Page 30 of Happily Never After
‘What about the other writers?’ she says impatiently.
‘Yeah, a mixed bunch. It’s probably too early to tell, although there’s one who’s definitely taken against me.’ I fill her in on my conversation with Gina.
‘She sounds vile. Did you tell her you’re a bestselling author?’
‘No. I’m keeping that under my hat, although the retreat leader rumbled me pretty much straight away.’
‘I thought you were steering clear of the mentor. Analysis paralysis and all that.’
‘Yeah, but she came to find me at teatime and we ended up having a bit of a chat. She’s nice, actually.’
‘OK, so you’ve got a snotty author and a nice mentor. Who else?’
‘The snotty author has a snotty entourage, but I don’t know anything about them yet. We’ve got one person still to arrive, apparently, and then there’s Lynette, who writes spicy romance. She’s very funny, but there’s something about her and Gina. They hate each other, but still come on every retreat together. What’s that about?’
‘Ex-lovers, perhaps?’
‘I don’t know.’
‘Hm. Maybe one stole the other’s boyfriend. Oh, hang on. Someone wants to see you. Meggie, who’s Auntie Liv talking to?’
She turns the camera and, for a few moments, I’m treated to a close-up of Meg’s nose as she sniffs the phone, evidently trying to work out if it’s edible. As soon as she realises it isn’t, she wanders off and jumps up on the sofa.
‘Donna says she settled really well today,’ Liv tells me. ‘There’s a cocker spaniel called Bubbles that she’s apparently formed a friendship with, and they went on a long walk together.’
‘Every inch the proud dog-parent,’ I say with a laugh. ‘How was it, dropping her off?’
‘I felt surprisingly guilty and tearful, but she trotted in quite happily without so much as a backward glance.’
I laugh. ‘You could be describing your child’s first day at school, you know that?’
‘I just wanted you to know that I’m taking good care of your baby, that’s all.’
‘Thank you. And how was Donna today?’
‘Chatty, but I can’t work out whether that’s because she wanted to reassure me about leaving Meg with her, or whether she’s just friendly, or whether there’s something potentially more.’
‘Remember what I said about not frightening her off.’
‘Relax. I know what I’m doing. Tell me more about the retreat. I want all the details.’
By the time I’ve filled her in on everything including the traumatic car journey, which she found predictably hilarious, darkness has fallen and Cara is calling us to dinner.
‘For your starter tonight, I’ve made aSoupe au Pistou,’ she tells us as she sets bowls of steaming broth in front of us. ‘It’s a traditional dish in the South of France and you’ll actually findmarkets selling the ingredients pre-mixed at this time of year.Bon Appetit!’
After my experiences this afternoon, I’ve been vaguely dreading the whole group coming together to eat but, to my relief, hostilities seemed to be paused as everyone tucks in. I note with vague amusement that Gina offers the basket of warm crusty bread to Lynette without either of them resorting to name-calling. Tess’s words are rattling around in my head though, and I can’t help studying their interactions, looking for clues. They’re so different in every possible way that I can’t see them having the same taste in men, which blows Liv’s theory out of the water, so what is the connection between them?
12
Even though the bed is every inch as comfortable as it looked, I’m awake early the next morning. I do make a couple of half-hearted attempts to get back to sleep before giving it up as a bad job and heading for the shower. The sun is already high in the sky when I step outside, but the air is still cool and fresh, so I decide to walk in the direction of Saint-Antonin-Noble-Val to build up an appetite for breakfast. If last night’s dinner was anything to go by, I’m going to be extremely well fed while I’m here, so I need to pace myself.
I’m trying to concentrate on the upcoming plot points of my story as I walk, but I’m sidetracked by the beauty of the scenery around me. The town, when I reach it, is still pretty much shuttered and deserted. A few shopkeepers are setting up ready for the day ahead, and I exchange a cheeryBonjourwith them as I pass. When I reach the river, I stand on the bridge just watching the water slide beneath me for a while. I did see most of this yesterday, but I was busy fighting with the satnav and the directions, so I didn’t get the opportunity to appreciate it. It really is lovely here. Hugh and Cara couldn’t have chosen a better location if they’d tried. I pull out my phone and take a fewpictures to send to Liv before turning back towards the house and breakfast. However, I’ve only travelled a couple of yards before I hear a car pulling up alongside me.
‘Excusez-moi, mademoiselle. Habitez-vous ici?’a male voice says. It’s vaguely familiar, but I can’t quite place it. It’s only when I turn to address him that the penny drops along with my mood.
‘Hello, Finn. What are you doing here?’ I ask suspiciously. It would be just my luck to discover that the man who was so helpful at the airport is actually some kind of stalker.
‘Hi, Laura. What a surprise! I’m actually looking for a place called L’Ancien Presbytère. You haven’t come across it, have you?’
