Page 21 of Finding Love in Micklewick Bay

‘Yeah, cheers to Monday afternoons spent in the Jolly rather than at work.’ Smiling, she clinked her glass against his bottle before taking a sip.

‘So, what does work involve for you then? What would you usually be doing right now?’ Alex asked as he indicated for Fred to tuck in closer to the table and sit down. The Labrador obeyed instantly.

Stella swallowed her mouthful of wine. ‘I’d be in the Crown Court over at York.’

‘Oh, right. Okay.’ His eyebrows shot up. ‘In what capacity, if you don’t mind me asking?’

‘I’m a barrister, not a defendant,’ she said, laughing as she realised he was mulling over the possibility of her being on the wrong side of the law. ‘And I only take prosecution briefs; I’m not keen on defending.’

‘Ah, so I’m guessing you work for the CPS?’

‘Nope.’ She shook her head. ‘I’m at the independent bar; I’m self-employed, but the CPS do employ their own court advocates.’

‘Oh, right, I see.’ He sat back as if appraising her. ‘And I can imagine you’re absolutely terrifying for anyone in the witness box. I’ve only known you five minutes and I’m already scared of you.’ He grinned, his eyes crinkling appealing at the corners.

‘What? You’re scared of me? No way! I’m a pussycat, honest.’ She laughed. In truth, it wasn’t the first time she’d been told this.

‘Yeah, a pussycat with extremely sharp claws and teeth if you cross her.’ Alex laughed too, taking a glug of his beer.

‘Look, before we go any further, I just want to clear something up.’

‘Okay.’ He leant forward, resting his arms on the table. ‘Fire away.’

‘I suspect I know the reason you’ve already formed the opinion that I’m scary, but I have strict rules about who I date, or even flirt with. I won’t go near anyone who has a girlfriend or is married, which is why I backed off from you so quickly when I thought your sister was your girlfriend. I – albeit wrongly – assumed you were flirting despite being in a relationship, so my respect for you plummeted. And I’m guessing my frosty reaction is probably why you think I’m fierce, which I know I am, but only when necessary.’ She grinned.

‘Good to know, and I hope I’ll never put you in a position so you’ll find it necessary to be fierce around me.’ He grinned back. ‘But that aside, you do have a general air of kick-ass about you. I sensed it the moment I first set eyes on you. I liked it.’ His eyes twinkled at her.

‘That so?’ A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. She liked nothing better than a bit of no-strings flirtation.

‘Mm-hm.’ He took another swig of his beer, his expression turning serious. ‘And for the record, I share your values. I steerwell clear of anyone who’s in a relationship; they’re strictly off-limits as far as I’m concerned. And I’d certainly never cheat on a partner. I value honesty and fidelity. In fact, my last relationship ended because my ex cheated on me.’ An expression of regret flittered over his face.

‘I’m sorry to hear that,’ said Stella, feeling a squeeze of sympathy in her chest.

‘Don’t be.’ He gave a shrug. ‘But it did reinforce that I’d never want to be responsible for causing that kind of hurt. It was poor Zara who had the unenviable job of telling me.’

Stella winced at that. ‘That can’t have been easy, though I do think honesty is the best policy.’ Her mind swept back to a time she’d found herself in a similar situation. She’d arrived back at her student house to find one of her housemates in a compromising position on the sofa with the boyfriend of another of her housemates. Lola and Bruno had been more concerned about being found out than how their actions might hurt Tori, which had enraged Stella. She’d demanded that they come clean and tell Tori, warning that if they didn’t then she would. They both knew Stella didn’t make hollow threats. Much as she’d hated the prospect of the pain it would inflict on Tori, Stella had refused to be a party to any deception. The ensuing atmosphere had been horrendous but Stella hadn’t regretted her decision; if she’d been in Tori’s position she would have wanted to know, no matter how painful the truth.

‘Anyway, I think that’s enough doom and gloom from me.’ Alex’s wide smile reappeared. ‘How come you’re not in court this afternoon.’

‘Ah, well…’ Stella gave him a brief rundown of what had happened in the Dixon case, being careful not to mention the threats or the menacing looks she’d been given by Gavin Dixon.

‘I thought that sort of thing was just reserved for gritty television dramas.’

‘Sadly not, though jury nobbling’s not that common.’ She leant forward, placed her elbow on the table and rested her head in her hand. ‘Anyway, how do you earn your bread and butter?’

‘I’m an architect; I’m self-employed, like you.’

‘A creative,’ Stella said, impressed. ‘So would I know any of the buildings you’ve designed?’

‘Actually, I did the?—’

At that moment, Immy appeared at their table, order book in hand. ‘Just to let you know a table’s come free outside if you’re interested. I’ve slapped a reserved sign on it for you. It’s the one in the far corner on the right with a sun umbrella.’ She smiled between them. ‘While you’re making up your mind, how about I take your order?’

‘That was delicious.’ Alex set his knife and fork down on his plate and leant back in his seat, patting his stomach. He’d had fresh crab salad with a side of the Jolly’s legendary triple-fried chips. ‘It was like a work of art on a plate, it was almost a shame to eat it, but I couldn’t resist.’ He glanced across at Stella and chuckled.

Stella dabbed her mouth with her napkin. ‘Mmm. I have to say, the scallops were sublime.’ She’d opted for a light meal, the heat of the day taking the edge off her usually hearty appetite. It hadn’t stopped her from stealing a couple of Alex’s salty chips though. Much to her delight she’d found they were perfectly crisp on the outside and as light and fluffy as a cloud on the inside, just the way she liked them.

‘Don’t suppose I could tempt you to a pudding?’ he asked.

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