us round for drinks and now he’s putting on the telly?
But I’m pretty bored sitting here, so why not?
He turns it on to a Christmas movie where a stressed-out city girl called Rae has got stuck in a gorgeous small town on Christmas Eve: all snow and hot chocolate and a handsome stubbled lumberjack called Chris. She’s just deciding to go in for the “best-decorated tree” competition and Chris is offering to help her chop down a tree…when the door opens and Nadine appears, followed by Luke.
I blink at them, still slightly lost in the Christmas movie world, and say, “Oh, hi. Have you finished?”
“As I say, Luke,” says Nadine, ignoring me, “there are plenty of other ways we could go. Believe you me, one of my strengths is being open to the future. All versions of the future. Because today is the future.”
“Absolutely,” says Luke in unreadable tones.
“So you’ll give me a call?”
“What do you think?” chimes in Craig eagerly. “She’s talented, isn’t she, Nadine?”
“Very much so.” Luke smiles politely at Craig. “But there’s a lot to think about. Maybe we should leave it there for now and pick up again in business hours.”
“I’m flexible on figures too,” Nadine adds quickly. “I should have made that clear….”
“Great,” says Luke. “That’s good to know.”
Craig has turned the sound down on the TV and is following this conversation intently, but I’m still half following the action onscreen. Rae and Chris are having a row. She’s brandishing the wood chopper at him as her hair blows around picturesquely in the wind. Why? What happened?
“Anyway,” says Luke, in a decisive voice which makes me come to, “it was great hearing about your ideas, Nadine, and thanks for the wine—delicious—but I think our babysitter needs to leave early, am I right, Becky?”
Ah. He wants to go.
Ooh, if we hurry, we can watch the rest of the Christmas movie at home!
“What about the hot tub?” protests Nadine. “We could carry on our conversation there, pour some more wine….”
“Yeah, you have to try the hot tub,” says Craig.
“I think we’ll pass,” says Luke, glancing at me. “Yes?”
No way am I ever getting in a hot tub with Nadine. So that’s a yes.
“That’s right,” I say, getting to my feet. “We’d better go, but thanks for a lovely time,” I add insincerely.
A lovely time. Pah. Listening to business pitches and watching TV and being told we don’t cut it as foursome partners? I’d rather just have gone to Pizza Express; at least we’d have got pizza.
This evening is the absolute opposite of what I expected. And the biggest disappointment is Craig. He’s gone from mesmerizing charmer to…blah.
We make our farewells and both Craig and Nadine say, “Thanks,” over and over to Luke and pump his hand, and Craig even gives him a long, heartfelt hug. (He doesn’t hug me, I notice.)
But soon enough we’re outside again, walking back through the village, with a bright moon overhead and owls hooting in the distance. The whole evening feels like a surreal dream.
“Weird,” says Luke at last.
“Weird,” I agree. “What did you think of her business pitch?”
“Awful,” says Luke, so definitively that I can’t help laughing. “It was painful. I still have no idea quite what her proposed business is, except that it involves Brandon Communications giving her large amounts of money and setting her up with a staff and a car.”
“Oh my God.” I can’t help giggling. “Did you say no?”
“I’ll say no when we talk again,” says Luke. “I really just wanted to cut her off. I’ll let her down lightly,” he adds in a kinder voice. “There are some people she could usefully talk to. I’ll make her a list, give her some contacts. I mean, kudos to her, wanting to pitch, but she needs some stronger ideas. She has a lot to learn.”
I squeeze his hand because that is so him—to want to help her anyway. How could Nadine not want to have sex with him? I think indignantly—then hastily amend my thoughts. Obviously, I wouldn’t want them to have sex. But still. She has zero taste.
As we near home, I pause underneath an overhanging holly bush and impulsively draw Luke into a long kiss. I know it should be mistletoe—but I don’t know where to find any. (I should carry my inflatable mistletoe wreath around with me.) Kissing in streets is sexy. It reminds me of when we first got together. We should kiss in streets more.