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“Oh, Daddy, you’ve got to admit, it is hilar.” He raises his eyebrows at me helplessly, then gives her a sideward glance. “Oh, come on, you know I’m only teasing. Nice to meet you, Audrey.” She does a little mock curtsy before giving me a limp handshake. “I can’t believe you didn’t tell her how old I was,” she says, shaking her head at Daniel, “Hilarious, just hilarious.” And with this, she presses her back against the glass door of McDonalds and ushers Lily into the restaurant.
Daniel, Florian and I are still outside, staring at each other, speechless. Daniel with a worried look on his face and I in wide-eyed bewilderment, still in recovery mode.
“I’m hungry too, Auntie.” Florian tugs at my sleeve. “Can we go inside now? I’m cold.” He rubs his arms.
“Yes, of course, Florian,” Daniel murmurs, looking away first, “come on, son.”
“Good. I want a Big Mac, large fries and a chocolate shake.”
Inside, Daniel gives Connie a fifty-pound note and sends her to the counter with the kids. We’re alone.
“I’m so sorry, Audrey,” he says anxiously, searching around for a free, clean table. “I thought you knew I had a grown-up daughter.”
“Well, you didn’t say.” I shoulder my way through a crowd of people, following him to a table by the window.
“But you heard her calling me that day on the beach in Cyprus, and then the way you spoke about her at your parent’s dinner, I just assumed…” My mind goes into fast rewind. We’re on the beach, chatting. The wind is whirring in my ears. He looks back at a young woman in a white bikini with a child. She’s calling out to him. “Dan, hurry up.”
My hand flies to my mouth. “Dad”, she was calling out “Dad, hurry up”.
“Oh, my God, Daniel” I drop into the seat opposite him heavily. “I thought she was calling you Dan. It’s just your name….and I put two and two together…and, and…well, you just don’t look old enough to have a daughter in her twenties!”
“Twenty-nine, actually,” he cringes. My mouth hangs open. Reaching over, he gently closes it with his fingertips.
“She’s almost thirty?” I point in the direction of the food counter with my thumb. I can see where she gets her youthful looks from. And I’m not sure why I’m whispering, it’s not as if she can hear me at fifty feet away unless she’s got a spying device wedged in her ear, which is highly unlikely.
Daniel reaches for my hand across the table, and as I curl my fingers around his a huge wave of relief washes over me. This young, hot-chick whom I thought to be my potential love rival is actually his daughter. Phew, thank you, Lord, no more worries. I whip my mac off and drape it haphazardly on the back of my chair then roll up the sleeves of my black wool dress, suddenly feeling the heat. “And why didn’t you tell me about Lily, for goodness sake?” I reach for his hand again. “She’s just adorable.”
He crinkles his nose. “It’s not exactly an ice-breaker, is it? Hi, I’m Daniel and I’m a grandfather. Not very sexy.” He curls his lips downwards. “Thought it might put you off.”
“Yes, but a young, hot, grandfather.” I lean across the table and kiss him gently on the lips, once, then again…his breath is fresh, minty, his lips part and close over my bottom lip and…
“Oh, get a room you two.” Connie slams a tray of burgers and fries between us. Daniel leans back in his chair and we grin at each other like a couple of teenagers. Florian slides into the seat next to me, unsteadily holding a tray of drinks. I shake my head and smile as I sort out his meal. What have I let myself in for?
Connie talks mostly about herself throughout lunch, she tells me that she speaks Greek fluently, taught by her granny, she’s a writer, an actress and a model. A woman of many talents, I see. I’m genuinely fascinated by her colourful career and ask lots of questions. What films has she been in? Has she met lots of famous people?
“Oh, loads,” she says with a dismissive wave, dipping a chip into Lily’s ketchup tub. My eyes are drawn to the collar of her blouse, which is sticking out of her coat awkwardly. “I’ve been in TV ads, soaps and I’m invited to all the celeb parties too.” I nod enthusiastically, my eyes flitting to her white collar. “But I’m just waiting for that big break. Do you know what I mean?” I tell her that I do, that I’m impressed, and Daniel throws me an approving smile. It’s nice to see him looking so relaxed in a black t-shirt, jeans and brown vintage leather jacket instead of a suit, although I’m sure they’re all top of the range brands and very expensive.
“And she’s got a beautiful voice,” he says proudly, stretching his arm across the back of Lily’s chair as she happily listens to Florian nattering on about his iPad and the latest Apps he’s downloaded. “Writes all her own stuff too, don’t you, Con?” Connie nods and they grin at each other lovingly. “We’ll go and see her one night if you like. She’s amazing. Have you got any gigs booked, darling?” He leans over and pinches one of her chips and she slaps his hand away. He polished his own meal off in less than ten minutes.
“Nah, nothing booked this year.” She munches on her cheeseburger. I stare at her protruding collar. I wish she’d tuck it back in, it’s incredibly distracting. “Hey, I’ve got a brilliant idea.” She stops eating and looks at me excitedly, “Why don’t you two come around to mine for dinner next week?” Ah, so she wants to show off her culinary skills too, why am I not surprised? “We can grab a takeaway from the new Indian around the corner.” Or maybe not. “Then I can try out a couple of the new songs I’ve just written.”
We agree and then she spends the next ten minutes telling me all about her lovely apartment in Bayswater. How she and Lily spend weekdays there and weekends with her mum and granny in Crouch End, or at Daniel’s when they’re away. When asked about Lily’s father she informs me that he’s an arsehole she met at a party one night and has nothing to do with Lily’s upbringing. So, I assume that responsibility has been assigned to Daniel, then. His baggage seems to be getting heavier by the second.
“So, tell me, Audrey,” FINALLY, a question about me, “any kids of your own?” She sucks hard on her straw. She has her father’s unnerving stare. I focus on her white collar as I mull over her question. It’s now seriously getting on my nerves.
“What?” she frowns, locking her jaw down towards her right shoulder for a better view.
“Nothing, it’s just…”
“Fuck. Is it a stain?” She grabs a serviette and starts rubbing her lapel vigorously. “I’ve just got this back from the dry cleaners. Dad?”
Daniel leans over, “Can’t see anything.”
“No, it’s…Ooooh.” I stand up, reach over and tuck her collar back into her coat hurriedly. “Sorry.” I give a little nervous chuckle as I sit back down. My face tingles. “I just can’t stand seeing things out of place, that’s all. I’m a bit of a tidy freak. My family and friends will tell you. I’m forever loading their dishwashers, clearing their tables. I even tuck their clothes back into laundry baskets and wardrobes if they’re sticking out.” I shiver, “I just can’t stand it.”
Connie looks at Daniel, a hint of a sneer on her red lips. “Uh- oh, OCD alert.”
“Well, not quite OC….”
