He grinned at her. ‘If you’re asking my age, I’m fifty-eight. I’m guessing you’re late forties, early fifties.’
Kate tutted. ‘Don’t try and be charming now. I’m fifty-six.’
‘Really?’ He leant forward too. ‘You don’t look it. I’m being honest.’
‘Married? Divorced? Single? I’m just curious.’
A wide smile swept across his mouth but it was soon gone. He leant back against the booth and didn’t answer right away.
‘My wife died when I was thirty-eight, and like your husband, she had met someone else and was about to leave me. She didn’t like the academic life and wanted more excitement. I live in a beautiful sixteenth century cottage on the school grounds, butshe hated the place. She was on her way to see him when she was hit by a car. I was devastated and threw myself into work. It wasn’t until several months later, when I was finally sorting out her belongings that I discovered her affair … and her plans. After that, I concentrated on work, and on achieving mine and my parents dream of the rescue centre.’
‘I’m sorry. Life sucks sometimes. Why do people have affairs and keep them secret? That’s a rhetorical question. I know why. I don’t think I could do that though. Partly because I’m not good at keeping secrets, and partly because I’d feel so guilty all the time.’
‘Same here.’ He met her eyes. ‘Has your husband’s affair put you off getting involved with anyone again? Is that what you meant by a man messing things up?’
She took a deep breath. ‘I think it’s made me less inclined to trust anyone in that way again. To be completely open with a man. But if someone had come along that I thought I could … to quote my gran, “share my life with”, I’m not sure it would stop me. But no one has. And I’m not looking.’
‘No one has yet. It’s never too late for love, so my parents tell me.’ He laughed. ‘A fifty-eight-year-old man taking dating advice from his parents, how sad is that?’
‘You haven’t met my gran. Oh, wait. You have. She thinks that you … that Fate will intervene.’
That was close. She nearly blurted out that he wasThe Onefor her according to Granny Viv. How embarrassing would that have been?
Saved by the bell.
‘Speaking of Granny Viv, she’s calling me … Oh crikey. Is that the time?’ She answered the phone and said, ‘Sorry. I’m on my way. Give me ten minutes. I stopped for coffee.’
‘See you soon then,’ Granny Viv said.
Kate rang off and smiled wanly. ‘Sorry about this but I’ve got to go. Let me find my purse.’ She rummaged in her handbag.
‘No! These are on me. Would you like a lift?’ He got Maud’s attention and she brought the bill, winking at Kate yet again.
Kate would love a lift, but there was no way she was turning up at Granny Viv’s in his car.
‘Thanks, but I’ll walk. I want to get a couple of things on the way.’
That wasn’t true. Why was she lying? She stood up despite an odd feeling that she’d rather like to stay.
He got up too, took out his wallet and left a generous tip on top of the cost of the coffees.
‘This is goodbye then,’ he said, and he sounded as disappointed as she felt. ‘For now.’
A bubble of hope rose up inside her. ‘Yes. Goodbye for now. I’m going this way.’ She pointed to the front door. He would be leaving via the back door. He merely nodded in response, so she stepped out of the booth and, with a wave to Maud, headed towards the door.
‘Kate?’
She stopped and smiled but when she turned to face him, she made sure the smile was gone. ‘Yes?’
‘Erm. You said you want a rescue dog. We don’t have any here yet, obviously, but we do have some in our centre in Oxford. They’re on our website if you want to take a look. Search for Rafferty and Hope’s Rescue Centre for Dogs and a dropdown box will direct you to the photos of the dogs in our Oxford centre. If you like the look of any of them, give me a call and I can tell you more. Let me give you my number.’
‘That’ll be great. Thank you. And I’ll give you mine, just so that if I do call, you’ll know who it is.’
‘Perfect,’ he said as they exchanged numbers. ‘Bye then.’
‘Bye.’
She turned away again and with the smile back in place walked as fast as she could towards the door. For some absurd reason she had an almost insatiable urge to do the little happy dance that she and Beth did when something really good happened.
