by Julie Caplin
‘Where do you suggest?’ The flat tone wasn’t much of a giveaway – not a sarky ‘don’t be ridiculous’, nor a ‘yay, where shall we go’ but it also wasn’t a flat-out no.
‘Well, I figured you’ve been cooped up here long enough. So … well … the thing is…’
He turned and stared at her, that piercing gaze making her feel totally stupid and gauche as usual. ‘The thing is I borrowed a wheelchair and I thought I could take you out for a spin. Get some fresh air.’ Sebastian’s mouth twitched as she stumbled on. ‘A change of scenery. Get you out of here. It’s lovely and sunny and you must have been indoors for ages and it’s, yes, it’s so nice out, that you might, you know…’
‘You borrowed a wheelchair? For real?’ His face ran through a gamut of expressions before finally fixing on one that she was rather pleased to see looked impressed. That was a first.
She nodded, brushing away at an imaginary piece of lint on her black jeans
He let out a reluctant laugh. ‘That’s …’
Pinching her lips hard, she held her breath, waiting. Here came the downer.
‘Brilliant.’
‘Really?’ Her head shot up.
‘Yes. Although with a pitch like that, you’ll never make a salesperson, Nina.’ Sebastian’s grin was broad. ‘And I’m not sure you’ve got the muscles but providing we don’t venture up Sacré-Cœur let’s give it a whirl.’
‘Really?’
‘Don’t look quite so surprised.’ He smiled at her. ‘I’m not a complete ogre. If it were pissing down with rain and I was completely immobile I might be having second thoughts, but I can get up and walk if I need to. And where did you magic up a wheelchair?’
With an insouciant smile, she shrugged her shoulders. ‘Let’s leave it at magic and let me bask in this unusual approval from you.’
‘Am I really that bad?’ His eyes crinkled as he teased her.
She gave him a level stare. ‘Yes, you are.’
He sobered for a second. ‘I’m sorry. I’m not very good at switching out of work mode sometimes and I know you so well, that I kind of forget to reign it in. You know familiarity…’
‘Breeds contempt? Not that you do know me anymore.’ She gave him a determined look. ‘I’ve changed a lot in ten years. I’m not a silly teenager with a stupid crush anymore.’ There, she’d said it, got it out in the open.
‘Not contempt, definitely not, but it makes people take things for granted. I’m sorry. I’ve been a bit snappy.’
‘A bit snappy!’ Her voice peaked in squeak. How could he completely have missed her attempt at clearing the air. ‘You make Jaws look like a tame goldfish.’
Sebastian grinned. ‘I said I was sorry. Now are you going to take me out in this fine chariot or keep reminding me that I’ve been a churlish bastard?’
‘Hmm, don’t get your hopes up too much. I think on a scale of wheelchairs, this is about as bog standard as it gets. More Fiat than Ferrari.’
‘If it gets me out of here, I don’t care. As far as I’m concerned it’s my chariot for the day.’
‘Mavis,’ said Nina suddenly. ‘It’s name is Mavis.’
Sebastian groaned and ignored her.
‘Right, where are you taking me in my chariot?’ he asked after he’d settled into the chair, arranging the pair of crutches down by his side and with his leg propped out in front of him. For once, he looked rather relaxed. Nina felt a sudden boost at his confidence in her. If the boot was on the other foot, she wasn’t sure she’d feel that relaxed.
They’d only walked a few paces down the street and she’d already realised that pushing a wheelchair was a real eye-opener, especially for someone who’d never had to worry about dropped kerbs before or people who meandered slowly off course. Stopping or turning the wheelchair at short notice was rather like driving an ocean liner, or so she imagined. It wasn’t easy. Thankfully, Sebastian hadn’t got into the wheelchair until they were outside the front of the lobby of the hotel as the wheelchair almost ran away with her down the ramp which really wasn’t a good start but he didn’t seem to notice.
‘This is my maiden voyage with this thing, don’t get too excited. I’m not sure it’s built for speed or manoeuvrability.’
‘Don’t you worry about that, today I’m embracing my inner Ben Hur. It’s my chariot. It’s freedom. And a day off. I can’t remember the last time I got away from spreadsheets, contractors’ calls and rotas.’
‘Have you been taking extra pills?’ asked Nina with a smile, grasping the handles of the chair, starting to push it down the street, unused to this light-hearted side of Sebastian.
‘No, it’s the dose of sunshine, it’s beefed up my vitamin D and my cheer quota.’ Over his shoulder he gave another dazzling grin. He was so close she could see the faint bristles breaking through on his chin and the tiny hazel flecks in his eyes, triggering a memory so sharp and incisive she almost gasped. Sebastian asking her to taste a chocolate mousse, feeding her a spoonful and grinning in a way that made her heart do somersaults when she told him it was orgasmic. Not that at sixteen she’d had the first clue what that might feel like.
With a perfunctory shake, as if trying to dislodge the memory, she lifted her chin and said crisply, ‘You can be chief navigator,’ even though she had a pretty good idea where they were going. ‘I thought we’d motor up to the Place de la Concorde and walk through Le Jardin des Tuileries as it’s such a lovely day. And then depending on how you feel we could stop for lunch somewhere or pick up le sandwich and eat al fresco.’
‘Sounds good to me, push on and don’t spare the horses.’
The Jardin des Tuileries was the perfect venue, although the pale gravel paths in the brilliant sunshine reflected the light a touch too brightly and Nina was grateful that she’d had the foresight to pack her sunglasses.
‘Are you OK?’ she asked, realising Sebastian was shading his eyes.
‘Yeah, I’m just not used to daylight. I feel like a vampire getting his first taste of sun. I’m worried I might shrivel up and disappear in a pile of ash.’
After walking through the gardens for about half an hour they came to a stop.
‘You OK?’ asked Sebastian.
‘Mm,’ she said. In fact she was a bit bored, it wasn’t much fun talking to the back of Sebastian’s head and he’d grown quieter in the last ten minutes. ‘You?’
‘Yeah … it’s nice to be outside.’
‘But?’
‘Now I’m going to sound like an ungrateful churlish bastard again. But it’s a bit dull. And trying to talk to someone behind you, I’ve got neckache. Would you mind if I had a go at pushing myself? Then you could walk beside me.’
‘Feel free.’ She let go of the handles.
‘Do you think you could give me a bit of a push to get a bit of momentum going? Easier than a standing start. In fact—’ he turned and shot her a look full of mischief ‘—I’m tempted to find out how fast this thing will go. I dare you to push me as fast as you can.’
‘You’re mad.’ She rolled her eyes.
‘I’m serious. I dare you.’ He gave a searching look.
‘That’s not fair.’
That tiny quirk of his eyebrow told her didn’t give a damn.
‘How old are you?’
‘Thirty. Are you chicken?’
She stood pondering for a minute. In the Hadley family no one ever backed down from a dare, her least of all. With four brothers on your case all the time, it was one of the times where you couldn’t be beaten. There were few occasions where she could be equal to their height and strengths. A dare was always winnable.
‘I’m never chicken, Sebastian Finlay, and that’s a dirty trick to play.’ A smile hovered around her lips.
‘You still running?
‘Not here, it’s not my idea of fun running in a city.’ She grinned at him. ‘Not enough mud.’
‘Still fell running then?’
‘Yes, but not seriously.’ As a child she’d run for cou
nty in the cross-country competitions. It was something her rugby playing brothers had never been able to understand the appeal of. For them sport meant being part of a team. They couldn’t relate to the solitude and she’d never bothered to explain that running on her own gave her some space and privacy. The chance to be alone with her thoughts.
‘It always seemed an anathema, you were so dainty and neat and yet you’d go charging off like a tiny determined dynamo and come back like some swamp fairy covered from head to toe in mud.’
‘Swamp fairy.’ Nina’s laugh pealed out, a little too loudly. She’d just remembered the picture he had of her in his flat. And him waiting for her at the finish line. ‘Which charm school did they throw you out of? Running gave me the chance to do my own thing. Get away from the boys telling me how I should be doing things. Under my own steam, out of sight, just me.’ And him when he’d come to support her, how many times? Five? She was kidding herself, she knew it was exactly five times because each of them was branded into her memory.
And those five occasions had been the evidence for the jury when she’d decided to go for broke and kiss him.
‘So go on then. Show us what you’ve got, Hadley.’
‘You really want me to?’
‘Yes, I need the buzz. I feel punchy and scratchy, after two weeks of inactivity and being confined to barracks. It’s quiet around here. We’re not going to crash into anyone. And there’s a nice straight stretch.’
‘Yes, but what if I tip you out?’
‘I’ll hang on tight. Or are you still chicken?’
‘Take my bag.’ She dumped it in his lap and made a big show of rolling up her sleeves.
‘Last chance to back out Finlay.’
They must have made quite a sight careering down the wide path, Sebastian yelling, ‘Faster, faster! Don’t spare the horses!’
The gravel flying under the wheels spattered upwards as she charged along, clipping her ankles. It only took a short while to pick up the pace and she had to adjust her usual running stride so she didn’t bang her knees on the back of the chair but quickly she mastered it and lost any sense of self-consciousness.
With the wind whipping her hair across her face and Sebastian’s delighted whoops, exhilaration filled her and she got braver and picked up her speed.
‘Yee-ha!’ yelled Sebastian. And suddenly they were eighteen and twenty again and she could remember the good times they’d had together before she’d spoiled things. The memories rushed up with the wind in her face. Sebastian going out training with her one summer’s day. Sebastian teaching her how to roll pastry. Sebastian helping her home after a party and putting her to bed so that her brothers and parents didn’t know how horribly and disgracefully drunk she’d got. And never breathing a word. No wonder he’d been her absolute hero. Where had that Sebastian gone?
‘Turn, turn!’ yelled Sebastian, his voice ringing with glee as they neared the end of the path where a large fountain completed the vista. Taking as wide a circle as she could, she veered around the base, fearful that any second one wheel might lift, but Mavis was a sturdy contraption and held its centre of gravity as they hurtled around. It was hard going trying to steer and she hauled backwards bringing the chair to an eventual halt beside the fountain.
‘Priceless, Nina, priceless.’ Sebastian laughed, his head thrown back a wide beam on his face. ‘That was so much fun.
‘I’m glad you think so, I’m bloody knackered,’ she wheezed, bent double, grateful for the fine mist of water from the fountain beside them. She sat down on the low stone edge with a thump next to him.
‘Bit out of condition, are we Hadley?’
‘When you’ve got that thing off your leg, I’ll let you push me round Paris and see how you feel, you cheeky sod. You weigh a ton. Been eating a few too many pies.’
This was more like it, keeping things light and matey. The perfect way to show Sebastian that she was over her silly crush on him. Perhaps she should broach the subject with him.
‘Tartes to you, young lady,’ he retorted. ‘And I wish. I’ve been begging Alex to change the room service menu. In fact.’ His eyes lit up. ‘What’s next on the Nina Hadley tour of Paris?’
‘Well, I thought maybe a boat ride. It’ll save my poor arms. We can catch the Batobus at Quai des Tuileries, although we need to get tickets first from Rue des Pyramides which isn’t far from here. It’s like a shuttle bus, except it’s a boat—’
‘I think I got that.’ He gave her a teasing smile.
She ignored him. ‘And you can get off at different places. I thought it would let us cover more ground and be easier than trying to get you up and down in the Metro.’
Maybe on the boat ride, with this light-hearted atmosphere between them, she could make some joke about what an idiot she’d been when she was eighteen and get it all out in the open. Show him she’d moved on and that it had meant nothing.
‘Great idea. I’m impressed. You have been doing your research.’
‘Can’t take the credit for that one, I’m afraid. Maddie’s suggestions. She knows Paris pretty well.’
‘Excellent. Which has given me an idea. I’m going to make a phone call. I know just the place we can go for a late lunch.’ He’d pulled out his phone and made a quick call speaking in rapid, impressive French.
Catching the boat was a great way of seeing the city from a completely different angle and gave Nina the chance to rest her aching arms.
The boat revved up and reversed back into the wide river and she sat back, happy to watch the scenes as they rolled by. She was grateful for the spring sunshine because it did feel much colder out on the water. Behind her she could hear a group of German tourists talking with great enthusiasm, even though she couldn’t understand a word, and on the row in front an English family were teasing their Dad about his fear of heights and whether he’d go up to the top of the Eiffel Tower with them or not.
Sebastian was scrolling through the screen on his phone, his dark head bent. She studied him for a minute before crossing her fingers under her thighs. ‘Sebastian … remember…’
‘Look.’ Sebastian, held up his phone. ‘If we get off at Saint-Germain-des-Prés, this restaurant is only a couple of streets over. And we get to see quite a bit on the way.’ He held up the map on his phone. ‘It’s run by an old friend of mine and I’ve been meaning to visit since I came to Paris and there just hasn’t been time.’
Nina relaxed her hands and felt the tension leave her shoulders. Maybe she’d bring it up over lunch, when it was just the two of them.
‘So how do you know him?’
‘When I left college, I worked in a couple of restaurants in England and met Roger. His father ran a Michelin-starred restaurant in Lyon. When he went back to work for his father, we kept in touch and I was lucky enough to get a placement at his father’s restaurant in Lyon.’
Nina remembered Nick mentioning that Sebastian had gone to work in France. At the time, the news had been a curious heart-tripping mix of disappointment and relief.
‘I worked there for six months and then I was offered a job as a sous chef. It was the best possible apprenticeship for me. I learned so much. Not just about the cooking but Marc was a brilliant businessman. So many restaurants fail because they’re not profitable. He taught me how to watch the pennies without sacrificing quality as well as managing a menu and maximising the number of covers. When I opened my first restaurant, I called it Marc’s as a tribute to him for everything I learned.’
‘What a lovely thing to do, I bet he was touched.’
‘I think so. Roger cried, that’s for sure. Marc was good to me, a father figure, even though he probably bawled me out a thousand times more than my dad.’ Nina didn’t need to see his face to see that his mood had changed. There was a sudden stillness to his shoulders. ‘He died not long after that but Roger and I have stayed in touch. I should have gone to Roger’s restaurant before now, but you know what it’s like and then this bloody leg. I hope you’ll l
ike it. Sorry I didn’t ask if you had any other lunch plans.’
She was grateful that the decision had been taken out of her hands. Left to her own devices, she probably would have opted for one of the cafés in the park.
The boat passed around the fascinating Île Saint-Louis and Île de la Cité with Notre Dame. It seemed incredible that the river in the centre of the city was wide enough to accommodate not one but two islands. ‘Gosh, it’s weird to see it in real life,’ she said as the boat passed the familiar twin towers of Notre Dame.
‘I know what you mean. You almost think you know it because you’ve seen it in countless films and books.’
‘A bit like spotting a celebrity in the street and saying hello,’ said Nina.
Sebastian laughed. ‘A good analogy, although it helps if you know the local celebrities. When I was working in the restaurant in Lyon, a very famous French actress came in and of course I had no clue who she was and couldn’t catch her name when she said she had a reservation. She was not amused when I asked her to spell it three times.’
Nina winced. She couldn’t imagine Sebastian ever being nonplussed or at a loss. In her head he always seemed so in control and confident. It had almost slipped her mind that once upon a time he hadn’t been so worldly and experienced.
Nina would remember Roger’s appalled face for quite some time and it took Sebastian a bit of explaining to persuade him that the wheelchair wasn’t permanent. She’d also remember this red wine for the rest of her life. She took another sip, leaning back in the spacious leather chair, listening to the two of them as they indulged in chef’s shop talk, speaking at a thousand miles an hour and switching easily between French and English. The menu was discussed and debated at great length and Nina found it fascinating to hear Sebastian so animated for a change. Despite the menu, there was no way that they would be allowed to choose anything from it – instead Roger kept bringing tasters of this and that for Sebastian’s approval.
A sliver of beef with an amazing salad of peppery greens with a bite of mustard, a slice of chicken in a pool of the most zingy lemon sauce, a piece of sole that melted in her mouth, a spoonful of tomato risotto that exploded with flavour and a tiny ramekin of mushroom and parmesan soufflé. She felt utterly spoiled and really rather privileged, especially when she saw the eyewatering prices on the menu.
