The Road Trip_A feel-good romantic comedy that will make you laugh out loud!

by Susanne O’Leary

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Leanne still hadn’t appeared when Erik arrived at the poolside. ‘I’m sorry,’ he said. ‘I had to deal with a business call.’

  Maddy opened her eyes and sat up in the lounge chair where she had been dozing. ‘Oh. That’s okay. I was quite happy on my own, to be honest. I had a little wine and some of the delicious snacks you served. You must have a very good cook here.’

  Erik sat down in the lounger beside her. ‘No. I do all the cooking. It’s one of my hobbies. I’ll be cooking tonight as well. Just a simple barbeque.’

  ‘Sounds good.’ Maddy sighed and stretched out in the sun lounger. She didn’t feel like talking but he seemed to understand, and the ensuing long silence felt comfortable. She lay there, enjoying the cool breeze, the gurgling sound from the pool and the cooing of doves, letting her mind drift, thinking of nothing in particular.

  ‘May I ask you a question?’ Erik asked after a long silence.

  ‘Okay,’ Maddy mumbled.

  ‘Where did that dog come from?’

  Suddenly wide awake, Maddy opened her eyes. ‘Why do you ask?’

  There was a concerned look in his eyes. ‘That business call I was talking about earlier wasn’t about business. It was from the police in Nice. Someone from Scotland Yard called them and said a dog belonging to a member of the British royal family was stolen a little over a week ago from a country house in Gloucestershire and has been traced to you and Leanne through your blog.’

  ‘What?!’ Maddy shrieked. ‘Are you serious?’

  ‘Very serious.’

  ‘Jesus!’ Maddy jumped up from her lounger. ‘What are we going to do? Are they going to arrest us?’

  ‘So it’s true then?’

  Maddy paced around on the tiles. ‘No… yes, I mean, we didn’t steal her. She was smuggled from the house, after that mad party, into our car by that sneaky creep Horace. One of your most loyal customers, I might add. Sir Horace if you don’t mind.’

  Erik nodded. ‘Yes. I know who you mean. He even helps with a little marketing in the UK. He gets free products in return for his recommendation to all those celebrities his wife entertains in their house.’

  ‘Marketing by stealth,’ Maddy remarked. ‘How weird that you know him. Is he a friend of yours? You might have been to one of those celebrity parties?’

  Erik’s mouth curled. ‘No. I’m not a huge fan of that kind of scene. But to get back to the dog…’

  ‘So he squealed then? The dirty little gobshite.’

  ‘I’m not sure. I don’t know who reported it. They didn’t say.’

  ‘Oh, shit. Whoever it was, we’re in trouble.’ Maddy wrung her hands. ‘What are we going to do? Can we hide Bridget somewhere? Did you say anything?’

  ‘Not much, no. What could I say?’

  ‘But… but we have to – I don’t know, explain this somehow.’ She glared at Erik. ‘Don’t just sit there, you eejit! Do something!’

  ‘Like what?’ Erik poured himself a glass of white wine from the bottle in the cooler.

  Maddy suddenly noticed he was enjoying himself. ‘You’re laughing at me.’

  ‘Not at all.’ Erik sipped some wine. ‘This could be serious. You could end up in a French prison or worse, be deported to a British jail. Not so nice for an Irish girl.’

  ‘But your daughter is implicated in this affair, too. Don’t you care?’

  Erik smirked, a twinkle in his eyes. ‘That might be very educational. Maybe she could start another blog? “My life in prison” or something?’

  Maddy looked at him and then realised what was going on. ‘You’re having me on, aren’t you?’

  He laughed. ‘I was wondering how long it would take you to figure that out.’

  ‘So there was no French police or Scotland Yard?’

  ‘There was. But while I was talking to the police in Nice, they got a message from the British police to say the dog has been found and returned to its owner. They were forced to apologise to me.’

  Maddy stared at him. ‘What? The dog has been—?’ Then it dawned on her. ‘Oh my God, she bought a look-alike dog. Edwina, I mean. Is that what happened?’

  Erik laughed. ‘You guessed it. Just as I hung up, I got a call from Horace. He wanted to let you know. He also said he hoped there were no hard feelings and he’s very sorry about blackmailing you.’

  ‘Why didn’t he call me directly?’

  ‘He’s scared of you, he said. You can be very fierce when you’re angry, apparently.’

  Maddy started to laugh. ‘How utterly ridiculous.’

  Erik shook his head and grinned. ‘Hilarious.’ He put his glass on the table. ‘I’m sorry I strung you along like that.’

  Maddy giggled. ‘Must have been great fun, though.’

  He touched her cheek. ‘I couldn’t resist making you all hot and bothered.’

  She sighed. ‘Thank God it was only a joke.’

  ‘So now, no more problems. You can just relax and enjoy this place.’

  ‘I certainly will. And the company,’ Maddy added, returning his smile.

  He raised his glass. ‘I drink to that. I like your company, Maddy.’

  ‘And I yours,’ she said, realising how true it was. They might not have agreed about everything, but she liked his calm, his kindness and total lack of vanity, so rare in a successful man. What had irritated her initially she now found attractive, especially his Scandinavian good looks and sensitivity. Not her type at all, but there was a warmth in his eyes despite the cool air, something that stirred her senses like no man had for a very long time.

  * * *

  They stayed there for over an hour, Maddy doing most of the talking. All her inhibitions gone, she lay on the lounger under the awning and told him about her marriage, how it had hit the rocks and that now they had finally agreed to part as friends. It was good to talk about it with someone who was so sympathetic. ‘I feel we have finally made peace and can go on to be friends.’

  He looked at her with that steady blue-green gaze and listened while she spoke. ‘Peace,’ he said, when she had finished. ‘That sounds good. I’m sure a lot of couples would love to have been as sensible as the two of you. Including me,’ he added wistfully.

  She turned her head and looked at him and noticed he looked suddenly sad. ‘You parted on a bad note?’

  He looked out over the view of the sea. ‘Yes. We ended up hating each other and that wasn’t good. Not for us or Leanne. I tried to make peace but she wouldn’t listen. We’re still in that hateful cold space.’

  ‘It must be hard to live with.’

  He looked back at her with a touch of sadness in his eyes. ‘Yes. It was. Still is.’

  ‘Maybe you could make peace too?’

  ‘I don’t think that’s possible.’

  ‘And…’ She hesitated. ‘Have you had other relationships since then?’

  ‘Yes, of course. Dates with some lovely women, brief affairs and one or two that might have worked. But I was too caught up with my business. That was my first love and I’m sure it was quite obvious. Not fair to a woman. But now things have slowed down…’ He glanced at her. ‘I find myself at a loose end, somehow.’

  They were interrupted by Leanne skipping onto the tiles of the pool. ‘Hey there, why didn’t you wake me up? I must have been asleep for hours. What time is it?’

  ‘I don’t know,’ Maddy said. ‘And I don’t think I want to know. That’s what this place does. It makes you feel suspended in time.’

  Erik got up. ‘My stomach says it’s time for dinner. I’ll go and light the barbeque.’

  Leanne made a thumbs-up sign and dived into the pool, her slim body breaking the blue water with a tiny splash. She swam under the water to the edge, where she rested for a while, looking out over the incredible view. ‘This is heaven, isn’t it?’ she said in a low voice.

  Maddy looked at her sleek head. ‘In a way. But it doesn’t seem real.’

  Leanne turned to look at her. �
�No, it doesn’t. I’m not sure I’d like to live here forever. What about you?’

  ‘Right, now, yes. But forever? No. It’s kind of—’ Maddy tried to find a word to describe the house and its surroundings. ‘Sterile.’

  Leanne heaved herself out of the pool. ‘Exactly.’ She found her bag and took out her phone. ‘But our fans will love this scenery.’

  ‘Yes. It’s like something from a movie.’

  ‘Exactly.’ Having taken the shot, Leanne padded to the patio and helped herself to olives and stuffed tomatoes. ‘Everything at your service at all hours. It’s too fecking perfect, isn’t it?’

  ‘That’s for sure,’ Maddy agreed, getting out of the lounger. ‘Not that it isn’t fabulous. But I like a bit of a struggle from time to time.’

  ‘Yeah. Me too.’ Leanne took a towel from the back of a chair and draped it around her shoulders. ‘Funny how we think alike, isn’t it? I feel as if you’re reading my thoughts sometimes.’

  Maddy laughed. ‘But I do. Didn’t you know I’m psychic?’

  Leanne backed away in mock fright. ‘Wahoo, that’s scary. So what do we do now, my psychic friend? Get out your crystal ball and tell me. Is this where we end our travels? Will we just sit out the holidays here and go mad with boredom?’

  ‘I don’t know. My crystal ball is on the blink.’ Maddy paused. ‘I thought you might want to stay and spend some time with your dad.’

  ‘Oh yes. I do. But not for that long.’

  ‘We could stay for a week and then drive on,’ Maddy suggested. ‘To Italy maybe? Go to Florence then drive across to Venice. Then maybe take a ferry to Croatia. I’d love to see Dubrovnik. Or down to the Amalfi coast?’

  Leanne smiled and nodded, her mouth full of stuffed tomato. ‘Both of those sound great. We’ll discuss that over dinner. I gave Bridget to one of those cute lads who work for Dad. He offered to walk her. I told him to keep a low profile. You don’t know if the cops are after her still. Wouldn’t be so great to end up in jail just when I’ve found my dad.’

  ‘Oh, I meant to say! Bridget is okay,’ Maddy filled her in. ‘Horace called Erik and said she has been found. The missing dog, I mean.’

  Leanne giggled. ‘Ah, they found a body double? How sneaky. But that’s the toffs for you. Nobody’s as sneaky as them.’

  ‘But that means Bridget is ours from now on.’

  Leanne beamed. ‘Really? That’s terrific. Another perfect thing in all this perfection. Jesus, all we need now is for you and Dad to fall for each other and I’d have the perfect parents. “Careful what you wish for”, seems like a very true saying.’

  ‘Maybe our followers will love the perfection?’ Maddy said, avoiding Leanne’s eyes. She seemed to have some kind of antenna for people’s feelings. Or were the vibes between her and Erik that obvious?

  Leanne picked up an olive. ‘No, they’d hate it. It would mean a Cinderella-happily-ever-after ending. And they don’t want our adventure to end. They’ll want us to go on and do fun stuff. If the blog were gone, they’d have nothing to dream about.’

  Maddy laughed. ‘You’re right. What a huge task we’ve set ourselves. It’ll never end.’

  ‘Ah, it will. Someone else will think of something even better soon.’ Her eyes focused on Maddy. ‘Are we dressing up tonight? Dad has invited some guests, he said. I wonder who?’

  ‘I have no idea.’ Maddy sniffed the air. ‘We’d better get ready. The barbeque seems to be all lit and ready to go.’

  Leanne rubbed her hair with the towel. ‘You go on. I’ll see you…’ She paused. ‘Where’s this party taking place?’

  ‘Erik said right here, beside the pool. The guys will set everything up, and he’ll cook the food on the barbeque.’

  Leanne nodded, looking impressed. ‘Oh, a poolside party. Let’s go and get dolled up, then.’

  They walked back to the guest cottage together, Leanne chatting about their upcoming trip, Maddy deep in thought. It seemed her life was falling into place after having rapidly fallen apart only hours earlier. Making peace with Tom, accepting Ludo was a dream, solving the problem with the dog and Leanne’s plans for the rest of the summer had all fitted into the plan. But there was one piece of the jigsaw she couldn’t find a place for.

  Her budding attraction to a very interesting man.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  The guests invited to Erik’s impromptu barbeque were not the glitterati of Nice society. They were the people who had worked for him, both in the business and on the house project. Mostly French with some from other countries, they were all dressed up for the occasion: the introduction of Erik’s long-lost daughter. Leanne, surprised but delighted to be the star attraction, soon got involved in chatter and laughter, flirting with the men and making friends with the women, especially those involved with the production of the perfumes.

  ‘Look at her,’ Erik said proudly, his eyes shining. ‘She’s a natural. She’ll be a great help to me in the future. I can’t tell you how happy I am to have her back. And to find that she’s so like me in many ways. I never knew she had the nose until she told me today.’ They were standing at the other end of the pool, watching the party from a distance, Erik having pulled Maddy aside after dinner.

  Maddy laughed. ‘She’s been entertaining me with it all through the trip.’

  Erik frowned. ‘You make it sound like a party trick. It’s going to be a great asset for the firm. My sense of smell will wane with age. Hers has another thirty years at least.’

  ‘Assuming she wants to stay,’ Maddy remarked, taking a sip of champagne from the glass Erik had offered her. ‘Have you asked her?’

  ‘No, but… I thought…’ Erik suddenly looked crestfallen. ‘You’re right. I should ask her. How stupid of me to take that for granted.’

  ‘Leanne is a very free spirit,’ Maddy said softly. ‘That’s why I like her so much. And isn’t that a quality you have as well? I thought that was the reason you came here to do what you did. You followed your star. You must allow Leanne to follow hers.’

  ‘But what about—’ Erik made a wide gesture with his champagne glass to encompass the house, the garden and the stunning view. ‘All this? It will be hers one day. If she stays.’

  ‘Only if she stays?’ Maddy sat down on a stone bench and turned to look out over the hills rolling down to the sea far below them. It was getting dark, and she could see the lights along the Promenade des Anglais and on the yachts anchored in the bay. A soft lavender-laden breeze caressed her face and bare arms.

  Erik sat down beside her. ‘No. You’re right. She is all I have. Whatever she does, she will inherit my life’s work.’ He turned to Maddy. ‘What about you? Are you following your star too?’

  ‘I will when I find it. I came out here chasing a dream that proved to be just a silly fantasy. Then my marriage ended. I’m trying to get used to all of that, and to being single. I feel both confused and a little sad right now.’

  ‘That’s understandable.’

  She took a deep breath of the soft air. ‘Lavender. I will never be able to smell it without thinking of Ludo.’

  ‘Your student boyfriend?’

  ‘Yes. Funny, I thought we were made for each other. I thought that our love would never end and that one day we’d find each other again and—’

  ‘You’d live happily ever after?’ Erik asked in a voice so gentle she barely heard him.

  She laughed. ‘Yeah. Something like that.’

  ‘It didn’t strike you that if he really loved you, he’d have turned every stone to find you?’

  ‘No,’ Maddy replied. ‘I thought that something had gone wrong somehow and that he’d lost the piece of paper I gave him. But I suppose you’re right. Had he searched long enough, he would have found me.’

  ‘I can’t imagine it would have been that hard.’

  ‘No, of course not, now that I look at it in hindsight. But I suppose I didn’t want to think rationally. I had this silly dream, always running in the background, espec
ially when things got rough. It was like a bright light, a bit like that Neverland star, and it kept me going through the dark times.’

  Erik put his arm lightly around her shoulder, looking at her face. ‘And then, when you met again, the light went out. How did you feel about that?’

  ‘Disappointed. But mostly stupid. And relieved in a way.’ She shrugged. ‘I’m not sure I’ve sorted out my feelings yet.’

  They were interrupted by loud laughter and shouting from the patio. Leanne ran around the side of the pool towards them. ‘Hey, we’re all going down to Vence. There’s a club there with a great DJ. Do you want to come?’

  Erik looked at Maddy in the dim light of the lanterns around the pool. ‘I don’t, but you go, Maddy.’

  ‘No thanks,’ Maddy said. ‘I prefer the peace up here. Have a great time, Leanne.’

  Leanne glanced at the two of them, a glimmer of a smile in her eyes. ‘Okay. I get it. See you in the morning, Mads. We’ll plan the rest of the trip at breakfast, okay?’

  ‘We will.’ Maddy smiled. Leanne’s youthful energy was contagious. ‘Have fun, sweetheart.’

  Leanne winked. ‘You too, darlings.’ She ran back to the group, who were shouting their farewells and thanks to Erik.

  ‘I love the silence here,’ Maddy said when they were gone. ‘Or maybe I should say peace?’ She pointed at the lights of Nice in the far distance. ‘It’s truly far from the madding crowd.’

  Erik gently took her face and turned it towards him. ‘I’ve been waiting for this moment. I wanted to be alone with you.’ He bent closer, his lips nearly touching hers.

  Maddy’s heart beat faster as she felt his warm breath on her face. ‘Me too,’ she mumbled, aching for the touch of his mouth.

  ‘Please don’t tell me you’re leaving tomorrow.’