Page 58 of Be Less Panda
‘I know, but it all got a bit intense yesterday.’
Olivia went back to her breakfast. ‘It did sound that way.’
‘How do you know that? I thought you were stopping at Pierre’s?’
‘We had an argument. I came back early.’
‘How early?’
‘About ten o’clock.’
‘Oh.’ Nancy blushed. ‘I’d have been quieter if I’d known.’
‘The noise you were making downstairs, I could probably have heard you from Pierre’s.’
‘We got carried away.’ Nancy sat down at the table opposite her. ‘He told me he loved me.’
Olivia stopped buttering her croissant. ‘And that was enough to convince you to part with your knickers?’
Nancy grinned. ‘I’d already abandoned them at that point.’
‘It sounded like it was worth abandoning them. He knows what he’s doing then.’
‘Definitely. Better even than Billy. And he can dance.’
‘Lucky you.’ Olivia sucked the butter off her fingers.
‘You’re not going back to Pierre again, are you? I don’t understand why you put up with him. What if he gets you pregnant, and you’re stuck with him?’
‘But he’s got that rugged look that I can’t resist, and he makes me laugh. He gets so downcast when I dump him, I feel guilty if I don’t take him back.’
‘You can’t keep a man because he will look fantastic in the wedding photos, and he’ll inherit a chateau when you’re 50.’
‘And a vineyard. Don’t forget the vineyard.’
Nancy rolled her eyes. ‘I’m sure there are plenty of eligible men in France who already have their own vineyard. Why settle for one who’s waiting for Daddy to pop his clogs before you can get your hands on the vintage Chardonnay.’
‘You don’t get Chardonnay in the Loire Valley.’
‘I apologise for my ignorance of viticulture, but you know exactly what I mean.’
‘We’re supposed to be discussing you and Hans. I presume now he’s declared his undying love for you, you’re officially a couple now?’
‘I think we might be,’ Nancy smiled.
28
Nancy relaxed in a chair in the café in the Bois de Boulogne. She’d positioned herself so the sun was shining on her face. A little vitamin D wouldn’t go amiss - she was looking paler than she usually did in July, probably because she wasn’t spending as much time outdoors now she and Hans were officially together. Not that she was complaining about that. The last six weeks had been bliss. With Dieter living with Ingrid now, Nancy had as good as moved in with Hans, though he hadn’t given her any keys yet.
She looked at her watch. Hans was usually here by now. Something must have come up at work.
The waiter approached her table. ‘Another coffee?’
‘Yes, please,’ she replied in French. ‘Actually, make that two. I’m sure my friend will be here any minute now.’
‘Certainly, Madame.’
She smiled to herself. She wouldn’t have been able to hold that conversation in French when she’d first arrived in Paris. What a difference four months had made. Leaving Coventry had been an excellent decision.