CHAPTER EIGHT #2
I grimaced. It probably had sounded a little weird. ‘The thing is... well, my dad happened to be at the scene of that robbery at the jewellers?’ I pointed along the high street. ‘In all the commotion, he was knocked unconscious.’ I shrugged. ‘He’s still in a coma.’
Xander stared at me in horror. ‘That was your dad ?’
I nodded sadly. ‘Did you hear about it, then?’
‘Erm . . . well, yes.’
‘I suppose you saw it on the local news?’
He was frowning, as if he couldn’t believe it.
‘The doctors have no idea if or when he’ll wake up. But I’m talking to him all the time and I knew he wanted me to... well, find someone nice to go out with.’
‘Right.’ He nodded. ‘So what happened to... Les, was it? You two were engaged, weren’t you, but then you split up?’
I gave a bitter snort. ‘Yes. He ditched me virtually on the eve of our wedding.’
‘God, that’s right. I remember now. I was talking to Lyndsay recently and I asked her about you and she said you were happily single now.’
‘You’ve seen Lyndsay since we left the bank?’
He nodded. ‘Bumped into her a few months ago and we had a chat.’
I nodded, remembering now that Lyndsay had mentioned bumping into Xander.
‘I hope you don’t mind me saying it, but I always suspected Les was a bit of an arse. I only met him once, at that works summer party, but he seemed... well, a bit full of himself? And now I know I was right because he left someone as amazing as you in the lurch.’
I burst out laughing. ‘Thank you. Yes, your instincts were quite right. Les turned out to be the biggest arse in the history of arses.’
He nodded, thinking about this. ‘That’s a whole lot of arses.’
‘It is.’ I grinned. ‘Well, anyway, so I’d promised Dad I’d start dating again and obviously I didn’t want to let him down. Not with him being in a coma. But my very first date has clearly gone and let me down.’
I was trying to make a joke of it, but Xander wasn’t laughing now. He must have picked up on my bravado because he was looking at me rather sadly. ‘Hey, I’m so sorry about your dad. It must have been a terrible shock.’
I swallowed hard. ‘It was.’ I felt my mouth tremble. People’s sympathetic reaction to Dad being in a coma always made me emotional.
‘Do you want to talk about it?’ he murmured. ‘I could buy you a coffee?’ He nodded across the green, in the direction of the Little Duck Pond Café. ‘It looks as if it’s still open.’
‘I think it stays open late to host the monthly book group meeting.’ I gave him a watery smile. ‘A cup of tea would be good, thanks.’
‘It’s horrible, isn’t it, when something happens to a parent? I was devastated when my dad had his stroke. It was touch and go for a while but thankfully he pulled through.’
‘It’s the pits,’ I agreed, tears pricking my eyelids. ‘I’m glad your dad’s doing okay now.’
I felt the comfort of his arm, lightly at my back as he guided me across the road to the café.
‘He’s fine now. And I’m sure your dad will be, too.’
‘I hope you’re right.’
‘Oh, I usually am.’ Our eyes met. He was smiling cheekily and I felt his optimism lift me a little. The relief of being able to talk honestly to someone about how I was feeling was like a weight rolling off my shoulders.
Even with Lyndsay I’d been feeling I had to keep up an air of positivity about Dad and not give in too much to the gloom... to show her I was okay and she didn’t need to worry about me.
But I had a sense that with Xander, I could tell it as it really was.
*****
In the café, Xander went up to the counter and ordered, while I sat down at a table in the window overlooking the village green.
When he came back with a tray, it was piled with pastries and a range of cupcakes along with coffee for him and a pot of tea for me.
I took one look at the impressive display of goodies and burst out laughing. ‘Still up to your old tricks, then? Your plate was always piled high in the canteen at the bank.’
Grinning sheepishly, he unloaded the tray. ‘What can I say? I’m a rubbish cook and I get fed up with ready meals and baked beans on toast, so it’s best to strike while the iron’s hot.’
‘By loading up in cafés so you don’t have to cook later.’ I smiled up at him. ‘I remember it well. How’s the canteen at your new place?’
‘Good. Very good, actually. I’m already on first name terms with all the staff and I’ve only been working there a few weeks.’
I laughed. ‘Honestly, Xander, you’re such a charmer.’
He pushed a hand through his dark hair and sat down.
‘ Janice makes sure I get a double helping of cauliflower cheese with my Cumberland sausages on a Tuesday.’ A mischievous smile spread across his handsome face.
‘Flattery gets you everywhere. I tell her it’s the best cauliflower cheese I’ve ever tasted, which to be fair it is. ’
‘Well, as long as you don’t try it on with me because I’m sure I could see straight through your BS.’
‘I bet you make a great cauliflower cheese.’
‘Never tried.’
‘Really? Aw, you don’t half know how to ruin a man’s day,’ he joked. ‘I could give you the recipe?’
I frowned, pretending to think about this. ‘If you let me have one of those apricot pastries, I might consider it.’
‘You’re on. Eat away.’ He popped two pastries on a plate and handed it over. ‘They were for you, anyway. Both of them.’
‘Oh.’ I looked at him in surprise. ‘You remembered.’
‘Of course. It was always an apricot pastry for you and an almond twist for Lyndsay.’
‘And two of those cheese and bacon pastries for you.’ I smiled. ‘I could never understand how you didn’t fall asleep at your desk in the afternoon after gorging both of them down at lunchtime.’
He pretended to be offended. ‘Hey, watch what you’re saying. I need the calories. I’m a growing lad, you know.’
‘I do hope not. You’re already six foot two and a half. You don’t want to get any taller.’
‘You remembered the half.’ He looked at me in surprise.
‘Of course I remember. You’d never let us forget that extra half inch.’
‘Well, contrary to popular opinion, size does actually matter.’
‘Does it?’ I glanced at him a little warily.
‘Yes, of course. Absolutely no one wants a small pizza.’
Laughing, I stirred the froth on my coffee then took a sip, enjoying the way we’d just slipped back into the old banter as if we’d seen each other only the day before in the works canteen and it hadn’t been a four-month gap.
‘Toasted teacake with butter, no jam?’ announced café-owner Ellie, arriving at our table with a plate and a smile.
‘Yes, please.’ Xander took the plate, nodding approvingly. ‘Perfect. Just the right amount of crispy, almost-burnt edges.’ He grinned up at Ellie. ‘Thank you.’
She chuckled. ‘You’re obviously a toasted teacake expert, then?’
‘Favourite food of all time.’ He leaned forward eagerly, crossing his arms on the table. ‘Toasted teacakes slathered with butter. No jam required.’
I exchanged a grin with Ellie, and she said, ‘Well, enjoy!’ and went back behind the counter.
I studied Xander as he started buttering a teacake. I was smiling, just watching him. ‘I can’t believe you’ve got me laughing at your mildly funny jokes. I don’t think I’ve laughed at all since Dad had his accident.’
He frowned and did a speedy chew. ‘I’m sorry, what? Mildly funny jokes?’
I shook my head in fake exasperation.
Xander reached over and gave my hand a squeeze. ‘Hey, I’m just glad I’ve cheered you up a bit. It can’t be easy... with your dad in hospital...’ His dark eyes were serious now. ‘You know I’m here if you ever need to talk, okay?’
I swallowed on the painful lump in my throat. ‘Thanks, Xander. That means a lot. But please stop it now.’ If he wasn’t careful, he’d be witnessing a tsunami of tears...
He stopped chewing and frowned. ‘Stop what?’
‘Being nice.’ I shrugged. ‘It makes me want to cry.’
‘Noted.’
‘I haven’t actually cried buckets like this since the week Loathsome Les dumped me.’ I indicated my eyes, which were welling up. ‘Those buckets were pretty full for a while.’
‘I can imagine.’
‘Stop it!’
‘What?’
‘Your eyes. Too much sympathy.’
‘Sorry.’
‘It’s okay.’
‘So what shall we talk about, then? Not Loathsome Les, that’s for sure.’
I smiled. ‘You’re quite weird, aren’t you?’
‘I beg your pardon?’
‘No, it’s good. Because it means you can sort of understand the weirdness in other people.’
‘Gee, that’s nice, isn’t it? Any more insults you’d like to hurl at me while you’re at it?
So far, you’ve got me down as weird and a “charmer” which has definite negative connotations.
Plus, I’m merely mildly funny. Which suggests I think I’m funnier than I actually am. You certainly know how to wound a man.’
I chuckled. ‘Well, no one else has managed to make me laugh recently.’
‘Well, I guess that’s one thing I’m good for, then. I’ll cling on to that.’
‘Hey, do you remember that time we got stuck in the lift at work?’ I said suddenly.
His eyes opened wide with surprise. ‘I do, actually.’
‘You made a scary situation a whole lot better.’
‘Did I? I hope I was a gentleman,’ he joked.
‘Of course you were. You made me laugh, that’s all. I seem to remember that you’d just been dumped? And you were doing funny impressions of her?’
‘Dana.’ He gave a rueful smile. ‘We were happy for a long time but deep down she always thought she was superior to me. Every time we argued, it came out. I was punching above my weight.’
‘Really?’ I stared at him in astonishment. ‘But why on earth would she think that?’
He shrugged and looked away. ‘We just weren’t meant to be together in the end.’
I glanced at him curiously. The mention of Dana was triggering memories of what we’d talked about for that hour in the lift.
I remembered Xander looking quite sad and saying, just before we were rescued, that Dana was always judging his family as inferior to hers.
I’d been about to ask him why – but then the lift doors had opened and it had all been forgotten in the relief of being rescued.
‘You’re probably better off without Dana if she was that judgemental,’ I murmured, as Xander had gone a little quiet.
‘Loathsome Les wanted to mould me into his idea of the perfect woman. He even kept hinting that I should dye my hair platinum blonde, although obviously I wasn’t going to do that.
’ Grinning, I shook my head at the idiocy of it all.
Xander made a face. ‘What a plonker. You really suit your dark hair.’ He peered closer. ‘It actually reminds me of autumn with those amazing coppery strands through it.’
‘Oh, thanks.’ I smiled at him, feeling suddenly shy. ‘So the platinum blonde look?’
‘Nah!’
We exchanged a grin and munched on our pastries for a while.
And after a while, I said, ‘You know, I keep thinking about that robbery and how weird it was how everything seemed to happen at the same time... the robber knocking Minnie into the road just as the speeding van was bearing down on her, and Dad diving into the road to save her. Do you think the van driver might have been creating some kind of diversion, to take attention away from the actual robbery?’
Xander frowned but didn’t reply immediately. But then, he did have a large mouthful of chocolate muffin to munch his way through.
‘They haven’t caught all the jewellery robbers, either,’ I went on. ‘I keep checking the news and it seems one of them is still on the run.’
Xander made a thing of chewing fast and then swallowing. Then he said, ‘I don’t think you should dwell on it. You’ve got enough to worry about with your dad... just concentrate on him.’
I nodded sadly. ‘I guess the less I think about what happened that day the better, really.’
‘Exactly.’ He wiped his mouth with a paper napkin, rolled it into a ball and dropped it onto his plate. Then he leaned forward, arms folded on the table. ‘So... on to jollier topics. Have you heard about the grand opening of the new dance centre over on the Brambleberry Manor estate?’
‘Magic of Dance?’ I nodded, having read about it in the local newspaper. ‘It’s happening on Saturday, isn’t it?’
‘Yup.’
I sighed. ‘I’d decided I would go... until all this happened with Dad.’
‘Your mum and dad were dance champions once upon a time, weren’t they?’
I nodded. ‘They were regional winners in the Latin dance category four years in a row. Amateur only, of course. Fancy you remembering that.’
He smiled in reply. ‘So you’re not going along?’
I shook my head sadly. ‘I don’t feel like going to a jolly celebration of dance while Dad’s in hospital.’
He nodded. ‘I can understand that. All your thoughts must be focused on him right now, with little room for anything else.’
‘Exactly.’
He frowned, rubbing his nose and thinking. ‘There is, however, an argument for going along so that you can report back to your dad about it.’
I frowned, thinking about this.
‘Dance was one of his passions in life, yes?’
‘Absolutely. He’d still be dancing now if Mum was here.’
He nodded. ‘So maybe telling him all about the new dance studio would stimulate something in his brain and bring him back to you? I don’t know about the biology behind comas but don’t they say that talking to the patient is a good thing?’
I nodded eagerly. ‘They do. I talk to Dad all the time. One of the nurses told me that it can sometimes even help to say things that will kind of annoy the coma patient because that can bring a strong reaction.’
‘Annoying things?’ He looked puzzled.
‘Yes. Like once, she had a patient, a teenage boy, who’d been in a coma for a few days.
His family were gathered round his bedside chatting, and the boy’s sister started talking about the tattoo he’d got recently.
And one of his fingers actually moved in response.
They reckoned his gran, who was there with them, hadn’t known about his tattoo and he didn’t want her to disapprove! ’
Xander nodded, understanding. ‘Cool.’
‘I’m not sure I’d want to go on my own, though. To the dance opening, I mean. I’d ask Lyndsay but she works on a Saturday at the garden centre. It’s one of their busiest days.’
‘I could go with you.’
I looked at him in surprise. For once, he looked serious. ‘You would?’
‘Of course.’
I gave him a doubtful, side-eye look. ‘Careful. I might hold you to that.’
He smiled. ‘I’m kind of hoping you do.’