Chapter 3
Mel left soon after Sunday lunch the next day.
She was conscious that her presence had disrupted Ginny and Brian’s normal weekend routine and wanted to leave them with at least a few hours of family time.
She remembered how precious those hours had been with Justin when he’d outgrown the angsty early teenage years and had become good company.
Once home, she unpacked her weekend case, laughing out loud when she found a slim booklet nestling between her clothes. A Guide to the Delights of Antibes. Honestly, her sister was like a mosquito biting away on a tasty arm or leg when she got an idea fixed in her mind.
Mel took the booklet downstairs with her, idly flicking through its pages full of colour photographs as she drank a mug of tea.
Antibes, with its ancient ramparts, large marina, beaches, cafés and bright blue skies, looked beautiful.
It would be a wonderful place to go for a holiday in the future.
When Geoff returned in a year’s time maybe they could go together.
But you could go on your own now, flashed into her mind. Have more than a holiday. Live like a local for three months. Geoff is out there somewhere in Europe ‘finding himself’ leaving you stuck deep in the abyss he’s created.
Mel closed her eyes, took a deep breath and let it out in a long slow sigh before opening her eyes just as a text from Geoff pinged into her phone.
She stared at the truncated first line of the message showing in the display panel – ‘Need you to do some…’ – for several moments, debating whether to open or ignore it, before placing the mobile on the kitchen table and walking away from it.
Later would be soon enough to find out what Geoff needed.
* * *
Mel was curled up in bed happily reading when her phone rang that evening at nine o’clock and she picked it up expecting it to be Ginny. She’d barely muttered a happy ‘Hi,’ before she heard his cross voice and registered who it was. Geoff.
‘Too busy to read my text message and ring me?’
A fleeting sense of guilt almost made Mel apologise, but she stopped herself in time. ‘Something like that. What do you want anyway?’
‘Someone on the Metro nicked my passport this morning, so I need you to email me a copy of the last page details I always keep. It’s all in the file marked personal, in case you’ve forgotten where I keep things like that.’
‘No, I hadn’t forgotten.’
‘Do it now, then I’ll be able to go bright and early to the British Embassy in Paris and get the ball rolling for a replacement. I don’t want to be stuck here for too long, as nice as Paris is.’
‘OK. Bye.’ And Mel ended the call, furious. He’d buggered off on what was really a year’s jolly expecting her to just accept his behaviour and still be at his beck and call.
Mel sat for several moments deep in thought.
Owning her own company, Melissa’s Costume Restoration, meant that she could accept as much work as she wanted without becoming overwhelmed.
Over the years her reputation had grown and she knew she was regarded as one of the best in the business.
But currently there was nothing urgent scheduled in her diary.
Nothing to keep her at home. Taking a deep breath she pressed the top number on her contacts page.
When Ginny answered, Mel spoke quickly. ‘If the job in the South of France is still available, please tell Nadia I am definitely interested.’ She paused. ‘Actually, no,’ she added, ‘I’m not just interested. Tell her I’ll take it!’
A stunned silence greeted her words before Ginny let out a ‘Whoohoo. Eat your heart out would-be Shirley Valentines. My sister is going to the South of France.’