Page 109 of Never Too Late
‘Ooh la la.’ She rolled her eyes. ‘Was it good? The sex? Was it as good as before? Aww, my darling friend, you are blushing. Forgive my nosiness,’ she said, not actually making an apology for it at all. It was one of the many things I liked about Reine. She was as you found her – only better.
I took another sip of wine and managed to swallow it this time.
‘It wasn’t good, no.’
‘Ah…’
I leant in. ‘It wasincroyable!’ I used the French word because, somehow, that had more emphasis. And believe me, the emphasis was needed.
Reine sat back and clapped her hands in delight. ‘Champagne!’ she called. ‘Great sex always deserves champagne!’
Oh, God. Everyone was now staring once more. I shifted in my seat. And then I began to smile. So what? Who cared about them? I didn’t know them so what did it matter? What mattered was that I was here with my friend, having a wonderful time.AndI’d had fantastic, multi-orgasmic sex the night before. Twice. And once this morning.
This was one of the many other things I’d noticed between my life here and my ‘old’ life in provincial England. The conversation. At least the conversations I had been having as opposed to those I was having now.
Obviously, that was a bit of a sweeping statement but, for me, the topics in Paris were far more interesting than the latest menopausal symptom, which often seemed a large proportion of the fare offered at home. While those did seem to offer a plethora of choice from which to discuss, I wasn’t interested in doing so. Yes, it was there and I, like so many others, was just getting on with it, as I had with the monthly joy of periods for so many years before. Gabby and I had touched on the misery and annoyance of it but had then moved onto far more interesting subjects and for that, I was glad.
And now here, with Reine, the conversation had taken an entirely different turn indeed! True, this particular topic was unlikely to have come up at home. Without putting Hugh down, things had been different with him. But also because I’d found a new level of relaxation out here – or perhaps regained one – that I’d never had at home, leaving me free to talk about whatever I wanted without embarrassment. Well, at least not too often.
41
It was a few days later, during a meal in the restaurant of Ashok’s hotel, that the elephant in the room wandered over and plonked its sizeable bottom on the table.
‘I have to take a trip to the vineyard at the end of the week,’ Benoit said, his attention on Sasha. ‘I wondered if you might want to come? You’re free to film whatever you want. Or not film anything if you don’t want to.’
‘That sounds amazing! You sure that will be OK?’
Benoit looked to Tomas and Gabby, who both nodded to confirm their assent.
‘Very sure.’
Sash’s eyes sparkled with happiness and creative excitement. Ever since she’d begun her sojourn in Paris, her subscription figures had been increasing at a faster rate than before. The vlog at Quatorze had given them another huge boost. Tomorrow was the upload of the interview she’d done with Simone herself and from the comments she’d received when she’d announced it, we all had our fingers quietly crossed for another advance in her numbers.
Creative pursuits, however talented you were, relied a certain amount on luck. In every endeavour, there was an enormous amount of competition and it was serendipity as to whether you were one that got noticed or not. But Sasha was determined to make her channel the best it could be. It wasn’t merely about getting freebies – she’d actually been very select about those who approached her. If she didn’t believe in the product, or felt it didn’t fit her aesthetic or morals, then she had no qualms about turning it down. I admired that about her. But living in Paris, the opportunity to visit a thriving, not to mention beautiful, vineyard and get exclusive behind-the-scenes access certainly fit the bill.
‘Why don’t we all go?’ Gabby asked. ‘Make a weekend of it? It’d be lovely to take a trip all together.’ Ashok’s hand was curled around hers, as it so often was when we saw them now.
‘Sounds great to me,’ he said.
‘I’m available,’ Tomas added. ‘You’re right, it would be great to spend more than a couple of hours together.’
I felt several pairs of eyes fall on me as the only one who hadn’t spoken. The vineyard. The family business. My mind sailed back through the years as thoughts tumbled over themselves. This place, its very existence and the pressure that that had wrought on Tomas had been instrumental in our break-up. Just the thought of it left a sourness in my mind.
Since returning to France, I’d paid it no attention other than cursory during the explanation of how Tomas had nearly ruined it and Gabby had stepped in. Other than that, I had pushed it to a far corner of my mind and left it to rot quietly away with time. But now it had been dragged out to look upon once more.
My gaze lifted to Sash. Her initial enthusiasm had stilled a little as she looked at me and joined the dots of my lack of excitement. Her smile was soft, an understanding in her eyes.
‘Although I’m not sure if Mum already had something planned for this weekend? I should have checked the diary,’ she said to Benoit. ‘Sorry.’
Her comment sounded natural but I was her mum. I knew. Shesowanted to go. And the truth was I wanted to spend more time with these people. People I loved and trusted. The vineyard and the problems it had brought were a spectre of the past and I no longer wished to give it power. I most certainly wasn’t going to let it haunt my daughter.
‘Nothing in the diary, Sash.’ I took a deep breath while attempting to appear not to. ‘You’re right, Gabs. It sounds like a fabulous idea.’
Gabby leant over and kissed my cheek, her other hand lying momentarily on mine.
As we turned back to our meals, drinks and conversations, Tomas bent towards me.
‘Are you sure you’re OK with this?’
