Page 10 of Playing for Keeps

“I’ll come back to take your drink order in a minute,” Allie said quietly as Hugh got to his feet.

“Rebecca?” he said to the woman, sounding more confident now.

“You must be Hugh?” the woman said, her shoulders relaxing as she moved to greet him.

As Allie went back behind the bar, she kept her eyes on them for a moment, thinking that Hugh and Rebecca looked like a well-matched pair. Maybe his date wouldn’t be the mediocre variety after all.

And perhaps being a fly on the wall for their first date might make it an entertaining shift.

CHAPTER 5

After an initial barrage of nerves, Hugh settled quickly into his evening with Rebecca. She looked even better than her profile picture, her glossy auburn hair and sprinkling of freckles more vibrant in the flesh.

They spent the first few minutes discussing how nervous they’d both been about the evening, which broke the ice perfectly. From there, the conversation flowed easily as they talked about their kids and careers.

“It’s years since I’ve been here,” Rebecca said as she finished her ravioli. “The food’s great, isn’t it?”

“No complaints from me,” he said, scrunching his napkin into a ball. “How are you feeling about dessert?”

She made a show of pretending to mull it over before nodding eagerly. “I’m game if you are.”

It was a relief that she wasn’t itching to get away, and he looked for the waitress only to find her busy taking a food order from a party of four at the next table.

“Oh god, sorry,” Rebecca said as her handbag erupted with a loud ringtone. She lifted her bag onto her lap and rummaged inside it. “It’s usually on silent, but I turned the ringer on in case the babysitter needed to get hold of me. Sorry.” She looked at him apologetically. “It is the babysitter.”

Since he was only a metre away, it was impossible for Hugh not to listen in on the conversation. He could even hear the frantic voice on the other end telling her that the child was ill and asking her to come home.

“I can’t believe it,” Rebecca said as she ended the call. “I hardly ever go out in the evenings. And Jenna almost never gets sick. I’m sorry, I’m going to have to go.”

“Of course,” Hugh said, slightly stunned as Rebecca stood.

She pulled her handbag onto her shoulder, then dropped it onto the table and opened it up. “I’ll pay for dinner.”

“No, it’s fine,” he said automatically. “I’ll get it.”

“Are you sure? I feel terrible, but you know how it is when your child is ill. You just want to be there.”

Hugh stood up. “Don’t worry about anything. Just get home.”

“I was having a really lovely time.” She cocked her head. “I’m so sorry. Can I call you? Maybe we could meet up again sometime.”

“That would be great.”

She gave him a quick peck on the cheek before she headed for the door.

Sinking back into his chair, he looked for the waitress. He tried to catch her eye, but she was chatting at another table, then she headed behind the bar. He picked up his almost-full pint and headed over to her instead.

“Can I get the bill when you have a minute?” He searched his brain for the waitress’s name, since she’d introduced herself earlier. Allie.

Startled, she swung around to him. “Sorry, I’d have come to you. Is everything okay?”

“Yes. My date’s daughter is ill. She had to head off.”

“Oh, no.” She grimaced. “That’s awkward. I should really learn not to make jokes like that.”

He blinked a couple of times, trying to figure out what she meant.

“You know the whole exit strategy thing.” She grimaced again. “Sorry the date didn’t go well.”

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