Helen
‘I still can’t believe Nancy’s only put you on the insurance until midnight,’ she said as she put on her seatbelt.
Nigel laughed. ‘I know where I rank in her affections, and it’s always been behind this car.’
‘Why is she so enamoured with it?’
‘It was a present from Dad. Much as he was a lying, cheating, selfish bastard, I think they loved one another.’ He looked thoughtful for a moment.
‘I never met your dad.’
‘He was rarely around, was he? Too busy with his mistress.’
It was never a topic that ended well. Nigel obviously thought the same. He changed the subject. ‘The weather looks like it’s going to stay dry. Shall we put the lid down?’
‘It’s winter. It’s not much above freezing.’
‘If we turn the heater up, we’ll be fine. I can always pull over and put it back up again if it’s too cold.’
‘Go on, then. In for a penny.’ The new, more relaxed Nigel was back. Or rather, the Nigel that was like the one she remembered from their younger years.
Nigel turned on the engine and set off out of the car park towards the main road.
As the outskirts of the town gave way to countryside, Helen relaxed into the passenger seat. This journey was far less hair-raising than Mark’s dash to the hospital earlier. Despite Nancy’s misgivings, Nigel was a very good driver.
Helen was enjoying the feeling of wind in her hair. He was right - with the windows up, the car’s interior stayed warm. It was exhilarating and much less stressful than navigating the crowded streets of London, cooped up in her little Fiat 500.
As he pulled up at a set of traffic lights, her stomach made a loud rumbling noise.
‘Hungry?’ Nigel asked.
‘Absolutely starving.’
‘Why don’t we find a country pub somewhere?’
She ought to insist that they hurry back home to work on her treehouse proposal for Mark. But you could do that this evening.
‘I’d love that.’
‘Any recommendations?’
‘Why don’t we try The Fox Inn?’
‘The one we used to go to in Dashton Gorge sometimes?’
‘Yep, it has a new chef. My next door neighbour was raving about it at the weekend.’
‘Let’s check it out. You’ll have to remind me how to get there.’