“I wore a silk dress, but it wouldn’t have mattered what I was wearing because he spent most of dinner checking out his own reflection in the mirror behind me. Evidently, he preferred his own appearance to mine.”
Evie choked with laughter. “So it went well then.”
Abby laughed too, mostly because Evie’s laughter was infectious. “It was a disaster.” And it felt really good to tell someone and laugh about it. At the time she’d felt annoyed and a little insecure.
“He doesn’t sound like a man who loved his grandmother.”
“I doubt he would even have noticed his grandmother if she’d walked into the room. He was too busy looking at himself.”
“Sounds as if you had a lucky escape. The sex would have been terrible. He would have been wondering how he looked all the time. Do you want any of this tart?” Evie hovered her fork over the last piece. “Because if you don’t speak now, I’m going to finish it.”
“You go ahead.”
Evie speared the last piece. “How did you meet him, Mr I’m-in-love-with-my-own-reflection?”
“He was the colleague of a friend of mine who thought we’d be perfect for each other.”
“You’re kidding.” Evie shook her head. “She doesn’t know you that well, then.”
“No,” Abby said slowly. “I don’t think she does.”
She’d never even thought about it before, but now she was thinking about it.
When did she ever sit with a friend and talk like this? Laugh like this?
Having demolished the tart, Evie picked up her coffee. “As a matter of interest, what exactly did she think would bond you?”
“She said we were both focused on work so neither of us would be annoyed if the other was never around.”
“Wow.” Evie put her cup down. “That’s a low bar for a relationship. Also sad. I assume your friend is single.”
“In fact, she is.”
“Okay, forget that particular date. What did you wear on the last date where you had fun?”
“I went to the opera with a guy who owned a tech startup—Boston is full of them—and he spent the whole night doing something on his phone and being hissed at by the people around us.”
“I said the last date where you had fun.”
“I did have fun. The opera was great, and I ended up going for a late drink with the guy sitting to my left.”
“Oh, respect!” Evie studied her. “And what did tech guy have to say about that?”
“Nothing at all. I don’t think he noticed I’d gone. He was too busy trying to take over the universe. But I think I’ve proved that I’m not the person to ask for recommendations on clothing that might enhance your sex life. I can’t remember what I was wearing but I think it’s safe to say it didn’t capture his attention.”
“Mm. Maybe I should be the one giving you tips. I thought my dating history was sad, but yours is pitiful.”
“You’re right.” She wanted to ask Evie why her dating history was sad but wasn’t sure that would be appropriate. She didn’t have conversations like this with people. It was whole new territory. Presumably if Evie wanted to talk about it, she’d talk. She didn’t seem to be holding back on other things.
Evie sat back in her chair. “Okay, we’re going to spice up your love life while you’re here, but first we’re going to focus on me because my situation is the more urgent. I have a blue linen dress that’s pretty. Cute and summery. I was thinking of wearing that. Creases like mad of course, so option one is to hang it in the back of the car and drive naked. Change in the car park.”
Abby laughed. “What’s option two?”
“You could drive me, and I could lie flat on the back seat. That would have the added advantage of making sure no locals see me. It would be like driving a getaway car. Also, if it goes badly and I literally want to get away, you’d be there with the engine running. Sounds exciting, don’t you think?”
“It sounds unsafe and not eco-friendly. Is it that important that no one sees you?”
“Yes.” Evie’s smile dimmed. “That’s been a problem for me in the past. I’ll tell you about it sometime, but not now or I’ll talk myself out of going.”
