Chapter 32
CHAPTER
THIRTY-TWO
EMMA
After hearing that S.K.A.M. was locked up far away, I got rid of the fucked-up doll in the box that was burning a hole in my handbag.
I knew it was evidence, but in all honesty, I just wanted it gone.
To forget it had ever been there. I’d put it inside a plastic bag and left it in the bins outside the estate.
It was time for me to move on and start living my life again.
And part of that new beginning meant opening myself up to the opportunities around me.
One of those being Alex, and his dinner invitation.
He told me to wear something comfortable, casual and warm, so I went with a burgundy knitted dress that still had a sexy feel to it, with an off-the-shoulder detail, along with thick tights to keep me warm and a pair of boots.
It was a cute outfit, and after the drudgery of my life recently, I felt like I deserved a bit of cuteness.
As I walked down the staircase, pushing my brown curls over my shoulder, I saw him standing at the bottom of the stairs smiling up at me.
He was wearing jeans and a black hoody. I’d never seen him in anything other than a suit before, but it looked good on him.
Plus, I got to see more of the neck tattoos that I loved, dark tribal patterns that were beyond sexy.
“You look stunning,” he said. “Absolutely beautiful.” As I came to stand in front of him.
“You don’t look too bad yourself,” I replied, giving him an elevator glance. This man could make a paper bag look hot.
He held his arm out for me to take and led me across the foyer and out the front door. At the bottom of the steps was another sports car, a red one this time, and he opened the passenger door for me, helping me climb in before closing it and going to the driver’s side.
“So, where are we going?” I asked with a hint of excitement. It had been a long time since I’d felt giddy like this.
He turned to face me, and the smirk on his face gave me butterflies.
“I’ve always wanted to try something and never got round to it, so I thought tonight might be my chance to rectify that.”
“That sounds intriguing,” I replied, wondering if his words were a euphemism for something else.
What new thing did he want to try?
“Buckle up,” he mused. “And just enjoy the ride.”
We drove at speed through country lanes, eventually emerging into the town.
All the time, I kept one eye on the road and the other on the way his tattooed hands gripped the steering wheel in a way that did things to me that I secretly loved.
We made small talk as he navigated the nighttime roads, and I half expected him to pull into an underground car park or pull up outside a fancy restaurant that he would probably claim wasn’t fancy at all.
But when he pulled into a familiar car park, I couldn’t help but laugh.
“McDonalds? Really?”
He shrugged and didn’t miss a beat when he replied, “I’ve never tried it. But I hear the quarter pounder here is to die for.”
Still laughing, I teased, “I call bullshit. I don’t think anyone in this day and age can say they’ve never had a McDonalds.”
“I can,” he stated with a straight face to show he meant what he said.
“When I was younger, my mother refused to let me try it. Everything we ate was cooked by our chef. Then, as I got older...” He shrugged.
“I just never got around to trying it.” He turned to face me as he pulled into the drive-through to join the queue.
“You can’t say I haven’t surprised you, though. ”
“You’ve definitely surprised me. I wouldn’t have guessed for one second that the great Alex Kingston would bring me to McDonalds for our first date.”
He leaned across the console, moving closer to me.
“You think I’m great?” he asked, unable to hide the smug way his eyes sparkled with mischief.
“Everyone thinks you’re great.” I shook my head, then smiled as he sat back with pride.
“And on a first date, she’s giving me compliments,” he mused.
“As first dates go, it’s certainly memorable,” I replied.
“It is for me, and we haven’t even started yet.” He gave me a wink as he moved the car forward. “What would you like?”
We both decided to go for quarter pounder meals with milkshakes, mine chocolate and his strawberry.
He insisted on buying a couple of apple pies as well, as he’d heard so much about those, too.
Seeing him order the food like a kid in a sweet shop was endearing.
If any other guy had brought me to McDonalds, I might have raised an eyebrow.
But it was something completely different with Alex, because I knew he was telling the truth.
He hadn’t done the things most of us had because that wasn’t who he was.
Or who he'd been made to be. This was all new to him.
New and exciting. Which made it the same for me, too.
“Are we going inside to eat or are we staying in the car?” I asked, pointing across the car park and adding, “There’s a space over there if you want to park up.”
“No,” he replied. “We’re going somewhere else. I’ve reserved a special area for us to enjoy these legendary burgers.”
He put the food and drinks in the footwell, then drove out of the car park and headed down the street. After a few minutes, he pulled into a side road and then into another car park beside Merivale’s local park. He found a space to pull into, then turned the engine off.
“Come on,” he said, taking the bags and drinks as we opened our doors. “It’s just over there.”
I frowned at him, wondering why he’d brought us here as we walked into the darkness of the park, taking the path that led to the little lake I knew was at the bottom. Then, as we turned a corner, I gasped.
The trees were lit up with fairy lights, and outdoor heaters were set up to keep us warm. The area had a golden glow, magical in fact, and there, beside the lake on the grass was a picnic, with a blanket, cushions, a hamper, and a champagne bucket with ice and two glasses.
“Alex.” I sighed. “This is stunning.”
“You didn’t really think it’d just be a McDonalds drive-through, did you?” he replied with a twinkle in his eye as he watched me take it all in.
“I wouldn’t have minded if it was, but this, it’s... everything.”
He smiled, took my hand in his, and led me to the blanket.
I sat down, letting go of his hand as he placed the food we’d brought beside me.
Then he took a lighter out of his pocket and began to light various candles in glass jars that were placed around the edge.
Once he was happy that everything was perfect, he took his phone out, tapped away at the screen, and then slow, soft music began to play.
“I’ve made a playlist for tonight. I hope that’s all right,” he said, and my heart melted a little more. He’d taken the time to make a playlist, for tonight, for us. He’d sat and thought about every little detail.
“Of course it’s all right. You’ve thought of everything.”
He reached for the champagne and took it out of the ice bucket. Then he popped the cork, and I held the glasses as he poured the champagne.
“I think champagne and milkshake go well together,” he joked placing the bottle back into the ice bucket.
“Champagne and burgers are even better,” I added.
“To us,” he said as he took his glass from my hand and tapped it against mine.
“To new beginnings,” I replied.
We sipped our drinks and then started to eat our burgers, and Alex said, “From the first moment I met you, I knew you were someone I had to get to know. But I don’t know enough. Tell me more about yourself.”
I hated those kinds of questions. I never knew what to say. So, I finished my mouthful, laughed, and replied, “From the first moment? But I was awkward and spoke a load of rubbish.”
“You weren’t awkward, at least, I didn’t see that side of you. I think you were brave, coming to an event like that on your own when you didn’t know anyone, and for a work assignment, too. Give yourself credit, Emma, you stood on your own and you fitted in. You more than fitted in, you shone.”
“That’s kind of you to say, but that night was a turning point for me, and not for the best.”
He raised his brows, then looking affronted, he said, “Perhaps in some respects, but there were positives that came out of that night, too. You met me.” And giving me a knowing smile, he added, “Always look on the bright side. When one door closes, another opens. And I have access to some pretty amazing doors. That night was the start of something beautiful.”
“Maybe you’re right,” I said, sipping my champagne to hide the fact that I was blushing.
“I’m always right. Now, tell me about your childhood.”
I put my glass down and tried to think of the right words as gentle music played quietly around us.
“I had the best childhood,” I told him. “Don’t get me wrong, losing my mum at such a young age was tough, but I couldn’t have asked for a better dad.”
“How old were you when she passed?”
“Eight. But dad was always my hero. He was there for me every day, in every way. He never missed a school event or anything that meant something to me. He put his life on hold to bolster mine.”
“You were his life.”
“I suppose I was. Losing him was tough.” I paused to compose myself.
Talking about Dad always made me emotional.
“Do you know, he used to send me a Valentine’s card every year with a question mark inside and a single red rose.
It was only after he passed away that I realised he’d done that, because the next Valentines, there was no card, no rose.
” I smiled at the memory. “To be honest, I always guessed it was him, but I liked to play along and hope it was a mystery admirer. And dad would pretend to be angry when he saw the card and rose. He’d say no one was going to steal his girl away. ”
I got choked up thinking about my childhood. There were a million stories just like Valentines that I could tell, but I wasn’t ready to share them. Not yet.