Page 23 of Be Less Panda

The handwriting was vaguely familiar. She ripped the envelope open.

Dear Nancy

If your kind offer of an English lesson still stands, are you available after work today? The weather forecast says it will be a lovely evening. We could go for a walk in the Bois de Boulogne. I can meet you at the bookshop. Leave me a note if you can.

Yours

Hans

Olivia looked at Nancy expectantly. ‘Well?’

‘Well, what?’

‘Who’s it from?’

There was no point in teasing her any longer - Olivia had a knack for extracting information from anyone if she really wanted to. ‘A certain Herr Schmidt.’

‘Told you he fancied you.’

‘You said no such thing.’

‘Didn’t I? I’m sure I did. I could tell from the way he treated you when you were drunk.’

‘I very much doubt he fancies me. He just wants an English lesson.’

‘Are you sure? His English sounded very good to me.’

‘It is, but he wants to learn more.’

‘And what sort of words are you planning to add to his vocabulary?’ Olivia grinned.

‘Not what you’re thinking. I’ll have to see what he wants to learn.’

Nancy had spent the afternoon working upstairs in the shop’s history section again. She checked her watch. It was ten minutes before closing time. She’d left Hans a note under his door on her way out this morning, saying that giving him an English lesson was the least she could do after he’d helped her out last week, and she’d meet him outside the bookshop at 5.10 pm. She was hoping he’d read it.

Philip popped his head around the corner of the stairs. ‘Your favourite customer is here,’ he said, grinning.

‘Who?’

‘The German fella. I didn’t realise you were seeing him.’

‘I’m not. He just wants an English lesson.’

‘Is that what they call it now?’

‘Don’t you start. I get enough teasing from Olivia.’

‘He’s a handsome bloke. I wouldn’t say no.’

From the few comments he’d made about what he got up to at weekends, Nancy had suspected Philip preferred men, but she hadn’t expected him to be so open about it.

He misinterpreted her reaction. ‘I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.’

‘Don’t apologise. I’m used to it being kept secret, that’s all. Aren’t you worried about being arrested?’

‘Why do you think I prefer living in France? The French are a lot more tolerant than the English.’

‘That must make life easier. But hands off Hans.’ She was surprised at how jealous the thought of Hans being with someone else made her feel.

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