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‘Well, you see my friend Jean-Pierre had been given his brother’s mobile phone and even though it didn’t actually work, and he pretended to ring people on it, I was so jealous and thought it was a good way to get my own.’
‘Did it work? What did they say?’
‘Well, after talking it all through with Nanou who firmly objected to a nanny being brought in, just like I knew she would, they agreed that she could look after me. The phone demand crashed and burned though, and they said they’d ring me every day on the house phone if I wanted. I was fuming about that but at least I didn’t end up being sent away.’
The memory was a happy one. Because he had Nanou and Silvestre, he’d not minded a bit whenever his dad went away to work, sometimes for a few days, now and then it was weeks but as promised he rang all the time and so did his mum, but in a less organised way.
‘They sound so cool, your mum and dad. No wonder you turned out so lovely.’
Ace felt Edie squeeze his hand but after a quick glance he could see she was miles away and he contemplated mentioning her own parents, then thought better of it. He remembered Justine from school whose dad died and then her mum married another man, and if you even mentioned it she’d draw all over her arms and face in biro. He couldn’t imagine Edie doing that, but he wasn’t going to push his luck, not when they were having such a good time. Instead, he focused on cheerful things.
‘Well, you’ll meet Mum soon enough. She flies in a few days before my birthday, so we have well over a week of peace and quiet until she arrives. Nanou is looking forward to having her back because they were always close, and she misses her. They’re going to plan my party which basically means Nanou does the food and Mum floats about looking busy getting Silvestre to put up fairy lights while Dad stays out of the way.’
‘Is it going to be a big party? Because I might need to buy something new to wear… who’s coming?’
Again, Ace sensed that Edie was feeling nervous and shy. ‘No, I didn’t want a big performance, I never do. It’s just going to be family, minus my aunt and cousins who have to go to a wedding on my uncle’s side. Then my friends, and Gus is coming too. Mum always says that if she’d had me dipped and dabbed then he would have been my godfather, but she prefers people to love each other without chains or obligation and to be fair, Gus has done just that.’
‘Ah, she means having you baptised… I can see I’m going to have to get used to a whole new language with your mum, never mind your friends.’
‘Yeah, everyone has to recalibrate when they meet Mum and don’t worry about my friends because they all speak really good English, like moi!’ Once again Ace felt Edie relax, her hand wasn’t grasping his so tight and the worry lines had left her face.
‘I just hope she likes me, your mum. And your dad of course.’
Again, Ace felt a tightening of her grip on his. ‘Hey, they will, I promise. And I get it, I really do. I’ll be nervous when I meet your gran, which I hope will be one day soon.’
When Edie didn’t respond to his hint and instead stared ahead at the coast roadAce cringed and changed the subject. ‘So, this road leads right along the cliffs and in a minute, you’ll get your first glimpse of Herval and on the opposite headland you can see the farm, well, just the top floor and the roof. That’s where Dad’s loft apartment is. He has a telescope up there and on a clear night we can watch the stars. You’ll love it up there, and dad knows all the names and constellations. It’s his thing, astronomy, but not a lot of people know that.’
They were approaching the bend but had to slow because a lorry was crawling along, causing a queue but that was good because it would give them a chance to take in the location when La Babinais appeared on the hill.
‘The house looks straight over the bay and onto Herval village slightly below. There’s a small fishing harbour and the beach stretches to the foot of the cliffs beneath the farm. It’s a mixture of sand and shingle with some great rock formations that jut into the sea. We pick oysters there but only when Nanou says. She’s like the law when it comes to the best time.’
Still Edie said nothing, she just held his hand, listened and stared at the road ahead so Ace rambled on. ‘The view from the house changes with the seasons and it’s perfect to photograph because of the light, altering the colours, even the mood. I think my favourite time is in winter, when the weather can wreak havoc or play nice, and changes in a matter of hours, grey clouds break and show us the bluest sky. And looking out across the ocean is something else, huge ships are dots on the horizon, lost amongst all that water, so vast and desolate and dangerous and at night, when it’s pitch black and I see a faraway row of lights on a tanker, then look down on the village and see the glow from inside the houses, they bring me home again where I know I’m safe. When you see it, you’ll know what I mean.’
Ace was lost in every word, meaning each one but when he returned to the silence of the car, he didn’t dare look at Edie who probably thought he was ridiculous when she let go of his hand and pointed, her voice betraying excitement.
‘There it is, Ace. I can see it. It looks just…’ she paused, ‘just perfect and exactly how you described it. How long till we get there?’
Relieved by her eagerness, Ace replied, ‘Ten minutes, traffic willing.’
When Edie replaced her hand on his, Ace relaxed and as they fell into companionable silence he left Edie to her own thoughts and the view, and wished more than ever he could see inside her head, and her heart. Instead, he concentrated on the road and dealt with his worries by sticking to facts, putting them all in one nice, neat box.
Edie had come all this way to see him; she had insisted on booking and paying for her own ticket; she liked him; she was holding his hand; she was looking forward to meeting his family; Gus and his mum would be here soon; and he was going to have a party with everyone he cared about around him. So, Lance aside, everything in the world was fine. Finally, the last thing in the box was his conviction that absolutely nothing would go wrong.
