‘Wow,’ I picked up the bottle to study the label. Scottish Highlands and a waterfall were pictured on the front. Was he just offering me a line? Anyone could look at a bottle, see it was made in Scotland and pretend they’d been somewhere. But there was no reason to think he was lying, other than my own paranoia. Since discovering Peter had lied to me about so many little things, for so long, to keep up the pretence that his business was fine, my bullshit detector was dialled up to eleven. How was I ever going to trust a man’s motives again? How was I ever going to trust a man again, full stop? ‘Do you travel a lot, visiting clients?’
‘Sometimes.’ His knee brushed mine beneath the table and it made me jump. Unfortunately, it was in a nervous kind of way, rather than an excited way. This guy was a serious flirt and whatever had reawakened my libido yesterday when I’d seen Nick had gone back to sleep again. ‘Enough to keep life interesting but I’m not constantly out of the country.’
‘Not like your brother.’ The words slipped out my mouth before I’d even processed them in my brain. Why was I bringing up Nick?
‘Well, no. I take it you know he’s a pilot?’ I just gave a quiet nod, not trusting myself to say anything else. ‘It would be hard to travel as much as someone who flies planes for a living,’ he added dryly.
Guess I’d touched a nerve with him now. Geez, this date was going badly. I know I hadn’t been on one for a while but still, signs were pointing to the fact that Stephen and I just didn’t gel unless he was going out of his way to charm me. I didn’t want flattery, I wanted sincerity. I took another sip of my drink and decided I might as well call time on the whole thing.
‘I’m sorry, Stephen. I never should’ve agreed to come out with you. I’m sure you got the gist from Ben, not to mention my own special brand of foot-in-mouth disease, but I’m just out of a four-year relationship and I’m not ready to date yet.’
He nodded and his eyes studied my face for a moment. ‘Why did you say yes then?’ Thankfully, there was no annoyance in his tone, just curiosity.
‘Hard to say.’
He snorted. ‘Gee, thanks.’
‘You don’t need to go fishing for compliments.’ I shook my head. ‘Obviously you’re good-looking and charming et cetera, et cetera, but…honestly, I have a tendency to leap without looking. I can be spontaneous. It’s a problem. I’m sorry I didn’t think it through, and it’s led to me giving you the wrong impression.’
‘Okay. I hear you. But how do you know that this is too soon? I mean, you haven’t given it a chance yet. We’re both here. We have some nice whisky and a warm place to sit and just…get to know each other. There’s no pressure. It could be just what you need to get you back in the game.’
‘Are you offering to be, like, a rebound date for me?’
‘Hey, I’ve got nothing better to do and you’re a very beautiful girl.’ He let his eyes rove over my face again and settled on my mouth before he looked me in the eye again. ‘And, FYI, telling me that you’re impulsive is not exactly a turn-off.’
Part of me felt a little thrill at the prospect. Here was a very well-put-together man who was offering to – what – have a holiday fling with me? That was flattering I supposed, but it was also a bit demoralising. I had no doubt that when I said no – because I would – he’d turn his discerning eye on the people crowded in the pub and find another ‘very beautiful girl’ who would suit him just as well.
‘Thank you. I think. But I wasn’t trying to turn you off. I was just telling you that nothing more is going to come of this. Regardless of how horny and bored you are.’
‘Ouch.’ He laughed loudly and clapped a hand to his chest. ‘You certainly have a way of cutting to the quick, Beth.’
I grimaced, remembering that I was going to have to see him every day over Christmas. ‘No hard feelings?’
‘Of course not.’ He raised his glass. ‘It’s been an interesting evening, much more interesting than I anticipated when I knew this was where I was spending Christmas. So, cheers.’
‘Cheers.’ I clinked my glass to his and took another sip. That whisky must’ve been strong because I was beginning to feel the warmth seeping through my muscles, relaxing them. He was an all right kind of a guy but I’d had my fill of silver-tongued city slickers. ‘Not your first pick for a holiday destination then?’
‘No…my nan had the holiday booked; it was meant to be just her and my mum. Nan was going to surprise her, bring her down to this little chocolate-box village, and have people wait on her hand and foot for a change.’ He glanced out the window as a shadow passed over his face.
‘What happened?’
He cleared his throat. ‘She passed away at the end of the summer. When we found out Nan was going to come on her own, we had to join her. I’d have much preferred a beach with no sign of Christmas whatsoever.’
‘Oh.’ My heart twanged. That chord inside that played the grief of losing my dad every time I heard someone else was suffering too. ‘I’m sorry.’
‘Thank you.’ He finished his whisky and poured himself another. He paused before he put the bottle down and I could still see the sadness in his eyes, but he was putting himself in flirt mode too, with a cheeky grin that revealed a dimple in his cheek. ‘Sorry enough to stay with me for another drink? Offer me a shoulder to cry on?’
It was a bit of a low thing to do really – seeing if he could guilt-trip me into staying because I felt sorry for him – but people deal with grief in all different ways. I could let him have that one.
‘I should really head back – I have an early start in the morning. But I’ll stay if you want to talk.’
‘If I’m being one hundred per cent honest…talking isn’t really what I had in mind.’ He dropped a wink at me, and I had to laugh.
‘Well, good luck withthat.’ I emptied my glass and stood up. ‘You’ll be okay?’
‘Of course.’ He rose to his feet too and helped me on with my jacket, settling his hands on my shoulders and looking down at me. ‘Goodnight, Beth. If you change your mind, you know where you can find me. Room Four.’
‘Goodnight, Stephen.’ I gave him a peck on the cheek and left.
