Page 36 of Winter Wishes at the Farm on MuddypuddleLane
Beatrice spluttered and began to laugh. ‘Verynice?’
‘Beautiful. You look beautiful.’
‘Okay, there’s no need to overdo it.’
‘I mean it. You do. You always did.’
What the hell was she supposed to say to that? She blushed furiously, and it made her cross. He wasn’t supposed to compliment her: this wasn’t how this evening was supposed to work.
They walked along the high street in silence, Beatrice feeling embarrassed. Mark didn’t appear at all bothered. She concentrated on the festive displays in the windows and the lights twinkling overhead, and told herself that he was just being friendly. She also told herself that even if he wasn’t, he would be gone before Christmas, his time in Picklewick fleeting.
Then she told herself for the second time that he was just being friendly.
Arriving at the restaurant, Mark held the door open for her. ‘After you.’
She smiled politely and stepped inside, the warmth making her cheeks glow.
Otto came forward to greet them. He was wearing chef’s whites, and Beatrice hoped their arrival hadn’t taken him away from his kitchen duties.
‘If you’re out here, who is in there?’ she asked, after he’d shown them to a table.
‘Actually, I was hoping Mark could give us a hand,’ Otto replied with a chuckle. ‘The Wild Side appears to be the only place that hasn’t nabbed him for one thing or another. I bet you never thought you’d end up being a Grinch?’
Mark shook his head. ‘No, I didn’t, and I can’t believe I did ittwice. Please don’t tell me Dulcie is short-handed again?’ he pleaded.
‘Relax, you’re safe. Let’s get your drinks sorted and I’ll send your server over with the menu. Enjoy your meal.’
‘Thanks, I’m sure we will,’ Beatrice said. She opened the menu and kept her eyes firmly on it. Everything sounded delicious, but she was having difficulty focusing. Her mind wasstubbornly on the man sitting opposite. Did he really think she was beautiful, or had he just been saying that?
When their server arrived to take their order, Beatrice picked the first thing her eyes landed on. She was sure it would be delicious. Whatever it was.
With the menus whisked away and the starters yet to arrive, Beatrice was once again left with no idea what to say.
Luckily, Mark did – although after a while she began to wish he’d kept his mouth shut.
It began innocently enough. ‘Being back in Picklewick, is like I’ve never left. I can’t believe where all those years have gone,’ he said.
‘Me, neither. They’ve flown by.’
‘Whenever I thought about the people I knew, Lisa,you…’He lingered on the word. ‘I always thought of you as the way you were back then.’
‘Sorry to disappoint,’ she quipped, her heart fluttering.
‘You don’t disappoint. You never did.’
‘You dumped me!’ Oh, hell. Why was she bringing this up? What an idiotic thing to say.
‘I did.’ His voice was gentle. Regretful? Surely not. ‘I hurt you,’ he added, gazing at her intently.
Beatrice looked down and fiddled with the stem of her glass. ‘Nah, it was fine. Iwas fine. I think. I can’t really remember.’
‘I think you can.’
‘No, honestly, I can’t.ObviouslyI remember you dumping me, but I don’t remember how I felt.’
‘Yeah, you do.’
‘Are you on some kind of ego trip? Like, do you think that you’re the one who got away, and I’ve been pining for you ever since? I’ll have you know I’ve got two kids. They have a father. I slept with him. Twice. More than twice. A lot. So I haven’t been pining for you.’ She became aware that the gentle hum of conversation in the room had dimmed considerably. Oh god, had everyone heard?
