Page 44 of The Bordeaux Book Club

‘God no,’ said Grace, and Leah could hear the purr of an engine. ‘It’ll take far too long. I’m about ten minutes away. I’ll head over now.’

‘You’re already on the move?’

‘I simply couldn’t help myself,’ her friend said. ‘When you said he was heading to central Bordeaux, I thought it would be helpful for me to be a little closer.’

Grace seemed to be at pains to keep her voice neutral, but it sounded to Leah as if her friend was still excited by the whole mission. She felt a little anger bubble up, but forced it back down. She was lucky to have someone willing to do this with her – now wasn’t the time to argue with her friend.

She exited the car again and managed somehow to pay for her parking, despite the fact that half of the buttons on the meterclosest to her car seemed to be broken through overuse. Then she stood, not quite knowing what to do.

Should she go to the road outside the café in case Nathan made a move? But what would she do if he did? Plus, what if he’d chosen a window seat and saw her? Perhaps she should wait here for Grace. And then what?

In the end, she simply couldn’t help herself. Carefully, she pulled a cap from the glovebox of her car, walked around the corner and along the road opposite the café again. Nathan was no longer in the queue, but she couldn’t see him at any of the outdoor tables, or at the ones visible from the window. He might have left! He might have bought a takeaway coffee and left! And if so, what would she do?

She tried to calm her breathing. She’d go home. She’d try again. She’d remind herself that this was probably just overblown paranoia and that he was simply spending a bit of time in the city.

Her phone beeped.

Here.

Grace had made good time. Leah texted her new location and within moments, Grace turned the corner, sporting fitted jeans, a light, striped jacket, trainers, an enormous pair of sunglasses and a floppy sunhat which seemed a little extreme for the season.

Leah had never seen a more welcome sight.

She practically flung herself into Grace’s arms, glad now that she hadn’t had words with her friend – because she was here. And there was no way Leah could have coped with this alone. ‘Thank you, for coming. For helping!’ she said, realising her eyes were filling with tears. ‘I have no idea what I’m doing.’

‘Nice hat,’ Grace commented.

‘You too,’ Leah said more doubtfully, looking at the large, floppy sunhat.

‘Disguise,’ Grace said, and moved her head as if she might be winking, but without her eyes visible, it was impossible to tell.

Leah felt her mouth wobble slightly. ‘Grace, I’m terrified.’

‘Now come on,’ Grace said firmly, holding her by the shoulders. ‘Remember, you are just doing this to reassure yourself. Probably. And if not, well, we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. Now where is the blighter?’

‘Blighter’ wasn’t a term Leah had heard often in the last two decades, and it was hard not to smile, despite her racing heart. ‘Well, he was in that café, but I’m not sure whether he’s left or not. I had to pay for parking and…’

‘So, let’s assume he’s still there for now,’ Grace said decisively. ‘We’ll watch the doors for a bit, and if he doesn’t emerge, how about I treat you to a croissant and we rearrange this for another day?’

Leah had never wanted a croissant quite so much.

They made their way to the pavement opposite the café, making sure to keep back against the buildings to ensure lots of pedestrians walked between them and the edge of the street. Leah tried to concentrate on both looking innocent and watching the café door like a hawk. It was a difficult manoeuvre to pull off successfully.

In the end, they found themselves standing close to an ATM as if waiting to withdraw money, waving others in front of them whenever they reached the front of the tiny queue. It was one of the few places they could loiter without looking too ridiculous.

But it was ridiculous. The more she stood there, the more Leah felt the absurdity of her situation. Here she was with some sort of detective version of Grace – honestly, all she needed was an enormous magnifying glass to complete the ensemble – and for what? To watch her husband visit antiques stores? The moreshe thought about Nathan, the kind of man he was, the man he’d been over their fifteen years of marriage, the more she suddenly realised how unnecessary this was. Nathan would never cheat on her! He’d never shown any signs of dissatisfaction with their relationship, not really. Sure, they were going through a bit of a rough patch, but they were still strong.

‘What’s up?’ Grace said.

‘What?’ she asked, still watching the doors.

‘You’re smiling.’

Leah snorted slightly. ‘Sorry, I’m just kind of looking at myself from the outside. Seeing… it’s like we’re in a film or something, isn’t it.’

Grace nodded. ‘I was thinking more of a cartoon,’ she admitted. ‘I’m kind of regretting the sunglasses.’

‘Yeah, and I’m not so sure about the hat,’ Leah said, touching the brim uncertainly. ‘I mean, it hides my face but…’

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