‘I think he has the hots for you,’ Lyle said before taking a gulp of his drink. ‘I could tell by how he looked at you.’
She fixed a stern gaze on him. ‘He was just being friendly. Look, I think perhaps it’s time for a change of subject again, don’t you?’
Lyle closed his eyes and shook his head. ‘Sorry, god, I really am sorry. My own insecurities shining through as always.’ He clenched his jaw and seemed angry with himself. Then he let out a long sigh and seemed to relax. ‘I’m not making the best impression, am I?’ His smile returned, and it appeared genuine.
‘You’re a little intense,’ she admitted, nervously, as her cheeks flamed.
‘I know… I know. This is all just… I haven’t dated in so long I think I’ve forgotten how to do it.’ He laughed.
The ice seemed to be melting. ‘Tell me about it. It’s all so difficult, isn’t it?’
He nodded. ‘It really is. I seem to have lost the ability to talk to women who aren’t colleagues. If I’m not talking about exchange rates and tax rebates, I have no clue what to say… how to behave. It’s ridiculous.’ He shook his head. ‘I hope I haven’t put you off. I really do like you, Caitlin, a lot. I’m just not used to this, and I think it’s so ridiculously obvious. I’m going to be kicking myself when I get home if you’ve changed your mind about dinner.’ He frowned and almost pleaded at her with his eyes.
Once again, she was sucked in by his smile. ‘It’s fine, honestly. I haven’t changed my mind. But maybe we’ve dived in a bit too quick with the deep personal stuff? We’re both new to this and we need to have a bit more fun before we get serious,’ she replied, hoping he wouldn’t be offended.
He nodded vehemently. ‘I totally agree. Let’s make it fun all the way from now on.’ He held out his hand and she took it. They shook.
‘Deal,’ she replied with a spark of hope once again ignited inside her.
* * *
At the end of the date, Lyle kissed her cheek. ‘I promise things will be better on Saturday.’
‘Honestly, stop worrying. I’ve had a lovely time,’ she replied.
‘I know you haven’t really, but I appreciate you giving me a second chance.’
‘I’d better go and collect Grace from Evin’s house. See you Saturday.’ She smiled and turned to walk away.
‘Aye, I’d better get Cora from my neighbour. Bye just now, Caitlin.’
As she walked, she replayed their conversations over in her mind. She hoped the start of the evening had just been a wee blip. The rest of the evening had been much lighter. They’d mostly talked about their children – an easy topic on which they found common ground – and Caitlin told herself that everything would be fine.
When she arrived at Jules’ house, she made her way straight to the back garden where the sound of laughter rang out. The garden was large and edged with trees that gave excellent shade during the summer months. The sky was still a pale, dusky blue overhead; it never quite got completely dark at this time of year, meaning evenings in the garden were made the most of. Fairy lights and coloured lanterns were strewn around the fencing and across the front of Reid’s art studio at the bottom of the garden. It looked utterly magical. Caitlin often dreamed of having such a large space to sit out in, but she couldn’t complain, her small, cottage garden was sufficient for the three of them.
‘Mum! You’re back! How did it go?’ Grace asked as she dashed to hug Caitlin.
Caitlin squeezed her daughter tightly. ‘Oh, it was… lovely.’ She hoped her reply didn’t sound tinged with negativity.
‘Yay! Me and Evin are playing swingball. Do you want a go?’
Caitlin laughed. ‘No thanks, honey. And we really need to be getting home. You’ve school in the morning and it’s really late.’
Jules walked over and hugged her. ‘Hey, you. So… how was it?’ Her expression was filled with hope.
Caitlin made sure Grace was out of earshot. ‘It was…’ She sighed, wondering how to explain. ‘Intense in places.’
Jules’ face dropped. ‘Intense? In a good way?’
Caitlin shook her head. ‘Not really. He was quite judgy about my choice to have Grace without a man being directly involved. He said he wasn’t, but I’ve seen that expression so many times, Jules, I could read what he was thinking. He even asked the serious illness question.’
‘The one about if Grace got ill and needed a kidney and you weren’t a match?’
Caitlin nodded. ‘That exact one.’
Jules curled her lip. ‘Ugh.’
‘And then Archie came in and we chatted, which seemed to make Lyle jealous.’
