Page 40 of Be More Capybara

As the outskirts of the town gave way to countryside, Helen relaxed into the passenger seat. This journey was far less hair-raising than Mark’s dash to the hospital earlier. Despite Nancy’s misgivings, Nigel was a very good driver.

Helen was enjoying the feeling of wind in her hair. He was right - with the windows up, the car’s interior stayed warm. It was exhilarating and much less stressful than navigating the crowded streets of London, cooped up in her little Fiat 500.

As he pulled up at a set of traffic lights, her stomach made a loud rumbling noise.

‘Hungry?’ Nigel asked.

‘Absolutely starving.’

‘Why don’t we find a country pub somewhere?’

She ought to insist that they hurry back home to work on her treehouse proposal for Mark. But you could do that this evening.

‘I’d love that.’

‘Any recommendations?’

‘Why don’t we try The Fox Inn?’

‘The one we used to go to in Dashton Gorge sometimes?’

‘Yep, it has a new chef. My next door neighbour was raving about it at the weekend.’

‘Let’s check it out. You’ll have to remind me how to get there.’

29

NIGEL

Nigel held open the pub door for Helen. This place wasn’t as rough and ready as he remembered it.

‘Have you booked?’ the woman behind the bar asked - “Faye, Senior Restaurant Manager”, according to her badge.

‘No. We’ve just dropped in on the off chance.’ Nigel looked around the almost empty pub.

‘I might be able to fit you in.’ Faye spent the next minute scrolling through a screen before picking up a couple of menus and leading them to the darkest corner of the pub. Nigel glanced at the table by the fire, which looked far more welcoming.

‘Could we sit over there instead?’ he asked.

‘That’s booked from two o’clock.’

‘But it’s only 12.15 now. We’ll have finished eating well before then.

‘Most of our patrons take at least two hours to eat.’

He caught Helen’s eye.

‘I don’t know about you, but I only want one course,’ she said.

Nigel turned back to Faye. ‘We’ll be finished well before two, unless your service is particularly slow.’

Faye huffed and led them to the better table.

‘The haddock is off, but we’ve got everything else,’ she said as she put the menus in front of them.

‘I think you’ve ruined her system,’ Helen whispered.

‘Would you rather we were sitting in the corner?’