Page 87 of The Little Board Game Café

‘Come in,’ said Ludek, opening the door. He had a huge grin on his face. He ushered her into his lounge. ‘Take a seat. Glass of wine?’

‘Please,’ she said. He disappeared into the kitchen. She sniffed. The house smelled clean and fresh. She couldn’t smell anything cooking. He had said dinner, hadn’t he? Perhaps he would order a take-away again.

He reappeared carrying a glass of white wine for her, and a glass of what looked like water for himself. Emily wondered why he wasn’t drinking; perhaps he was planning to drive her somewhere, to take her out to dinner. Shame she’d worn jeans.

His face was full of excitement. ‘How would you fancy dinner in Paris?’

Wow. She hadn’t seen that one coming.

‘Tonight?’

‘Why not?’

A million thoughts flashed through her mind from the practical – did she know where her passport was? – to the romantic – if he was taking her to Paris for dinner on the spur of the moment like this, he had to want more than friendship, didn’t he?

How on earth were they going to get there in time for dinner? The closest airports were Manchester and Leeds but they were both at least an hour’s drive away. Was that why he wasn’t drinking?

Ludek was looking at her expectantly. ‘What do you think?’

‘That’d be amazing.’

Dinner in Paris! It was definitely a shame she’d worn jeans. Still, she’d need to nip home for that passport, so perhaps there’d be time to change.

She took a sip of wine as Ludek pulled a game from his shelves.

‘Ta-dah,’ he said. ‘Dinner in Paris.’

The picture on the front of the box showed a Parisienne square, with brightly lit cafés under coloured awnings. In the background, the spires of Montmartre were silhouetted against a vibrant sunset.

‘I bought it with you in mind, Em. Thought you’d love it. It’s all about setting up cafés and restaurants.’

She tried to smile, but obviously wasn’t quick enough as he said, ‘You thought I meant dinner in actual Paris.’

Emily felt her cheeks reddening. ‘Only for a second. This is wonderful.’

And it was. He had bought another game with her in mind.

‘Would you really have come to Paris with me? On the spur of the moment like that?’

‘I dunno. Maybe. Probably. But the game sounds great. I’m starving though. We couldn’t play after dinner, could we?’

‘Sure,’ he said. ‘I’ve made pierogi. But if you’re sick of pierogi, we could order a take-away.’

He had made pierogi.

He had bought Dinner in Paris especially for her and he had cooked for her.

He had to want more than a friendship. Didn’t he?

After they’d eaten – Emily had to admit that his pierogi were far better than hers – Ludek set the game up. Okay, so perhaps a game wasn’t quite as good as a trip to Paris, but the tiny little buildings with their signs saying ‘boulangerie’, ‘fritterie’ and ‘pizzeria’ were delightful. Even so, as they raced to collect ingredients, build their restaurants and add terraces in front of them, her mind kept wandering to what it would be like to fly to France with Ludek at her side. To sit down on real terraces, rather than placing cardboard ones on a games board. To order café au lait from a little back-street café and buy bread from a boulangerie.

The game ended and they totted up the scores. Emily won by a couple of points.

‘Great game, Em,’ said Ludek. ‘Might have known you’d win. You had the advantage after all.’

‘Because I was first player?’

‘No, because you run a café, so you know what you’re doing.’