‘I’m good. Great, in fact. I just wanted to say thanks for introducing me to Matt,’ she says, handing me my drink. ‘I had a terrific time; we’re going out again soon. He’s very sweet. And very tall.’
‘Yeah, I heard it went well,’ I reply, suddenly self-conscious about being a mere five foot eleven. ‘He was like a Disney princess when he got home.’
She laughs. ‘Excellent. I’ll be sure to bring him a glass slipper next time then. By the way, you’ve made quite the impression on Alfie. He still hasn’t shut up about you.’
‘I have that effect on people. Children and elves especially.’
We look over to Izzy who’s about to lose her shit with a family trying to buy grotto tickets after closing. Her head whips around like she’d somehow heard me mention elves.
‘Well, most of them.’
Sarah grins. ‘I should get back to work; I’m on ’til eight tonight. Enjoy the coffee!’
‘No worries,’ I reply. ‘I’ll tell the reindeers you said hi.’
She bites her lip and grins, slowly backing away towards the coffee shop, while I take a swig of my first ever gingerbread latte. Jesus Christ, people actually drink this shit?
As we close the grotto, Izzy takes off her hat and runs her hands through her hair. I find myself fascinated by the sheer volume of curls she has. How the hell does she hide all that under her hat?
‘Your girlfriend over there,’ she snaps. ‘She knows you stare at other women, yes? What is wrong with you?’
My gaze breaks and I can’t help but blush in surprise. ‘What? No, I’ve just never seen your hair down before! It looks nice, that’s all.’
She pauses and shrugs. ‘OK, I accept that.’
‘And she’s not my girlfriend.’
‘Well, she looks at you like she is,’ Izzy replies, continuing to mess with her mop. She stops suddenly, a smile creeping over her face. ‘And I think you do too.’
‘What. . . that’s ridiculous. You need your eyes checked.’
‘She has the little boy, yes? You be kind to her.’
Izzy waves her hand dismissively and heads off with the credit card machine and a small selection box hidden inside her hat. That bloody hat is magical.
Chapter Eight
‘You should go out tonight, Nick. Honestly, I know you’re not flush yet, but I’ll slip you a few quid. Crap, I’m out of aftershave, can I borrow some?’
Matt’s seriously making the effort for his third date. He even trimmed his nose hair. I nod and gesture towards my room. ‘Knock yourself out. . . and thanks for the offer but I’ve faced those kids with a hangover once already. Never again.’
‘You don’t have to get pissed. Just blow off some steam – or better yet, let some hot woman blow the steam off for you.’
‘Your puns are terrible, mate.’
Before he can protest, his phone starts ringing in his bedroom and I unmute the television again. He’s probably right, I haven’t had sex since I lost my job months ago – according to Angela, unemployment just wasn’t sexy – but they’re showing aDie Hardmarathon on Sky later and I have a Domino’s voucher.
A few moments later, Matt returns to the living room and flicks on the main lights.
‘Change of plan, dude. Get this place tidied.’
‘What? Why?’
‘Sarah’s sitter has cancelled last minute, so she’s coming here with the wee man,’ he replies, frantically moving all of our shit from one side of the room to the other. ‘We’ll just order pizza.’
I reluctantly start helping. ‘So, what? A romantic dinner, just the three of you? That’s kind of intense. . .’
‘It is,’ he replies, pulling his wet socks off the radiator. ‘That’s why you’re also having dinner with us.’
