‘Are you sure I look all right?’ I asked, as I twirled this way and that in the hotel room. I had put on the new floral maxi dress I’d bought especially for the trip but as I stared at my reflection in the mirror I couldn’t help wondering if it seemed a bit much.
‘I think you look gorgeous.’ Lydia smiled, from her position by the window. ‘Jacob’s a very lucky young man, and to be quite honest Erin, from what little I’ve seen of you together, you seem very well suited.’
Surprised at the compliment, I turned to look at Lydia and saw that she was busy trying to balance the books after our final morning at the fair. It had been an incredible event. We had not only sold the last of our stock, but thanks to the sale of my ring, made more money than ever before. Lydia had tried to give me the cash she had raised for the ring, but I had refused and said that after all she had done for me, I wanted to put it back into the business.
I’d expected a bit more of a fight but after I made the suggestion, she went along with it quite happily. Now, as I watched her type something in what I could clearly see was the wrong column on the spreadsheet, I tried not to let out a groan of despair. Lydia’s online book-keeping was so dreadful I knew I was going to have to go over it myself later. Yet in that moment, I felt so happy and so grateful for having Lydia in my life I couldn’t bring myself to mind.
‘Do you think Jacob will like it?’ I asked shyly.
Lydia let out a snort of disbelief as she peered over the top of the laptop. ‘Who cares? You should dress for yourself not for a man. That said, I think he would be a fool not to like you in that get-up. Where is he taking you?’
‘A little café-bar he said he knows,’ I replied. ‘I won’t be long, and I’ll be back in plenty of time for our dinner.’
Lydia waved my concerns away. ‘Don’t be silly. And honestly, Erin, it’s a lunch date not a marriage proposal. Stop worrying about it and enjoy a date with a handsome man sat opposite you. Trust me, when you get to my age, these invitations will be few and far between.’
I sank onto the bed, suddenly feeling rather exhausted by the events of the past few days. ‘How are you feeling now? About Jack, I mean?’ I asked, aware that Lydia had kept rather quiet about their reunion. ‘You and he were very civil with each other over drinks last night, but I got the feeling you were keeping something back. Did something happen after Jacob and I went for dinner with Sandrine?’
Lydia snapped the lid of the laptop shut and gave me a half-smile. ‘No, I haven’t been very forthcoming, have I? The thing is, Erin, I had pictured this wonderfully romantic reunion in my head. Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t expect to fall in love all over again, but I thought seeing Jack again would be more magical.’
‘And finding Jack hasn’t been magical?’ I asked.
‘No, it has, it’s been wonderful,’ Lydia said firmly. ‘But wonderful in a different way than I expected. You see, I was worried all this time that Jack had been thinking I left him in the lurch, but the truth is that Jack knew all along that Harry never gave me the letter.’
‘What?’ I gasped, sitting bolt upright at the revelation.
I found my jaw dropping open as Lydia then told me the events of the past couple of days. ‘I can’t believe it,’ I said, feeling incredulous as Lydia finished her tale. ‘Why didn’t you tell me any of this before?’
‘Because I knew your parents were coming and I didn’t want to put you off your reunion with them,’ Lydia explained.
‘And what about after?’ I demanded. ‘You should have told me.’
Lydia flushed with embarrassment. ‘I’m sorry. It’s just you were so happy when you got back from your meal last night, I didn’t want to ruin that for you.’
I walked over to the leather chair Lydia was sitting in and crouched down beside her. ‘I’m your friend,’ I whispered. ‘I’m always here for you, Lydia.’
To my surprise I saw Lydia’s eyes fill with tears. ‘The one thing I’ve realised during this whole trip, Erin, is that I was looking in the wrong place to find the love I thought I needed.’
My eyes flickered with concern. ‘I don’t understand.’
‘I mean, that all this time I’ve been looking to the past,’ Lydia said, her blue eyes shining with tears and happiness. ‘I’ve been looking at my defining relationships with Jack and Harry thinking they were the ones that were important. But really, what was actually important was the present.’
I nodded. I was beginning to see what she was getting at. ‘So you feel all right with what happened with Jack now?’
Lydia tilted her chin in defiance. ‘It’s all water under the bridge now, Erin. Jack did what he thought was right at the time. And Harry, well my Harry always acted in my best interests, or what he thought were my best interests – for Harry it was another act of love and I’ve decided to see it as such.’
‘That’s a good idea,’ I agreed. ‘If there’s one thing I’ve realised these past few months it’s that anger eats you up – you taught me that.’
‘And you taught me the true value of friendship,’ Lydia whispered. ‘This trip should have been a celebration of me and you, an opportunity for the Simon and Garfunkel Antiques Brigade to go out on a high.’
With that, she fixed her eyes on me and I felt a surge of love for the woman sat before me. She had been there for me when I had nowhere else to go, supported me, encouraged me, provided a shoulder to cry on and helped me move my life forwards in a way I could never have predicted.
‘I’ll never ever forget what you did for me with my family,’ I said fiercely. ‘Nobody has ever done so much for me, and I doubt they ever will. Lydia, I want you to know you truly are the best friend I could ever wish for. It might sound funny now, but you know what, I’m glad Brad and Cara went behind my back because if they hadn’t, you and I would never have become friends.’
At that Lydia giggled. ‘I think I know what you mean.’
‘I’m not very good at emotion,’ I said.
‘Neither am I,’ Lydia smiled. ‘But, Erin, you and I have had such wonderful times together. I don’t think I’ve ever laughed so hard.’
I smiled at all the memories we had created, the incredible moments we had shared together flickering through my brain like a Pinterest board. ‘The time you tore shreds off that poor tourist.’
‘And the time you threw insults at Brad and Cara,’ Lydia countered.
‘Or the time you threw your drink all over that dreadful speed date,’ I giggled.
At that, Lydia looked at me blankly. ‘The what?’
‘The speed date,’ I laughed. ‘You remember? At the event Ginger organised. You said you had never been so insulted in your life.’
‘Oh yes!’ Lydia clamped a hand over her mouth. ‘How could I forget?’
I looked at her, feeling unsettled. She had seemed so well on this trip, that I had forgotten her memory was ever a problem.
‘I want you to know, that living with you over the past few months has given me more joy than I could ever expect.’ Lydia smiled, clasping her hand over my own. ‘Taking you in as my housemate has given me such a lease of life.’
‘We’ve got plenty more of those moments to come yet. We’ve only just started, Lydia, just think what’s around the corner for us.’
With that, Lydia squeezed my hand even more tightly. ‘Thank you,’ she whispered.
‘I mean it. Look how well the Simon and Garfunkel Antiques Brigade has done. I’ve been thinking about this. There’s no need to end it all now just because we’ve sold all our stock. Why don’t we keep going? You’ve got brilliant contacts, we’ve got oodles of profit, even after you’ve paid back everything you owe. I know how to organise – together we make a brilliant team! What do you say?’
As I left my question hanging in the air, I looked at Lydia expectantly, only to see that she looked anything but excited about the idea.
‘It’s not that I don’t want to, Erin,’ she said eventually. ‘But there’s a lot to think about.’
‘What is there to think about?’ I demanded. ‘We’ve done so well – we’re the dream team.’
‘I know that,’ Lydia laughed, ‘but running a business is hard work. Let’s talk about it when we get back all right?’
I gave a brief nod of my head. I had learned that there was no point trying to push Lydia into something before she was ready.
‘Well, I’d better be off,’ I said eventually. ‘Will you be all right while I’m gone?’
Lydia rolled her eyes. ‘I’ll be fine. Stop worrying about me. I have got my own life you know.’
‘All right, all right.’ I held my hands up in mock defence. ‘I’ll see you tonight.’
‘For our last supper,’ Lydia murmured as I walked through the door.
Shaking my head I hurried out into the fresh air. I saw Jacob straightaway, leaning against a tree dressed in jeans, T-shirt and blazer. Walking across the road towards him, I saw he was tapping one hand against his thigh; he was clearly as nervous as I was.
‘Hello,’ I said.
Slowly he reached for my hand and as our fingers entwined I felt my heart bang against my chest and cursed myself. What was wrong with me? I was behaving like a teenager.
‘Nervous?’ Jacob asked, reading my mind.
‘A bit,’ I said, surprised at how easy it was to be open with Jacob.
‘Me too,’ he admitted. ‘I didn’t expect to be, but then all this has taken me a bit by surprise. I never expected to find you.’
‘Nor I you,’ I said haltingly. ‘I don’t know what this is Jacob, but I just know I like being with you.’
We carried on walking then through the streets of Paris, not saying much, just enjoying the thrill of being with one another. With Jacob by my side I felt as if the city had been switched to Technicolor as I took in the sights and smells around me. Dazzling hydrangeas, roses and delphiniums stood in immaculate lawns that lined the Parc Monceau, perfectly manicured gardens adorned the area around Notre Dame, while the scent of cherry blossom filled the air. The city looked so beautiful, it was as though I was seeing it with new eyes. As we continued to stroll along, content with just each other, I soon caught sight of the Bateaux-Mouches up ahead and herds of tourists basking in the sunshine.
‘Have you noticed where we are?’ I laughed
‘The banks of the Seine,’ he said wryly.
‘All we need now is a bottle of wine, a baguette and some cheese,'
We stopped then and looked at each other for just a moment, seeing each other with what felt like fresh eyes.
‘Instead, all I’ve got to offer you is this,’ he said softly, bending down to kiss me.
At the feel of his lips against mine, I realised how strange this felt. This was the first kiss I had exchanged with anyone other than Brad for a long time. His touch felt so different, softer, less abrupt, but as we began to get to know each other’s lips, bringing them together to fit like two pieces in a jigsaw, I felt fireworks fizz and dance inside of me. I never wanted it to end.