Page 58 of Never Too Late to Date

‘Sounds intriguing.’

It really didn’t, but she didn’t want to keep the car waiting. It was best to rip the plaster off and get it over with. Frank had moved so close she could see the flecks of yellow in his caramel-coloured eyes. They went with his lurid yellow T-shirt emblazoned with the name of some band she’d never heard of. He liked to keep up with the current trends. His hand on her arm reminded her of nothing so much as the claw of a lizard she’d once seen in a zoo’s reptile house.

‘We’ve always got on well, haven’t we?’

‘Yes, I can’t argue with that.’

By his tense body language, he was building up to something.

‘I was just wondering if … there’d ever be a way forward for us… romantically?’

What on earth had given him that idea? She had to tread carefully here. A rejected Frank wouldn’t be a pleasant Frank. She only had one more day to get through, and then she’d be shot of him.

Suzie turned on the smile she used on difficult customers. She needed to be kind but leave no room for doubt.

‘I’m very fond of you, Frank, you know I am, and we’ll always be friends, but … I’m afraid there’s nothing more, not from my side anyway.’

His pinched smile hid the fury she knew was lurking close to the surface.

‘Message received and understood.’

His voice was brittle with anger. It must have taken a lot for him to approach her.

‘I’m sorry if you…’

Frank’s hand was up in front of her face.

‘Let’s never talk about this ever again.’

‘Of course. I won’t mention it to anyone.’

Suzie glanced up at the clock on the wall. Her car would be outside by now.

‘You said there were two things you wanted to speak to me about?’

Hopefully, for both their sakes, the second thing would be something about the show tomorrow, and they could get back onto a professional footing. She didn’t make a habit of humiliating men, but neither could she give him even a crumb of hope.

Frank’s face took on a manic quality as a lopsided smile emerged and his eyes glittered under the overhead lights.

‘I’ve got a surprise for you.’

Chapter Fourteen

Suzie was instantly on alert. Her head told her that whatever it was, she needed not to react while her heart raced off on its own desperate course.

‘We’ve got a special act to close the show tomorrow night. A real treat for the fans.’

He was watching her with a strange intensity. The feeling of dread that had been building over the last couple of days resurfaced with a vengeance.

‘Don’t you want to know who it is?’

Just the way he said who gave her all the answer she needed. Playing along would give her a precious moment to compose herself.

‘Oh, go on then, tell me. Who is it?’

‘It’s…’

Frank let the seconds slip by. What was he waiting for? A bloody drumroll?