Page 44 of Secrets Beneath a Riviera Sky
‘Please do that,’ Denice said. ‘I’d like to introduce you to someone special to me.’
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Zazz was beginning to despair of ever finding a dress that she liked enough to shell out the large number of euros they all seemed to cost. She and Mel had walked the length of rue d’Antibes both ways looking for her ‘festival’ dress. A couple of times she’d thought she’d found it until she looked at the price tag.
They’d stopped for a reviving coffee and cake when Mel pointed at a shop window on the opposite side of the road. ‘Did we look in there? I don’t remember seeing that green dress in any window.’
‘I don’t remember either,’ Zazz said. ‘Come on, let’s check it out.’
‘It’s a second-hand shop,’ Mel said with disappointment as they got closer. ‘It might call itself Posh Vintage but it’s second-hand stuff.’
‘I don’t have a problem with that,’ Zazz said. ‘Some vintage clothes are good quality and lovely,’ and she pushed the shop door open.
The green chiffon dress in the window that had caught their eye still looked good close up. The assistant was happy to take it out of the window for Zazz to try on and showed her into the small changing room.
Strapless with a fitted bodice, the chiffon material of the simple design draped beautifully, a silk waistband of the same green emphasising the empire line sat perfectly positioned under Zazz’s bust. Zazz pulled the curtain back. ‘What d’you think?’
‘Wow. Dominic won’t be able to keep his eyes off you – and probably his hands,’ she added, laughing at the look on Zazz’s face. ‘Does it feel good?’
Zazz nodded before turning to the assistant and asking the price. ‘Originally it retailed for one thousand four hundred euros but now it is five hundred euros.’
‘I’ll take it. Could I try that white faux fur bolero on with it please?’ Zazz said. ‘I’m going to need something to keep me warm after the film.’ The white bolero felt cosy and complimented the dress.
‘It is an outfit that you will wear time and time again,’ the assistant said as Zazz held her iPhone over the card machine to pay.
‘Let’s hope so,’ Zazz said. ‘Come on, let’s find somewhere for lunch.’
Ten minutes later, sitting at a pavement cafe sipping glasses of wine, rosé for Zazz and white for Mel, whilst they waited for their salade Niçoise, Zazz glanced at her friend.
‘Can I ask you about Dominic’s last relationship? All he’s said to me is that she wasn’t an important part of his life.’
‘Tara? She left him for the son of an Australian millionaire she met in Monaco. Dom wasn’t heartbroken or anything, I think he’d realised she wasn’t for him by the time she left.’ Mel took a sip of her wine. ‘What it did do though, was to bring back memories of Maman going off with the yacht captain and the way it affected Papa and us. Dom basically decided that he didn’t need to open up himself to that kind of rejection. That was, of course, until you turned up.’
The waitress arrived with theirsaladesat that moment and Mel fell silent until she’d moved away.
‘He’s definitely decided that you are special and worth taking the risk so don’t you dare run off with anyone else, okay?’ Mel gave Zazz a ferocious look.
‘After that look I wouldn’t dare,’ Zazz said. ‘I think he’s special too,’ she added quietly.
Mel had to leave to pick up some clients from the airport after lunch so Zazz made her way home and then down to Theo’s to walk Cerise.
When Theo rang later that afternoon she happily agreed to walk Cerise again and to feed her.
‘What time do you expect to be back from – where did you say you were?’
‘I didn’t but we’re in Juan-les-Pins seeing as you asked and we’ve – we’ve met up with an old friend who wants us to stay for dinner.’
‘Okay, I’ll keep Cerise with me until about nine o’clock and then I’ll pop her back to your cottage. Enjoy your dinner with your friend. Oh, tell Gran I’ve found the perfect dress to wear for the film festival.’
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The someone special Denice wanted them to meet turned out to be her husband, Carl. Younger than her by more than a decade, he clearly adored her and she him.
Agnes was intrigued to learn how they’d met, they were such an unusual couple. Denice with her flamboyant sense of style and Carl a much quieter personality in every way. They’d met when Denice had been in her fifties and running her own successful escort business. Carl, an accountant, had needed someone to accompany him to a business dinner at The Ritz in Paris.
‘I walked into her office, told her the kind of woman I would like to escort for the evening and asked her if she had anyone suitable available,’ Carl said. ‘And she told me she was fully booked. Turned out to be an outright lie.’
‘It wasn’t a complete lie,’ Denice protested. ‘That was a particularly busy evening. All my escorts, apart from one, were already booked. A couple were actually going to be at the same dinner. The one who was still available wouldn’t, I knew instinctively, be right for Carl. That same instinct told me I was the perfect partner for him – and not just for the evening. We’ve been together ever since.’ Denice took a sip of her wine. ‘Tell me about Francine. To think I have a niece. Is she with you on this trip? I can’t wait to meet her.’
