‘I don’t know how it got like that. I’m sorry. I’ll do it again now.’ Debbie headed for the staff only door again.
‘Where are you going now?’ Stéphan shouted.
‘To get a cloth.’
‘What’s this then? An arma-fucking-dillo?’ He picked up a cloth and threw it at her.
‘I didn’t see it there.’
‘That’s your problem, Debbie. You don’t see anything. Like these customers you’ve kept waiting whom I’ve had to serve. Didn’t see them did you?’
Debbie looked close to tears. ‘It’s okay,’ I piped up. ‘We’ll just take these.’ I dropped some coins on the counter and grabbed our drinks.
‘I’m guessing you won’t be emailing him?’ Clare said as we made a swift getaway.
‘Absolutely gorgeous. Absolutely amazing accent. Absolute git. Two down, five to go.’
Having Clare in the shop for the day was an eye-opener. Elise had been friendly and incredibly helpful with customers on opening day, but Clare was something different. She was a genuine asset to sales and I was fascinated to see that side of her in action. She could charm anyone and everyone, swiftly adapting her behaviour according to the age and gender of the customer. She managed to secure three wedding bookings, convince five or six customers to spend way more on bouquets than they’d planned, sell an additional product like a card or gift to about three quarters of the customers who’d just come in for flowers, and complete on several gift transactions where the customer was clearly just browsing and would likely have left empty-handed without her intervention.
I printed off the exceedingly impressive daily sales report after I’d locked up and whistled. ‘Can you work here every day?’
She laughed. ‘You couldn’t afford me, but I’ll train you if you want.’
‘I could never be as brazen as you. Besides, I think it’s a lot to do with your accent and your personality. It wouldn’t work with me.’
‘It would. Yes, I play on the cheeky blonde Irish thing, but it’s about reading people and saying the right things, all of which can be taught. With a few lessons from me, I guarantee that by Easter, you’ll be a pro.’
‘Would you really do that for me?’
‘Of course. I know you’re going to be a huge success anyway, but if I can help in any way, I’m more than happy to.’
‘You’re on.’
‘So what do you want to do tonight?’ I said as we walked back to Smuggler’s View. ‘Takeaway and film?’
‘No way. We’re going on a double date.’
‘What?’
‘You heard me. As you said this morning, it’s two down, five to go. So let’s contact one of the five when we get home and see if he has a nice single mate he can drag out tonight.’
‘I thought you said I should relax and enjoy the business more.’
Clare laughed. ‘You should. But it doesn’t mean you have to call off the search for Steven. Just don’t get so obsessed with it that you ignore the amazing things you’re doing in your day job and don’t get so stressed about all the disappointments along the way because they’re inevitable.’
Who was I to argue with such logic? A double-date with a Steven it was!
‘I can’t believe you’ve talked me into this.’ I pulled my coat tightly around me as we walked the ten minutes from Smuggler’s View into town for the second night in a row. I reached in my pockets for my gloves and gratefully thrust my icy fingers into the soft fleece.
‘Stop moaning. We’ll have a great time. And stop being such a wimp; it’s not that cold.’ As Clare spoke, her breath hung in the air. ‘Okay. I lied. It’s bloody freezing. But I’m not lying when I say we’ll have a great craic. So, which one are we seeing?’
‘Stevie Barnes. Just turned thirty-three. Lives in Little Sandby, which is a really cute village about ten minutes drive from here. Married young, divorced young. No kids. Border Collie called Meg. Loves going on long walks with Meg and camping with her and a few mates. Likes most types of music but hates rap. Loves going to gigs and festivals. Loves the cinema and watching DVDs and is in the process of replacing his DVD collection on Blu-ray. Likes cooking. Likes going to the pub but prefers the pubs where you can chat to your friends rather than the loud popular ones. Particularly fond of his local.’
‘Are you making that up or did you actually memorise it?’
‘I read his profile a lot. It kind of sunk in.’
‘Well, he sounds like a match made in heaven for you. Are you sure he didn’t copy your profile?’
‘I know. Spooky isn’t it. Other than the dog and camping thing, it’s the same.’
‘Does he work?’
‘Self-employed like me. Something to do with IT and publishing but he said on his profile that he won’t put off prospective dates by explaining it because it’s not that interesting.’
‘Just as long as he doesn’t try to explain it tonight or we may have to walk out. IT geeks bore the hell out of me.’
‘Most people bore the hell out of you.’
‘True. Which makes it odd that I’ve put up with you for so many years.’
‘You cheeky cow.’ I playfully whacked her with my bag.
The plan was to meet Stevie and his best mate Rob in Minty’s at eight. Stevie had emailed to say that Rob had recently moved back to the area after splitting up with his long-term partner. He was happy to make up the numbers providing Clare knew he wasn’t looking for a relationship.
As soon as we walked into Minty’s, I spotted them. I recognised Stevie from his photo online, and, like Stéphan’s, it didn’t do him justice. He wasn’t gorgeous — just very pleasant-looking in a boy-next-door kind of way. He had short, sandy coloured hair, dark brown eyes, dimples when he smiled — something he did the second we walked through the door — and was slightly overweight, but it suited him. I just hoped that, unlike Stéphan, he would have a pleasant personality to match his pleasant looks.
‘Sarah?’ He smiled again warmly and confidently placed a gentle kiss on my cheek. ‘I’m Stevie. It’s great to meet you. And you must be Clare?’ He kissed Clare too and looked round for Rob before introducing him. Rob was also very pleasant-looking rather than gorgeous, but the opposite of Stevie in colouring and build — a mop of dark wavy hair, blue eyes and a very toned-looking physique. He looked a lot like my brother, Ben.
‘Thanks for meeting us at such short notice,’ I said.
‘It’s our pleasure. Can I get you both a drink?’
‘He’s lovely,’ whispered Clare when the boys headed for the bar. ‘Nice one!’
‘First impressions are very positive. And his mate seems pretty nice too.’
‘Absolutely,’ Clare said. ‘Probably not Britain’s Next Top Model but you’ll hear no complaints from me. And if he needs some help getting over his relationship breakdown with no commitments, I’m the woman for him!’
‘You’re terrible. You should come with a warning.’
Before we left, I’d arranged to meet Stevie again the next night for the cinema and drinks. It had been a lovely evening. We left Minty’s shortly after midnight, still laughing. Stevie confirmed he’d text me to arrange a time to meet for the cinema then kissed me then Clare gently on the cheek again before heading in the opposite direction with Rob.
‘Disappointed?’ Clare linked my arm as we headed for Smuggler’s View.
‘With Stevie? No. He was great fun.’
‘I mean with not getting a goodnight kiss.’
I pondered for a moment. ‘Actually, no. It wouldn’t have seemed right. We were there as a group and it was good that way. What did you think of Rob?’
‘Seemed a nice guy.’
‘Did you think he looked like Ben?’
‘Your brother?’
‘Which other Ben do we both know?’
‘I gu
ess he did a bit,’ Clare said. ‘Did Saint Ben tell you we went for a curry when I was in Leeds last month?’ Clare had christened him ‘Saint Ben’ thanks to his charity job and all the volunteering work he did. In return, he always called her ‘Irish’ — highly original.
‘No, but I spotted it on Facebook. It’s becoming a bit of a regular thing, you and our Ben.’
‘Oh behave, you. Saint Ben has a girlfriend and, even if he didn’t, there’d be nothing going on. Your brother’s always been a good laugh and it’s nice to eat in company when you’re on the road as much as me. I’m spending more and more time with my Leeds-based client and I’d rather meet up with your brother than stare at a hotel TV all night. That’s all.’
‘Sorry. I was only joking.’
‘Food!’ Clare pulled me into a packed kebab shop. ‘Enough about Ben and back to tonight. Did you fancy Stevie?’
‘Not sure. He’s attractive, I enjoyed his company and we’ve got loads in common, but… I don’t know… I think there was something missing.’ It didn’t feel like it felt with Nick. But he had the right name, which was incredibly frustrating. ‘Maybe he’s not The Steven. Or maybe he is and I’ll fall for him slowly. Why do you ask?’
‘There was something about the two of you together that I couldn’t quite pinpoint and it just hit me what it was when you said Rob looked like Saint Ben. Watching you and Stevie was like seeing you and Ben together. You had that same easy banter.’
I mulled her observation over. ‘You could be right. I guess we’ll see how it goes tomorrow night. Maybe it will be different when it’s just the two of us. Now, are you going to order anything? Cos I could kill a chicken kebab right now. I’ve got the munchies real bad!’
After the previous cinema fiasco with Steve Turner, I made sure I was on time for my date with Stevie. In fact, I was twelve minutes early. But so was he. We laughed as soon as we saw each other, since one of the things we’d been discussing was our shared contempt for people who weren’t punctual.
‘How long have you been here?’ I said.
‘Seconds. Honest. I’ve got something for you.’ Stevie fished into his pocket and handed me a candy-striped paper bag.
I peeked in it. ‘You angel. You’ve bought me gummy bears.’
‘You said you liked them and I know the pick ‘n’ mix here doesn’t have them. Look what I’ve got.’ He pulled out another paper bag and opened it for me to take a peek.
‘Rhubarb and custards! Can we share?’
‘Of course. Shall we go in?’
‘This is me,’ I said as we arrived at Smuggler’s View later that evening. ‘I’ve not taken you too far out your way?’ Apparently Stevie always parked in town instead of on the seafront because he loved the walk down the cliff path.
‘I’m five minutes walk from here so it’s perfect.’
We looked at each other slightly awkwardly. Should I invite him in? I was tired, though. He’d understand. ‘It’s work tomorrow and it’s late. Would you think I’m rude if I don’t invite you in for coffee?’
‘I have to get home to walk Meg so it’s perfect for me,’ Stevie said. ‘I’ve had fun, though. Fancy doing it again soon?’
‘I’d love to. Cinema again?’ I’d loved the familiarity of sinking into an overstuffed chair, breathing in the sweet smell of popcorn, listening to the gentle rustle of sweet wrappers, and watching the action unfold on the huge screen. Without Steve Turner. ‘Or drinks? Or both?’
Stevie smiled, flashing his cute dimples. Adorable. But fanciable? I still wasn’t sure. He didn’t give me butterflies. Not like Nick.
‘How about we do both? Is Tuesday too soon?’
‘I’ve got no plans so it sounds good to me.’
Stevie nodded. ‘Great. I’ll say goodnight then, and email you tomorrow so we can pick a film and times.’
‘Maybe you can leave your car here and we can walk together?’
‘If you’re sure you don’t mind…’
‘I don’t mind. Well, goodnight, Stevie.’
Awk-ward! It had been easy to avoid a first kiss on Saturday when Clare and Rob were there, but surely not kissing at the end of our second date — a successful date — would be wrong. I looked into his eyes. He was going to kiss me. Yep, he was definitely going to do it. Any minute now. But I didn’t lean in to make it any easier for him.
‘Right, goodnight then,’ he said.
‘You’ve already said that.’
‘So I have. Come here you.’ He reached out… he was so going to kiss me… and enveloped me in a huge bear hug. ‘Sleep well, Sarah.’ He turned and headed towards town to collect his car. That was odd.
‘That was odd,’ Elise said.
‘My thoughts exactly. What do you think it means?’
‘You’re asking the wrong person. I’ve only had two first kisses and one of those was with Ricky Williams when I was six. With Gary, it happened really easily and naturally.’
‘I was wondering if he was just a bit shy.’
‘Could be. If he’s been single for a while, it could be a pretty big thing.’
‘That was odd,’ Clare said.
‘That’s exactly what Elise said.’
‘You told her first?’ Oops, hadn’t meant to let that slip. ‘I thought you’d have told me first. I’m the one who set up the date. I’m the one who’s met him.’
‘Hey, it’s okay. I was about to phone you when Elise called me. I could hardly not tell her. Besides, she wasn’t much help and I knew you would be. What’s your verdict?’
‘Well, it could be any number of things,’ Clare said. ‘He could have been single for a long time and be out of practice. He could be gay.’
‘No! You don’t really think that, do you? He’s been married.’
‘And divorced. Maybe that’s the reason?’
‘No. Surely not.’
‘I’m messing with you, Sarah. Of course I don’t think he’s gay. If he was, I don’t think he’d be active on a dating site looking for women. You’re so gullible.’
‘I know. What else could it have been?’
‘Bad breath?’
‘I’d have noticed.’
‘Wind?’ Clare giggled. ‘Maybe he was about to do a huge belch and was scared of doing it while kissing you.’
‘Yuck. I don’t think that was it.’
‘In that case,’ she said solemnly, ‘I go back to my question from Saturday night; do you fancy him?’
Did I? ‘No. I don’t think so. I feel as though I should fancy him because we seem so compatible. I thought the kiss might confirm things either way.’
‘You know what else it could be?’ Clare said.
‘What?’
‘That he’s feeling exactly the same as you.’
Must kiss Stevie. Must kiss Stevie. Must do it now. Can’t sit all the way through the film wondering if he’s The Steven. Must kiss Stevie.
‘Are you okay?’ Stevie stopped walking. ‘You seem distracted.’
‘Sorry, miles away. What were you saying?’
‘I was telling you about Meg eating the wrapping paper last Christmas then trying to munch the tree baubles, but it’s probably not amusing enough to tell twice.’ He laughed. ‘In fact, it probably wasn’t amusing enough to tell once so I don’t blame you for not listening. Are you sure you’re alright?’
‘Sorry. I’m fine.’ I stared down the cliff towards the sea front. My gaze fell on the flashing light at the top of the old lighthouse and the picture of Grandma in front of it came to mind. I needed to eliminate him as The Steven once and for all and a kiss was the only way of doing that.
‘You’re not acting very “fine”,’ he said.
I took a deep breath. ‘You’re right. There’s something bothering me.’
‘Anything I can help with?’
�
�I hope so.’
I turned to face him. ‘There’s something I need to do before we walk any further. I hope it won’t annoy you.’ I leaned in and kissed him full on the mouth, gently at first, then harder. He responded. Thank God for that. I couldn’t face the embarrassment of being pushed off. I closed my eyes and tried to make myself go with the moment. But there wasn’t really a ‘moment’ to go with; it just didn’t feel right. I pulled away and we stood looking at each other. My mouth started twitching in the corners. His did too. Within seconds we were both laughing.
‘Was it just me, or did that feel wrong?’ I fought the urge to wipe my mouth.
‘I don’t know what it was,’ he agreed, ‘but it felt like kissing a relative. Not that I’ve ever kissed a relative like that, mind you.’
‘You don’t fancy me do you, Stevie?’
He let out a big sigh and looked at me sadly. ‘No. I’m so sorry. I want to. I really do. But I just don’t. You don’t fancy me either, do you?’
I pulled a sad expression too. ‘No. Which is strange because I do think you’re attractive and we have so much in common so you should be perfect for me.’
‘I know. How weird is that? I guess the chemistry just isn’t there.’
‘I guess not,’ I said. ‘But I love your company. At the risk of sounding like a six-year-old, will you be my friend?’
Stevie laughed and gave me a hug. ‘I’d be honoured. We can be cinema buddies. What do you think?’
‘Sounds perfect.’ I let out a deep breath. ‘I’m so glad we got that out in the open.’ I linked his arm and pulled him in the direction of the cinema. ‘So, tell me new bezzie mate, is there anyone else online that you like the sound of? Maybe we can help each other find The One.’
‘Well, there is this woman called Rachel…’
* To Clare
Back from date with Stevie. Kissed him. Felt nothing. He was the same. Agreed we’ll be good friends as no chemistry. I guess that means he’s not The Steven either. Pants :(
* From Clare
Who’s next on the list?
I rolled off the sofa and headed for the fridge. Taking a pen, I updated my list:
Searching for Steven (Whitsborough Bay Trilogy Book 1) Page 17
