‘Like what?’
‘You know each other first. You already have a feeling about what sort of person he is and he has the same about you, so you have that head start when you set out on your date. All that awkwardness where you try to figure out whether he’s a dickhead or not is already out of the way. You also know you like his sister, so he comes from a good family and that has to be a good sign, doesn’t it?’
‘But,’ Cathy said, trying to throw some calm into the mix, ‘he does also have a sister who sounds like a nightmare and a niece who is very hard to like. So what if he’s like one of them?’
‘You already know he’s not like his niece because you liked him the first time you spoke to him. As for the other sister… I think you would have been able to tell by now too. You must have a good idea, otherwise you wouldn’t have said yes to him, would you?’
Cathy allowed herself another soppy grin. ‘I suppose not.’
‘So,’ Fleur asked, her gaze resting for a moment on someone who was inspecting the Christmas wreaths displayed at the front counter. Seeming to decide that they could look for a moment, she turned back to Cathy. ‘Have you got something to wear?’
‘I don’t even know where we’re going,’ Cathy said, her grin fading now. ‘Oh, heck, I don’t know what kind of thing I need to wear! I don’t know if it’s going to be smart or casual… Fleur – what am I going to wear?’
‘Maybe you could send him a text to ask where he’s taking you? Or even suggest somewhere you want to go?’
‘Yes, I should do that. Fleur, you’re a genius!’
‘I don’t think so but thanks.’ Her gaze went to the browser at the front of the stall again. This time, the old lady seemed to want their attention. ‘You do that,’ she added, ‘I’ll be back shortly to see what he says.’
‘I’ll make a start on the poinsettias too,’ Cathy said.
‘You’re a love,’ Fleur called back as she went to the customer. ‘Whatever would I do without you?’
Twenty-Two
How do you feel about the theatre?
Cathy read the text again with a smile. She loved the idea of the theatre for a first date. She hadn’t been to see a play for years and it seemed so much more romantic and different from going to the cinema or a pub, but it had given her a real quandary over what to wear. It was only a small local theatre, Matthias had explained in subsequent texts; he happened to know one of the supporting actors and they’d offered him tickets to the show any night he wanted. He thought maybe this was a pretty good night to take them.
Cathy had asked what was on, though she didn’t really care as long as she was out with him, but when he’d said it was Twelfth Night she was even more excited. She’d never been to see Shakespeare performed live before – in fact, the one and only Shakespeare play she’d ever seen was a movie version that had Mel Gibson in it, and she’d been forced to admit that she hadn’t really understood a lot of it. At least it sounded as if Matthias would know what was going on tonight, and if she got a bit lost he didn’t seem the sort of man who would make her feel silly as he explained it to her.
But when she turned her mind to her choice of outfit, she realised that she just didn’t have a clue. Did she go formal, or was it more casual than that? If it had been a pub she’d have had just the thing, and if it had been something posh she had an old dress she’d worn to a cousin’s wedding a few years before – a little dated, but a fairly classic style that would work. But this was somewhere in between, she guessed. She didn’t want to go for the dress because she didn’t want to feel as if people were staring at her for overdoing it, but she didn’t want to look scruffy and embarrass Matthias. She’d asked Fleur for advice, who’d told her that he wouldn’t care what she had on. Then she’d phoned Erica, who’d said pretty much the same and then spent the remainder of the conversation telling Cathy how excited she was and how she could tell that her brother really liked her. All that was lovely to hear, of course, and filled Cathy with an even greater heightened anticipation, but it didn’t help solve the outfit conundrum.
Currently laid out on her bed she had four choices: a pair of black wide-legged trousers and a silk shirt; a lace tea dress that was a bit pulled in places but always made her feel cute when she wore it (not that often these days); a pair of smart jeans and a chiffon top; and a maxi dress that was perhaps a bit summery for this time of year but maybe she could get away with it if they were going to be inside for the majority of the time. She wasn’t really happy with any of them, but as she hadn’t had time to find anything during her lunch break at work or go to the shops afterwards, something from this pile was going to have to do.
Out of desperation, she went to the wardrobe and got out the fancier dress she’d worn to her cousin’s wedding. It was royal blue and had a calf-length chiffon skirt, the halter-neck top studded with embroidered, sequin-embellished flowers. Was it too fancy? Did it matter if anyone else thought she looked overdressed if she felt good in it? And, if she was very honest, she wanted to make the sort of impression on Matthias that would cause his jaw to drop – anything less than that would feel like a failure. She wanted him to be proud to walk into that theatre with her.
Making a snap decision, she shook off her bathrobe and pulled the dress over her head, going to the mirror as she squirmed around to reach the back zip. Last time she’d worn this dress her mum had been there to do it up for her, and this time she struggled. Eventually, she got it all the way up and took a long, critical look at herself. She’d put on a little weight since she’d last worn it and she’d probably have to breathe in all through the play, but it didn’t look too bad. In fact, it looked good. And besides, it was going to be a nightmare to get off again with nobody to start the zip off so perhaps that was a problem she could spend time dealing with later rather than now, when time was a bit more precious, because she still had her hair to do and make-up to put on, and Matthias was due to pick her up in half an hour.
With a last look in the mirror and a nod of approval, she went to heat up her curling tongs.
The knock on the front door was bang on time. Cathy had been sitting on her sofa for the last ten minutes, completely ready and watching the clock. Was that a bit sad? Perhaps, but as there was no one around to witness it, what did it matter?
She leapt up from her seat now and rushed to the door to open it and find Matthias smiling on the doorstep. But then his easy smile disappeared and he stared at her.
‘What?’ Cathy looked down at herself, suddenly uneasy. ‘What’s wrong?’
‘Wow,’ he breathed.
‘It’s too much, isn’t it?’ she asked, gesturing her dress. ‘I’ve overdone it, haven’t I? I’ll go and get changed… Have I got time?’
‘Don’t do that!’ he said, his smile returning. ‘I only meant: wow, you look incredible!’
Cathy relaxed. ‘I do?’
‘God yes! I mean… absolutely stunning!’
‘Oh…’ Cathy waved away the compliment, blushing violently. ‘It’s an old dress.’