‘Ah, but she’s not my girlfriend, so there’s nothing to feel guilty about, is there?’
Sitting forward now, Jake reached across the table for her hand and gazed deeply into her eyes. ‘I don’t think you realize how much I like you, Leanne. I know it’s been a long time, but when I saw you last night it felt like fate had brought us back together, and I really think we could have something if we gave it a chance.’
Leanne bit her lip when the butterflies stirred in her stomach again. She had promised Chrissie that she wouldn’t rush into anything, but it was so hard to maintain her reserve when Jake was looking at her like this.
‘Your starter, sir.’
Seizing the opportunity to escape and pull herself together when the waiter interrupted them, Leanne slid her hand free and snatched her handbag up off the floor.
‘I’m just going to the loo. Won’t be a minute.’
As she stepped inside the ladies’ her phone pinged and she saw two messages on the screen: the first from her mum, inviting her round for Sunday dinner; the other from Chrissie, asking how she was getting on. After replying to her mum’s, telling her that she’d be there at three, she answered Chrissie’s:
Restaurant lovely. Bit tipsy, so I’m in loo trying to sober up before food gets here.
Trust you to get pissed before the food’s arrived. What you having?
Tuna Salad.
Instead of replying to this in writing, Chrissie rang. ‘What do you mean you’re having salad? You don’t even like salad!’
‘I know, but it was the cheapest thing on the menu,’ Leanne told her, whispering in case the couple who were sitting at the table just outside the door overheard.
‘I thought Jake was paying?’
‘He is, but I don’t want him to think I’m taking the piss.’
‘Get a grip!’ Chrissie scolded. ‘He’s obviously not short of a bob or two if that car’s anything to go by, and if he wanted a cheap date he wouldn’t have taken you to a restaurant, would he?’
‘No, but—’
‘But nothing,’ Chrissie interrupted sharply. ‘Tell him you’ve changed your mind. This might be the last good meal you’ll be getting for a while, so you’d best fill your boots.’
‘Thanks,’ Leanne muttered, sobering at the reminder of the benefits sanction. ‘I was trying to forget about that.’
‘I’m not trying to put a damper on things,’ Chrissie said, more softly. ‘But you deserve to have a bit of fun after everything you’ve been through this year, so stop being daft and get back in there before Jake thinks you’ve climbed out of the window.’
Shaking her head when the phone went dead in her hand, Leanne smoothed her dress and fluffed her hair before heading back into the dining room.
Jake had finished his starter by then and was refilling their glasses.
‘Nice place, isn’t it?’ he said as she sat down.
‘Very,’ she agreed.
‘We’ll have to come here again.’ He handed her glass to her. ‘Assuming there’s going to be an again?’
‘We’ll see.’ Leanne smiled and took a sip of wine.
‘A flower for the lady . . . ?’
Glancing up at the sound of the voice, Leanne shook her head when she saw an old woman standing over her holding a basket of red roses.
‘No, thank you.’
‘We’ll take a dozen,’ Jake said at the same time.
‘You don’t have to do that,’ Leanne protested.
Jake gave a mischievous grin and winked at her, before saying, loudly, ‘It’s the least I can do since you just made me the happiest man alive, my love.’ Turning in his seat now, to include the other diners who were casting curious glances their way, he yelled, ‘She said yes!’
‘Oh, my God!’ Leanne dropped her burning cheeks into her hands when people began to applaud. ‘What are you doing?’
‘Play along,’ Jake whispered, still grinning. ‘We might get a free meal out of it, if we’re lucky.’
‘You’re terrible,’ she whispered back, shaking her head in despair.
‘Compliments of the management.’ The waiter bustled over carrying a bottle of champagne in an ice bucket. ‘It’s been a while since we’ve had a proposal in here, and we hope you’ll be very happy together.’
‘Mate, I’ve loved this girl for twenty years, so I couldn’t be any happier than I am right now,’ Jake said.
When the waiter had returned to his post after shaking his hand, Jake turned to the rose seller. ‘How much do I owe you, love?’
She told him the price and then waited until he reached into his pocket for his wallet before quickly leaning down and whispering into Leanne’s ear. Straightening up when Jake held out two twenties, she snatched them from his hand and rushed away.
‘What was that all about?’ Jake laughed, standing the roses in the ice bucket.
‘God knows,’ Leanne said, watching as the woman weaved a path through the tables and hurried out of the door. ‘Something about darkness and running.’
The waiter arrived just then with their main courses, so they forgot about the woman and her strange words and settled down to eat. Ice now completely broken, they chatted about their lives over dinner – and carried on for another hour over coffee.
After paying the bill, Jake asked the waiter for a card and promised that he’d get in touch to book the place for their wedding reception as soon as a date had been set.
Still giggling about that as they made their way to the car, Leanne said, ‘You’re absolutely crazy! And I can’t believe you kept it up for so long. Did you see the poor man’s face when you told him to expect a hundred guests? I thought he was going to have a heart attack.’
‘Probably counting all the tips he’s hoping to make.’ Jake grinned and pressed his key fob to unlock the car.
Thanking him when he took the roses from her and laid them in the boot, Leanne said, ‘They are beautiful, but you shouldn’t have bought them. They were way too expensive, and I haven’t even got a vase to—’
The rest of the sentence was lost when Jake pushed her up against the side of the car and kissed her.
‘Now that was worth waiting for,’ he said huskily when he stopped. ‘So when are we going to do this again?’
‘I don’t know?’ Leanne said breathlessly, glad that he was still holding her, because her legs felt so weak she would probably have collapsed if he’d let go.
‘How about tomorrow?’ he suggested. ‘I’ve got a few things to do in the morning, but I’ll be free by twelve if you fancy going for lunch?’
‘I’d like that,’ Leanne said shyly, thrilled to think that she’d be seeing him again so soon.
7
Leanne had been ready and waiting and looking out of the window for ages when Jake’s car turned the corner at dead on twelve the following day. She had intended to have him drop her off at the corner last night, but the wine had taken control of her mouth and she’d ended up giving him her address after leaving the restaurant. Desperate now to get to him before he climbed out of the car and caught a whiff of the stench coming from the broken drain, she snatched her handbag and jacket off the bed and rushed out of the bedsit.
Forced to wear the heels again, because Chrissie still had her boots, she’d decided that she might as well team them with the other dress of Tina’s. It felt strange to wear such feminine, figure-hugging clothes after slobbing around in jeans and baggy T-shirts for so long, but she had to admit that it felt quite nice. And Jake obviously liked it, judging by the compliments he’d given her last night. She just hoped he wouldn’t be too disappointed when Tina’s clothes had been returned and she was reduced to wearing her own rags again.
Mad Maggie was prowling the hallway when Leanne reached the ground floor, looking even crazier than usual in a tartan dressing gown held together by a belt of knotted bin bags, an enormous pair of army boots, a woolly hat, and a pair of fingerless gloves.
‘Where’s my cat?’ she demanded, gl
aring at Leanne.
‘I didn’t know you had one,’ Leanne said politely, edging past her.
‘If you’ve kidnapped him, I’ll set my son on you.’ Maggie jabbed her in the arm with a filthy fingernail. ‘He’s a champion boxer, you know.’
‘Good for him,’ Leanne muttered, rubbing the sore spot as she made a dash for the door.
‘Something wrong?’ Jake asked when she flew out of the house and leapt into the passenger seat.
‘My crazy neighbour just accused me of kidnapping her imaginary cat,’ Leanne explained, casting a nervous glance back at the house as she yanked her seat belt on. ‘And she might follow me out and make a scene, so can we go please?’
‘Aw, can’t we stick around for a minute?’ Jake asked. ‘I love a good catfight.’
‘Just move!’ Leanne ordered.
‘Anything you say, princess.’ Jake grinned and set off. ‘Sleep well?’ he asked as they turned the corner.
‘Great, thanks.’ Leanne smiled. ‘You?’
‘Like a log. You must have worn me out with all that chatting last night.’
‘Excuse me, but I think you’ll find it was the other way round,’ Leanne protested. ‘I hardly got a word in edgeways.’
‘If you say so.’
‘I still can’t believe you did that whole fake proposal thing,’ Leanne chuckled. ‘I don’t think I’ve ever been so embarrassed.’
‘Ah, you loved it,’ Jake drawled.
‘It was fun,’ she conceded. ‘But that flower woman was a bit freaky, wasn’t she? I still haven’t figured out what she was talking about.’
‘Oh, yeah . . . what was it she said again?’
Frowning as she tried to remember the exact words, Leanne said, ‘Something like: When the darkness comes, run and don’t look back.’
‘Probably warning you not to walk around on your own late at night,’ Jake mused. ‘Ben told me there’s been a spate of muggings around here recently.’
‘Three that I’ve heard of in the last couple of weeks,’ said Leanne. ‘And Chrissie saw some dodgy-looking blokes hanging about round the corner from mine when she went home the other night.’
‘Well, you just make sure you don’t go out after dark,’ Jake said sternly. ‘If you need anything, ring me and I’ll bring it round for you.’
‘I’m thirty-three,’ Leanne reminded him amusedly. ‘I think I can look after myself.’
‘You’re a woman,’ Jake countered seriously. ‘You can’t take risks.’
Tickled that he was being so protective of her, because it was a long time since any man apart from her dad had given a toss, Leanne said, ‘Don’t worry. I never go out after dark unless I’m with Chrissie.’
‘Well, I guess that face of hers is enough to send any potential muggers running for their lives,’ Jake snorted. Following it with a wink to let her know he was joking, he said, ‘You’ve got to admit, she is a bit scary, though.’
‘She’s lovely,’ Leanne said loyally, smiling as they drove on.
As they passed her local shops a few seconds later, the smile evaporated when she spotted somebody who looked a lot like Dean going into the supermarket. Sure that she must be mistaken, because she’d heard that he and his tart had moved to Oldham, she twisted her head to take another look.
‘Want me to stop?’ Jake asked, thinking that she needed something from the shop.
‘No, it’s okay.’ She faced the front again. ‘I thought I saw someone I knew.’
‘I’ve been doing that ever since I moved back,’ said Jake. ‘Doubt I’d actually recognize anyone, though, seeing as I was a kid the last time I saw most of them.’
‘You recognized me,’ she reminded him.
‘Ah, but you’re different,’ he said. ‘You know that saying: you never forget your first love?’
‘I wasn’t your first love.’ Leanne blushed.
‘You were,’ he insisted. ‘First and only.’
‘Surely you’ve been in love since then?’
‘Nope. Obviously, I’ve liked some girls more than others, but that’s as far as it ever went. Guess I haven’t been as lucky as you, eh? You loved your ex so much you were all set to get married.’
Leanne pursed her lips thoughtfully at this. She had genuinely believed that Dean was the love of her life, but his kisses had never affected her as strongly as Jake’s had last night; and he’d never made her go weak at the knees just by looking into her eyes or smiling at her, like Jake did. So maybe his inability to keep his dick in his pants had been a blessing rather than a curse? If he hadn’t cheated, she’d still be on course to marry him, and she had no doubt that it would have been the biggest mistake of her life.
Happy to realize that she was at long last getting over Dean, Leanne settled back and gazed out of the window as Jake drove out of town and into the suburbs on the south side of Manchester.
Surprised when he turned on to a tree-lined avenue some time later and came to a stop in front of a high gate, behind which she could see a sprawling Victorian house, she said, ‘This doesn’t look like a restaurant.’
‘That’s because it’s not,’ Jake replied, pressing his key fob to open the gate. ‘I live here. I need to drop something off before we get going. Don’t mind, do you?’
Leanne shook her head and gazed up at the house in awe as Jake drove in through the gate. Over dinner last night, he’d told her that he ran a security business; but he’d made it sound like a modest affair, so she hadn’t imagined he could afford to live somewhere as grand as this.
Jake parked at the rear of the house and took a sports bag out of the boot before leading Leanne up to his apartment on the first floor.
‘Go through.’ He nodded towards a door after letting her in. ‘I’ll be with you soon as I’ve put this away.’
Leanne followed his directions and found herself in a spacious, open-plan lounge, into which sunlight was streaming through large windows at one end and a set of French doors at the other. Curious to know what lay behind those doors, she walked down to that end of the room.
‘That’s going to be great in summer,’ Jake said, coming up behind her and wrapping his arms around her waist as she gazed out at a large balcony with wrought-iron railings and wicker garden furniture. ‘I can see you now . . . lying on the sunlounger in your bikini; book in one hand, glass of wine in the other.’
‘Bikini?’ Leanne twisted her head and gave him a look that said You must be kidding! ‘I haven’t worn one of them since I was eighteen.’
‘You’re still beautiful enough to pull it off,’ he murmured, lowering his head to plant a soft kiss on her lips.
Scared that she wouldn’t have the strength to resist if he tried to take things any further, Leanne wriggled free after a few seconds and reminded him that they were supposed to be going out.
‘Spoilsport,’ he complained, giving her a knowing smile as he reached for her hand and led her back down to the car.
*
After eating lunch at a quaint little pub in Alderley Edge, Jake bought a couple of bottles of white wine from the bar, then he and Leanne set off for a stroll through the forest.
When they eventually came to a clearing overlooking a lake on which several tiny boats were bobbing around, they sat beneath a tree to drink their wine and enjoy the late afternoon sunshine.
‘This is so peaceful,’ Leanne said, resting on her elbows as Jake opened one of the bottles. ‘It’s easy to forget that places like this exist when you spend your life in the city.’
‘Almost makes you wish you didn’t have to leave, doesn’t it?’ Jake said, passing the bottle to her.
Leanne nodded her agreement and took a couple of sips before passing it back. Gazing wistfully down at the sparkling waters below, she said, ‘If I could drive and had the money, I’d buy a camper van and drive round looking for places like this to park up at. Can you imagine waking up to this view every morning?’
‘I wouldn’t mind waking up to this one,’ Jake said,
resting his head on his hand and peering into her eyes. ‘You know that pub’s got rooms, don’t you? How about we forget about driving home and stay for dinner, then book ourselves in for the night? We can get two rooms,’ he added quickly when he saw a flicker of uncertainty in her eyes.
Leanne reached for the bottle and took another, longer drink. This would be her first time since Dean, but the sexual tension that had been passing between them all day was so strong, she knew it was futile to try and fight it.
Another swig of wine gave her the confidence to look him in the eye.
‘One room will do.’
Jake gently brushed her hair off her face. ‘Are you sure?’
‘Positive,’ she murmured, sliding her hand through his hair and pulling his face down to hers.
8
Jake was already awake when Leanne opened her eyes the next morning. Smiling when he held out his arm, she snuggled closer and breathed in deeply to inhale his musky scent.
They had spent the night making love to the backdrop of ghostly creaks in the corridor outside their room, and eerie screeches from the woods. Now, with dust motes dancing in the sunlight that was creeping in through the gap in the curtains, and the feel of Jake’s strong arm enfolding her, she couldn’t recall a time when she’d felt as contented.
Brought back to reality when Jake’s phone suddenly started ringing, she reluctantly got up and went in search of a bathroom while he took the call.
He’d just finished that call when she returned, but his phone immediately began to ring again.
‘Sorry about this,’ he apologized. ‘But it’s business, so I need to take it. Why don’t you go and order breakfast. I’ll come down as soon as I’m done.’
‘What would you like?’ Leanne asked, wincing as she forced her swollen feet into Chrissie’s shoes.
‘Whatever you’re having,’ Jake said, still holding the ringing phone.
Leanne slipped her jacket on and reached for her handbag, then took one last wistful look around the room before leaving him to it.
Run Page 6
