Page 75 of For Love or Money
Stella smiled at herself in the mirror with real appreciation, as if she were seeing herself as Lesley saw her, and suddenly her eyes were welling with tears.
It struck Lesley as odd for a woman as stunning as Stella to seem so insecure about her looks. It was as if she had to be reminded how beautiful she was.
‘You know, I wasn’t even going to go in for this whole big wedding extravaganza,’ Stella said. ‘If I had my way, I’d be getting married in Vegas, in a nice dress from a high street store.’
‘But now you’ve seen yourself in that,’ Lesley said, nodding at Stella’s reflection in the mirrors, ‘the genie is out of the bottle.’
Stella smiled. ‘I think you’re right,’ she said, her eyes running over her reflection again. ‘I’m not going to be able to leave this behind, am I? I don’t even want to take it off now.’
‘Why don’t we go and have lunch, and you can think about it?’ Lesley suggested. She was hungry and the champagne was starting to go to her head.
‘Good idea,’ Stella nodded.
Madame helped Stella out of the dress, and they left with promises to return later in the afternoon when she’d made up her mind. Lesley led the way through the winding cobbled streets of the old town to a restaurant that Al had recommended on a side street off Place Rossetti, away from the touristy bustle of the square. They sat in the shade of a large red umbrella, while waiters bustled between the tables covered with yellow tablecloths, and pedestrians streamed past on the other side of the narrow street.
As so often happened to Lesley when faced with a menu, she wanted everything. The bowls of steaming pasta being delivered to the next table looked mouth-watering, but she also wanted to try the pizza, which Al had told her was amazing.
‘What are you going to have?’ she asked Stella.
‘Salad niçoise and mineral water,’ Stella said decisively after barely glancing at the menu.
Lesley’s heart sank. She’d been counting on them at least sharing a bowl of frites. She wished Al were here; she figured he’d be happy to split half the menu with her.
‘We’re shopping for your wedding dress,’ she said to Stella. ‘We should celebrate. Let’s get champagne. My treat.’
‘Oh. I have to admit, it hadn’t even occurred to me. But champagne would be lovely.’
‘Great!’
‘Shall we order?’ Stella asked. ‘Do you know what you’re having?’
‘I can’t decide. Al says the pizza here is the best in Nice. But they’re huge, and I really fancy some fries too.’
‘That does look really good,’ Stella said as a waiter passed, bearing two massive pizzas, the tantalising smell of herby tomato sauce and melting cheese drifting by in his wake. ‘God, I can’t remember when I last had pizza. Or fries,’ she said, side-eyeing the bowls of crispy frites being delivered to another table.
‘Fancy sharing? You’ve got a lot of mulling to do about that dress,’ Lesley said. ‘You need to keep your strength up. And we’ve got all afternoon.’
‘You’re right,’ Stella said, picking up the menu again. ‘Let’s share.’
They ordered an aubergine pizza, a bowl of frites with aioli and a mixed salad as a nod to healthy eating, along with a bottle of house champagne.
‘Thanks so much for coming with me today,’ Stella said. ‘You made it fun. And thank you for this.’ She clinked her glass against Lesley’s.
‘Itwasfun,’ Lesley said, surprised that she genuinely had enjoyed it. She took a sip of champagne. ‘Now, what are you thinking about that dress?’
Stella smiled. ‘Oh, I think we both know I’m going to go for it.’
‘Really? I mean, itwasstunning, but you’d look amazing in any of them.’ It hadn’t occurred to Lesley that Stella would be buying the dress herself, and she felt bad at the thought of her blowing so much money on a wedding that might never happen.
‘No, hang the expense! You only get married once – at least I only intend to do it once.’
They were interrupted by the food arriving.
‘Gosh, this all looks wonderful,’ Stella said as the waiter bustled away. ‘I’m so glad you suggested it. I’ve got so used to just zeroing in on what Peter can eat, I forget to consider whatIwant, even when he’s not around.’
Lesley wondered was that really the reason. Stella seemed so into her looks. Maybe she was just worried about getting fat. ‘So, how are you finding the Bradshaws?’ she asked as she cut into the pizza, dividing it between their plates. The charred crust was just on the right side of burnt.
Stella hesitated, and Lesley could almost see the shutters coming down.
