Chapter Forty-Four
When Chrissie walked into The Beagle and Bugle with Jack she was no longer bent double with pain, although her back was still aching. The drive hadn’t done her any favours. Her torso felt as stiff as a sixteenth-century maiden trussed up in a whalebone corset. A smiling waitress greeted them both.
‘Are you eating in, Jack?’ she asked.
‘Yes, with a VIP guest,’ he grinned. ‘Tell Chef only the best will do for this lady,’ he nodded at Chrissie. The waitress regarded her curiously.
‘Take no notice of him,’ said Chrissie. ‘The only VIP in this case is Very Idiotic Plonker. Honestly, I’m no one special.’
‘To me you are,’ Jack quipped. For a moment Chrissie felt nonplussed. Just for a second there, Jack had made it sound as if she was special to him. ‘As far as I’m concerned, everyone who eats in my restaurant is a VIP,’ he added.
Ah well, thought Chrissie wryly, it was nice to feel like I meant something for a moment.
The waitress placed two menus on the table, and went off to fetch her notepad. Jack pulled out a chair for Chrissie, which she thought a nice touch. Andrew had never done that for her in all their time together. Jack sat down opposite, but instead of looking at the menu, his eyes sought hers. At such close proximity, it was both off-putting and intoxicating. Feeling awkward, she looked away and studied the menu for something to do. The dishes sounded mouth-watering, but she wasn’t sure she’d be able to eat a thing. A net full of butterflies had taken off in her stomach and were causing havoc. She suddenly felt anxious. The last thing she wanted was to make an idiot of herself yet again in front of this man. As it was, his nearness was causing her emotional chaos.
‘So,’ Jack grinned mischievously, ‘will you be drinking my pub dry tonight? I seem to remember you’re rather partial to gin and tonic.’
Chrissie looked up from the menu, her face reddening. ‘Most definitely not,’ she assured. ‘I’m not even a fan of the drink.’
‘You could have fooled me.’
‘Honestly, it was my friends’ fault.’
‘Is that so?’ Jack teased, raising his eyebrows.
‘I’m easily led,’ she said coquettishly. Oh, good heavens. Was she flirting?
‘I love a woman who is easily led,’ Jack bantered back. Dear Lord, now he was flirting.
‘Do you now?’ she said softly. H-e-l-p, who had given her voice box permission to speak in such a seductive tone?
There was a pause where neither of them said anything. The air around Table Twelve had begun to positively crackle. Chrissie felt like she couldn’t breathe properly. Oxygen was going in and out of her lungs but at a ridiculous rate, like a bicycle tyre being over-zealously pumped up. At this rate, she’d end up hyperventilating. Either that or her lungs would burst.
The moment was broken by the waitress reappearing. ‘Can I get you both some drinks?’
‘Water, please,’ Chrissie gasped.
‘Are you sure?’ asked Jack.
‘Yes,’ Chrissie nodded frantically, willing her heart rate to normalise. ‘I’m driving later.’
‘So shall we pretend it’s the bubbly stuff we’re drinking, but opt for mineral water?’ said Jack impishly.
‘That would be lovely.’ Just like you, she found herself thinking.
‘A bottle of our finest fizzy stuff,’ said Jack to the waitress, who wasn’t paying attention. Her eyes kept pinging over to a couple on the far side of the restaurant. Chrissie followed the waitress’s gaze, but could only see the tops of their heads. They were seated in a nook, which afforded privacy.
‘Hello? Earth to Katie!’ Jack flapped a menu at the distracted waitress.
‘Oh, sorry,’ she said distractedly. ‘Right. So, where were we? Oh yes. Bubbles coming up! Are you ready to order?’
Despite staring at the menu, Chrissie hadn’t taken much of it in. ‘You go ahead,’ she nodded to Jack, stalling for time.
‘Fillet steak with all the trimmings. Chef knows how I like it.’ He handed back the menu.
‘I’ll have the omelette,’ said Chrissie. She didn’t want Jack thinking she was an expensive date. Not that this was a date, but even so.
‘Are you a vegetarian?’ Jack asked in surprise.
‘No. I adore meat and I love a good steak,’ said Chrissie carelessly.
‘Then why don’t you have one?’
‘Oh! Because…because…I’m not that hungry,’ Chrissie finished lamely.
But Jack wasn’t stupid. ‘You don’t have to penny pinch, you know. This is on me. I caused you grievous bodily harm,’ he winked, ‘purely accidental of course,’ he added for the waitress’s benefit, not that she seemed interested. Her eyes were back on the couple in the nook. Chrissie wondered why. ‘Er, Katie?’ Jack prompted.
‘Okay, got that,’ the waitress said, but even as she responded her eyes returned to the couple in the corner. It was clear the two of them – or maybe it was just one? – had her interest. ‘Two fillets of fish coming up.’
‘Steak,’ Jack corrected.
‘That’s what I said.’ Katie flashed a smile, took the menus and disappeared.
Jack sighed theatrically. ‘I don’t know. Sometimes you can’t get the staff.’
Chrissie giggled. ‘I’m sure whatever we end up with, it will be delicious.’
The waitress returned with an ice bucket and opened bottle of champagne. ‘Bubbles,’ she said cheerfully.
Chrissie looked alarmed. ‘It was meant to be mineral water.’
Katie raised her eyebrows. ‘Jack? I could have sworn you said a bottle of our finest fizzy stuff.’
‘I did,’ said Jack, ‘but I meant…oh, never mind.’ He followed the waitress’s gaze. ‘Whoever he is, Katie,’ Jack lowered his voice, ‘he’s already partnered up.’
‘I don’t know what you mean,’ she said, flushing guiltily. ‘Do you want me to pour?’
‘No thanks. I can see you’re having vision problems and we’d like it in our glasses. Not over the linen.’ The comment was lost on Katie, who smiled vacantly and left them in peace. Jack picked up the bottle. It hovered over Chrissie’s glass. ‘A small one?’
‘Go on then,’ she smiled. ‘See? I told you I’m easily led.’
‘In that case I might ply you with champagne and suggest you sleep in my bed tonight,’ said Jack playfully. ‘I’d take the sofa, of course,’ he added, but his eyes were twinkling with mischief again.
‘You mean to say you’d lead me to your bed and then abandon me?’ Chrissie twinkled back. Dear God in heaven, if you are listening please control my mouth. It keeps failing to consult with my brain before speaking. She hadn’t even tasted the champagne yet, and was behaving like she was half-sloshed. This was all Andrew’s fault. She’d been so well and truly under his thumb, so submissive, that now she was footloose and fancy free she was off like a dog wagging its tail at the first sight of the local stray coming over to say hello. Except Jack was no bit of rough. Jack was very debonair. And, after the bit of rough Chrissie had been shacked up with, a bit of smooth was proving seductively nice.
Jack’s lips twitched. ‘If you didn’t want me to abandon you, you’d only have to say.’ His tone was teasing, but Chrissie knew for sure he was flirting. ‘I must say,’ he murmured, ‘I absolutely love your hair. In fact,’ Jack reached across the table and tentatively took one of Chrissie’s hands, ‘please don’t think I’m in the habit of saying this to all the ladies, but I absolutely love everything about you.’
Suddenly Chrissie had a bizarre feeling of having already experienced this situation. From nowhere she heard Madam Rosa’s voice, as if the clairvoyant was whispering in her ear.
The King of Swords depicts an invitation for a love relationship, and the Eight of Wands signifies a very fast-moving time frame. Expect things to happen in two or three days – give or take a few seconds.
Flipping heck. Maybe, just maybe, Madam Rosa was right. The old Chrissie would have snatched her hand back, stammered an excuse and fled. But this was the new Chrissie. The daring Chrissie. And this Chrissie suddenly felt very up for seeing exactly what might come out of tonight’s dinner date with the smoulderingly handsome Jack.