Page 36 of The Twelve Dates of Christmas
Kate laughed.
“I design fabrics for Liberty and I bake for a local café,” she said.
“Liberty!” he exclaimed. His eyes grew wide and Kate was pleased she’d impressed him. “I knew you had to have soul if you could dance like that.”
“What about you?” Kate asked.
“I’m a banker,” he replied, raising his eyebrows. “Cue jokes and innuendos.”
“I wasn’t going to say a thing.” Kate held her hands up in innocence. “Have you met anyone special on any of the dates?” she asked.
“Well, there was one guy,” said Drew a little shyly. “I don’t want to jinx it, but his name is Steven and he works as a translator for the Home Office. He seemed nice; tired of all the dating bullshit, and he wants to settle down.”
“He sounds perfect,” said Kate. “I take it that’s what you want?”
“I’m thirty-six,” said Drew. “If I want to start a family, I need to get a move on.”
“Tell me about it,” said Kate. “I’m thirty-four. Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy to go it alone if the right guy doesn’t come along, but I just always had this romantic idea about being with someone special and starting a family together.”
Drew sighed.
“You and me both,” he said, and he put his hand on Kate’s and gave it a squeeze. “What about you? Met anyone with potential?”
Kate thought about Anthony and Oliver. Both had potential, she thought; just not with her.
“Not yet,” said Kate. “But I remain hopeful.”
“I’m surprised a fine filly like you is single anyway,” he said. “What gives?”
“Did you just call me a filly?”
“Don’t avoid the awkward question,” said Drew. “Spill it! I want the full heartbreaking details.”
Well, thought Kate,he did ask!And so, Kate gave Drew a brief overview of her love life thus far.
“That’s quite a list,” Drew said.
“I prefer to think of it as research,” said Kate.
Drew raised his eyebrows.
“Longest relationship?” he asked.
“Dan,” said Kate. “Four years.”
“That’s longer than any of mine,” he mused. “Greatest heartbreak?”
The image of an all-too-familiar face swam unbidden into Kate’s mind. Her breath caught, but she recovered herself quickly and pushed the image back into the recesses of her mind, where she kept painful things.
“I don’t think I’ve had my heart broken by an actual boyfriend,” said Kate.
“Oh, that’s very deep,” said Drew. He rested his chin on his hands and fixed Kate with an intense stare. “But you’ve been heartbroken,” he said.
“Yes, I think I have,” said Kate. “But it was fixed a long time ago. What about you?”
“Longest relationship was Conner; eighteen months.”
“And was he your greatest heartbreak?”
