Page 47 of The Little Board Game Café

‘I was wondering if…’ He hesitated. ‘I was wondering if you’d like to go out tonight. For dinner.’

Oh. He was asking her out.

‘As a thank you,’ he added. ‘For hosting the games evening yesterday.’

Maybe not then. Just a thank you.

But that was okay; it was still too soon after Peter and she ought to be focusing one hundred per cent of her energy on her new business, not getting distracted by a man. They could be friends; she needed another friend now Kate was spending every spare moment with Freddie.

‘Dinner would be lovely,’ she said. ‘About seven?’

*

‘Curry okay?’ said Ludek as she got into his car. ‘I thought we could try the new place in Hebbleswick?’

‘Curry would be lovely, thank you.’

Hebbleswick was larger than Essendale; a tourist hotspot, renowned for its lack of parking spaces, its hipster shops selling everything from tofu to tarot cards, and its plethora of artists’ studios.

For once, they found a parking space quickly enough, but when they reached the Bengal Spice, there wasn’t a table to be had; a birthday party had taken over the entire restaurant.

‘Foiled by yet another birthday party,’ said Emily.

‘I can do you a take-away?’ the waiter offered.

‘Could we go back to yours?’ said Ludek to Emily.

‘Yes, or yours?’

‘Yours might be better.’

Was it her imagination or did he look a little awkward?

‘Sure,’ she said.

She let Ludek order, salivating as he requested chicken makhani, lamb korma, bombay potatoes, pilau rice and a garlic naan. What a treat! She couldn’t remember the last time she’d eaten carbs with a man.

On the very odd occasion when Peter had actually agreed to have a take-away, he refused to order chips or even rice. Whilst they waited for the delivery, he’d shove a cauliflower into the food processor to create carb-free cauliflower ‘rice’, then they’d both pretend it was as good as the real thing.

*

As Ludek pulled up outside Kate’s house, Emily was surprised to see that the lights were on. The curtains were still open, and Emily could see her friend on the sofa, astride a blond-haired man – Freddie, presumably.

‘Time for Plan B,’ she said. ‘Your house.’

Ludek frowned. ‘I’m not sure that’s a good idea.’

‘Well, we can hardly eat in the car. You’re not married, are you?’

‘No, of course not.’

‘Come on then. The food’s getting cold.’

*

Ludek’s house was in the older part of town. A large Victorian semi with pale-green window shutters. Some very round azaleas – either he had a gardener or he was handy with the secateurs. A crass joke about him having a well-trimmed bush popped into her head. Better not say that out loud.

Even the paving slabs on his driveway looked pristine; not a weed in sight. Ludek was clearly a very neat and tidy person – well, she knew already that from the fastidious way he put his games away. They’d be totally incompatible.