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Teddy chuckled. ‘No, it’s right.’ He returned the greeting, drank and then said, ‘I just wanted to have a word with you. About last week, when we went to Ciaoissimo.’
‘Oh?’ she said, feeling a cocktail of curiosity swirling around in her stomach with the wine.
He jumped in with both feet. ‘Did I say something to upset you? You seemed to leap out of the car really quickly.’
‘No, not at all,’ she said, trying not to look as if she was lying. Then again, he hadn’t really. The fault was hers, imagining a spark that wasn’t there. Stupid of her.
‘I had a great day,’ he said.
‘So did I.’ Her smile was flickering, unsure.
‘I mean I had a great day withyou, Sabrina.’
Did that mean what she thought it meant? She didn’t answer straight away because she didn’t want to get it wrong.
Teddy wasn’t sure how to interpret her silence. What he did know was that when you started opening up to someone, all your gauges lost their bearings, so a little clarity wouldn’t go amiss.
‘Sabrina, I am really out of practice, so if I’m overstepping the mark here, I’m so sorry. I don’t want to put you in any awkward position because I know your situation, but I enjoyed your company so much. I can’t say more, it wouldn’t be fair on you because… well, I don’t think I have a right to… you know, say what I feel. This may not be what you want to hear and I don’t want to confuse you or get in the way of what’s… what’s waiting for you… back home, but… I really like being around you because I really likeyou. I’m not expecting you to say a word back to me and I won’t say anything more and please, feel free to totally ignore it, just strike it from the record. But I needed to get it out. Okay…’
He let out a long breath at the end of his monologue and wondered if he’d been talking nonsense. Then he noticed her stunned expression, which made him wish he could pull every mangled word back. He took a nervous glug of wine and was a nanosecond away from standing and saying that he’d drive her home and was sorry and they should erase the past few minutes from history, when she spoke.
‘I feel the same.’
He coughed in his glass and sent wine sploshing all over his face and his chef whites.
‘You’ll need some Vanish for that,’ she said, smiling a smile that lit up her lovely brown eyes.
‘I don’t know what to say now,’ he said, wiping his face with a serviette.
‘Me neither, if that helps.’
‘Look, I don’t think… either of us can…’
‘We can’t.’ She shook her head.
‘So… let’s just park it there and…’
‘… forget it for now. But also keep it in mind.’Does that even make sense?she thought.
‘We can just… have it… with us, inside.’What the bollocks am I saying?
‘I think it’s for the best.’
‘Let’s leave it to the gods. The Roman ones, not the Greek ones. They haven’t a clue.’
She laughed.
He leaned across the table, picked up her hand and pressed the back of it to his lips. He felt her gasp and joy spread insidehim like warm syrup that he’d had that effect on her. That’s two things he’d set in motion tonight. One of them a slow but sure burner, the other… a mad, reckless leap into the unknown that could end up being the best gamble or the worst mistake of his life.
TheDaily Trumpetapologises to Darren Cartwright of Cartwright Decorating Services in Doncaster for an unfortunate error in our local tradesmen’s directory. Mr Cartwright has been an interior decorator for thirty-three years and not an inferior decorator as printed.
Chapter 37
‘Well this is a nice impromptu surprise,’ said Marielle the next morning in the teashop. ‘What’s the occasion?’
‘Nothing, I just fancied having a breakfast special here and I thought, who better to share it with than my fabulous friend?’ said Sylvie.
‘But she wasn’t available so you asked me.’ Marielle grinned.
