Page 26 of A French Adventure
Thursday evening went according to Felicity’s timetable, something Olivia had given into as inevitable. After supper, the three of them went outen familleto deliver the flower arrangements to the two yachts that had ordered them and were, thankfully, moored close together in the overcrowded harbour. Trent’s friend welcomed them on board his boat and Olivia found herself unexpectedly enjoying herself when one of the guests turned out to be a girl she’d known at university. It was nearly midnight before they said their goodnights to everyone and made their way home.
Friday was as busy as Olivia had expected, helping her mother do the food shopping for Sunday and then preparing and cooking the various dishes that would be the cold buffet on Sunday. Qualifying, on Saturday afternoon, was watched from the balcony in between organising the apartment readyto accommodate twenty-plus people, making sure there were enough glasses and crockery, small tables on the balcony, and dashing down to the nearbysupermarchéfor extra crisps, olives and bottles of water.
It wasn’t until six o’clock on Saturday that Olivia remembered her promise to phone Thierry about Maxine if she was worried about her. When her father suggested aperitifs on the balcony for the three of them, she said, ‘Great idea. You two go ahead. I need to make a phone call. Two minutes, I promise.’ She sensed that her mother was itching to ask who was so important, but Olivia went into her bedroom and closed the door.
‘Hi, it’s me,’ she said when Thierry answered. ‘I’m sorry I didn’t ring before, but it’s been all hands to the galley here.’
‘Not a problem.’
‘I think maybe you are right to be worried about Maxine,’ Olivia said. ‘She got very agitated on Wednesday evening when Vivienne said she was looking for her birth father. I’ve never seen Maxine so uptight about something that is nothing to do with her.’
‘What did she say?’
‘She basically told Vivienne that it wasn’t a good idea to look for a man who probably didn’t even know about her existence. She also said something along the lines of sometimes the past should be left in peace, which, to be honest, from the way she said it, sounded like it came from personal experience.’
‘Mm,’ Thierry said thoughtfully. ‘I’m having supper with her tonight. I’ll try to winkle out what is upsetting her because something definitely is. Thanks for ringing. And you, how are you?’
‘Bit tired but looking forward to tomorrow.’
‘Me too. I’ll see you then.’
Vivienne gave a happy sigh as she sat on the terrace Saturday evening, watching people stroll along the seafront below her and the lights coming on along the coast. She’d been busy writing for the last two days and had finally hit the halfway mark of her book. Two days of not seeing anyone and no interruptions had been so productive. Still lots to do of course, but she was happier overall now with the way the story was going.
It had been strange at first knowing that Olivia was away and she was alone in the house. Even though she and Olivia rarely saw each other during the daytime, it had been comforting at night knowing that there was someone else around. But it had brought home to her that after her divorce she’d need to get used to living on her own, something she’d not done since her early twenties before meeting Jeremy.
Thankfully, Jeremy had been quiet over the past days, which was a relief. Hopefully now that it was the weekend, he’d be too busy with his lover to harass her tomorrow about selling the house. Vivienne, determined to focus on happier things, pushed away all thoughts of her soon-to-be ex-husband, letting her thoughts drift instead back over the last few weeks. After she’d arrived in Antibes as somewhat of an emotional wreck, she had to acknowledge that whilst those weeks hadn’t been the easiest of times, the complete change of pace, of country, had helped her to process and survive Jeremy’s behaviour and news. The almost constant blue skies and sunshine down here contributed to a laid-back holiday-vibe lifestyle, which was just what she needed. She’d been lucky too, meeting up with Maxine and Olivia.
A sigh escaped Vivienne’s lips as she thought of Maxine. She was clearly putting a brave face on things and struggling to cometo terms with the loss of her beloved Pierre. Knowing nothing but time was going to help Maxine overcome that particular hurdle, Vivienne remembered her outburst the other evening. Her short-tempered outburst warning Vivienne to be careful had been spoken with such feeling. Was there something in Maxine’s own past that she’d wanted to forget but in truth had never forgotten? Whatever it was, Vivienne promised herself that starting tomorrow whenever she saw Maxine she’d make a real effort to keep the conversation light-hearted and away from things that might unknowingly be a trigger for her.
Vivienne gave a small smile at the thought of tomorrow. Not only was she going to Monaco for the first time, she was going to watch one of the most exciting Grand Prix in the world. Tim had been a keen F1 fan growing up and the street race had been one of his favourites to watch on TV. She and Jeremy had even, on a couple of occasions, taken him to watch the British Grand Prix at Silverstone. Maxine had assured her they would have an unparalleled view of the starting grid from Trent and Felicity’s apartment and huge TV screens were in strategic places on the circuit streaming the race. She was definitely going to take a couple of photographs from the balcony and send them to Tim.
Thinking of Tim, Vivienne wondered whether this evening would be a good time to catch him. They had still not managed to actually talk, although there had been a couple of missed calls from him. She desperately wanted to check that he was okay. Quickly she typed a text.
Are you free to talk right now?
A minute later, her phone buzzed. ‘Tim. How are you doing?’
‘I’m fine. I’m sorry I haven’t rung before, my shifts have been all over the place. How are you, Mum? I’m sorry about all thisbusiness with Dad. You don’t deserve it. Did Nats tell you I think I saw him? I did tackle him about it, but he said it was someone from work who’d had some bad news. I didn’t mention it to you because I thought he was telling me the truth and there was no point in upsetting you needlessly.’
‘I’m sorry it put you in a difficult position. At least it’s all out in the open now,’ Vivienne said.
‘We’ll talk properly when you get back,’ Tim said.
‘Has Natalie told you where I’m off to this weekend? Monaco for the Grand Prix.’
‘She has, and I’m as jealous as hell! Make sure you take some photographs. Mum, I’m sorry, I have to go, I’m on duty in a few minutes. Love you. Take care of yourself.’
Maxine had declined Thierry’s invitation on Saturday afternoon to book a table for dinner in a new restaurant in the centre of town, suggesting instead they stayed home.
‘Shall we have a barbecue in the garden? Pierre bought one of those small round ones with a lid last summer, but we barely used it. Maybe if I get it set up and leave it out, I’ll use it more.’
‘Sounds like a fun idea,’ Thierry said. ‘Love barbecue food. I’ll go and buy a few bits and pieces and come back and set it up. I’ll buy some charcoal too.’
At eight o’clock, the charcoal was glowing a perfect red and Thierry deemed it to be the right temperature. He put a couple of small steaks, pork chops and sausages on the grill rack and carefully turned and rotated them, closing and opening the lid, until they were cooked. Maxine placed a green salad, slices of baguette, plates and glasses of red wine on the table, watching Thierry as he skilfully cooked their meal.
‘You are now officially the champion barbecuer of L’Abri,’ Maxine said, toasting him with her glass of wine as Thierry placed the meat on the table. ‘Pierre, the first time he used it, managed to burn everything. This is all delicious, thank you.’
They ate in companionable silence for several moments when Thierry glanced across at Maxine. ‘May I ask you something?’
