Page 18 of Be Less Panda

Olivia pulled a face. ‘It won’t be happening again. It turns out not all Frenchmen are fantastic lovers.’

‘Was it bad?’

‘Let’s just say one of us enjoyed it, and it wasn’t me.’

‘That’s lousy.’

‘Well, he was pretty drunk, but all the same. So what about Hans, then? Will you look into his twinkling eyes again? I gather they often twinkle for Christa.’

‘What does that mean?’

‘He’s got the hots for her. Takes her out for expensive meals. But the feeling’s not reciprocated.’

‘Why does she go out with him then?’

‘Free food.’ Olivia looked in the kitchen cupboards. ‘Perhaps you should make a play for him because we’re still on bread and cheese until payday next week.’

‘And what about Christa?’

‘As I said, she’s not that bothered about him. I don’t think she’s going to throw you in the Seine like some scorned lover.’

Nancy shook her head. ‘If Hans has got the hots for Christa, I’m not getting involved. I don’t need a cheater. There are plenty of attractive men around if I do decide to give in to my baser urges.’ Though she had to admit, Hans was the first one who’d had the same effect on her as Billy.

Olivia wasn’t going to be persuaded to give up on the idea that easily. ‘But he came to see you at the bookshop.’

‘He wanted to order a book. It’s not that surprising.’

‘A German wanting a book written in English when he lives in France. That’s unusual, I’d say.’

Especially as, despite wanting a fiction book, he’d walked upstairs to the history section.Don’t read too much into that!Nancy decided not to share that with Olivia either. ‘His English might be better than his French? Perhaps it’s for work.’

‘I’m sure Christa said he’s a biologist working for a research agency. What did he want to buy?’

‘Bleak House.’

‘Unless he is researching English social history in his spare time, I’d say that was very unusual.’

‘It’s good to have a hobby.’

‘So, will you be seeing him again?’

‘Not in that way. But I’ll have to contact him when the book arrives.’ Nancy was surprised at how happy she felt at the prospect.

11

‘Nancy!’ Madame Dubois called from the back room. ‘Come in here, please.’

Nancy put down the box of books she was carrying and headed to the back of the shop. Madame Dubois smiled at her as she walked in from behind her desk. ‘This morning’s delivery had the book your customer ordered. Perhaps you’d like to call him,’ Madame Dubois said, indicating the big black 1930s-style phone on the desk. ‘I’ll be out in the shop,’ she said, winking at Nancy as she left.

Was she matchmaking, too? Olivia had asked several times over the last few days whether the book had arrived yet.

The order book was on the desk, open at Hans’ order.

Nancy picked up the receiver. The dial tone sounded different to the one she was used to at home. She took a deep breath and dialled the number. It rang and rang. No reply. She felt strangely disappointed. But it was the middle of the morning on a weekday. Hans was most likely at work doing whatever biologists do, not that she knew what that could be. Did he work in a lab? Did he roam the shrubberies of Bois de Boulogne looking for insects? Perhaps he worked in a zoo. Did Paris even have a zoo? She hoped it didn’t. Seeing animals locked up in cages always upset her.

She headed out into the shop again.

‘When is Herr Schmidt coming in to pick up his book?’ Madame Dubois asked.

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