Page 24 of Too Busy for Love

‘Sorry. Just trying to make sense of everything, I suppose.’

He smiles. ‘Dare I suggest you’re overthinking again?’

‘You’re right,’ I sigh. ‘Sorry. Tell me where we’re going.’

‘It’s a surprise, but it’s not far now.’

Sure enough, the taxi turns into a pub car park a few minutes later.

‘Long way to come for a pub, Jock,’ I remark as we climb out and he pays the driver.

‘It’s not just any pub. Come on.’

He leads me inside and gives his name at the welcome desk. With a smile, the waiter takes us through the dining room and onto a terrace, where I suddenly realise what he’s done.

‘Outdoor heaters and a river.’ I sigh contentedly.

‘My original plan was to go somewhere incredibly upmarket to celebrate. Somewhere that does the kind of food I want to cook. But then I thought about your remark on the bus the other day and I realised you would enjoy this much more. Is it all right?’

‘It’s more than all right,’ I tell him, leaning across to give him a kiss. ‘It’s perfect.’

9

I don’t think I could be any more content. I’ve got a cold glass of Chablis and, even though it’s dark and the temperature has dropped, I’m perfectly warm thanks to the patio heaters out here. Beyond the terrace, I can hear faint sounds from the river below. Jock is patiently letting me take it all in, not crowding me with chatter.

‘Where did you learn to be so good at reading women?’ I ask after a while.

‘I’m not sure I am.’

‘I disagree. I would have been a complete basket case this last week if it hadn’t been for you. You appear to know how to calm me and reassure me, without resorting to annoying platitudes. Even last night and this morning, you just seemed to be in tune with what I needed.’

He smiles. ‘You were fairly direct. It wasn’t hard to follow, as instructions go.’

I can feel the heat in my cheeks, and I avert my gaze to take a sip of wine while I try to regain my composure. Although I have no regrets about what we did, I do need to let him know thathe doesn’t owe me anything. I’d hate him to feel tied to me, just because of a few moments of shared intimacy.

‘I don’t want what happened to change anything between you and me,’ I say eventually.

Something flashes across his eyes, but it’s too fast for me to read. ‘Really?’ he says. ‘You could have told me before I spent the entire afternoon looking at possible wedding venues.’

‘Oh, God. Jock, I’m so sorry…’ I begin, but I’m cut off by his laughter.

‘I had you going properly there, didn’t I?’

‘You know all those nice things I said about you just now? I take them all back. You’re a bastard.’

He smiles. ‘It’s fine. I know we’re time limited. Thinking of which, what are you going to do now?’

‘I spoke to my parents and I’m going to head home tomorrow. You?’

‘I had a chat with my mum which went pretty much as I predicted. Ideally, I’d give her a week or so to cool off, but I need somewhere to stay while I look for work, so I’m going to do the same.’

Our conversation is interrupted by the arrival of our starters. We’ve both gone for fish, with whitebait for Jock and calamari for me. I’m not normally a fan of whitebait, but Jock tells me they’re among the best he’s had, so I accept his offer to try one and I have to admit that it’s good. I’m less impressed when he seizes a piece of my calamari in return.

‘What’s your dream?’ I ask him once the starters have been cleared away.

‘Same as every chef, probably. I want my own restaurant. My name above the door.’

‘ChezJock?’

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