16
My heart raced so fast, I thought I might pass out at any moment. Every time the restaurant door opened, my stomach churned and I shivered in anticipation wondering if it could be him. I’d never been on a blind date before. In fact, I’d never been on a first date. Gary and I had been part of a group from school who met at the cinema most Saturdays. One day, when we were the only two who turned up, he’d put his arm round me and kissed me. I hadn’t realised until that moment how big a crush I’d developed on him and how much I’d been longing for him to make a move. There was therefore no first date build-up, and we didn’t have to play the ‘getting to know you’ game because we were already friends.
Staring at the door, I sighed. This was hideous. How did people do this regularly? Sarah had said that Daniel looked a little like Gary. I’d always been drawn to dark hair and dark eyes so that was a good thing. It could equally be a bad thing if the resemblance was too strong.
I looked at my phone: 7.42 p.m. He was only twelve minutes late. It wasn’t that late, was it? He may have had trouble parking. I glanced around the restaurant, hoping I wouldn’t catch any sympathetic glances from other diners who suspected I’d been stood up. It had started raining so that could have slowed traffic down.
Daniel had chosen Salt & Pepper Lodge and I was impressed. It wasn’t on Gary’s shortlist of favourite restaurants so this was my first visit. The vegetarian and vegan selection was extensive and I’d already chosen my meal… if Daniel ever showed up.
Fiddling with the salt, I tried, but failed, not to look at my phone again: 7.51 p.m. I’d give him until eight. If he hadn’t shown by then, he wasn’t going to, and I wasn’t going to humiliate myself by staying any longer. Then I panicked. Surely twenty minutes late was a definite no-show. Did I really need to give him thirty? Why was I even debating? I already knew I was going to wait until eight. He was Sarah’s friend and she’d never have set us up if he was unreliable. Something must have happened.
‘Thank you,’ I said to the waiter ten minutes later as I handed over a ten-pound note for my drink. ‘Please keep the change. I’m sorry I hogged a table.’
‘It’s no problem. Tuesdays aren’t usually busy,’ he said. ‘I’m sorry your friend didn’t show.’
I smiled and hoped the tears pricking my eyes wouldn’t make it down my cheeks. ‘Thank you.’
Standing up, I picked up my bag and cursed myself for not bringing a coat or a brolly. I was going to get very wet walking back to Seashell Cottage. Perfect end to a perfect evening.
‘Elise! Thank God you’re still here.’ I looked towards the door to see a tall, athletically built man dashing towards me. His dark hair was plastered to his head and there was muck on his face and down his soggy pale blue shirt.
‘Daniel?’
He nodded. ‘I’m so, so sorry. My car had a blow-out and I had to change the tyre and, as you can see, it’s peeing it down. I’d have phoned the restaurant because I don’t have your number, but I forgot to charge my phone. I kept praying you’d still be here. Have I screwed up? I’ll understand if you want to leave, especially given the state of me, but I’m really hoping you’ll stay.’ He finally paused for breath.
I glanced at the waiter hovering nearby who smiled and nodded then discreetly moved away. There was something instantly attractive and vulnerable about Daniel and I knew I’d regret it if I walked away.
‘I’ll stay,’ I said. ‘But on one condition.’
‘Anything.’
‘You get yourself to the bathroom and give your face a little scrub.’
He put his hand up to his cheek and wrinkled his nose. ‘It’s a deal. Thank you. I’d give you a hug, but I don’t want to drench that gorgeous dress. Sarah wasn’t wrong when she said you were stunning.’
I blushed. ‘Sarah said that?’ I looked down at my long, floaty coral dress with a delicate print of seashells and seahorses on it.
‘Yes. And she also said that if I mess you about, she’ll never order from me again and she’ll rip my bollocks off and mount them in her next floral arrangement. So please don’t tell her I was late because I’m a little bit scared of her right now.’
The thought of that made me laugh. ‘Get yourself cleaned up. I promise I’ll still be here when you get back.’
When Daniel emerged from the gents, his hair was dry – presumably from the hand-dryer – and sticking up slightly. He had a look of a younger Colin Farrell about him. Very nice. His face was scrubbed and he’d somehow acquired a clean white shirt.
‘Do you always have a spare shirt in your back pocket?’
Daniel laughed. ‘One of the waiters took pity on me and loaned me his spare.’ He sat down. ‘I’m so sorry again. I’ve been looking forward to meeting you all week. I’m glad you could come out on a school night. Or did term finish last week?’
‘We broke up on Friday, but I was in school yesterday and today for training. I’m finished now, though.’
‘They didn’t have teachers who looked like you when I was at school,’ he said. ‘I might have done better if they had.’ He clapped his hand over his mouth. ‘I can’t believe I just said that. That was unbelievably cheesy, wasn’t it? Again, I apologise. Sarah probably told you that I’ve only ever dated my wife… ex-wife… so I’m completely out of practice when it comes to dating. Not that this is a date. Unless you want it to be.’ He shook his head. ‘I think I might just stop talking.’ He took a swig of his wine.
I laughed. ‘Firstly, please relax. Secondly, I’m out of practice too as Gary was also my childhood sweetheart. Thirdly… about that chat-up line… don’t ever, ever say anything like that again or I may have to ask Sarah to carry out her threat.’
Daniel laughed too.
‘How about we start over?’ I said. ‘I’m Elise. I’m thirty and I’m the Head of English and Drama at a local comprehensive. Next month I’d have been celebrating my twelfth wedding anniversary with Gary who I’ve been with since I was fourteen. Unfortunately, I found him and his new partner in our shower six-and-a-half weeks ago so I’m now living with Sarah’s auntie and going through a divorce. And you are…?’
‘I’m Daniel, I’m thirty-two and I’m a sales rep. I work for several different companies including Gorgeous Gifts who supply to your friend Sarah’s shop. I met my soon-to-be-ex-wife, Amber, when I was sixteen and we married at twenty-one. Unfortunately I discovered she’d been having an affair with my friend and neighbour, Jake, and I found out because she miscarried our baby. Only it wasn’t our baby, it was Jake’s. So now I’m living in my nan’s holiday cottage in the middle of nowhere with my brother Michael who hates me and, like you, I’m going through a divorce.’
‘I’m so sorry to hear about the baby,’ I said. ‘I think you may have just trumped me on the sheer crap-ness of it all.’
‘I don’t know. I didn’t have the dubious pleasure of catching them in the act.’