‘For God’s sake, Charlie. He’s everything you’ve ever wanted and he’s waiting in there for you,’ I scolded myself, throwing open the door and making my way over to him.
‘Charlie, hey.’ He grinned when he spotted me.
‘Hey.’ I smiled back in return.
‘You look … not how I expected,’ he observed as he ran his eyes over my black maxi dress embellished with a pretty pink cherry blossom design and black three-quarter sleeved shrug.
‘What exactly were you expecting?’ I asked.
‘Less, I guess. But you look pretty.’ He leaned in to kiss my cheek.
‘Thanks, I guess.’ I wasn’t overly flattered to think he’d expected me to wear skimpy clothing on a first date. I jumped when his arm went around me and he not so subtly squeezed my backside.
‘We can always skip dinner and go straight back to mine,’ he whispered in my ear.
‘What?’ I exclaimed, my eyes bugging out.
‘Ah, you’re one of those. Like to be wooed first.’ He chuckled as he straightened up. ‘Ok well, let’s keep it down to one course then, shall we? No point delaying the inevitable by stretching the night out with food.’
‘Excuse me,’ I began, totally affronted that he thought I was only here for sex, but he cut me off by calling one of the waitresses over and asking to be shown to our table. I bristled as I felt his hand squeeze my backside again as he guided me over. He soothed my annoyance for a moment when he showed some manners and pulled out my chair. He helped me into it before taking his seat, but not before I spotted his eyes lingering on the waitress’s legs as she bent over to pick up a menu that had slipped from her hands.
‘We’ll both have the chicken salad and a jug of tap water, please,’ he stated in that domineering doctor tone I’d found so sexy in the hospital. Why did it seem so unappealing here?
‘Actually, I’m not a fan of salad, as these curves will attest. Can I see the menu please?’ It was one thing to have Kitt order food for me, he knew what I liked. Guy didn’t, hence the date. I scanned the menu and ordered a fillet steak with brandy sauce and skinny fries, then asked if we could have the wine menu. Our waitress nodded and hurried off to get it.
‘You really want to make a night of it here?’ Guy asked, his eyebrows raised in surprise.
‘Well, I thought that was the point, so we could talk and get to know each other,’ I responded, feeling a little confused.
‘Ok.’ He nodded, leaning back in his chair and steepling his fingers in front of his mouth. ‘So, tell me all about your work. Is having a publishing contract really that lucrative?’
‘Well, I don’t have to watch my finances anymore, which is nice. My earnings have increased dramatically since getting the contract and the marketing push behind me. Don’t tell me you’re one of those guys who can’t handle a woman earning more than him.’
‘Not at all. In fact, you can pay for dinner and the wine, that’s how down I am with the whole thing.’ He gave me one of his smiles, all perfect teeth with sparkling eyes that once upon a time made me swoon. What was wrong with me? It was like seeing it out of the hospital setting made me realise how fake it seemed, like there was no sincerity at all behind it.
‘Very funny.’ I laughed, not sure if he was being serious or not. ‘So how long did you have to train for to qualify and specialise in trauma work?’
An hour later, I was beginning to wish I hadn’t asked. All he’d done was talk about himself. How he’d been top of his class, had aced all of his exams, had been captain of the rugby team, drove a Mercedes, had a luxurious penthouse apartment in town. It was like he thought I was an easily influenced youngster who was impressed by his degree and money. Was I really that shallow? Had his job and his looks swayed me?
We weren’t having a conversation here. He hadn’t once stopped boasting about himself to ask me anything, other than wanting to know how much money I was making at the beginning of the date. Something I realised he’d asked about, casually of course, a number of times before. I was sitting across from one of the most handsome men I’d ever seen, perfect on paper, so why was I wishing I was having dinner with Kitt? Our banter was easy and relaxed. He spoke, I spoke, we laughed between as well, frequently. Neither of us was trying to impress the other, we just … were. We gelled. I was really missing him, so much I felt like I’d lost a limb.
As Guy droned on, his eyes occasionally wandering as other women walked past, I realised that I’d spent all of this time fantasising about a perfect date with McFitty, the epitome of one of my swoon-worthy alpha-male characters, and right now I’d happily stuff my napkin into his mouth just to get him to shut the hell up.
‘Excuse me,’ I interrupted when he showed no signs of taking a breath. ‘I’ll be back in a while.’
‘Oh, ok. Shall I ask for the bill?’ he asked, standing as I did.
‘Not yet, I’m in the mood for dessert.’
‘Seriously?’ His face fell immediately.
‘Seriously,’ I nodded, trying to read his expression. Wow, either he had a real hang-up about women with appetites, which I hated, or he actually was only in this for a booty call. Well, whatever it was, he was going to be sorely disappointed. I loved my desserts and sex was never going to be on the table with him tonight, regardless of how excited I’d been when he’d asked me out. I had no recollection of ever giving him that impression either.
I made my way past the bar towards the toilets, more for a break from Guy’s incessant self-love than from the need for a pee. When I spotted a tall, dark-haired guy chatting to his friends in the corner, I did a double-take.
‘Kitt?’ I called, feeling the depressive atmosphere of this date from hell beginning to lift at the thought of seeing him. One of his friends elbowed him and flicked his chin in my direction as I made my way over to him, only for my stomach to sink when the man turned around and I realised it wasn’t him.
‘Alright, love?’ he asked.
‘Yes. Sorry to interrupt your conversation, I thought you were someone else.’
‘No problem,’ he smiled, turning back to his friends.
I stood there for a moment, trying to work out what was wrong with me. I suddenly felt completely despondent, like the sun had set and was never going to rise again. It was a really depressing thought.
I hurried to the ladies’ room, blinking back some tears as I tried to tune into what I was feeling right now. I stood in front of one of the sinks and looked at my reflection in the mirror, my chest hurting with each breath I took. Second by second, the uncertainty started to leave, being forced out by the undeniable truth. A truth so blinding, I had no idea how I’d coped for the last year and a half in denial. I realised who was my waking thought each morning and my last thought at night. Who I turned to when I had news to share, whether it was good or bad. Who never judged me for being myself or had any expectations of me. Who accepted and loved me just as I was. And it certainly wasn’t Guy Fitton.
‘Charlie, you bloody idiot. What have you done?’ I whispered to my reflection. I pulled my phone out and went to dial Quinn’s number, but at the last moment changed my mind.
‘Daphne?’ I asked when she answered.
‘Oh, thank goodness it’s you, Charlie. I was starting to worry that I’d made a mistake in my judgement. Please tell me that you’ve finally come to your senses?’ she questioned, making me shake my head and smile.
‘How, how did you know? You and Quinn, you both knew before me.’
‘We all knew before you, Charlie,’ she chuckled. ‘It was in the way you talked about him, the look on your face as you did. You’d light up whenever you mentioned him. It was obvious to us all.’
‘But you encouraged me with Guy.’
‘Because you were so convinced he was what you wanted, and you can be just as stubborn as me when you set your mind to something. Trying to force you down another path would only have made you more determined to prove us all wrong. I hoped that in time, you’d come to reali
se that you were actually in love with Kitt. And you have, haven’t you? That’s why you’re calling me when you should be enjoying your date.’
‘Yes,’ I whispered, blinking back a combination of tears of frustration at my stupidity and tears of happiness that I’d finally come to my senses. ‘I love him, Daphne. It’s like a light bulb has turned on in my brain and I can suddenly see clearly. I’m completely head over heels in love with him and I can’t believe I didn’t even realise it,’ I said, admitting it to myself for the first time and feeling my stomach knot with excitement and nerves.
‘Well, you’ve never been in love before, Charlie, you had nothing to compare it to. You spend so long writing about perfect men with perfect careers, you were fixated on the one man you thought met those ideals, instead of seeing the one in front of you who actually did.’
‘Oh, Daphne, what am I going to do? I’ve lost him now,’ I cried, clutching at the sudden blossoming pain in my chest at the thought I might never see Kitt again.
‘It’s never over until it’s over, dear.’
‘But I have no way of contacting him. He’s been ignoring my calls and texts for the past week, and short of knocking on the door of every house on his street, I don’t know how to find him.’
‘Ditch that cad and call in on me on your way home. I’ll beat the jungle drums, someone will know something.’
‘He’s not a cad, he’s just … he’s not Kitt,’ I stated, my heart fluttering like a newly hatched butterfly testing its wings for the first time at the thought of my best friend and how happy I’d be to see him again and tell him how I really felt.
‘Trust me, dear, that doctor’s a cad. I know one when I see one. Now, if you can stop at the supermarket on the way home and pick up a box of four chocolate éclairs and a bottle of whiskey, we can celebrate you finally coming to your senses in style.’
‘I hope there’ll be something to celebrate,’ I sighed, worried that my realisation had come too late.
‘Have a little faith. And don’t be too long. At my age, I shouldn’t be eating dairy after a certain time, but I feel like being a little wild tonight.’
‘I love you, Daphne,’ I stated sincerely.
‘Stop buttering me up like a piece of toast and get over here so we can figure out how to tell the man who needs to hear it that you love him,’ she ordered.
‘Yes, ma’am,’ I giggled.
‘Ma’am, I’ll give you ma’am. I’m still young enough to show you a thing or two,’ I heard her muttering before she cut me off.
‘I love Kitt. I love Kitt,’ I repeated, watching my eyes sparkle in the mirror and a rosy glow appear on my face, along with the widest smile I’d ever seen myself sport. ‘I love Kitt!’ I cried.
‘Ok, ok, I get it, you love Kitt. Can I finish my pee in peace now?’ huffed a voice from the cubicle behind me. ‘I have a bashful bladder and holding it in is killing me.’
‘Sorry, I just … I love him. I’ve never said it out loud before. I never even said it to myself. In fact, I’ve denied it for so long, it’s just … oh God, it feels so good to admit it. I love Kitt,’ I yelled to the ceiling, holding my hands up in the air.
‘Seriously, go and find Kitt and tell him and let me pee in peace. I’m going to get a water infection from holding it in,’ the girl moaned.
‘I am. I’m going to find him and I’m going to tell him, then I’m going to kiss him. I can’t wait to kiss him.’
I left the toilets with a spring in my step, my brain frantically trying to work out exactly how I was going to find him to let him know my momentous news. As I approached the table, I saw that Guy was still seated, his back to me as he talked to someone standing at his side. I realised it was his good-looking blond doctor friend, who was holding a pint and had a puzzled look on his face.
‘So what are you doing here with the girl from A&E? What’s her name? Charlie something?’ I heard his friend ask as I approached from the side, unnoticed by either of them as Guy nodded. ‘Are you on a date?’
‘Sort of,’ Guy shrugged, making me hang back, interested to hear what he had to say.
‘You just got engaged to Marnie from Paediatrics. Is it off already?’
‘Not unless she finds out about this. I can trust you not to say anything, right, Tyler? What she doesn’t know won’t hurt her. Perfect wife material, but not that great for fooling around with, if you get my drift,’ Guy said as I frowned to hear that bit of news. He was engaged? Wow, Daphne was right, he was a complete … cad. ‘Besides, this girl has been throwing herself at me for months. She’s so desperate that she’s a sure thing for tonight.’
‘Cheeky sod,’ I muttered under my breath.
‘So you’re not interested in her, it’s just a casual hook up?’ Tyler asked.
‘Seriously, you think I’d choose to date someone like Charlie if I had another choice? She’s a walking bloody disaster. I prefer my women with a bit more sanity. The only reason I gave in and asked her out is she’s loaded now, and she’s so desperate for my attention that I can have a bit of fun on the side and hopefully get a few quid out of her to clear some of my debts. The car and penthouse didn’t come cheap.’
I inhaled a soft gasp. I didn’t feel hurt, not now that I’d realised who I really cared about. I was just disappointed that I’d obviously been so blinded by his pretty face and fancy job that I’d nearly let myself be used by this despicable excuse for a man, who appeared to be a cheat and a liar too.
‘You know what?’ Tyler growled, slamming his nearly virgin pint down on the table. ‘I’ve heard so many rumours about you that I’ve ignored, not wanting to believe that I could be friends with a guy like that, but I’m glad to finally have the wool pulled from over my eyes, as you’ve confirmed it for me. You’re vain, self-centred, selfish, and egotistical. Thanks for finally setting me straight. You’re an arsehole, Guy. Women should be treated with respect, not as cheap commodities. Either you find a way to gently let Charlie down tonight without hurting her or I’ll tell Marnie exactly what her fiancé has been up to behind her back. In fact, I still might, both of them deserve better.’ Tyler stormed off to the bar as Guy watched him leave, stunned.
I slipped out of his view behind the stone pillar and beckoned over our waitress. After asking a favour of her, and slipping her a twenty-pound note to make sure she did it immediately, I watched her hurry off behind the bar to do as she was asked, looking pleased as punch.
I strode back over to where Guy was sitting with a broad grin on my face, ecstatic that I’d finally come to my senses before even hearing that little exchange take place. How could I have ever been so brainwashed to think he was the right man for me?
‘Hi,’ I said as I went to stand next to his chair. ‘Sorry I’ve been so long, I just had a moment of clarity while I was in the ladies’ room. I’ve definitely been suffering from white coat syndrome, you know, where your blood pressure goes up when you see the doctor? All this time I thought that dizzy feeling was because I fancied you, when actually it was just the uniform, stethoscope, and fancy medical degree that spun my head. I was lusting over a fantasy, but it turns out that reality is actually a huge disappointment.’
‘Charlie?’ he questioned as he looked up at me, puzzled.
‘It took the most boring date of my life to make me realise that I’m actually in love with a man who’s worth a hundred times what you are.’ I picked up Tyler’s discarded pint of Guinness and slowly poured the thick brown ale over McDefinitelyNotSoFitty’s head, enjoying watching him splutter as it coated him. ‘I’ve just downgraded you from McFitty to McShitty, and for the record, I’d never offer myself to a man who pretended to be interested in me despite my flaws. I’d wait forever for the man who loves me because of them. If that’s insanity, then I’ll wear the badge loud and proud. Maybe it’s time you looked in the mirror, Guy Fitton, as I see the real you now, and I’m sure your fiancée and the rest of the unsuspecting women of Shropshire will soon, too. There’s only so long a g
uy like you can keep his real persona under wraps in a small town where gossip spreads fast. Thanks for dinner and the champagne. I wish I could say it has been a pleasure, but unlike you, I was brought up to never lie.’
‘What champagne?’ he uttered as he swept his wet hair away from his face. I spotted our waitress and a friend scurrying over towards us with two uncorked bottles of their most expensive champagne in buckets of ice for him, adding five hundred pounds worth of premium alcohol to the bill I’d just left him with.
I made a hasty retreat towards the exit, winking at an impressed-looking Tyler on the way out.
‘Add that to your debts, McDick,’ I yelled at Guy over my shoulder as I disappeared.
‘Sit down, sit down,’ Daphne said, gesturing at the sofa as she settled herself into her armchair. She’d already put out some side plates for the cakes and a couple of glasses for the whiskey. ‘You look so pretty tonight. So, how did the break-up go?’
‘Great,’ I nodded as I cracked open the bottle and poured us both a glass. She smiled and shook her head as I filled her in on what Guy was really like.
‘I knew it. My mamma always told me to trust my instinct and it’s never once steered me wrong in all my years,’ she nodded, as I slid one of the éclairs onto her plate and one onto mine.
‘I wish my instincts were as good, it would have saved a lot of time and heartbreak.’
‘He’ll come around when you see him,’ she said, quickly picking up the cream-filled dessert. She took a bite, her eyes rolling back in her head as she slowly chewed and savoured it. ‘So good,’ she sighed, licking her lips. ‘Not quite as good as the ones Fleur bakes at French Fancie, but I’d be hard pressed to answer if someone told me I had to choose between cream cakes and sex.’
‘It’s been so long, I’d have no such problem. Sex all the way,’ I said, taking a bite of mine. ‘So, how are we going to find Kitt? Now that I know how I feel, I need to share. I’m going to burst if I can’t tell him soon.’
‘Well, I don’t know his address, but I know where he’ll be at one o’clock tomorrow afternoon.’
The Best Medicine Page 24