The Perfect Match (5 page)

Alice handed her some brandy. ‘It does seem very unfair.’

‘It’s a complete and utter mystery!’ Bella sipped the brandy without seeming to notice. ‘And now here he is! Just when everything is all going so well. I’m not going to leave again! Besides, I’ve got Nevil. He wouldn’t want to leave everything he’s built up here.’

‘No reason why he should – or you should. You can avoid Dominic, can’t you?’

‘Of course! It shouldn’t be a problem.’ Her mind obviously elsewhere, Bella picked up the brandy bottle and added some more to her glass. ‘I do wish I knew what kind of baby he had. You know – girl or boy – and if it was all OK.’

‘You didn’t find out from one of your old colleagues?’

Bella shook her head. ‘I thought about asking, but I didn’t want anyone to think that my leaving was anything to do with Dominic, or that I took that much of an interest. Maybe I was a bit paranoid.’

Alice shrugged. ‘Unless you were friends with his wife, it might have looked a bit odd.’

‘We’d met a couple of times at office parties – the boss was keen on us all getting together – but I wouldn’t call her a friend.’

Alice nodded. ‘So why are you so curious? If you’re over him?’

‘I am over him, definitely, but it’s a part of the story I don’t know and I think I need to.’

Alice realised that Bella wasn’t over Dominic at all, but was making a very good effort at convincing herself she was. ‘It should be easy enough to find out, surely.’

Bella shrugged. ‘I don’t know. He wouldn’t tell Jane how many bedrooms he wanted in the house he’s looking for.’

Bella looked so glum Alice couldn’t help smiling. ‘But she would know about the baby. Ask her!’

‘That’s a good idea. As long as I can ask without it looking weird.’

‘Trust me, no one would think it odd if you asked if Dominic had children. It’s a perfectly normal question for an estate agent to ask.’

‘I’ll ask then. I suppose I just feel so shaken, I’ve lost my sense of what’s normal and what’s not.’

Bella finished her brandy and got up. ‘I feel loads better now, thank you, darling Alice.’ She smiled. ‘The next thing is your big date!’

Alice shuddered. ‘I don’t know if I’m looking forward to it or not!’

‘Oh, Alice! Of course you are! It’s a lovely romantic thing. If he just wanted to pay you back he’d have sent you a cheque. Or even the cash.’

Alice had heard all this from Bella before and she had to admit she was right. ‘I know. And I suppose I am excited. It’s just so out of my comfort zone.’

‘Comfort zones are for getting out of,’ said Bella.

Alice didn’t reply for a few moments. ‘Yes. Yes, they are. And I have been yearning for a bit more excitement recently.’

‘Oh? Isn’t living with me exciting enough for you?’

Alice gave Bella gentle push, glad to see she had cheered up enough to tease her. ‘It’s very exciting and I love it but I have lived in this house for a very long time. The garden is on its third incarnation. Maybe something else needs to change.’

Bella looked confused.

‘It’s all right,’ Alice went on, ‘I’m not going to dig up the lawn and put in a swimming pool. You get yourself something to eat and find something comforting on telly. You’ve had a difficult evening.’

Bella relaxed. ‘I think I will, if you don’t need me to help you decide what to wear or anything.’

‘Not now! And I’m going up early so I can read in bed. I still haven’t got through the book-group choice and I daren’t confess to not having finished it again.’

Bella gave Alice’s shoulders a squeeze. ‘Thank you for being my therapist – and for the brandy. It really did help.’

Once in bed, Alice thought about her god-daughter, glad that Bella seemed so much better now. It must have been a shock, seeing the man she’d run away from in her friend’s garden. But she was strong, she had a good life now, and was sensible enough to be able to focus on her future and not allow herself to be thrown off course by this.

Having put her mind to rest about Bella, Alice allowed it to return to its current default setting, which was thinking about Michael and their date. She had lied to Bella when she said she had wanted to read – although not about not having finished the book. Really she wanted to go through her wardrobe and think about Michael and their meeting.

Of course she wanted to see him, hugely, but she hadn’t been on anything remotely resembling a date for years. And when she cast her mind back to that occasion she realised she hadn’t fancied the man at all. She’d been more interested in what the food would be like at the restaurant. This time it was different. The only thing that spoilt her pleasurable anticipation was the fact that Michael was younger than her. She’d never been attracted to a younger man before and she felt that sixty was rather late to start.

If any of her friends had expressed a similar anxiety she’d have reassured them instantly. Age was just a number and who cared who was born when, after all? But other people were different – it was fine for them. This was
her
thinking about going out with a younger man. She wondered briefly if ‘fear of being a cougar’ was a recognised phobia and, if it was, what the treatment was likely to be. Being shut in a room full of nearly naked teenagers probably. She shuddered even while she chuckled.

THE FOLLOWING EVENING,
Bella checked Alice’s phone was fully charged and that she knew exactly where Alice was going. She had also made sure that Alice had cash and a credit card separate from her wallet in case it got stolen from her bag. Alice knew for a fact that had their situations been reversed, Bella would have found such over-concern an intrusion, but she accepted it meekly, mostly managing to conceal her amusement.

‘If you want to drink just ring me and I’ll pick you up. You probably won’t enjoy yourself if you’re counting alcohol units in your head,’ Bella had said.

Before she drove off, Alice allowed Bella to check that she had looped the strap of her handbag round the gear lever, to stop an opportunist thief grabbing it at a red light.

‘I am going for a quiet meal in one of the most crime-free areas of the country,’ said Alice mildly.

‘You need to get into practice. Your next hot date might be in London!’ Bella retorted, winking.

Bella had already approved Alice’s outfit and helped her with her make-up. Alice still thought fondly of the days when she called tweezers ‘eyebrow-pluckers’ because that’s all she used them for. Now she had to check for stray hairs before she even started on her foundation.

They were both very pleased with the outcome. Alice had gone for a well-loved outfit that was pretty but didn’t look like she’d tried too hard. A linen dress with a non-matching slubby linen cardigan seemed about right. She’d had her hair done the day before and Bella had painted her toenails. She was as ready as she was ever going to be.

Alice waved at Bella, standing on the doorstep, and drove away.

When she reached the pub she found there was one very smart car in the car park already. She really hoped it was Michael. If she’d been meeting a woman she wouldn’t have minded arriving first at all. She would have just sat and read or caught up with messages and emails on her phone. But she felt that it would look rather desperate to be sitting there if she was meeting a man.

She put her shoulders back and walked into the pub with an air of confidence that was mostly fake. She didn’t want to look anxious and he might be looking out of the window.

She saw him the moment she crossed the threshold. He leapt to his feet. He was smiling.

‘Alice! You came! How lovely!’ he said and kissed her cheek. He seemed extremely pleased to see her.

‘Of course I came,’ she said, instantly feeling better, her nerves replaced by excitement. ‘We had an arrangement!’

‘Well, yes, but you never know with people. You might have thought better of it.’ He looked down into her eyes for a moment and she was very glad she hadn’t backed out.

‘I suppose so.’ She smiled back.

‘Shall we have a drink in the conservatory? Or would you like to go straight to the table?’

‘Let’s have a drink in the conservatory,’ said Alice, thinking she might as well ring Bella for a lift after all.

‘Champagne? Pimm’s? Gin and tonic? They have a cocktail menu if you fancy something with an embarrassing name.’ He paused. ‘But I don’t think it would be at all comfortable.’

Alice chuckled. She knew exactly what cocktail he was referring to and appreciated him not saying it out loud. She wasn’t remotely prudish, but he didn’t know that, and she liked the fact he hadn’t wanted to risk offending her. ‘A glass of champagne would be lovely. The trouble with Pimm’s is it tastes so innocuous and then you find you can’t stand up. Champagne always works for me.’

‘I so agree.’

He ushered her ahead of him, not actually touching her but with a guiding hand hovering over her shoulder. It made Alice feel cared for.

‘This is a nice spot,’ he said. ‘I had a recce earlier.’

A second later Alice was sitting on a very comfortable sofa looking over a perfectly cut lawn which fell away towards distant hills that seemed to undulate forever. ‘What an amazing view!’

‘It’s wonderful, isn’t it? I think those are the Black Mountains we can see.’ He laughed. ‘Of course we can’t see a lot of industry and stuff in between, but it does give a lovely impression.’

The waitress appeared with some menus. ‘Would you like drinks?’

‘Oh yes,’ said Michael. ‘Champagne for my companion and I’ll have ginger ale.’

‘I know you do drink,’ said Alice, when the waitress had gone, ‘so why ginger ale?’

‘I’ve always believed it’s important to get your girlfriend drunk but to stay sober yourself.’

She couldn’t help laughing. ‘I’m not your girlfriend! We’ve only just met!’

‘I know, but I’m planning ahead.’

He looked at her, his intensely blue eyes seemingly trying to absorb information about her. His attention went to her head in a way not even the strongest cocktail could have done.

‘You’re mad, but in a good way,’ she said as soon as she could speak. She didn’t tell him she was far too old to be a girlfriend in case for some reason he’d overlooked this fact.

‘So, what have you been up to since I forgot my wallet?’ he said.

‘Nothing very exciting. I counselled my lovely god-daughter, who lives with me.’

‘Lucky god-daughter!’

‘Her name is Bella and I know she feels lucky. I have quite a big house so we can share without getting under each other’s feet.’ She realised that Bella would have told her she shouldn’t have mentioned that her house was big, because then Michael might chase her for her money.

‘That sounds nice. I live alone. I like that on the whole.’ He made a face. ‘I’m divorced. Two grown-up children. All fairly amicable.’

‘I’m single, never been married, no children,’ said Alice, feeling it was only fair to be equally frank.

‘Any particular reason you never married?’ The way he said it didn’t seem nosy, just interested.

‘It never felt right. One of the few men I fell in love with was married, so that wasn’t to be. Another’s career took him out of the country and I wasn’t prepared to give up my own career to follow him. I was the sales director for a small company and it was a really interesting job I loved. The others didn’t seem worth giving up my independence for.’

‘I’m glad we’re both single,’ said Michael, as the drinks and the menus arrived. ‘Even if it is just coincidence.’

‘Yes,’ Alice agreed slowly, ‘but not exactly a spooky coincidence.’ She was thinking of Bella, and how the man she ran away from turned out to be her friend’s great-nephew. ‘It’s not like we share the same birthday or anything.’

‘We might! When is your birthday?’

‘The twenty-seventh of September.’

‘Oh, well, mine’s not then, but I’m sure we have lots of other things in common.’

By the time they had spun out the evening with extra cups of coffee in the conservatory, they discovered they did have a lot in common. Alice found Michael very easy company and she hadn’t laughed so much in ages. She even let him pay for dinner without a fight.

Eventually she forced herself to look at her watch. It was nearly midnight. ‘Oh my goodness! I should go!’

‘Must you?’

‘Yes! Apart from anything else the waiters want to clear up. I’ll phone Bella.’ She reflected for a moment. ‘I didn’t have all that much to drink but I don’t want to take the chance.’

‘On the other hand, I didn’t have anything to drink. I can drive you home.’

It didn’t take her many seconds to decide that this was absolutely fine. ‘I’ll just text Bella to tell her she can go to bed.’

‘Goodness me! She waits up for you?’

By now Alice didn’t feel obliged to pretend she had a hectic social life. ‘Not usually but young people are very cautious, and frankly, in our case, the adult/child relationship is reversed. She said she’d pick me up.’

Alice got out her phone and saw several missed messages. She decided not to read them now and just sent a text.
Getting a lift home. Lovely evening. Don’t wait up.
The chances of Bella not waiting up were slim, but she should find the message reassuring.

As they drove through the summer night Alice reflected that the joy of being escorted home by a charming, attractive man was as strong now as it ever had been.

‘It is a lovely house,’ he said, as he brought the car to a halt in the drive.

He’d got out and walked round to open her door before she’d even located the door handle, which seemed very well concealed. As he handed her out she decided she wasn’t ready for him to kiss her goodnight properly. He obviously felt the same, because although he gave a brief hug, he just kissed her cheek.

‘It’s been a really wonderful evening,’ he said. ‘I do hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.’

‘I probably did,’ she said, laughing gently. ‘Thank you very, very much. It was lovely.’

‘It was,’ he said. ‘Absolutely perfect.’

‘Not many things are perfect, but that was.’

‘I’ll be in touch very soon,’ he said. Then he kissed her cheek again.

‘No need to ask if you had a good time!’ said Bella as Alice came in and dropped her bag on a chair.