Chapter 4
Alex was on her way towards Sweet Escapes where she was going to have her date. Tiny flakes of snow were dancing through the air and fairy lights twinkled in the windows of houses and shops. Everything just looked so much happier and magical at this time of year.
She was glad she’d finally been able to talk to Quinn about what had happened between her and Liam in the months before his death.
She should have told him and Violet before but she hadn’t wanted to hurt them with tales of Liam’s bad behaviour.
But at least Quinn now knew that her dating was more than just moving on, it was a need to heal after all that hurt.
She couldn’t tell him about the night Liam died though, that was something else altogether.
It didn’t matter that Quinn and Liam had been estranged at the time, she knew he still loved and missed him.
Quinn was her best friend and she couldn’t bear the thought of losing him or Violet.
If they knew what had happened the night he died, they wouldn’t want anything to do with her.
But what if something happened between her and Quinn, as unlikely as that seemed? If they were together she would have to tell him the truth then.
There had been a moment when they’d been standing in the cupboard and she’d felt sure he wanted to kiss her. God, she wanted that so much. If Elizabeth hadn’t turned up when she had, would they actually have kissed in her cupboard or was she seeing what she wanted to see?
Suddenly, someone called out to her from across the street. She looked over to see Violet hurrying towards her, her cane clicking across the cobbles as she crossed the road.
‘Oh Alex dear, I’m glad I caught you.’ Violet joined her, slightly out of breath. ‘I wanted to say how sorry I am for making you feel bad earlier when you told me you were dating. I had no right to do that.’
‘Liam was your son. Of course I understand that you’d be upset that I’m moving on. I expect it seems disloyal to him.’
Violet frowned and shook her head. ‘My feelings about you dating have nothing to do with Liam. It’s just that… I love you and Zara so much, I don’t want to lose you.’
‘And we love you too, nothing is going to happen to take me away from you.’
‘You don’t know that. If you get married again, how will your new husband react to you hanging around with your dead husband’s mum and his brother? Quinn especially would lose out, you two are so close and I can’t see any man putting up with that.’
Alex hadn’t even thought of that. ‘Well, he would have to put up with it. Quinn is Zara’s uncle, you’re her nan. No matter what happens you will always be a part of our lives.’
‘I hope so. But I want you to be happy again. After everything Liam put you through, you deserve to find love and happiness again.’
‘Quinn told you.’
‘Yes, and I can’t help feeling responsible. If we had got him the help he needed instead of cutting him off then it would never have happened.’
‘He had to want to change though and he didn’t. I tried to get him help too and he didn’t want to know. There is only so much we can do.’
Violet nodded. ‘That’s true.’
‘Also, Quinn told me what happened to make you cut him off,’ Alex added. ‘There was a limit to what you could withstand.’
‘Yeah, there was,’ Violet said.
‘I get it, I really do.’
‘But that’s why I think it’s so important you start dating again, regardless of my concerns. You stood by him for eighteen months when every day was a living hell, you didn’t leave.’
Alex played with the frayed edge of her sleeve, knowing that wasn’t exactly true.
‘You deserve to be loved again,’ Violet went on. ‘I want someone for you who will love you and adore you and treat you with respect and kindness always.’
‘That sounds perfect, although I’m not sure I’m ready for something serious again,’ said Alex. ‘Not yet.’ Although she had told Quinn she was looking for that big love story, in reality that felt like a step too far right now.
‘I totally understand that, it’s hard moving on after a serious relationship. I was married to Henry for fifty-six years, I never thought I’d move on with someone else. But now…’ she suddenly trailed off.
Alex cocked her head, her eyes widening in surprise. ‘But now?’
‘Oh nothing. You better get to your date, you don’t want to be late. Where are you meeting him?’
‘Sweet Escapes.’
‘Oh lovely. Max has just started working there,’ Violet said, referring to Quinn’s cousin. ‘I think he’s sweet on Cleo. And it just so happens I’m on my way there to meet a friend, but don’t worry, I won’t be in your way.’
Alex frowned. Having her mother-in-law in attendance at her first date wasn’t exactly how she had planned it.
‘I’ll go on ahead so it doesn’t look weird if we arrive together,’ Violet said.
It was definitely going to be weird, whether they arrived together or not.
Violet hurried off and Alex saw her disappear inside the bakery.
She bit her lip. What was she doing here?
She wasn’t sure she was ready to date again and she definitely wasn’t looking for something serious.
She wasn’t ready to put her trust in someone again after what happened with Liam.
And what if Violet was right and it did get serious and they didn’t like that Quinn was always hanging around?
Beyond the fact she was head over heels in love with him, he was also her best friend.
They saw each other every day, they hung out together and watched movies and cosy crime shows, they went on days out together, with Zara and sometimes Immy, they’d even gone on holidays together.
She simply couldn’t imagine not having him in her life.
But if she wasn’t looking for something serious that only left something casual and she wasn’t sure she wanted that either.
The thought of sleeping with a man she barely knew made her stomach turn.
Still, she was here now so she might as well go in.
She took a deep breath and stepped inside Sweet Escapes. Violet was already at the counter just taking her coffee. She gave Alex a big theatrical wink which if her date was there he would undoubtedly have seen. Fortunately there was no one who looked like him waiting at any of the tables.
Alex waved at Cleo Knight, the owner, and Max Wild, Quinn’s cousin and Cleo’s new assistant, who were working behind the counter.
She was nervous about this date so she’d arrived a little early so she could take a few minutes to calm herself.
She’d never been on a proper date before so she wasn’t exactly sure of the etiquette.
She went to the counter to order herself a drink and wondered if she should order Dave one too.
Although she didn’t know what drink he liked, it didn’t seem right to buy herself one and not get one for him.
Hot chocolate seemed safe. Surely everyone liked hot chocolate.
‘Hey Alex, what can I get you?’ Cleo said after she finished serving the last customer.
‘Two hot chocolates please.’
‘With cream, marshmallows and a flake?’
‘Oh sure, why not.’
Cleo ran it through the till as Max started making them and Alex leaned forward to talk to her. ‘Cleo, I’m on a date. If he’s awful, I might need you to save me.’
‘I’m on it! We need a code or a signal. I know, if I see you playing with the tassels on your scarf I’ll run over and tell you your house is burning down or something.’
Alex laughed. ‘Perfect, although maybe something a little less dramatic.’
‘Got it.’
Max came over with the drinks. ‘And if he’s a weirdo and you don’t feel safe, scratch your chin and I’ll come over and physically remove him.’
Alex grinned at the thought of Max tossing someone out on the street.
He was easily big enough to do that too, he was built like a house.
She liked Quinn’s cousin. He had six of them.
The Wild brothers. All big man mountains who were ridiculously handsome.
Some of them lived in this area or the next town, but she’d met all of them at Violet’s Big Christmas Day Lunch every year where almost all of Quinn’s extended family were in attendance.
Xander, Max’s brother, worked here in the town too, much to Immy’s annoyance, although maybe it wasn’t so annoying after all considering Immy had now slept with him.
Alex wondered if Violet was right and Max had a soft spot for Cleo.
She watched them for a moment as they moved around each other.
There was a definite spark there, like a secret hanging in the air between them, but was that spark just from two friends working well together or was it something more?
‘Is it going to be awkward having a date with your ex-mother-in-law in situ?’ Cleo muttered.
‘A little,’ Alex said. ‘I love her dearly and she says she’s OK with me dating again but I’m not sure I need her this close to the action.’
‘Leave it with me,’ Max said, cracking his knuckles. ‘I’ll ask her to make some changes to her famous Christmas Day lunch. That should set the cat among the pigeons.’
Alex laughed, knowing Violet’s Big Christmas Day Lunch, as it was called, was sacred. No one was allowed to mess with the recipes.
Max walked over and engaged Violet in conversation, simultaneously blocking Violet’s view of the rest of the café with his enormous frame.
Alex picked up her drinks and then carried them over to a spare table in the corner, sitting facing the door so she could see Dave when he arrived.
At exactly one o’clock, the time they’d agreed to meet, he walked through the door.
At least she thought it might be him. But it looked like an older, hairier version than the one she’d seen in his photos. She waved tentatively and he came over.
‘Alexandra?’
‘Alex, yes hi.’
To her surprise Dave offered out a hand to shake. It felt very formal but what did she know, she wasn’t used to this dating game. Maybe that’s what people did on a first date. She shook it and gestured to the seat in front of her.