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I rise from my seat and welcome her as the host pulls the chair out for her to sit opposite me.
She’s pretty, and if I wasn’t crazy about Nathalie, I might be pleased about having dinner with her. As it is, I just need to get through this evening and make it as painless as possible for both of us.
I tell myself it’s just another business deal.
I ask her what she’d like to drink, and we order, and the host leaves us. We’re alone. There’s an awkward pause, but she rushes to fill it and chatters about the traffic on the way over and how she’s sorry she’s a few minutes late.
She is obviously nervous, and I do my best to put her at ease. ‘No problem,’ I say. ‘You weren’t late at all.’
‘So,’ she says, raising one eyebrow slightly. ‘This is weird, isn’t it?’
I smile, relieved she’s not acting like this is a regular date where we are excited to get to know each other.
I agree it’s weird and tell her that my grandfather is keen for us to get together.
‘Your grandfather is lovely,’ she says, a hint of shyness in her eyes. ‘I’m very close with my grandfather, and as you probably know, they have been good friends for years.’
I nod. ‘Yes, they go way back, since they were both expanding their empires. I suppose we should be flattered they selected us for each other.’
She grimaces. ‘Can I be straight with you?’
‘Of course,’ I reply, curious about what she’s going to tell me.
‘I didn’t want to date you.’ She swallows and looks sheepish. ‘No, that’s not what I meant. It’s nothing to do with you. I mean, I didn’t want to dateanyone.’
‘Ah,’ I say, pleased she’s not pretending we could be a great love match. ‘So, why are you here?’
She spins her diamond bracelet around one delicate wrist and looks flustered. Her long pink nails are perfectly manicured, and the rings on her fingers sparkle.
I wait for her response. If I’m going to have to date until I find a woman, I can eventually force myself to marry, I’d better learn how to do this with grace, or it will be a shitshow. It’s hard enough I haven’t dated in years, never mind dating someone I’ve never met before.
She looks into my eyes, and I see sadness lurking in hers. ‘Grandfather says it’s time for me to marry and he’s let me have long enough to find someone suitable.’
I roll my eyes. ‘Sounds like our grandfathers are singing from the same hymn sheet.’
‘What about you, then? It’s embarrassing, but I’d rather know where I stand. Did you want to date me or were you pushed into it too?’
‘I don’t wish to be ungallant, but yes, the latter.’ I pause and sip my wine, then flash her a quick smile to soften my words. She seems lovely, and this date might not be as awful as I feared. ‘It’s nothing to do with you. Dating just isn’t my thing, really. My marriage ended badly and I’m in no rush for a repeat.’
She smiles back at me and nods.
‘So, you have a young daughter, I understand,’ she says.
This is safe territory, and I could talk about Daisy all day, so I tell her an amusing story and top it off with how she’s worried I’ll get a mean girlfriend. To her credit, she laughs, and listens patiently, and asks all the right questions.
Of course, she’s been raised to behave impeccably in society and I’m under no illusion that it means she’s as interested in my daughter as she makes out. Why would she be?
The date passes quickly enough as we eat, and I notice several curious pairs of eyes on us.
Our forthright approach seems to have taken the pressure off and we chat naturally over dinner, and it’s not altogether unpleasant.
We skip dessert and order coffee, and she catches me checking my watch.
‘Somewhere to be?’ she asks, her eyes shrewd.
‘No, nowhere, in particular,’ I say, wondering what Nathalie is doing and if she’ll still be awake if I leave soon.
When can I leave without appearing rude?
