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“Rescue me!” I hiss into the receiver.
“Is it really that bad?” he chuckles.
“Oh, my God, it’s like my worst nightmare. Jill’s friends are ghastly. They keep laughing at me and I don’t have anything in common with anyone. And to top it off, I’ve had half a bottle of wine and it hasn’t done anything. Not a thing! I’m still stone cold sober. You’ve got to get me out of here.”
“Where are you?”
“Nando’s in London Bridge. Where are you?”
“Bar Soho, having two-for-one cocktails with a very cute guy. Care to join us?”
“What do you think?”
Ronan laughs softly, and I picture him rolling his eyes, mouthing, “This girl’s crazy.”
“All right,” he says. “Hang up the phone and I’ll call you back in five minutes.”
“Okay. And Ronan, please make sure it’s no longer than five minutes. I’m absolutely dying here.”
But the line has already gone dead. Hurriedly, I put the phone away and return to the restaurant.
“Is everything okay?” Gavin asks as I sit down.
“Oh, yes, everything’s fine.”
For the next few minutes, I sit on tenterhooks waiting for my phone to vibrate. As soon as it does, I make a point of checking the caller ID before answering. “Hey, Ronan, is that you? Wait, slow down …” All eyes are on me as I go through the motions. It’s an old trick we’ve used countless times before to escape sticky situations. I hate to do this to Jill, but …
The conversation draws to a close. I bite my lip, frown, shake my head a little, then stand up. “Sorry, guys, I have to go. A friend of mine’s had an emergency and I need to go see him. Thanks for the meal. It’s been lovely.”
“Oh, no, you’re not leaving already?” Jill wails. “We haven’t even had the cake yet.”
“I know. I’d love to stay, really I would, but this is an emergency.” I stoop down and kiss her lightly on the cheek. “Happy birthday.”
“This isn’t fair. You can’t just up and leave. There’s someone I wanted you to—”
Before she can finish, I pull on my coat, say my goodbyes and head for the door. Everything starts to go blurry, the room weaving and spinning around me in a kaleidoscope of colours. I feel on the verge of tears. Then I trip and fall headfirst into the arms of a strange man.
“Whoa, easy there!” he laughs.
“I’m so sorry,” I mumble. “I wasn’t looking where I was going.”
The stranger holds me upright and stares directly into my face. He’s boyishly handsome with a snub nose and eyes that crinkle at the corners. I place him as being in his early twenties, but he could be older. He’s dressed in a scruffy tweed coat with a cluster of novelty badges on the pockets. This, together with his floppy brown hair combed to one side, give him the appearance of a messy art student. I like him immediately.
We grin stupidly at each other, and then Jill’s high-pitched voice breaks the spell. “James, what time do you call this? You were supposed to be here two hours ago.
Honestly!”
“Sorry, sis,” the man grins, releasing me and turning his attention to Jill. “My train got delayed, and then I had to pop into Waitrose to buy you a present.”
“Excuses, excuses.” Jill’s anger quickly evaporates to be replaced by a cunning smile. Clearly, she sees herself as a bit of a matchmaker. “Carly, I’d like you to meet my brother James. James, this is my friend from work.You know the one I’m always talking about?”
James blushes and I sense that his presence here is no accident. “Are you the one who knitted those toys for the twins?”
“Um, yes, that was me,” I reply offhandedly.
There’s a short pause. Then I remember Ronan’s ‘emergency’ and start walking again. “I’m really sorry, but I have to go. It was nice meeting you, James.”
“You, too. Maybe I’ll see you again sometime.”
