Before leaving home, he’d spent a ridiculous amount of time debating which shirt to wear, whether to opt for a tie or not, whether dress trousers or relaxed chinos would be best, whether he ought to wear a smart blazer or keep it casual. He’d groomed himself in front of the mirror for what felt like ages, trimming his beard and adding product to his hair and splashing aftershave on his neck, before deciding he’d probably used far too much hair product and far too much aftershave and almost flinging himself into the shower to rinse it all off and start again.
Eventually he’d come to his senses and put a stop to the madness and forced himself to leave the house and just get on with it.
As he neared Gaby’s aunt’s house, he told himself to relax and enjoy what would be a simple evening out with an old friend.
He also reminded himself of the man who’d been waiting for Gaby in the car yesterday morning, a man she was almostcertainly involved with, judging by the unhappy expression on his face when Peter had been talking to her outside the café.
The upshot was that Peter could smarten himself up as much as he wanted to, but at the end of the day this wasn’t a date. It was a friendly catch-up with a woman he hadn’t seen for years, a woman who was not only probably already romantically involved with someone else, but who was only visiting Hamblehurst for a short time.
Which meant this was all about perspective. And having perspective meant not letting his imagination get the better of him.
At the front gate, Peter paused to adjust the collar of his coat and settle his nerves. He glanced up at the starry night sky and was glad it wasn’t raining. The cold autumn weather was perfect for a walk across Hamblehurst to the pub and the chance to ease into conversation before they sat down together.
Peter rang the doorbell. When it opened and he saw Gaby, he was glad he’d opted for smart over casual.
She wore slim black trousers and a silky blouse in a rich amber colour that matched the burnished tones in her hair, which fell over one shoulder in a twisted braid. The gold necklace and gold hoop earrings she’d chosen to wear gave her skin a rosy glow.
The smile at her lips made her light up, just like it had all those years ago when they’d been kids. With the light spilling out from the hallway behind her, she looked almost ethereal.
“Hi Peter, it’s great to see you,” she said.
Peter blinked and fought to find the words to reply. “Hi Gaby, it’s great to see you too.” Echoing what she’d said was about all he was capable of.
“Let me grab my coat and I’ll be ready to go.”
She vanished back inside the house. Peter took the opportunity to pull himself together. If they were going to enjoythis evening out, he had to get over being struck dumb by how Gaby looked and start acting like a sensible adult.
“Peter Bailey, how nice to see you after all this time.”
He glanced back inside the house and saw Gaby’s Aunt Jill shuffling along the hallway on a pair of crutches.
“Hello, Ms Young. Gaby told me about your operation. I hope you’re doing okay.”
“As you can see, I’m on the mend. How are you doing?”
“I’m good, Ms Young.”
“Oh, for goodness’ sake, call me Jill. You’re not a teenager anymore. Not that you had to call me Ms Young back then either. Still, I always appreciated a young man with good manners. Gaby said you’re a teacher now?”
“That’s right, at the secondary school. I teach maths.”
“Good for you. That’s a worthy calling.”
Gaby reappeared wearing a tailored teal coat that looked amazing on her. Peter found himself gaping yet again, watching as she hooked a bag over her shoulder and kissed her aunt goodbye. It was only the wry smile on Jill Young’s face as she caught his dumbstruck expression that made him snap out of it.
“Promise you’ll phone if you need me,” Gaby said to her aunt as she stepped outside.
“Oh, stop worrying about me and go out and have a good time,” Jill said and waved them off. “See you again soon I hope, Peter.”
“Take care, Ms Young, er, Jill.”
Jill chuckled and closed the door. Peter and Gaby stepped through the front gate and Gaby glanced back at the house as they began walking along the pavement.
“I came here to help my aunt after her surgery but the woman is a force of nature,” she said. “I haven’t done much more than potter around the house and do a bit of cooking for her.”
“I’m sure she loves having you visit, no matter whether you’re doing useful things to help her.”
“It’s nice spending time with her.” She looked across at him and smiled. “And it’s nice having the chance to spend time with you too, Peter. It really was a huge surprise to run into you yesterday.”
