David Preston. That’s the name on his card. I mouth it silently as I process his payment.
“I want to see you.” I freeze at his words. For the second time since I saw him, I literally cannot breathe. The strange quivering in m
y belly moves lower. “What are you doing tonight?”
I manage to find my voice. “Nothing.” I confess.
“Then have dinner with me.”
I bring myself to look at him. I’m unsure, afraid, and feeling rather faint. It is beyond comprehension that this perfect man is asking me out on a date.
“He cocks his head, “Please.” He says, though he doesn’t look as if he is pleading. He is still smiling, but his eyes are burning darkly.
“Yes.” I accept, wondering what else I’m agreeing to.
“When do you finish here?” I wonder hopefully if, like me, he cannot wait for tonight.
“Five.” I tell him.
“I’ll be here.” He smiles, revealing perfect white teeth. His smile tugs at some deep part of me, and I want to sigh. A few moments later, he is gone, with only the slight hint of his cologne in the air to convince me that I haven’t been daydreaming.
Chapter Two
It’s almost five, and I’m still finding it hard to believe that David Preston is not a figment of my imagination. Stacey has left already, happy with the sale of the swan, the only sale we have made today. I get ready to close the shop, filled with tension at the thought of my dinner date.
In the bathroom at the back of the shop, I brush my hair and check my reflection in the mirror. I don’t have any makeup, so I apply lip balm to my lips and pinch my cheeks a little, reminding myself buy a few items, maybe lip-gloss, and mascara, as soon as I can. There is no one to disapprove anymore, now that Aunt Josephine is gone.
He is standing outside the shop when I come out of the bathroom. He’s changed out of the gray suit of earlier, and is now wearing black pants, with a pale blue shirt, and a dark jacket. He looks effortlessly stylish, and a thousand times more handsome than I remember from this morning... if that’s even possible. Next to him, I probably look juvenile and uncouth.
I smooth my hair nervously, trying, without success, to control my heart rate, which has gone exceedingly high. I walk to meet him, locking the door behind me.
“Hi.” I can’t believe how nervous I feel. It’s cool outside, but my skin feels unusually hot.
“Hi Sophie.” His voice is as beautiful as I remember, and it makes the sound of my name feel like a caress. I try not to look down as his eyes take in my flushed face. “Ready?” He asks.
I nod, and he leads me to his car. It’s not the black sedan of earlier, but a silver BMW convertible that glints in the evening light. He opens the front passenger door, and I step in. The interior is luxurious, with black leather seats and a sleek dashboard. It smells of leather, with a slight hint of his cologne, I inhale deeply.
He gets into the driver’s seat and turns to me. Again, his eyes mesmerize me. What am I doing? There is no way I can survive an evening alone with this man. “So where do you want to go?” He asks.
I have no idea. I wonder if I should have thought of this before. “Where would you like to go?”
His eyebrow lifts, and for a moment I can’t help but stare, enchanted. “You know the town,” he says, “don’t you?”
I shake my head. I really don’t. I have never hung out, or done any of the things young people do. My aunt made sure I had no friends while she was alive, and in the months since her death, I have realized that almost everybody thinks that, like her, I am weird.
He chuckles deeply. “That’s strange, didn’t you grow up here?”
“I’ve been away at boarding school.” I look out of the window, “and anyway I’ve never been very outgoing.” Luckily, I remember the seafood place Stacey and her husband went to on their anniversary. It’s on the other side of town, and I’ve never been there, but I mention it to him anyway.
He starts the car and enters the name of the restaurant into a GPS system on the dashboard. As he waits for directions, I realize how underdressed I am for where we are going. I really don’t want to be an embarrassment. I’m not even sure that the only dress I have will be suitable, but I’m determined to make an effort.
“Can we stop by my place?” I ask tentatively.
His eyes skip from the road to my face. “Of course.”
The apartment building is not far from the shop, so I just give him directions. “I won’t be a minute,” I tell him as I climb out of the car. I almost run upstairs to my apartment, a one bedroom with a tiny kitchen, living room, and bathroom. The living room windows look out into the car park and further out into the commercial part of town. I can see the silver BMW idling in the car park, but I can’t see David through the tinted windows.
I hurriedly change into the pale blue cotton dress I wore for my graduation. I haven’t worn it since then. As I take a quick look at myself in the mirror, I hope desperately that it will do.