had spent with Drew seemed to have been filled with joy and sunshine, and a whole host of other wonderful things, like trips to the theatre, dinner at the best restaurants, cosy nights in the back row of the cinema, gifts he’d brought back from layovers in Milan, Madrid, Vienna, Palma, Athens.
‘I couldn’t believe how lucky I was to have met someone that I just clicked with from the start. We couldn’t see each other for regular dates like other couples because of his flying schedule, but that was okay because when he came down to Devon, it meant he could stay for a few days. I couldn’t wait to introduce him to my family and to meet his.
‘He told me that his parents lived in Majorca where they ran an upmarket boutique hotel in the countryside just outside Cala d’Or, and that he loved being able to head over to see them whenever he was on the Gatwick to Palma route. Of course, I asked him when I could meet them, and while he kept assuring me that they would love me as much as he did, no real plans were made for us to get together. It didn’t bother me at first; he was busy, and so was I, and we wanted to spend what little time we had together getting to know each other.’
Poppy stopped for a moment to gather her thoughts before continuing.
‘He was always full of fun when he came down to Sidmouth. He’d bring my mum the most amazing bouquets of flowers, showed an interest in her beloved garden, and even spent some time helping my dad to restore the ancient MG he’s been working on for as long as I can remember. He met my brothers and their wives, came along to a couple of their rugby and tennis matches with me, and I thought everything was fine. The only person who was a little reticent about spending time with us was my brother Jamie, which surprised me, but I put it down to his protectiveness of his younger sister and the fact that Drew was the first guy I’d dated that wasn’t a friend of a friend.
‘When Drew was away, I threw myself into my work, indulging my love of chocolate by creating lots of weird and wonderful recipes in the hope of persuading my boss to expand his repertoire at the bakery. I’d meet up with my friends and their partners, too, but I was always wondering what Drew was doing in Prague or Barcelona or Ibiza or Tenerife, and I couldn’t wait for him to come home so we could be together. I was happy, except after six months of dating I still hadn’t met his parents despite regular promises to take me over to Majorca on one of his company’s flights.’
Poppy hesitated. She had arrived at the part of the story that had been the catalyst to the most devastating revelation of her life, and a sharp stab of pain infiltrated her chest.While she had spoken to her family about what had happened, and a few close friends, she hadn’t told anyone who she had feelings for, and she didn’t know how that would work out.
She chanced a glance at Fabien and was relieved to see his eyes were filled with sympathy as he waited patiently for her to continue, allowing her to take her time without interruptions from him, which gave her the confidence, and the impetus, to carry on.
‘The only person from the original stag night party that I saw again was one of Drew’s cabin crew colleagues, a woman called Martha. Drew and I had gone up to Bath for a day trip, and she was there with a girlfriend, Jess, enjoying afternoon tea at the Pump Room. It was lovely to see her, but when I returned from a visit to the restroom, the vibe had changed, and for some reason Martha and Jess were avoiding my eyes. Almost immediately, Drew stood up and told them we had to leave to catch our train, which wasn’t true because we still had over an hour before we needed to be at the station. Looking back, that should have been my first clue, but by then I was so besotted with him that I couldn’t see what was going on in front of me.’
Tears gathered along her lower lashes, but she brushed them away, determined to keep going.
‘Anyway, the August bank holiday arrived, and Drew told me he couldn’t come down to Devon that weekend because he was heading over to Majorca as it was his parents’ thirtieth wedding anniversary, and they had a party planned at a local restaurant that he was expected to attend. I was upset that he hadn’t invited me – after all, a party would have been the perfect opportunity for me to meet his parents – and when I asked him why, he said it was because he could only spend an hour with them before he had to fly out of Palma to Stuttgart, which of course, I understood, but I was still disappointed.
‘Then Jamie told me that he had a week’s leave to take, and as it was Alicia’s turn to be on call at the vets practice, he suggested we grabbed a couple of cheap flights from Bristol and have a few days in Palma, and while we were over there, we could head to Cala d’Or and surprise Drew and his family with a bottle of Champagne. I thought it was a great idea, and I wanted to tell Drew straight away, but Jamie persuaded me that it would be more fun if we kept it as a surprise. So, off we went.’
Poppy sighed. ‘I loved spending that time with Jamie. I’d never been abroad before, and when we checked into our apartment in Palma, I almost swooned at the view from the window of the marina with all the luxury yachts moored there. We hired a car, did a couple of day trips, then on the day of the party, we set off for Cala d’Or in high spirits, singing at the top of our voices, just as we had when we went on holiday to Cornwall when we were kids.’
A sudden surge of anxiety caused Poppy’s stomach to lurch, and when she opened her mouth to say the next sentence, no words ensued. To her relief, Fabien reached out and took her hand into his, giving it a supportive squeeze.
‘It was awful, truly awful,’ she whispered, taking a quick drink of her wine to give herself a much-needed boost of Dutch courage.
‘What happened?’ Fabien said softly, his eyes gentle.
‘When we got to the restaurant, we found a family enjoying a party, but it wasn’t Drew’s parents celebrating their wedding anniversary as we’d expected… it was Drew celebrating his wedding anniversary.’
Poppy experienced a sudden whip of pain as the image that had been stuck in her head for the last year flashed before her eyes. While the pain receded swiftly, she knew it would take a lot longer for that picture of Drew standing at the centre of his adoring family to fade.
‘Drew was in the middle of giving a speech, and as Jamie and I watched on in horror from behind the fronds of a conveniently placed palm tree at the restaurant’s entrance, he raised his glass of Champagne to thank his beautiful wife for giving him six wonderfully happy years of marriage… and the most amazing family a man could want. When I saw the two little girls dressed in the same peach and white organza dresses as their mother, flowers nestled in their blonde curls, my knees gave way, and if Jamie hadn’t been there to catch me, I would have crumbled to the ground.’
She felt Fabien give her hand another gentle squeeze, which was enough for her to continue.
‘Thankfully, from that moment on, Jamie took charge. He steered me from the restaurant to a tapas bar further down the street where I sobbed and sobbed and sobbed until I had no tears left to cry. Of course, Jamie was appalled, and he wanted to go back to the restaurant to have it out with Drew, but I begged him not to. What Drew had done was outrageous, abhorrent, but he was with his family – his wife looked so happy, and his daughters were probably only four or five years old – and while Drew deserved to be given a few home truths, I couldn’t do that to them.’
A feeling of emptiness suffused Poppy’s chest, but to her relief a certain calmness had taken the place of her earlier anxiety. However, she couldn’t bear to look at Fabien for fear of how he had reacted to the revelation that she had dated a married man for six months – unwittingly, of course, but she was still horrified by what she’d done.
‘What did you do?’ asked Fabien, his voice sounding like it came from far away.
‘I persuaded Jamie that the best thing to do was to catch the next flight home. In a strange twist of fate, when we boarded the aircraft, Martha and her friend Jess – who Drew and I had met in Bath – were our cabin crew for the flight back to Bristol. After what had happened, I put two-and-two together and realised that they knew Drew was married and had said something to him when we’d bumped into them at the Pump Room Restaurant. I was mortified and spent the whole duration of the flight trying to be as inconspicuous as possible, but I knew that Martha had recognised me.
‘Thankfully she was too busy to speak to me, and I couldn’t wait until we landed so I could make a quick getaway. However, when we disembarked, she pressed a note into my hand, asking me to meet her in the arrivals hall after I’d collected my luggage. Jamie wasn’t sure, but I’m glad I did, because what she told me blew my mind, and eradicated any last molecule of affection I might have had left for Drew.’
‘What did she tell you?’
To her surprise, Poppy experienced a sudden uptick of indignation. She finished her glass of wine and Fabien poured her another one before topping up his own. For the first time since she’d started telling her story, she realised the music was still playing in the background, and there was still a faint waft of rosemary lingering in the air. Now that she was almost at the end of her story, she was determined to finish it, whatever the consequences turned out to be.
‘Martha told me that while Drew didn’t exactly have a “girl in every port”, I wasn’t the only person he was cheating on his wife with. Apparently, he was engaged to a woman called Marietta in Pisa, and he had long-term girlfriends in Malaga, Faro and Corfu Town. To say I was gobsmacked was an understatement, and Jamie was barely able to speak he was so furious. Needless to say, I didn’t see Drew again. Martha or Jess must have told him about our visit, and when I tried to call him, his number was unobtainable.’
‘I’m so sorry, Poppy.’
‘Thanks.’ Poppy smiled at the kindness radiating from Fabien’s expression. ‘After that, I tried to get on with my life, but it was hard to pick up the pieces. My parents and brothers rallied around to make sure I was okay, taking me for drinks and meals and trips up the coast. I wanted a completely new start, so Dad helped me to arrange the rental of one of the beach huts in Blossomwood Bay, and I made a huge effort to move on with my life, focussing on one of my dreams to make artisan chocolates.
‘When I refused to start dating again, my family, in their wisdom, staged an intervention of sorts.’ Poppy laughed when she recalled the look of bewilderment on her parents’ face as her brothers spoke of the vagaries of dating apps, and how personal recommendation was the preferred route after what had happened with Drew. ‘They told me that I shouldn’t let what Drew did stop me from meeting my soulmate, and they proceeded to arrange dates for me with “decent” guys they could vouch for. But while we may have had things in common, mainly sports, there was never so much as a spark between us until…’ She raised her head and met Fabien’s eyes. ‘Until I met you.’
Several seconds passed as Fabien continued to hold her gaze, then he leaned forward in his seat until he was mere centimetres away, and Poppy was relieved and delighted to see that what she’d shared hadn’t caused him to throw his arms in the air and run for the hills. She closed the gap between them, and Fabien kissed her softly, before moving back, his dark eyes filled with compassion.
‘I’m sorry that happened to you, Poppy. I can’t begin to imagine how you must have felt when you walked into that restaurant in Majorca and saw Drew with his family. It’s a truly despicable way to live your life and believe me when I say that his actions will backfire one day; maybe not tomorrow, maybe not next month, but he will reap what he has sown, one way or another.’
She smiled. ‘That’s exactly what Jamie said.’
‘Your brother is a wise man.’ Fabien paused, his lips twitching slightly. ‘Did you tell him about our sightseeing tour?’
‘I did.’
Fabien grinned. ‘And?’
‘He was worried, of course, and he urged me to be careful. But since I arrived in Paris, something inside me has changed. I feel different. I feel like the Poppy Phillipson I used to be before Drew tossed a grenade into my life; confident, optimistic, energetic and excited about trying new things, even taking a few calculated risks. You know, I’ve realised that talking about what happened makes it seem less of a nightmare, almost as though it’s something that happened to someone else, and I think I’m ready to get out there and experience what the future has to offer.’
‘Does that include opening a café in Nice?’
She laughed, her spirits edging even higher.
‘I’m not sure about that, but I promise I’ll think about it.’
‘Great.’
This time it was Poppy who leaned forward in her seat, and when she kissed Fabien, her heart soared with the joy of being released from the misery that had enveloped her for far too long. She felt uplifted, freed of the millstone she had dragged along behind her as some kind of penance for the part she had played in Drew’s betrayal of his marriage vows.
It was time to leave her past behind and embrace a new phase in her life, one filled with laughter and hope, and maybe the beginnings of a new relationship where everything was in the open from the outset.