Firestarter

by Collins, Patsy

  'Nice to see you again under more pleasant circumstances,' she said.

  The fact that no one asked about the previous meeting suggested they'd already heard the story. Some of the teasing during the meal confirmed it and that they knew she had a particular interest in firemen. Everyone got teased in turn though, so she'd have felt more awkward if she'd not been included in the banter. She could have done without Jeff's attempts to create innuendo from the way she licked barbecue sauce off her fingers and fact she could use chopsticks. His comments about the splits in the waitresses' dresses were no more tactful, but mostly it was harmless fun.

  The crowd around the table meant little room between each person. As a consequence Alice was pressed close against Hamish. She was conscious of the warmth from his thigh all evening. At one point he put his arm across the back of her chair as he leant to speak to William who was sitting next to her. She got another subtle whiff of Hamish's clean smelling aftershave and completely lost track of what the man opposite was saying to her.

  'Sandra's morning sickness any better?' Hamish said.

  'She's fine, thanks mate.' William leant forward and stage whispered to Alice, 'You've not met my missus yet, but I know she'd want me to pass on my commiserations at getting stuck with Hamish the Horrible.'

  'Alice,' Hamish said, 'Would you mind telling my dear friends about my school nickname?'

  'Er, some people called him Handsome Hamish,' she said, hoping her face wasn't clashing with her dress.

  Alice felt Hamish's arm drop down onto her shoulders.

  William laughed. 'Kids are so sarcastic.'

  Alice looked at Hamish to see how he'd react.

  He bent his head toward her. For a moment she thought he was going to kiss her. Instead he said, 'If you're wondering if we're always like this, then the answer is, I'm afraid so.'

  'I think I can handle it. Years doing battle with my evil big sister have seen to that.'

  'You mean there's two of you?' Jeff asked.

  'No, there's just one of me.'

  'Oh, but... but you've got friends, right? Me an' Hamish could go out with you and one of your friends.'

  'That's a good idea,' Hamish said. 'I seem to remember we were going to come up with a plot to punish Kate for something. This would be the ideal opportunity.'

  'Hey! That's not fair!' Jeff said. 'I've got my good points you know. My mum told me.'

  'Next time you see her, ask her what they are,' William said.

  'Tell you what, I'll get her to write them down for you. Anyone got a piece of paper?'

  Devon produced what looked like a till receipt for a single item and it was handed down the table to Jeff.

  'Thanks.' He tore off a small corner and passed the rest back.

  It took them two hours to eat their way through the mountains of food which was brought to their table. Alice did her bit by consuming spare ribs, smoked chicken, crispy seaweed, three duck pancakes and a fair bit of beef chow mein. Her efforts with the wine were also heroic. After that she couldn't manage her fortune cookie, but did snap it open to learn, 'the stars shine brightest on the darkest nights'.

  Outside, Devon said, 'I'm giving Hamish a lift back to Marchwood, can I drop you off on the way?'

  'Holbury isn't on the way.'

  'Everywhere's on the way to somewhere,' Devon said.

  Hamish sat in the back of the car with her and when they were near her flat he placed his hand over hers. She turned it over so he could hold it properly. Hamish saw her to her door. He gave her another lovely prolonged hug and kissed her cheek. 'I'll call you,' he said.

  With Devon waiting outside there wasn't time for more. She did her best not to be ever so slightly miffed by that. If the man hadn't saved her life she'd never have been kissed at all.

  She'd considered saying something about Hamish not telling her beforehand that she wouldn't just be spending the evening with him, but decided against it. She probably had given him a confused impression of the kind of relationship she'd like with him, so she couldn't blame him for keeping things casual. Besides, it was a good thing that he wanted to introduce her to his friends, wasn't it? She didn't want to seem as though she didn't like them or would try to keep him from them. Maybe she could drop a subtle hint that it was easier to talk when it was just the two of them. If she did it right he might pick up that talking wasn't all she had in mind.

  She didn't get the chance to raise the subject as Hamish didn't call the next day, even after she sent a text thanking him for dinner. Nor the next. Her phone was definitely working though; she checked it several times and Kate got through OK.

  When he did ring he said, 'Hope you've recovered from your Red Watch initiation?'

  'It was fun.'

  'It wasn't until you arrived I realised I hadn't actually said they'd all be there. It's just the meal was planned and I know you like firemen.'

  'Er, yes.' He was making her sound like some kind of obsessed groupie and she really wasn't that bad. Not quite.

  'In that case maybe you can be persuaded to have dinner with me tonight?'

  'If you ask really nicely.'

  'Please, lovely Alice, have dinner with me tonight.'

  'I'd love to.'

  'Excellent. How about doing something with me this afternoon?'

  Alice was tempted, but she'd already persuaded Kate to meet her at the gym. If he'd wanted to see her that afternoon he should have said so earlier. She was no longer the kind of girl who waited for other people to tell her how to fill her day.

  'It's something that'd help work up an appetite,' Hamish said.

  Surely he didn't mean...? Just because she didn't need anyone to tell her want to do, didn't mean she wasn't open to a good suggestion if one were offered.

  Chapter 8

  Alice giggled. 'Dare I ask what you have in mind?'

  'Terrible woman!" Hamish said. "All I meant was I'm going birdwatching and wondered if you'd like to join me?'

  'Birdwatching? You mean going out in an anorak and binoculars and um...'

  'Watching birds? Yes.'

  'Oh. Right.' That didn't sound quite as fun, or warm, as her guess about Hamish's planned method of helping her build up an appetite. She had nothing against birds, in fact they were quite nice, and would have been happy enough to go if she hadn't already arranged to meet Kate. Her sister might not appreciate being stood up for a lesser spotted whatever and Alice needed the exercise. She'd shared a gym membership with Tony at a tennis club near his place, but obviously hadn't wanted to go there over the last few weeks.

  'Sorry, I can't. Not this time anyway,' she told Hamish. 'Do you do that sort of thing a lot?'

  'Mmm hmmm. I volunteer at Beaulieu wildlife sanctuary.'

  'Oh, interesting.' Oh great, she'd reacted as though his hobby was a bit weird and it seemed he was really keen. Actually it did seem a bit of a weird thing for him to be doing, but that didn't necessarily make it bad. Making parsnips into biscuits had sounded very wrong until she'd tried them.

  'Maybe I could come next time then?' That wasn't too pushy, was it? At any rate it should hide the fact that she'd had no idea there was a wildlife sanctuary in Beaulieu, despite having lived just up the road all her life. She'd visited the New Forest wildlife park a couple of times on school trips. That was probably the same kind of thing but as the only bits, other than the cutest baby owls, which had interested her, were the gift shop and picnic lunch, maybe she should just keep that to herself?

  'Absolutely, they're always keen to have some help from anyone who's interested.'

  Eeeek, what had she just stitched herself up for? Should she explain she didn't know anything except for what she'd learned from Springwatch and David Attenborough? Still how hard could it be to put out some bird food and write down how much the robins weighed? She'd often put seeds on the bird table at her parents' and keeping track of numbers was what she did for a living and something she was good at. She'd be fine as long as there weren't too many creepy crawlie
s bigger than her head and all the cutest creatures didn't get eaten by a lion. That probably didn't happen too often in Hampshire.

  When Alice got back after a zumba class and then watching a DVD with Kate, she looked through her wardrobe for something which suggested an interest in nature and the outdoors.

  It wasn't just the lack of sensible footwear and anything remotely like tweed which stopped her putting together a country girl outfit. She also realised how daft she was being. For one thing Hamish wasn't likely to be fooled; other than school uniform, the mad orange jumper was the most sensible and practical piece of clothing he'd so far seen her in. More important though was that she didn't want to fool him into thinking she was anything other than her true self. She'd made that mistake with Tony and then caused frustration for herself and disappointment for him when she'd failed to live up to the image she'd allowed him to create.

  She'd dress warmly, stylishly and as practically as she could for their date in flat boots, skinny jeans and tight pink jumper. Her retro(ish) and totally fake sheepskin coat over the top would complete the look and it was at least showerproof.

  Hamish took her to a pub restaurant in Romsey, one which Alice had never been to before. One thing felt familiar though; the way every woman turned to admire Hamish. As they looked around for a table Alice thought she saw Tony, but told herself it wasn't his kind of place and she must be mistaken. Driving past his road had brought him to mind, that was all. A look at the menu which included several of Alice's favourites and nothing unpronounceable served 'drizzled in jus' further convinced her Tony wasn't a likely customer. She hoped he was somewhere completely different with Rachel. She'd often thought the two of them would make a perfect couple.

  Alice wasn't surprised when Hamish ignored the 'lite bite' and vegetarian options and went for the largest steak on the menu, a jug of green peppercorn sauce and side order of cheesy garlic bread. He must need plenty of protein and calories to maintain that tall, broad shouldered muscular frame. Her mouth watered, but only because she was trying to decide between spare ribs and Hunter's chicken. Well it was at least partly that. The chicken won out when she remembered how much mess she'd made the last time she'd eaten ribs. She was bound to make even more of a mess with a whole plate of them than with the few short ones she'd enjoyed at Tang's and sticky red goo dripping off her chin, onto her clothes and smeared up her arms wasn't everyone's idea of a seductive look.

  After they'd ordered, Alice listened to Hamish's account of his afternoon on the mud flats. He described his sightings of large flocks of feeding redshanks, curlew and turnstones as well as the more secretive bittern with such enthusiasm it seemed she'd been missing out. Even so, she thought she'd been right to stick to her plans and meet Kate. He might as well know from the start that she was close to her sister and intended to stay that way. It was also a good thing she hadn't just gone along with his plans and abandoned her own, even if initially Kate hadn't been as impressed about that as she'd imagined.

  'You could have gone with him, I wouldn't have minded.'

  'I know, but we already had plans and I've cancelled on you before to please Tony. I'm not going to be such a doormat in future.'

  'Good for you! I'll remind you of that when you've jumped to obey every order from Sandra the sadist at zumba and are collapsed in a soggy heap on the floor.'

  She had too, but not right away as it had taken Kate quite some time to get her own breath back.

  When Hamish asked if she'd had a good afternoon she'd kept the details to herself and just said, 'Yes, thanks.'

  The depth of her knowledge on all things ornithological was something she probably should share with him though.

  'I like those snazzy black and white birds with big orange beaks. Are they oyster catchers?' she said after steering the conversation back to his hobby.

  'They are. I like them too. Always look a bit as though they're planning something.'

  'Yes, but something nice.'

  'Like getting hold of an extra bite to eat?' He stabbed his fork into one of her chips, very much like a bird grabbing at a tasty morsel before the rest of the flock could get to it.

  'Something nice, I said!'

  'Chips are nice.' He stole another.

  She rather liked his relaxed attitude with her and the way she obviously didn't need to put on any airs and graces, but he needn't think she was the kind of girl who never ate a proper meal. She nabbed herself one of his onion rings.

  'An onion ring is worth at least three chips,' he informed her as he took two more from her plate.

  'Is that right? How about a piece of garlic bread?'

  'I'll let you have that cheap as it's probably a good idea if I'm not the only one to eat it.'

  She didn't think he was concerned about the calorie count, especially as he took another chip. Him being the only one with garlic breath wouldn't have stopped her from wanting to kiss him, but it wouldn't have been an incentive and she appreciated him thinking of it – nearly as much as she appreciated him thinking of the actual kissing part.

  As she took a big, buttery bite she thought Hamish's way of solving this minor problem was so much better than Tony's. He'd have gone without whatever it was he'd been tempted to order and then made her feel guilty about his sacrifice. Aaargh! Why was she thinking about him and not the gorgeous fireman opposite? A gorgeous fireman who had plans to kiss her. Hmmm yes, that was much better image with which to fill her mind.

  As she'd had so much 'help' eating her main course, Alice ordered a strawberry cheesecake ice cream sundae and a second cider shandy to follow. The sundae was served in an absolutely enormous stemmed glass dish, which was piled impressively high. Hamish's treacle tart and custard wasn't exactly a stingy portion, but she'd definitely got the better deal.

  She placed her left arm on the table to create a protective barrier around the dish and pointed her long-handled spoon at Hamish in a threatening manner.

  'That'd be a no to sharing then?' he deduced.

  'I suppose you could have a wafer if you really want it?'

  'Oh, I want it.' He said that in such a low husky voice and raised his eyebrows so provocatively that she scooped a little of the ice cream onto the heart shaped wafer before handing it over. He offered her a taste of his tart but she declined.

  The ice cream in Alice's sundae was as thick and rich as crème brûlée and contained decent sized chunks of cheesecake, white chocolate and fruit. That pleased Alice. It was always disappointing when added ingredients were chopped so finely the whole thing was a bland mush. In this case the biscuit base to the cheesecake still had some crunch and the pieces of fruit gave a real strawberry burst. The sauce was good too, thick and tangy and layered with plenty of whipped cream.

  She'd almost finished her dessert and put down her spoon to gather strength for the final assault when Hamish reached across the table and took her hand. 'Alice, I really like you. I know you don't...'

  'Well look who it is!' Tony interrupted, loudly. Very loudly, but not particularly clearly. Obviously it really had been him Alice had seen earlier and it appeared he'd had several drinks since she first spotted him.

  Hoping if she was polite he would be too, Alice introduced Tony and Hamish. The men briefly shook hands.

  'Good luck with keeping hold of her, mate,' Tony said. 'You'll be OK being a fireman though. Got a real thing for firemen Alice has.'

  'Lucky for me,' Hamish said.

  'Oh yeah?' Tony swayed a little as he processed that. Then he lurched forward and rested his hands on the table. With his face close to hers, he said, 'Why all the pretence, Alice? Why let me think you were going to live with me when all the time you planned to find yourself a fireman?'

  'That's not fair and it's not true,' she said, trying to keep her voice low and calm.

  'No? Found him already had you?' Tony was shouting and when he pulled himself upright had difficulty staying that way.

  'I think maybe you'd better go and cool down,' Hamish said.<
br />
  Tony looked for a moment as though getting ready to make more of a fuss, but then shrugged and stumbled away.

  'Aaargh! It took a while, but I thought he'd got the message. Why can't he just leave me alone?'

  'Has he made a habit of this?'

  'No, not this, but he kept phoning and coming round the flat. I've thought I've spotted his car a few times too, when I've been on my way to or from work. Oh, sorry, it's not your problem,' Alice said.

  'No, it's his.'

  She shrugged.

  'Look, it's not your fault, Alice. Besides I can understand him not wanting to lose you.'

  She couldn't think of anything to say, but just as she was starting to feel a bit awkward he gestured at the remains of strawberry sauce and ice cream in the tall glass she'd pushed away. 'Finished?'

  'Yes, thanks.' Tony had never entirely approved of her eating desserts; he'd probably be pleased he'd put her off finishing this one.

  Hamish reached for her hand again. 'Want to tell me what went wrong?'

  'It was his jealousy really.'

  'Was he the guy you were seeing when you turned me down before?'

  'Yes.'

  'He's crazy. You made it quite clear you weren't available.'

  'I'm glad that's how you see it. I might have flirted a little, but I thought we were just messing about.'

  'And I was in uniform next to my big shiny engine?'

  'Despite what my sister says, I am capable of resisting firemen.'

  'Shame.'

  'Firemen in general that is. There's one in particular I'll find it hard to say no to.'

  'That's more like it. Assuming he's tall, blond and rather too fond of chips?'

  'Sounds a lot like him.'

  He grinned, 'Come on then.' He took her over to a squashy sofa in front of a dying but still cosy log fire. 'You wait there, I'll ask the barman to say when our friend has gone. It'd be better all round if he's not waiting outside to see us off, don't you think?'

  'Definitely.' That thought had been worrying her.