I didn’t blame Alex for his polite yet curt responses. I doubted he’d ever admit it, but he had to think Gideon was an arse and that I should get rid of him; such thoughts had crossed my mind of late too.
‘He’s definitely on his best behaviour,’ I carried on. ‘So much so, he’s taking me out for once. I haven’t a clue where we’re going, which means I don’t know what to wear. I just hope I don’t embarrass myself and ruin the night before it’s begun, all because of the wrong outfit.’ Clocking Alex’s wide-eyed stare, I fell silent. ‘I’m rambling like before, aren’t I?’
Alex nodded. ‘Just a bit.’
Blushing, I took in his tight expression. Cringing at my insensitivity, I couldn’t believe I’d expected him to be interested in any of that. Not after the way Gideon had treated him. ‘I apologise. And from now on, I promise to stay clear of any conversation about me and my relationship with you-know-who. We can talk all things Hirst or Koons, or whatever artist you prefer. You could even teach me to draw if you’re up for that? Ooh, when you move in, we could do a skills swap.’
‘About that…’
‘Oh, and these just landed.’ I indicated the parcels on the counter. ‘New bedding and window dressings for your room. I took note of what you said about liking the brightness in there and knowing that’s important, what with you wanting to paint, I went for plain white. The curtains are white too, but they’re also blackout, so you don’t have to worry about daylight waking you up. Although at this time of year, it’s not like the sun comes up early, is it?’
Alex put a hand up to his mouth and coughed.
Pausing, I realised he was silencing me. ‘I’m still wittering, aren’t I?’
Alex nodded. ‘Afraid so.’
I didn’t know what it was about Alex that made me lose control of my mouth, but despite saying I’d shut up, the poor man had yet to properly get a word in. ‘Again, I’m sorry.’ I took a deep breath and bringing up my hands, I placed my palms together and centred myself. Letting them fall again, I smiled at Alex. ‘How about I stop talking altogether and you can tell me what you came in for?’
Clearly thinking I was bonkers, Alex regarded me for a moment. ‘It’s nothing important.’ His expression softened. ‘I just wanted to let you know Grandma liked the wool I sent up.’
CHAPTER16
Istared at the pile of clothes that lay on my bed. Choosing an outfit shouldn’t have been that difficult, but I seemed to have tried on almost every item in my wardrobe.
Having settled on an ankle-length dress with a flared skirt and flounced hemline, I turned to check my reflection in the dressing table mirror. Its brown fern pattern looked great with my dark green crocheted bolero and black boots, but as I chewed on my lip assessing the whole ensemble, it was clear something was missing.
My face lit up as I realised exactly what that was and opening my jewellery box, I rummaged through its contents. I pulled out Gran’s pearl and gold leaf brooch and held it to my chest. ‘Perfect,’ I said, pinning it in place.
A car horn beeped and I raced over to the window. My chest fluttered at the sight of Gideon’s car. I’d tackle the mountain on my bed later and leaving it behind I grabbed my bag and coat, wondering what Gideon had planned for us. I made my way downstairs and through the shop to the street, locking the door behind me. ‘You look nice,’ I said as I climbed into Gideon’s vehicle.
Unlike the shirt he’d worn the last time I saw him, that evening’s pale blue number was ironed. His hair looked damp as if he wasn’t long out of the shower and I could smell the citrus in his aftershave. For him to go to that much effort, wherever Gideon was taking me, it had to be special. So far, so good. I took a deep breath in anticipation of the night ahead. ‘Now will you tell me where we’re going?’ I asked.
‘You’ll see.’
My face fell. I hated not knowing what to expect. ‘Oh, come on. You know I don’t like surprises.’
Gideon rolled his eyes. ‘If you must know, I’ve booked us a table at Zenith.’
‘That new place?’ I grinned. After weeks of putting work before me, Gideon was certainly making up for it. Zenith wastheplace to eat and from what I’d heard it wasn’t cheap. More a saver than a spender, that night was going to cost Gideon a small fortune, even if we went Dutch. I considered my bank balance, hoping it wasn’t about to be wiped out. Either way, it was good to see Gideon trying for once, and I leaned over and kissed his cheek. ‘Thank you,’ I said.
‘Don’t forget your seatbelt.’ Shaking his head, Gideon dismissed my gratitude and, sliding the car into gear, pulled away from the kerb.
The restaurant was located in a neighbouring town and the drive to get there was one of companionable silence. Unlike Beryl, Gideon’s BMW was a dream and while he might talk about it in terms of miles per charge and BiK brackets, describing it as a petrol-electric powertrain, I liked the fact it had a working heater and decent shock absorbers. It was great to watch the world pass by in comfort for once.
I stole glances at Gideon along the way. We still had stuff to discuss, like getting to the bottom of his relationship with Julia, and being a realist, I knew depending on how Gideon managed that conversation, the evening could be make or break for us. I wondered if he felt as anxious as I did, but his expression gave nothing away, except that he was concentrating on the icy roads we were travelling.
Finally, we landed, and climbing out of the car, I linked my arm into Gideon’s so as not to slip as we crossed the car park. My action seemed to take him by surprise. Understandable, I supposed, considering the way things had been between us of late. Entering the restaurant, my eyes widened. I’d never been in such a gorgeous eatery.
The host took Gideon’s name and showed us to our table. Settling into our seats, there was so much to take in. While Gideon perused the menu, my eyes drew upwards to the triple-height arched ceiling from which ginormous chandeliers hung. Lowering my gaze, I took in the modern works of art that adorned the upper walls, and lowering it further, the rich wooden panelling that cocooned the room giving the space a sense of warmth. ‘This is beautiful,’ I said, soaking up the ambience.
Unlike me, Gideon took our surroundings in his stride. ‘Apparently, in days gone by it was the town hall.’
I marvelled at the embowed windows, each one mirroring the shape of the ceiling. ‘Most of this must be original. I’m glad the owners didn’t rip everything out and start again.’
Gideon scoffed. ‘More money than sense, I’d say. Everything was in such disrepair, restoring would have been way more expensive than a complete do over.’
Brow furrowed, I stared at Gideon. He clearly had no respect for architectural history. ‘But not half as stunning.’ I felt offended on the building’s behalf.
