Chapter 20
‘I spy a Dalek.’ Clare nodded towards the group of men crowded near the bar of The Old Theatre. It was the third pub we’d tried but there was no way the group could be missed. Steve was easy to spot amongst them, thanks to the scarf and wig. ‘What’s the plan?’
‘We’ll get a drink then do a spot of person watching. See what he’s like and, if he seems okay, follow him to the next pub and introduce ourselves.’
Like any stag do, the group attracted lots of female attention.
‘Any observations so far?’ Clare asked after about fifteen minutes of spying from a discreet distance.
‘He never approaches women. He seems more comfortable when it’s just the lads.’
‘Worth stalking?’
‘I think so.’
We followed the stag party to the next pub.
‘So, what’s the plan here?’ Clare asked.
‘Another drink? I need a bit of Dutch courage before I speak to him.’
‘You’d better not be bottling it.’
‘I’m here, aren’t I?’
‘I can’t believe it’s the third pub,’ Clare said half an hour later, ‘and you haven’t made the slightest move. I’d forgotten how crap you are at all of this.’
She was right. I could probably fill a billboard poster with a list of all my failed flirting attempts over the years. ‘I’m going to screw this up, aren’t I? Help.’
‘I think you need the charm of the Irish. Let the professionals do the work.’
Standing awkwardly on my own against a mirrored pillar, clutching my empty glass and wishing I didn’t look so conspicuous, I watched Clare approach Steve Dennison and say something in his ear.
He looked surprised and turned in my direction.
He shook his head and said something to Clare.
Oh God, he doesn’t like the look of me. I want to leave. Right now.
There was another exchange of words, Steve looked across again, shook his head once more and shrugged. Clare said something else, they both laughed, then she returned to me.
‘It can’t be good or you’d have shouted me over,’ I said.
‘Well, I pointed you out—’
‘And he thought I was ugly? Or fat? Or both?’
‘Don’t interrupt and of course he didn’t think you were ugly or fat. You’re gorgeous and you’ve lost weight since you moved here, not that you were fat before.’ She looked at me sternly. ‘You have to stop putting yourself down.’
I shrugged. ‘What did he say?’
‘He thought you looked lovely.’
‘But?’
‘But he met someone else online. They met up on Tuesday and he’s meeting her in the next pub. He says he’s really sorry but he assumed you weren’t interested when you didn’t message him back.’
‘Did you explain that I’d only just picked up his message?’
‘Yes, but he seems keen on this other girl.’
‘You’re the PR expert. Couldn’t you have come up with something?’
‘Like what? I wasn’t going to beg him to date you.’
Fair point. ‘What were you laughing at?’
‘I made some daft comment about his costume which tickled him.’
‘You were flirting with him?’
Clare grabbed her drink and took a swig. ‘I know you’re upset so I’ll ignore the implication.’
I stood quietly for a few moments, fidgeting with my watchstrap. ‘Sorry, Clare. I didn’t mean that. Would you mind if we called it a night?’
She shook her head. ‘We can leave this pub but we’re not going home while you’re upset.’
‘I’m not upset. I’m just… Oh, I don’t know.’
‘Maybe you’re not upset but you’re disappointed, so you are.
And I know you’ll be taking it personally, even though he thinks you look lovely and the only reason he’s not interested is bad timing.
’ She moved my head so she could look me in the eye.
‘It’s not about you, Sarah. It’s circumstances.
You are taking it personally, aren’t you? ’
‘I can’t help it.’
‘Which is why we’re not going home where I know you’ll brood and convince yourself you’re fat, ugly, will never get married and have children, and will end up a mad spinster with cats.’
‘Am I really that predictable?’
‘You’ll meet the right person; I’m sure of it. Just don’t expect it to be instant and do expect there to be knocks along the way. What’s that bollocks they say about the path to true love never running smoothly or something like that?’
I smiled and wiped at the tears that were about to run down my cheeks. Clare reached for my hand and gave it a squeeze. ‘Let this be a lesson to you, though,’ she said.
‘In what?’
‘Checking your messages more often. If you’re serious about finding Steven, you need to be on the ball. If you’re going to do it half-heartedly, you may as well go back to hoping he’ll walk into the shop one day.’
I nodded. It was true. You snooze, you lose.
‘Come on,’ she said. ‘Where to next? Where do all the hotties hang out in Whitsborough Bay?’
‘God knows. I haven’t been on the pull here since I was eighteen.’
‘We still have a list to get through, haven’t we?
’ Clare said as I steered her back up the precinct towards Minty’s.
‘Starting with the lovely Stéphan Marcell in the morning. And once we’ve exhausted the list, there are stacks more profiles we haven’t looked at and more Stevens in your favourites who haven’t contacted you so you can drop them all a message. Plenty more options.’
I stopped walking. ‘Do you really think I’ll meet someone special?’
‘I’m sure of it. He may not be on your current list and he may not even be on a dating site, but I’m absolutely convinced that, one day soon, you’ll meet someone who sweeps you off your feet – just like in the soppy movies you love so much – and you’ll get your happy ever after.
I’m just not convinced he’ll be called Steven.
In the meantime, why don’t you try and relax and enjoy the moment? ’
‘What do you mean?’
‘You’ve just relocated back to somewhere you love but haven’t lived for twelve years and you’ve become the owner of what promises to be a grand business. Why not just take a while to enjoy being the new you?’
‘The new me?’
‘Sarah, the entrepreneurial florist instead of Sarah, the other half of a couple. What you’ve achieved in the past six weeks is amazing. Stop kicking yourself for being single and congratulate yourself for being successful.’
She had a point. A very good one. When did my two best friends become so wise?
And when did I become so tunnel-visioned and obsessed with meeting The One at the expense of appreciating all the great stuff I had going for me?
Things needed to change. I needed to change.
I was nothing like Uncle Alan so I needed to stop obsessing about ending up like him.