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“Would you li
ke a quick tour of the kitchen?
Your dad helped to design it and we love the layout, it helps us produce the food we want to
more efficiently than before.”

“I’d love to.” I replied.
I’d never
been treated like this before.
Normally, the only thing I got asked in restaurants was to show ID to prove I
was old enough to buy alcohol.

“Can I get you some drink
s, on the house, of course?” Darren waited for a response.
I looked to Sam.

“Would you like s
ome wine, Claudia?” Sam asked.
I nodd
ed, unsure of what else to do.
Aside from the dark days directly following my parents’ deaths, I normally avoided drinking during the day as it tended to make me sleepy. “I think she’d enjoy the Australian Shiraz and a bottle of still
mineral water, too, please, Darren.
That is very kind.”

We followed Marcus into the kitchen area, where he showed us how my dad had helped to plan the layout, which made it easier for them to get the correct courses out on time. It was very interesting to see how the design h
elped the kitchen run smoothly.
By the time we got back to the table, t
wo bottles were waiting for us.
Sam poured a large glass of wine for me and
just a half glass for himself.

“I’ll be drunk at this rate,” I said, sipping the wine.

“Don’t worry, I’ll get you home safely,” Sam replied.

“What about the filing?” I smiled as I asked.

“I don’t think either of the company bosses will fire you – oh, wait, you’re one of them,” he filled my glass, “and I’m the other one!”

I giggled and he laughed too.
“What
are you having from the menu? A
ny recommendations?”

“The roaste
d red pepper tart is very nice.
Of course, Marcus will prepare anything you like if he has the ingredients.”

“Does he do that for everybody?”

“No
t normally, no.
You’re special.”

“I
’ve never been special before.”
At that moment, I felt special – though not a patch on h
ow special I’d felt with Marty.
I drank my wine as I pus
hed away the thoughts of Marty.
I wo
uld never feel like that again.
It was a
once in a lifetime situation.

“You’re special.” Sam’s eyes locked on mine and he gave a fleeting smile before looking away.

Darren appeared and took our orders.
We decided to forgo the starters in
favour of having desserts. Darren
topped up my wine glass before he left and offered to top up Sam’s, but Sam declined.

“Sorry, Darren
, it’s d
elicious wine, but I’m driving.
I’ve got to make sure I de
liver Claudia safely back home.
But please, make sure Claudia’s glass remains topped up, she’s far too polite to help herself.” He smiled at me and this time
I looked away.
I didn’t feel I deserved such kindness.

“Certainly.
I’ll just take yo
ur orders to the kitchen.” Darren
left.

“Remember I have to get back across that gravel car park, don’t let me drink too much!” I gently shook my head at Sam.

“You’ll be O
K.
I’ll look after you.”

I didn’t know what to say.

“Nobody has looked after you for a while, have they?” Sam’s question took me by surprise.

“My boyfriend did.” It hurt to refer to Marty as just a boyfriend.

“But he left.”

“Yeah.”

“What happened?” Sam topped up my wine glass again, even though I
’d hardly had a drink since Darren
had refilled it.

“He had to leave.” I had a sip of wine a
nd followed it by a bigger sip.
Talking about Marty was difficult.

“Had to?”

“He didn’t have a choice.”

“If I’d had a girlfriend like you, when I was in my twenties, I’d never have let you go.”

“It wasn’t his decision.
He would have stayed forever, if he could have made the choice himself.”

We were silent for a few minutes. I looked out of the window, drinking my wine and trying not to cry.

“Didn’t you have a wife when you were in your twenties?” My words left my mouth with a
mixture of venom and curiosity.
I resented his implication that he was better than Marty.

He sighed. “Yes, I did.”

“And you don’t have a wife now.”

“No, I…” Sam leant towards me, across the table, and I instinctively leant towards him, “I married her because of duty – she was pregnant with my son and just so you know, she left me, she grew bored of me and there was nothing I could do to change it.”

“You didn’t get a choice?”

“No.
She ended things and I just had to move on.”

“How did you do that?” I was intrigued to speak to someone who had been in the same situation.

“It was hard.
Every time I went to collect Ben, or drop him off, I saw her; and every time I had this fresh hope that she would have changed her mind.”

“How did you get over her?”

“I’m not sure I ever did,” he looked me in the face, “I had to try
to find a new goal for my life. And I made sure she wasn’t it.
So I threw myself into the business.”

“You never found another love?”

“Not that compared to her.
N
ot yet, but I’m still hopeful.”
Our eyes met briefly.

“You’re a hopeful romantic, as opposed to a hopeless one.”

He smiled, “I guess I am.”

We were still leaning in towards each other wh
en Adam brought over our meals.
The food was presented beautifully – almost too good to eat. I’d
never had a meal quite like it.
We made polite chatter over dinner, never touching on the depths of the
subjects we’d broached earlier. Darren
came over to take our dessert orders.

“I’ll have the crème brulee, it came recommended to me.” I smiled at Sam.

“I’ll have the same,” Sam said.

Darren
topped up my
wine and left with our orders.

“So what are you doing for Christmas?” I asked Sam.

“I’ll be visiting old friends on Christmas and then Be
n is visiting me on Boxing Day.
You?”

“I’m going to see my aunt – it won’t be the same, but it’ll be OK.”

“I remember my first Christmas after the divorce – I thought the wo
rld would end, but it was OK. I lived.
I made new traditions.” He looked into my eyes.

“Yes. Yes, that’s what I’ll do.
I have to.”

“I’m sorry.”
He looked away.

“You didn’t make a man on drugs crash into them.”

“No.
It was bad luck.”

I couldn’t speak.
I picked up the wine and took a large gulp.

“It isn’t fair on you,” he finally said.

“Life isn’t fair.
But I’m still here and I have to make
the most of what I have left.”
I took a deep breath, steadying my emotions.

“You don’t sound like most teenagers.”

“I’m not like most teenagers.”

He stared me in the eyes, “I know.”

Adam arrived with our desserts.
We both thanked him and set to work breaking through the sugar topping as though
we were breaking through ice.

“You’re like a crème brulee, you know?” Sam whispered in the empty room.

“How so?” I whispered back.

“Tough exterior - soft,
gentle and delicate underneath.
A masterpiece.”

“Hardly.
I’m more like scrambled egg – it’s all a mess but somehow, without any prior planning, it works.”

“You don’t k
now yourself.
Did you want a coffee?”

“No, no, I’m fine.”

“Drink your wine then,
I’m going to have an espresso.
Then I’ll drop you at home.”

“But the filing?”

“It will wait until tomorrow.
The rumour mill would run over time
if I bring you back this late.
You’d fall asleep in my office and then we really would create some gossip.”

“Well, don’t dock my pay then,” I smiled.

“I’d need to get the other company director on board for that one – oh, wait, that’s you!” Sam chuckled.

“And I’m working for free.”

“Out of the goodness of your heart.”

“Exactly.”

Darren
brought over Sam’s espresso and the bill, which was whipped away by Sam and replaced by a credit card before I could even glimpse at the amount I owed for my share.

“Do you want money?
For my half?” I offered.

“It’s my treat.
A gentleman always pays.”

“You sound like Ben.”

“He sounds like me – I’m the original.”

“Damn straight.”

“Miss Claudia, are you drunk?” Sam’s eyes sparkled as he smiled at me.

“No.
I’m Princess Claudia and I am merely tipsy.”

He l
aughed. “Princess Claudia. That has a ring to it.
I like it.”

“Good.”

“Finish your wine, Princess, your chariot awaits.” Sam knocked back his espresso and encouraged
me to do the same with my wine.
I drank as much as I felt was safe.

“I can’t have any more, I’ll be asleep before we get to the car.”

“Did you have fun?”

“Yes,” I was surprised by the truth in my answer, “I did.”

“Good.
Did you remember about the car park?”

We reached the entrance.
I rolled my eyes at the gravel.
I pulled off my shoes and ran across the car park, barefoot, to the passenger side of Sam’s car.

Sam la
ughed as he watched me run.
“So graceful under pressure.”

“It was that or ask for a piggy back – and I’d probably break your back!”

“I doubt it.
It’s unlocked.”

I slid into the passenger side
, carrying my shoes in my hand.
I was starting to get used to the low seats in the car; it felt fun, fresh and exciting.

“Right, Princess, time to take you home.”

“As long as I don’t turn into a pumpkin…”

I didn’t remember much beyond pulling out of the car park, lulled by the engine
’s purr into a sleep.
The next thing I knew was Sam calling my name and seeing my f
ront garden out of the windows.
I tried to surreptitiously check the
sides of my mouth for dribble.
I noticed something on the welcome mat in front of the porch.

“What is that?” I asked.

“What?”

“On the mat.
That shouldn’t be there.”

Sam got out of the car with me
and walked up to the mat first.
A bunch of
carnations sat on the doormat. A card was placed with them.
It simply read ‘I’m sorry, please call me on this number’ an
d listed a mobile phone number.
I showed it to Sam.

“He’s been here?” Sam asked.

I started shaking, uncontrollably.

“Don’t worry, I’m here, I’ll check the house with you.”

Sam checked all the doors were locked, and closed all the blinds and curtain
s.
We checked every cupboard and wardrobe, until he was sure
nobody was hiding in the house.
The panic, combined with t
he wine, left me feeling upset.
I started crying, even though I would have begged every tear to disappear.

“Claudia, do you want me to stay?”

I nodded.
“I don’t want to be alone, just for a little while.”

“I’ll stay as long as you want.” They were words I’d h
eard before, but I didn’t care.
I needed to hear them now.

Chapter 26