The sound of footsteps on the jetty and voices calling them interrupted her thoughts. She stuffed her bag into the small cabin and closed the door just before Erik and Maddy peered into the saloon. Bridget rushed at Maddy, wagging her tail, trying to jump up.
‘Hi, Dad,’ Leanne exclaimed and gave him a hug. Smiling, she looked up at him. ‘You look happy.’
Erik hugged her back. ‘Yes. And a little shorter after Maddy cut me down to size.’
Leanne laughed. ‘Good for her. So it’s all okay between you, then?’
‘For the moment,’ he said. ‘But you never know what the future will bring.’
Leanne stared at him and burst out laughing. ‘This is not the dad I remember.’
‘Oh, him.’ Erik shrugged. ‘That old arrogant bastard is gone forever. Meet the new me, all soft and amenable and a real pushover.’
Leanne glanced at Maddy. ‘Jesus, what did you do to him?’
Maddy laughed and picked Bridget up. ‘I think I scared him when I showed him my claws.’
‘But never mind that,’ Erik interrupted. ‘What about the new man in your life, eh? A doctor and all. Your mother will be so happy.’
Leanne giggled. ‘I know. Mam will be beside herself. I’d say she’ll even break out the Belleek china that’s been in the cupboard since my first communion.’
‘Come up here, Leanne,’ Tony called from the cockpit. ‘The others are here and Claudia has brought champagne and a picnic for us to have later. Get some of the snacks and we’ll have a deck party.’
‘I’ll give you a hand,’ Maddy said, handing a wriggling Bridget to Erik. ‘Here. You go up on deck and say hi to everyone. Tony will introduce you.’
‘Yes, my love,’ Erik said and climbed back up to the cockpit.
‘What have you done to him?’ Leanne asked.
Maddy giggled. ‘It’s an act. He’s pretending to be Mr Nice Guy just to make me laugh.’
Leanne hugged her. ‘I’m thrilled to see you two so happy together.’
‘And you,’ Maddy said, hugging her back. ‘Tony looks years younger too. I think he and Erik like each other already.’
Leanne made a funny face. ‘Jesus, all this sweetness and light is making me sick. But hey, let’s enjoy it while it lasts.’ She opened the cupboard and pulled out packets of crisps and nuts and two large jars of olives. ‘Let’s get these out and join the party. Then we’ll be off into the sunset. Literally.’
‘You’re going to sail in the dark?’
Leanne poured the crisps into a wooden bowl. ‘Yes. We’re going to navigate by the stars. Tony’s done it before. Can’t wait to experience it.’
‘Sounds incredible.’ Maddy opened the jars of olives and started up the steps, Leanne following.
Up on deck, Claudia was holding court and serving champagne in paper cups. ‘Not quite correct but I’ve learned to compromise during the trip. I’ve even done some housework,’ she said, looking proud of herself.
‘That was very brave of you,’ Lucilla said with a laugh.
‘Thank you. It’s a farewell party until we meet again,’ Claudia announced. ‘Leanne and Maddy, grab a cup and I’ll pour you some champagne.’
Leanne put the bowls down on a small table and picked up a cup. She smiled at Lucilla standing beside Claudia. ‘Hi, Lucilla.’
Lucilla smiled back with surprising warmth. ‘Hello, Leanne.’
‘Sorry about the outburst earlier.’
Lucilla shrugged. ‘No problem. You were right anyway. We’re working on something different for the client. They were delighted with the way you kickstarted their campaign. It’ll go very well now, I think. They have nearly more orders than they can cope with. They said you can keep any of the clothes you modelled and they’ll give you a cut of the profit of the sales of the summer collection.’
Leanne relaxed. ‘Oh, brilliant. Thank you. I’m donating it all to Doctors Without Borders. And, hey, sorry about acting the bitch.’
Lucilla laughed. ‘It was hot and we were all tired. It’s okay.’
Leanne looked around. ‘Where’s Carlo?’
‘Back at the hotel. He had some work to do, setting up an Instagram account for Risorse Naturali and a few other things. He said to tell you bon voyage and see you on the ferry in Split for the trip back to Ancona.’
Leanne nodded. ‘Oh, okay. Thanks. Tell him I said hi.’ She looked at Erik and Maddy. ‘How are you getting back to Nice, Dad?’
‘We’ll be going back to Trogir on the yacht,’ Maddy replied. ‘Then Erik’s catching a flight back to Nice from Split and I’ll join you for the ferry trip to Ancona and the drive back to Florence, where we’ll pick up our car.’
‘Oh?’ Claudia cut in. ‘So you won’t be joining me in Florence?’
‘No,’ Maddy replied. ‘So sorry, should have told you before. I guess I got a bit swept away in all the drama.’
Claudia laughed, waving her hand. ‘Don’t worry. I saw your… uh… the tall Viking god, and put two and two together.’ She beamed at Erik. ‘But I hope you will both come and visit me in Florence soon.’
‘Thanks,’ Maddy replied. ‘Of course we will. Right, Erik?’
‘It would be a pleasure,’ Erik said and bowed to Claudia, who laughed and winked at him.
‘Now might be the right time to ask you something.’ Leanne sipped some champagne, looking at Maddy over the rim of her cup. ‘I was wondering… I mean Tony and I thought…’
‘What?’ Maddy asked.
Tony stepped next to Leanne and draped an arm around her shoulder. ‘How would you feel about another passenger in that amazing car?’
Maddy blinked. ‘You mean you want to come with us? All the way to Ireland?’
Tony nodded. ‘Yes. But if that’s not okay with you, I’ll get back some other way. I just thought you might like a little company.’
Maddy glanced at Erik. ‘I haven’t even thought about the trip back to Ireland. I was just looking forward to getting back to Nice. I’d like to stay with Erik until the end of the summer, but…’
Leanne noticed the conflict in her eyes. Maddy obviously wanted to spend more time with Erik, just as she needed to be with Tony. ‘We’ll sort something out,’ she said.
‘Hey, cut the dancing around and get to the point,’ Claudia interrupted. ‘Why don’t you fly back from Split to Nice with Erik, Maddy? Spend the rest of the summer there. Then Tony and Leanne can pick up the car from Florence and drive back to Ireland together.’
Tony laughed. ‘What would we do without you, Claudia? You sort everyone out better than we do ourselves.’
‘But then the big escape will come to an end,’ Erik cut in. ‘I’m sure that’ll be a bit of a wrench for you both.’
Leanne and Maddy looked at each other. Leanne felt a sudden pang of sadness. Was this the end of their adventure, their close friendship and the fun of escaping from their dreary everyday lives? What a long way they had come since that day in June when they had taken off from Maddy’s house. Both their lives had changed beyond recognition and now, maybe it was time to part. For the time being anyway. ‘I don’t know what to say,’ Leanne mumbled. ‘What do you think, Mads?’
Maddy took Leanne’s hand. ‘I’ll be sad to end our adventure. But it doesn’t mean an end to us. Just a slight shift. We can’t drive around in a red sports car forever, like the Flying Dutchman. We have to finally land and get on with our lives. But it’s not the end of our friendship, it’s the beginning of the rest of our lives. And we’ll always be close. Nothing can change that.’
‘No,’ Leanne said, enveloping Maddy in a warm hug. ‘Nothing can. Thank you for everything and for looking out for me. We’ll do as Claudia suggested. It’s a brilliant plan.’
‘Bravo,’ Claudia said and held up a brimming paper cup. ‘And now a toast. To love and friendship and new beginnings.’
‘Amen,’ Tony said, downing his champagne in one go. ‘Time to get out of here.’
‘Don’t forget to take the food I
brought for your picnic,’ Claudia said, handing Leanne a basket filled with lobster, salads, bread, cheese and a chocolate tart. ‘And a bottle of wine. Italian,’ she added with a cheeky smile. ‘That Croatian wine has a strange effect on people.’
‘It sure does.’ Leanne took the bag. ‘Thank you, Claudia, that’s very kind.’
‘Thought you might forget about food,’ Claudia said with a cheeky grin.
‘Spot-on as usual,’ Tony laughed. He held up his empty paper cup. ‘Cheers to you, Claudia, even if the champagne is all gone. And now, dear friends, the sails are ready, the wind is perfect, the sun is setting and we have to leave. I wish you all a good night. And get the hell off our boat so we can cast off!’
They all laughed, everyone hugging each other and bidding one another farewell. Erik, Maddy, Claudia and Lucilla stepped onto the marina, waving as Tony and Leanne pushed off, setting sail and gliding out to sea in the golden glow of the setting sun.
* * *
As the sun slowly sank behind the islands in the west, stars glinted overhead in the deep-blue sky. With night falling, Leanne and Tony made their way with slack winds through the black water, the only sound in the still night the soft clucking of the waves against the hull and the click of the rigging as the sail moved. Leanne looked up and saw the Milky Way stretching across the heavens like a wide, diamond-studded path, its millions of stars glimmering and twinkling against the navy backdrop. Staring up, she suddenly realised how tiny she was and how little her life mattered in the vast space of the universe. ‘Less than a speck of dust,’ she said softly. ‘Our planet is only one of billions in the galaxy. And we are like tiny molecules.’
Tony looked up at the sky from his position at the wheel. ‘Very humbling, isn’t it?’
‘But incredibly spiritual at the same time.’
‘Yes, it is. Makes you wonder what it’s all about, doesn’t it? All our conflicts and wars and arguments. All our plotting and scheming and falling in and out of love. They’re but tiny whispers in the universe.’
‘Or even less than that.’ Leanne sighed and put her sweater across her shoulders, as the night breeze brushed past her. She yawned. ‘And now I’m going act like a five-year-old and ask: are we there yet?’
‘Funny you should say that. I’ve just noticed we’ve almost reached the island where I planned to stop.’
‘Thank God for that,’ Leanne sighed. ‘I’m starving. And sleepy.’
‘I’ll just check our position.’ Tony picked up the sextant he had been using.
Leanne went to stand beside him. ‘How do you navigate by the stars?’
Tony pointed at the sky. ‘See that constellation?’
‘Yes. That’s the Little Bear, you told me.’
‘Or Ursa Minor. And the brightest of its stars is Polaris, the North Star. You have to determine the angle in degrees between Polaris' position and the northern horizon. The most accurate way to do this is with a sextant, which lets you read the angle off its curved section.’
‘Oh,’ Leanne said, leaning her head against his shoulder. ‘How come you know all this stuff?’
‘My dad taught me. We used to sail off the west coast, north of Rome in the summers. We always had clear skies, so it was easy. I loved it.’
‘I love it too. It’s like we’re the only people left on the planet.’ Leanne yawned again. ‘Sorry,’ she said, laughing. ‘It’s way past my bedtime.’
‘We’re nearly there.’ Tony pointed at a dark shape ahead. ‘We’ll have a midnight feast and then go to bed. Why don’t you go and get the hamper Claudia gave us? I’ll drop the anchor when we’re in the shelter of the bay.’
‘Perfect.’ Leanne went below to prepare the picnic. Then she had an idea. When Tony climbed into the saloon, Leanne called him, sitting up in bed holding a glass of wine.
He peered into the cabin and grinned. ‘Ah. There you are.’
‘How about dinner in bed?’ she asked.
‘Oh, yes.’ Tony sighed and stretched. ‘Sounds good to me.’ He got undressed, climbing into bed beside her, taking the glass of wine and the plate of lobster salad Leanne handed him and kissed her bare shoulder. ‘What a lovely end to a perfect night.’
Leanne finished her food, drained her glass and handed it to Tony. She lay down, snuggling under the blanket, Bridget curled up at her feet. ‘Can’t keep my eyes open,’ she mumbled. ‘Sorry for not being romantic. I can’t seem to stay awake. G’night, sweetie.’
‘Very sleepy myself,’ Tony said, joining her under the blanket and putting his arms around her. ‘And isn’t this as romantic as it gets; us here together in a boat, the waves rocking us to sleep?’
‘Mmm…’ Leanne mumbled. ‘S’lovely.’
‘Night, my Irish colleen,’ Tony whispered.
They were asleep in seconds, arms entwined around each other, until the first rays of the morning sun poked through the porthole, waking them up to a new day and the journey they were about to begin. Together.
* * *
Farewell, dear friends and followers.
Have your hankies ready, because this is going to be a little sad… Today is the day when Maddy and I depart in different directions. It’s also the last day of our great Euroscape. Oh what a fantastic, fabulous, incredible roller coaster ride it’s been! Since we set off from Dublin a month ago, we have had the most amazing adventures, met incredible people and most importantly of all, had some truly life-changing experiences. Neither Maddy or I are the same women who got into that gorgeous car and drove off into the wild blue yonder. During our trip, we’ve had some hair-raising adventures, caught up with people from our past, made new friends and found true love with the most unlikely but wonderful men. I can’t speak for Maddy, who doesn’t want her love life splashed all over the Internet, but I certainly want to shout it from every rooftop I can climb onto. I have to confess that I have kissed a lot of frogs in my quest to find my prince. This wasn’t a totally unpleasant experience and I had a lot of fun with a lot of frogs, some of them really cute. But then – wham! – there he was, Mr-oh-so Right, hovering in the background while I was busy flirting with Mr Wrong. But then my vison cleared, the clouds scattered and I saw him… Yes, you might have guessed, it’s the cute doctor. That’s all I’m going to say for now, because this is about Maddy and me. And she deserves a huge round of applause and hugs and kisses for being such a true-blue friend in all kinds of weathers. Gorgeous, fun, smart, kind, everything you would wish your future stepmother to be. Oops, did I reveal something there? Ah, well, sorry, Mads, it’s out there now. And in any case the secret will be out soon. I will say no more, except that my dear dad is a lucky man…
So, darling friends, as I sail into the sunset with the cute doctor, I will think of you and wish you all the best. And don’t think you’ll have seen the last of me! I’m planning a blog of my very own, but haven’t set it up yet. If you follow my Instagram account, I’ll keep you posted there.
What will we do now, you might wonder. Well, we have to go back to our teaching jobs for one more school year, which will give us a chance to plan the next chapter in our lives. Funny how we now need to take a break from this champagne lifestyle! But I have to tell you, lads, luxury living takes a lot of work! Looking good, staying slim, and being polite all the time is EXHAUSTING! Not to mention all the painful spa treatments – ouch! Now I’m looking forward to lying on the couch in my pyjamas eating burritos and watching a box set of Game of Thrones. True bliss.
And Bridget? She will be taking up residence with me in my new flat in Dublin and will be all mine, except Maddy gets to have her on Sundays.
So this is cheerio for now, but not goodbye. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your support and all the fun, cheery comments to our posts. We love you! Hugs and kisses from us both,
Maddy, Leanne and, of course Bridget, who waves her cute little paw at you.
THE END
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A laugh-out-loud romantic comedy set in the French sunshine
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Maddy and Leanne are in need of a miracle.
* * *
Maddy can’t bear to wash another pair of her husband’s Y-fronts and if he continues to drone on about golf she might just scream.
* * *
Leanne can’t stand living with her overbearing mother for a second longer and she’s one disapproving eye roll away from a nervous breakdown.
* * *
But their luck changes when they win the lottery.
* * *
Setting off from Dublin, Maddy and Leanne lease a red convertible, winding through Europe and heading for the sun-drenched French Riviera.
* * *
But the pair have their own reasons for their adventure. Maddy has never forgotten her summer romance of twenty years ago with a gorgeous Frenchman and Leanne plans to track down the father who abandoned her as a child.
* * *
Amongst glorious sunsets and buckets of bubbly, Leanne and Maddy are searching for answers after years of wondering ‘what if?’ But there might just be some surprises in store along the way…
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A hilarious and heartwarming story about friendship, living life to the full and making the most of every moment. Fans of Fiona Gibson, Carole Matthews and Lucy Diamond will adore this uplifting, fun-filled read.
A Holiday to Remember: An absolutely hilarious romantic comedy set under the Italian sun Page 24