Page 47 of Secrets Beneath a Riviera Sky
‘Zazz said you went to Antibes Juan-les-Pins to see an old friend yesterday,’ Francine said, accepting an aperitif from Theo.
‘We did,’ Theo said, looking at Zazz. ‘Thank you for looking after Cerise for me.’
‘Anytime,’ Zazz said.
‘Do I know this old friend?’ Francine said.
‘No, but you know of her and you will meet her soon,’ Agnes said. ‘And I expect I will see a lot of her in the future.’
Francine looked at her puzzled. ‘You will?’
‘Yes. Your aunt Denice is looking forward to meeting you and her great-niece, Jasmine.’ Agnes smiled happily as she waited for Francine’s reaction.
‘Your sister, Denice? The one that ran away?’ Francine frowned as she looked her mother.
‘Isn’t it wonderful news?’ Agnes said excitedly.
‘Cool,’ Zazz said. ‘First Serge shows up, a half-brother for Mum and an uncle for me as well as Cousin Al who is a great-nephew for Theo. And now we’ve got a long-lost aunt and her husband. We’re turning into quite the extended dysfunctional family.’
‘Now she and her husband are both retired, they travel a lot. But she rang this morning to say she’d re-arranged things and she and Carl are coming over the day after the open house viewing to meet everyone.’
‘Are you sure it’s her? Not someone pretending to be your long-lost sister,’ Francine said.
‘Francine! When did you get so cynical?’ Agnes demanded. ‘Of course it’s her. I know my own sister even if we haven’t been in touch for years. And I’m so, so happy to have her back in my life. The least you can do is be happy for me.Donc! Let’s change the subject,maintenant. Tell us about your day in Monaco.’
‘It was a good day,’ Edwin answered, realising that Francine was upset by her maman’s outburst. ‘Wouldn’t want to live there though. So busy and touristy. We saw some beautiful boats and the visit to the Casino was amazing.’
As they all tucked into their duck confit, with pan-fried potatoes and a greensalade, talk turned to the marketing of Oscar’s house.
‘The house is as ready as it ever will be, except for the finishing touches on the open day,’ Francine said, regaining her equilibrium. ‘I just hope the notaire and Suzette are right when they talk about it selling quickly. You don’t think maybe they are over pricing it?’ she said glancing at Theo.
‘Non,’ Theo said. ‘Property up there is much sought after. They know that they have a property that is going to earn them their commission quickly.’
‘Not too quickly, remember I’ll be homeless when it sells,’ Zazz said. ‘It’s a few months until September when I move in with Mel.’
‘You could take it as a sign,’ Francine said. ‘A sign that you should give up this silly idea of yours and come home and find another job.’ She registered the disapproving look Edwin gave her and smothered a sigh. It was so difficult to step back, not to sound critical whenever she made a suggestion and she knew Zazz would have taken those words as interference on her part.
‘Sorry, not my business,’ Francine mumbled, picking up her glass of red wine and taking a sip.
‘Not going to happen, Mum,’ Zazz said. ‘Mel has already said I can sleep on her sofa bed.’
‘And there is always a room here for you,’ Theo said quietly. ‘So you don’t have to worry about her having nowhere to live,’ he added, turning to Francine.
‘Thanks, Theo,’ Zazz said gratefully. ‘Anytime you need Cerise looking after, I’m your girl.’
40
The morning of the open house viewing organised by the notaire’s office dawned bright and sunny. Francine was up early to give everything in the house a final polish and to put fresh flowers in the sitting room. Suzette would be there from about 9.30 and there was a steady stream of viewers booked in every ten minutes from 9.45 onwards. The notaire had stressed that the people viewing were all serious buyers and said it was best if they left the agent to show everyone around. Once Suzette arrived, Francine and Edwin left her to it.
‘What’s Zazz doing this morning?’ Edwin said.
‘She said she was going to spend the morning doing some research in one of the museums,’ Francine said. ‘And then she’s got a hair appointment at mid-day ready for this evening.’
‘So do we have any idea what we are going to do this morning?’ Edwin asked.
Francine shook her head. ‘Pretend we’re on holiday and mooch around? We need to think about how much longer we’re going to be here too. Not that I’m desperate to leave but we can’t stay down here forever.’
‘We could if you wanted to,’ Edwin said.
