Ed smiled warmly as he saw Gracie’s red Puma pull into the Wimbledon car park, where they had agreed to meet. He had thought she might chicken out and was pleased she’d stuck to her word. He jumped out of his van as she approached.
‘Hey, you look lovely.’ He kissed her on the cheek.
‘Well, you know, it’s not every day you get asked on a date by a handsome landscaper.’ She self-consciously pulled her jumper down over her jeans.
‘Oh, it’s a date, is it?’
Gracie reddened. ‘Err… well… I… err.’
‘I’m joking with you, Gracie. Now what do you fancy doing? I thought maybe a quick jog around the common for starters?’
‘Yeah, right.’
‘Pub, then?’
They found a quiet table in the corner of a quaint Wimbledon pub.
‘Cheers.’ Ed raised his glass to her, took a slurp then wiped the froth of Guinness from his top lip.
Gracie liked his boyish looks and confident demeanour. She noticed he’d tidied his goatee and had had his hair cut, too.
She had spent ages deciding what to wear. She’d never had to think about it with Lewis. The comfortableness of a long-term relationship had its benefits. Noms had said that jeans and a plain jumper with a V-neck to show off her cleavage slightly were perfect for a first ‘meeting’.
‘So you make a habit of picking up women on the job, do you?’ Gracie smirked.
‘None as pretty as you.’
Gracie wrinkled her nose. ‘Ew, excuse me whilst I’m sick into my glass.’
Ed laughed. ‘There are, however, many rich wives who are bored with their lives, so I’m sure I could pick one up every day if I wanted to. Nothing to do with the way I look, just that they’d all fancy a bit of rough, I reckon.’
‘Ooh, you’ve made me feel so special now.’ Gracie’s sarcasm was evident.
‘You’re cute. You also looked a bit sad. Felt like I could make you smile.’
Gracie blushed. ‘If you don’t mind me asking, how old are you, Ed?’
‘I’ll be however old you want me to be.’ He laughed. ‘How old do you reckon I am?’
‘I hate it when people say that, I don’t want to offend.’
‘Gracie, do I look like a man who is easily offended?’
‘OK. I reckon you’re twenty-eight.’
‘Thirty-two, actually.’
‘You must have had an easy paper round.’ Gracie took a sip of wine.
‘Ha! I know I shouldn’t ask a lady her age, but I’m going to.’
‘Thirty-eight.’
‘Nice. Always have had a thing for an older woman. All that experience and a lovely womanly body. Can’t bear a stick, me. What’s the point of teasing a Twiglet when you can stroke a warm, curvaceous peach.’
‘Don’t get too carried away, Mr Duke, we are only having a drink.’
‘And there I was thinking I had finally found my duchess.’ Ed winked at her and she felt her tummy go a bit funny. ‘So how come someone as lovely as you is single?’
