Somewhere in Sevenoakes (3 page)

”Glad I could be of service,” said James genuinely.

The train stopped at Waterloo.

”This your stop?” he asked.

Maddy shook her head.

”I'm at Charing Cross. End of the line. It's walking distance from there to get to work.”

James passed her the relevant personal pieces he'd collected as she rescued her much sought after seat to repack the bag on her lap.

”Thanks for all your help,” she said as the train came into Charing Cross.

”Not at all. No one wants that kind of a start to their week.”

”I don't know,” quipped Maddy. ”Despite the ruined handbag, standing here now, I don't think it's been a bad start to the week at all.”

James liked what she said and liked that she was too shy to say it directly to his face. This woman seemed to be studying something outside the train, rendering her incapable of delivering the flirtatious line as boldly as it sounded.

”Are you in a rush to get to work?” he asked as they got off the train together.

”Afraid so,” her voice was apologetic. ”Are you okay heading back to London Bridge?”

”I'm fine for a minute or two,” said James. ”I wondered though if you might tell me your name. That way maybe I could say hi when I see you on the train, rather than the impersonal cursory nod. Oh, and my name's James by the way.”

James knew his speech was clumsy and awkward. He was trained to be confident and well-spoken. Certainly he'd never had a problem with talking to women in the past. To his own ears, he sounded young and inexperienced. He didn't dare say more, because he suspected further conversation would have him blustering even more like an idiot, when he was keen to come across as smooth, suave and sophisticated; the type of man he knew women preferred.

Maddison offered her hand for him to shake.

”My name's Maddy; well, Maddison, but people call me Maddy. It doesn't matter, either one is fine with me. Maddy, Maddison, whatever. It's great to finally know your name.”

James shook her hand gently but firmly. The electric tingles as their hands made contact shocked Maddy, directing her mind away from the overpowering thought that she was portraying herself as a ditzy woman unable to conduct a normal conversation with the one man she was keen to impress.

”Well Maddy,” said James, unable to release her hand from his, ”I suppose I should let you get on your way to work.”

”I suppose so,” she replied, unwilling to remove her hand from James' grip. ”Will you be on the 7.53pm tonight?”

The words slipped from her mouth before she could stop them. She was certain she sounded like a stalker having been able to recall, without hesitation, the time James' evening train left London Bridge. If the man had any sense he'd change his route immediately. The way Maddy was talking, she wouldn't have blamed James if he had wild misconceptions about her bedroom wall at home being plastered with black and white photographs of him pinned all over it; most likely pictures she'd taken in secret from her phone over the past six months of travelling together. Thinking about her potential psycho behaviour made her giggle. James was inexplicably handsome. If she really had gone 'Fatal Attraction' on him, he wouldn't have been able to fault her taste in men.

”Don't worry I'm not crazy,” promised Maddy. ”I guess when you commute if you don't have a good book to read or work to get on with, you tend to observe everything going on around you. I find it all very mundane and tedious. That I know the time you usually come on the train isn't a result of me being mad or anything. It means I'm bored on those constant long journeys back and forth, day in, day out.”

”It's fine,” assured James, finally able to release her hand. ”As long as you don't have loads of pictures of me on your bedroom wall, I don't think you're any different from anyone else around here. After all, I know you live in Orpington.”

Maddy laughed, managing to relax enough to realise that James was down to earth and friendly. She was comfortable in his presence.

”I'll take the pictures down from my wall tonight,” she jested.

”Is that the hint of an invite to your bedroom at some point in the future if I ask you out on a date?” asked James, raising an eyebrow quizzically.

Maddy's heart skipped a beat. The way James phrased the question was confident without being arrogant or presumptuous. She went over in her mind the best way to respond, not wanting to come across as eager or slutty.

”You won't find out until you ask.”

Maddy turned to walk off, her dark hair bouncing as she went. Having reached the gates, she spun around to give James a wave, mouthing 'Thank you' at him. He raised a hand in a salute, then headed towards the nearest departing train.

The excitement from the morning's interaction had Maddy's day flying by. She was in good spirits, racing through her own work, leaving her willing and able to lend a hand where required elsewhere in the department. Although work generally finished at 6.30pm, she tended to stay late to double check figures and ensure everyone was up to date with their individual workloads. Her final hour dragged, although she was pleased to report to her boss that the company's income remained in a gradual growth period. When the clock reached 7.30pm, Maddy found herself out of the office promptly, heading straight for the station.

She took her seat on the train. In an effort not to be disappointed, Maddy reminded herself that James hadn't made any promises. It would be foolish to start investing in a man that had yet to ask her out on a date. As she attempted to be realistic about the situation, it crossed her mind that James may already have a girlfriend. She'd clocked he didn't wear a wedding ring but not all men did. The absence of a ring didn't automatically make James available, for all Maddy knew he may be in a long term relationship.

When the train stopped at London Bridge she was beginning to feel ill with nerves. James strode purposefully on to take his seat opposite Maddy.

”Good day at work, Maddison?” he asked, his blue eyes staring directly at her.

She couldn't tamper the smile on her face. He was as warm and welcoming as he had been that morning.

”Busy and fruitful. That constitutes a good day of work in my humble opinion.”

”Do you mind me asking what you do Maddy?”

His voice had her queasy with anticipation. He sounded as good as he looked - she could only hope his character was as idyllic as his appearance.

”I'm an accountant. I work for a firm of chartered surveyors in the West End. I've been with the company since I was eighteen. I love it there,” she said simply.

”I can see that. Your face lights up when you talk about it.”

Maddy blushed.

”Should I ask what you do?”

James smiled at her tentative question.

”I'm a lawyer. Don't get excited though because it isn't criminal law. There's no white wigs involved. Funnily enough it's business-related. On occasion I need my accounting cap on. It helps for me to have a good understanding of numbers.”

They discussed their respective jobs until Maddy's stop approached. It was surface talk, nothing too detailed, but it allowed her to get a feel for James as a person. He was committed to work but not in an obsessive way. He radiated a sincere interest in people which probably worked in his favour as a lawyer dealing with merging businesses and having to cut employees when required.

”We're coming up to Orpington now,” he said, pointing out the relevant landmarks.

James interrupted the flow of his own words, discussing work and the pros and cons of being based in the City of London, rather than the West End where Maddy was located.

”I don't want to come across as overbearing or bold, but given it's taken me six months to find out your name, I thought I better continue on because there's every chance my courageous mood may diminish at any point. I had hoped, Maddison, that I might be able to take you for a drink tomorrow night. We can stay in town or go local if you want. There's a new bar near here which I'm told is worth checking out. Is that something you might want to do?”

James heard the tiniest quiver in his own voice.

”That is, if you aren't already seeing someone,” he added, offering her a get-out clause that wouldn't bruise his ego too much if she rejected his suggestion.

The train stopped at Oprington.

”That sounds great James. I think I know the place you're talking about, I've heard it's great. I'll see you in the morning. We can talk about it then. Tomorrow night is great for me though.”

Maddy hopped off the train before the door closed. Thrilled at the opportunity to get to know James better, she grimaced, wondering how many more times she could've squeezed the word 'great' into her acceptance of James' offer of a date. She hoped he hadn't perceived her as a silly girl unable to string a sentence together. He seemed bright and thoughtful but clearly wanted a woman who could hold her own in the professional circles he moved in. Maddy knew she'd need to up her game to keep up with his intellectual prowess.

It was unusual for James to leave work early, but for the first time ever he actually left on time that Tuesday evening. Having asked Maddison out for a drink Monday evening, he'd felt quietly confident about their date when she'd readily agreed to see him. However, he'd been completely thrown that morning when Maddison stepped on the train looking like she'd stepped off the cover of Vogue magazine.

He was a man not necessarily overly observant when it came to women, but was sure Maddy had done something different with her appearance that day. Unable to pinpoint precisely what it was, he left work early to have a quick beer for Dutch courage to deal with the date ahead. James wasn't a fool. He knew he was good-looking and took care of his appearance. He regularly went to the gym. His wage and profession demanded his suits were well-tailored and he was consistently well turned out. Having seen Maddison earlier, he was in awe of her striking appearance. A rare wave of insecurity washed over him. He couldn't rival her distinct, eye-catching yet tasteful style. Few women could look both glamorous and under-stated in their work outfits, yet Maddy had managed off effortlessly.

As he saw the train head to the platform, he reminded himself that Maddy didn't come across as shallow or fixated on appearances. James had no doubt everyone in the bar would have their eyes glued on Maddy, but if he played his cards right, he hoped people would assume she was his girlfriend. He wasn't used to competing for women. If anything, James spent the majority of his time fending off unwanted advances from love-struck secretaries or career-hungry lawyers wanting to use him and his reputation to get ahead in the game.

”This is a bit weird,” he confessed, sitting opposite her.