‘If people are that desperate for a cab, they can call Darren instead. Now, deep breaths and relax. Off we go.’
Layla did as she was told. As they travelled along the winding country lanes, Will gave her gentle encouragement. A rabbit hopped out into the middle of the road and she managed not to scream, simply braking and swerving around it without crashing through a hedge. They chatted about work and clients and people they both knew, including her mother and Benny, whose relationship was going great guns.
‘She’s so happy,’ Layla told him, ‘and it’s so lovely to see them together. They’re off to London this weekend to catch a couple of shows, because Benny’s never seen Hamilton and it’s Mum’s favourite musical. It’s like they were meant to be together.’ She paused as Will’s phone began to ring and without even looking at the screen he switched it to silent. ‘What if it’s an emergency?’
‘Shush, it won’t be. I’d rather concentrate on you. Now, we’re coming up to Moreton . . . Fancy a turn around the station car park?’
‘Not now, it’ll be busy.’ Too many people stepping out suddenly, more concerned about their suitcases than the prospect of being hit by an oncoming car. Indicating left, Layla said, ‘Let’s just stick to quiet roads for now.’
‘OK, fine. How’s Didi getting along?’
This was what she liked about these times in the car with Will, the complete absence of pressure. If she said no, she didn’t have to justify her decision. Relaxing once more, she heard his phone vibrate on silent. When he continued to ignore it, she said, ‘On the surface, not too badly. As far as she’s concerned, she and Aaron weren’t suited and calling off the wedding was the sensible thing to do. But I don’t know, deep down she’s still not happy. She’s not eating properly and that hasn’t happened before. Nothing ever puts Didi off her food.’
‘Is she regretting breaking up with him, d’you think?’
‘She says not, but I don’t know. All she’s doing at the moment is working non-stop.’
‘And how about you?’ As he asked the question, a gust of wind sent a swirl of orange leaves skittering across the road in front of them. Layla let out a squeak of fear, because they looked like autumnal mice, but managed not to do an emergency stop. She was making progress. ‘Me? I’m great.’
‘You don’t miss Harry?’
‘Ha, definitely not. None of us miss Harry.’
‘So you’re happy being single?’
‘Being single’s fine, I’m used to it. I have a great life.’ Layla was concentrating on the road ahead, but inside her brain the earlier fantasy was taking hold. What if she were to stop the car and say, ‘I want to kiss you’? Just like that?
Or, ‘Do you want to kiss me?’
Actually, maybe not. He might say, ‘No thanks.’
‘What are you thinking?’ said Will.
Oh God, was he reading her mind? ‘I’m thinking your phone is driving me nuts. I’m thinking you should answer it.’
‘Not yet. Once you’ve finished driving.’
‘Is it a girlfriend?’
‘No.’
‘Do you have a girlfriend?’
‘Again, no.’
Layla pressed her foot on the brake and pulled up at the side of the otherwise deserted road.
‘What are you doing?’ said Will.
‘I’ve stopped driving.’
‘Why?’
‘So you can answer your really annoying phone.’ Switching off the ignition, she turned to face him properly and took a deep breath. ‘And so that I can kiss me.’
‘What?’
Oh God, oh God. ‘So that I can kiss you. Or you can kiss me. One of those.’ Now her skin was prickling with mortification. ‘Either of them, you choose. Or none, if you don’t want to, doesn’t matter.’
Silence. Will stared.
His phone buzzed again, like an angry trapped wasp.
He pressed the button on the passenger door and the window slid open. He lobbed his phone out onto the grass verge, then turned back to look at her. ‘Really?’
She’d started so she’d finish. ‘Really.’
‘I’ve wanted this to happen for months. I never thought it would.’
So Angel had been right after all. Her voice unsteady and her adrenalin in chronic overdrive, Layla echoed, ‘Really?’
He was on the verge of smiling now. ‘Oh yes. Really.’
‘Right. Well that’s good.’
‘I was jealous of Harry.’ Will paused. ‘I knew he was a player. But I also knew you didn’t want to hear it from me.’
‘He’s gone. We don’t have to talk about him any more.’ Although in a way, it was thanks to her terrible taste in online dates that they’d arrived at this point now.
‘It might help if you take off your seat belt,’ said Will.
‘You might want to take yours off too.’
Click.
Click.
Will said, ‘I’ve never kissed anyone in this car before.’
Layla knew what he meant; it would be like her kissing a client in her office, over a pile of invoices and tax returns. ‘Do you think it’s going to feel weird?’
His eyebrows tilted very slightly in that inimitable way they did when he was amused. ‘I think it’s going to be amazing. And I can’t wait to find out.’
He was so lovely. How on earth had it taken her this long to realise what a good, decent man he was? Except deep down she’d always known, but had suppressed her feelings because she’d been so sure he would never be interested in her.
She leaned across, took his face between her hands and kissed his beautiful mouth. His lips were warm, he smelled wonderful and she could feel his heart thudding against her chest almost as wildly as hers. She felt dizzy with joy because it just felt so perfect, so right. Now that his fingers were gliding through her hair, she was extra glad not to be wearing hairspray—
‘WA-HEYYY!’ yelled a male voice from the driver’s window of a passing van. The horn toot-tooted as he roared off down the road.
‘That’s not going to stop me,’ Will murmured with a grin.
And it didn’t. They carried on kissing . . . and kissing . . . and kissing some more . . .
Until a knock on the window made them both jump and spring apart. An elderly woman with a face like a wizened walnut was staring in at them, alongside an elegant silky-haired Afghan hound.
Impatiently, the woman tapped her gnarled knuckles against the glass again. Layla buzzed down the window. ‘Can I help you?’
‘No, but I can help you. Word of warning, first of all.’ The woman eyed Will beadily before returning her attention to Layla. ‘Don’t you go giving yourself away, my girl. I know what men are like, mark my words. No bugger’s ever going to buy the cow if they’re getting the milk for free.’
Next to her, Layla heard Will stifle laughter, disguising it as a cough.
‘Thanks, I’ll bear that in mind.’ She raised her eyebrows. ‘What else do you want to help me with?’
‘There’s one of those infernal buzzing machines over on the other side of the car, in a patch of dandelions. So if it’s yours, you might want to move it, because that’s where Bert likes to do his business.’