Chapter Nine
Jeff had mixed feelings. The money would have come in handy, not that he was in dire need of it, but the job provided him with something to do. There would be no site work for a while, especially as the BBC was predicting a white Christmas.
I’ll believe that when I see it. Besides, a white Christmas equated to a few snowflakes landing on the roof of the London Met office. Jeff wanted a blanket of the stuff, deep enough to trudge through and leave tracks, and thick enough to cover up all the dirt and ugliness.
His phone buzzed. It was Amy.
“Okay, what’s wrong?” he demanded as soon as the call connected.
“Nothing’s wrong. I just wanted to know you’re still okay for Saturday night, and to ask if you’ve invited anyone.”
“Oh. Yes, I have.” He fell silent, knowing it would piss her off, and steeled himself for the barrage of questions.
Amy kept silent for all of three seconds.
“Well? Who is he? Because it is a he, right? Where did you meet him?”
Jeff told her everything, from Chris’s request, to meeting at the fair, and all the events up to the mince pies and dinner on Sunday.
“You really like this guy, don’t you?”
“It’s not just him. His little boy is adorable. But yes, I do. So please… don’t say anything to frighten him off on Saturday?”
“What could I say that would do that?”
“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe ask when we’d be shopping for rings. You know, stuff like that.” He knew what she was like.
There was a pause. “He’s important to you, isn’t he?”
Jeff took a calming breath. “Yes. It’s been a while since I’ve been so into someone, and I don’t want to screw it up.”
“Then I won’t screw it up for you either.”
Jeff let out a whoosh of air. “Thank you.”
“I’ll be on my best behaviour.”
He laughed. “Now I’m really worried.” He paused. “Thanks, sis.”
“I’ll meet you in front of Giraffe at seven, okay? Table’s booked for seven-fifteen.” She chuckled. “Just look for the one with all the balloons, glitter, and the huge rainbow banner saying thirty.”
“You wouldn’t.”
She was still chuckling as she hung up.
Of course she would.
December 21
By the time six fifty-five came around, Jeff’s heart was pounding. There was no sign yet of either Amy or Dave.
They’ll be here. Just quit worrying and calm down.
He’d peeked through the glass frontage of the restaurant, but thankfully there wasn’t a balloon or a banner to be seen. He stamped his feet, his hands buried in his coat pockets, glad of his scarf.
“You look nice.”
Jeff jumped. “Christ, what are you trying to do? Give me a heart attack?”
“Guilty conscience?” Amy wore her beige wool coat, a thick scarf around her neck and brown leather gloves covering her hands. She held a glittery bag out to him. “Happy birthday.”
“Thank you.” He peered inside. “Ooh. This looks like it’s the good stuff.” He recalled seeing the orange label on champagne bottles at the supermarket. Not that he’d ever tried it—Prosecco’s price tag was far more inviting.
“It is. And it’s vintage—just like you.” She kissed his cheek, then peered around them. “Isn’t he here yet?”
“Nope. But he will be.” Dave wasn’t the sort to leave someone in the lurch.
“Will I do?”
Jeff smiled. “You look lovely. Very presentable.”
Amy huffed. “I was aiming for stunning but I’ll take what I can get.” She glanced over his shoulder. “Ooh. Tell me this is him.”
Jeff couldn’t turn to look. “Describe him.”
“Dishy, black hair, five o-clock shadow, striped scarf….”
His heart lurched into a dance. “That sounds like him.” A moment later, Dave was at his side, and Jeff’s nostrils were filled with his spicy cologne.
“You must be Dave.” Amy held out her hand. “I’m Amy, Jeff’s sister.” They shook.
“Look what I’ve got.” Jeff showed him the champagne.
“Ooh, nice.” Dave cleared his throat. “You can’t drink a bottle all on your own. You need help. I volunteer.”
Amy burst into laughter. “I like you. Let’s go and see if our table’s ready, shall we?” She strode to the door, and they went inside. Amy spoke with the guy on the main desk, and they were shown to a table in the window—
A table set out for two.
Jeff frowned. “Excuse me, but there’s been a mistake.”
Before the waiter could respond, Amy took hold of Jeff’s arm.
“There’s no mistake. I’ve already given my card details to the desk, so order whatever you want.
Like I said, dinner is on me.” She kissed his cheek again, then smiled as she drew back.
“Happy birthday.” She smiled at Dave. “Lovely to meet you. Maybe next time, we’ll get to talk.
” And with that, she strolled out of the restaurant.
Dave stared after her. “And I thought my sister was bad. Yours is a pro.”
Suddenly it wasn’t dinner anymore.
It was a date.
Someone coughed behind them. The waiter stood there with two menus.
“I think that’s our cue to sit down.” Dave pulled out a chair for Jeff. “Come on, birthday boy.”
Jeff sat in a daze. “I can’t believe she’d pull such a sneaky stunt.” When Dave took the opposite chair, his eyes twinkling, Jeff rolled his eyes. “Who am I kidding? Of course I can believe it.”
The waiter handed them the menus, then pointed to the drinks card. “I’ll be back in a sec to take your order.” Then he left them and headed to another table.
“By the way.” Jeff jerked his head up from the drinks menu, and Dave smiled. “Happy birthday.”
“Thanks. This wasn’t how I thought tonight would go, but…”
Dave frowned. “Do you mind that it’s just us? Because I don’t.” He leaned forward. “To be honest, I was nervous about meeting your sister. Then again, I was nervous about you meeting Janine, so I guess that just makes me a right Nervous Nellie.”
Jeff blinked, then burst into laughter. “I’m sorry, but you couldn’t look like a Nellie if you tried.” Dave laughed too, and right then, Jeff knew dinner would be just fine.
He handed Dave a drinks card. “What grabs you?” Then he glanced down the list, and grinned. “I know what I’m having.”
Hearing Dave say “An Espresso Martini” at the exact same time that he did was hilarious.
Dave ordered the cocktails, and Jeff looked at the main courses. “Ooh. The Hoisin duck noodle salad looks good.”
“Well, I guess you just have to ask yourself,” Dave drawled in an American accent. “Do you feel ducky? Well, do ya, punk?”
Jeff bit back a smile. “That was the worst John Wayne impression I’ve ever heard.”
Dave gaped. “Well, I’m glad about that, because it was supposed to be Clint Eastwood.”
For a moment they stared at each other, and then the laughter bubbled up out of him again, only now Dave was laughing too. Then Dave stilled. “Are you really having the hoisin duck?”
“Is there a reason why I shouldn’t?” Jeff demanded.
“No, no reason… in that case, I’m feeling ducky, so I’ll have the Thai duck stir fry.” Dave’s eyes sparkled. Then he glanced at the menu, and his breathing hitched. “They’ve got churros.”
“What are they?”
“Spanish doughnuts, rolled in sugar, then dipped in a chocolate sauce.”
“Oh my God, I’m drooling.”
The waiter returned with their drinks, and Dave gave him the order. When he left them, Dave raised his glass. “Happy birthday.”
“Thank you, again.” They clinked, and Jeff took a sip. “God, that’s good.”
Dave put down his glass. “So… Amy… has she done this before?”
Jeff stroked his beard, pretending to think. “Let’s see. There was the time she tried to set me up with a guy she met on the Tube. She had no idea who he was, but she thought he was gorgeous, so she assumed I would too.”
“How far did that get?”
Jeff grinned. “One drink in a bar. When I found out what his hobby was, I let him down gently and got out of there.”
Dave widened his eyes. “Why? What was his hobby?”
Jeff shivered. “Taxidermy. He started telling me about all these wooden cabinets he kept at home, full of glass eyes. Then he went into how he actually stuffs something…”
Dave shuddered too. “Nope. I’m with you on that one.”
“Then there was the time when we were out for a drink in Soho, and I took her to a gay bar.” He shook his head. “What was I thinking? I expressed an interest in an older guy. He was drop-dead gorgeous. So Amy marched over to him, and told him I wanted to go out with him.”
“Wow. She is worse than Janine.”
Jeff nodded. “So the guy came over, sat next to me, and Amy made her excuses and left. She was so smug.”
“And? What happened?”
Jeff sighed. “He told me he had a confession. Then he removed his false teeth. That was me stunned into silence, so he popped them back in, and said the bonus was that he gave good face rides.”
Dave’s jaw dropped.
“I think one of her better efforts was setting me up with her doctor. I agreed to meet him, not promising anything. Gee, I wonder why? Anyway, he turned up, and I thought, wow, she’s cracked it.
He was a stunner. We went on several dates, just meals and the cinema, and then I asked him back to my place. ”
Dean leaned forward and lowered his voice. “He didn’t turn out to have two dicks, did he?”
Jeff gaped. “You read about him too?” Then he laughed.
“No, seriously, nothing horrendous. We had a… very good night. He didn’t stay, but promised we’d do it again.
When I woke up the next morning, I found he’d left his tie in my bedroom.
I texted him to let him know, and to thank him for a great night.
” Jeff coughed. “I might have said it in more… graphic terms. And later that day, I got a message back.” He bit his lip.
“‘This is Jenny, Greg’s wife. Stay away from my husband.’”
Dave covered his mouth. “That bastard.”
Jeff nodded slowly. “Which is why every time Amy says, ‘There’s this guy I think you should—’ that’s as far as I let her go.”
“I can understand that.” Dave drank some of his martini. “Do you date much? I mean, when you’re not taking part in a game show called Amy’s Dates from Hell.”
“Not really. I haven’t had a relationship for a few years now, and if I date someone, I give it everything I’ve got.” He leaned back in his chair.
“You don’t strike me as a casual kind of man,” Dave observed.
It warmed him that Dave saw him. “No, I’m not.
” He studied Dave for a moment. “I think you’ve been so lucky.
” When Dave arched his eyebrows, Jeff held up his hand.
“I’m not talking about losing Matt, I’m talking about finding him.
Finding each other. You shared how many years of your life with him?
And from everything you’ve said, and Chris has said, he seemed to have been a wonderful person.
Plus, you got Chris, who is the sweetest kid I’ve ever met.
” He swallowed. “I envy you. I’ve never had someone care for me the way you clearly cared for Matt. ”
Then all talk ceased as their food arrived. The duck was delicious, but Jeff’s mind was elsewhere. He hadn’t intended to say all that, but his tongue had run away with him. Neither of them said much as they ate, and Jeff wondered if he had in fact screwed things up.
Dave wiped his lips with his napkin. “Much as I love the idea of churros, I have another suggestion. How does lemon and lime cheesecake sound?”
Jeff frowned. “That’s not in the menu.”
Dave drank what was left of his water. “You’re right, it’s not—but it is on the menu… at my place.”
Oh God.