Summer of Love (15 page)

But he was back before she could do more than shift in her chair. For a man no longer young, he moved with surprising speed.

For some reason they were sitting in the far corner of the room, as far from the door as they could be. Given that they were the only people there, there was no reason why Evan should have chosen this table. ‘Why don’t we sit by the window?’ suggested Fiona. ‘If we drew the curtain we could look at the garden.’

‘Mrs Tibbs wouldn’t like that,’ said Evan. ‘Very set in her ways is Mrs Tibbs.’

Probably stuck to the floor by grease, thought Fiona, if this room was anything to go by. She could see fly dirt beside the window and many corpses behind the curtain. ‘Does she raise the plants? Or is there a Mr Tibbs?’

‘Mrs Tibbs lives with her sister now. They raise the plants together.’

Knowing there were two women on the premises was a bit reassuring, and Fiona felt calmer. This was just a bad date; she hadn’t been kidnapped.

A short time later an elderly woman wearing brown nylon trousers, a pink sweater and slippers shuffled in. She could have done with a new bra, thought Fiona, deliberately keeping her thoughts frivolous. Otherwise she felt she was in an episode of
The League of Gentlemen
. Mrs Tibbs had a tray on which were cups, saucers, a teapot, jug of milk and a plate of scones, which did indeed look very fresh.

‘Those look delicious!’ said Fiona, trying to make a friend of Mrs Tibbs. She might need her. ‘Are they just out of the oven?’

‘They are. Mr Lennox always calls ahead when he’s coming. It helps with the arrangements.’

Fiona wanted to ask ‘what arrangements’ because getting a batch of scones into the oven didn’t seem like ‘arrangements’ to her, but felt it was too difficult.

‘I’ll just go and get some hot water,’ said Mrs Tibbs.

‘Will you be Mother?’ said Evan. ‘I bet you’re a lovely mother, Fiona,’ he added.

Fiona poured the tea and then handed Evan the scones, the butter and the jam. She decided to risk food poisoning and have one herself.

‘They’re lovely scones, aren’t they?’ said Evan.

‘Yes indeed. But I can’t wait to see the plants,’ said Fiona. ‘If they’re anything like as good as the scones they’ll be wonderful.’

‘Time enough for plants later,’ said Evan. ‘I’ve got other things in mind first.’

Just as she was wondering what on earth he could mean and, if it was what she thought it might be, whether fainting would get her out of it, her mobile phone rang. She burrowed for it like a terrier after a rat. ‘Hello!’

She was aware of a wave of disapproval from across the table but she didn’t care. ‘James! How lovely to hear from you!’

‘Fiona?’ James sounded a little surprised at her enthusiasm.

‘Yes! I’m so glad you’ve called. I need help!’ She put as much expression into the word as she could.

Evan frowned and shifted his chair closer to her, blocking her exit. She had to be careful – and think fast!

‘When you asked me what my favourite television programme was and I couldn’t remember the name of it? Well it’s come to me! It’s
I’m a Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here!
’

‘Fiona, are you all right?’ James sounded anxious.

‘Yes. I mean, no. Not at all!’ said Fiona, aware she was sounding more deranged by the second. ‘I just get in a panic sometimes. I’m in a lovely nursery with such a nice man. We’re having tea and then we’ll look at plants and then we’ll go back to where I parked my car.’

James was silent for a moment, and then seemed to twig. ‘Are you with someone you don’t know without your car?’

‘As usual, hit the nail on the head. It’s called Squirrels and it specialises in ferns. Lovely place.’

‘Do you want me to come and get you?’

‘That’s it! Now I must go. Evan will think I’m very rude for talking on my mobile. Goodbye! See you very soon, I hope.’

Fiona was aware that she was sweating. She disconnected and slipped her phone into her pocket. Then she stood up. ‘I’m so sorry, I must visit the little girls’ room.’ She was aware she had never used that expression before in her life but nothing seemed normal here and it felt appropriate.

‘I don’t think they have one, it’s a very small place.’

‘They must have something,’ she said firmly. ‘If they serve tea, they must have a lavatory. It’s the law!’ She wasn’t quite sure about this but it seemed like a good law to her.

‘It’s a small place. The law won’t apply here.’

‘Then I’ll go out and pee behind a bush! And it’s a nursery – they must have bushes.’

She stalked out of the room, glad she didn’t really need a lavatory, and got as far away from the house as she could. She knew she had very little time before she would be found and brought back. She took out her phone, thanking God there was reception. ‘James? Please rescue me! I’m with these mad people. Will you ever be able to find where I am?’

‘I’ve had a look on the internet but I haven’t very much information. Did you notice any place names on the way?’

‘Etchingham, but we seemed to pass it several times. I got confused.’

‘I’ll come and get you. Don’t worry.’

She had just disconnected when she heard footsteps behind her. She spun round. ‘Now I need somewhere to wash my hands!’

Evan had the look of a headmaster disappointed in his favourite pupil. Before he could speak she said firmly, ‘I’d like to see round the nursery now.’

‘I thought you weren’t interested in the plants,’ said Evan. ‘You didn’t tell me very much about your garden. I thought you were up for some fun.’

Feeling hot and cold at the same time, Fiona shook her head. ‘No, I want to see the plants. All of them.’

Followed by Evan she marched up and down the rows of benches, inspecting moss-filled and pot-bound specimens that wouldn’t have endeared themselves to her even if she had been in the mood to buy plants. But she refused to go home. She wouldn’t get in Evan’s car again. She’d summoned help. It would be too galling, and worrying, for James if he found the place but her gone. Never, never, never again would she be so stupid as to go out with someone she hadn’t thoroughly checked out.

Eventually, just as she was about to give up hope, she heard a car drive up. She hastened to the car park and was ecstatic to see James get out of an old Citroën. Ignoring Evan who was in the middle of telling her something she really didn’t want to know, she set off at a jog.

‘Fiona,’ said Evan. ‘Naughty girl! How dare you run off like that?’ He set off in pursuit.

Fiona speeded up, terrified lest Evan catch hold of her. ‘Get in, James!’ she called as she approached the car.

He did and started the engine. Fiona reached the car and pulled open the passenger door and hauled herself in.

‘Let’s go! As fast as you can,’ she said, panting hard.

James didn’t speak, he just started the car, leaving the nursery with a satisfying spray of gravel.

Fiona looked back to see Evan, standing in the car park, looking amazed and affronted.

‘Thank goodness you came,’ she said, as soon as she could speak.

Chapter Ten

Fiona found herself giggling and unable to stop talking as James drove away, as if needing to exorcise all the fear and panic by describing, in every minute detail, the spooky Evan, the moss-filled plant pots and the surprisingly nice scones.

And when she’d finished that, she went on to castigate herself for her foolishness, for disobeying the most basic principles of internet dating, for letting herself be persuaded to abandon her car, for not having exchanged enough emails with Evan to find out how utterly horrible he was. Eventually, her mouth completely dry, she stopped.

‘Internet dating?’ said James.

He said this without any hint of criticism, just clarifying how Fiona had got involved with that freak. He was wonderfully non-judgemental.

‘I know. It’s mad. I wouldn’t have had anything to do with it if my friend Luella hadn’t put me on the site. I only wanted someone to go out with. I’m not hoping to get married again or anything.’ She sighed, exhausted.

‘We’re reaching civilisation,’ he said after a few minutes. ‘We can either go back to your car and you can go home. Or I can take you home and arrange to pick your car up tomorrow, or I can take you to my home, the flat above the shop and give you dinner, and take you home later.’ He shot her a glance. ‘Have a think.’

Fiona thought. She didn’t want to go back to the garden centre, get into her car and drive home alone. She’d be fine tomorrow but at the moment she felt like a character in a thriller; she’d assume there’d be someone waiting to murder her on the back seat. Or that she’d be followed home by Evan, who would have gone there to wait for her.

Then she considered the being-driven-home option. It was a good one. She could pour herself a big drink, have a bath, watch some telly and go to bed. But at home there would be Angus, who would ask where she’d been and would wonder why she was behaving oddly.

‘I’d have to ring Angus and tell him I’ll be late back,’ she said.

‘So you’re thinking about having dinner with me? I’m glad. I know you must feel a bit shaken but I hope you know me well enough to realise I’m not an axe-murderer, and being in a town, if you had to escape, it would be easy.’ He paused. ‘In fact, you could put a local taxi number into your phone before you have the first glass of wine. In case.’

‘In case you have too much to drink to drive me home?’ She chuckled. ‘It’s an idea.’ Fiona realised how safe she felt with James. It didn’t even cross her mind to wonder if he might be just as untrustworthy as Evan had been.

‘I’m very happy to stay sober. I’ve been meaning to invite you out for dinner since your delightful party but I wasn’t quite sure you’d want to come.’

‘Why wouldn’t I want to come? Golly, I’ve been through the whole internet-dating torture so I’ll be asked out to dinner.’

‘I don’t think you realise quite what an attractive woman you are, Fiona. You have many friends, even if you did meet Robert on a dating site. People are drawn to you. I am drawn to you, but I didn’t think I had much to offer you.’

‘What do you mean? Any advance on beans on toast would be welcome.’ She paused. ‘Of course at this moment beans on toast would be lovely. Anything would be lovely. But maybe nothing too carby. That scone has given me indigestion.’

‘I’ve got some minty things for that in the glove box,’ said James. ‘Have a look.’

Fiona found them. ‘Do you want one? No? These are a life-saver.’ Another giggle came out of nowhere, probably because of the stress of her afternoon. She tried to suppress it.

‘Why are you laughing?’

Being caught giggling made her laugh more. ‘I’m not sure I can tell you.’

‘I think you can. You’ve told me quite a lot since you got in the car.’

Fiona got herself under control. ‘OK. Well, when I was finding the Rennies a thought went through my head that maybe things like that are what you need for dating as an older person. You know, in old films the hero always has to have a cigarette lighter, and probably a cigarette to go with it. Now if you’re of a certain age you need indigestion tablets. Later on it would be a fold-up walking stick, or a Zimmer, handily in the boot.’ She bit her lip. ‘It’s not really funny, is it?’

He was smiling. ‘I do see what you’re saying. And there are a lot of advantages to going out as an older person. I, for example, can offer you some very nice wine. When I was younger it would have been a bogof from the local supermarket.’

Fiona tensed briefly. ‘I still drink bogofs.’

‘So do I but I do know how to choose something a bit better.’

‘Even in my cellar?’ Her mind had gone back to the dinner party. ‘Robert was very snooty about my wine.’

‘I can’t possibly comment.’

She could hear without looking that he was smiling and realised she hadn’t felt so relaxed with any man except Angus or Russell for ages. ‘So why were you ringing me?’

‘I’d almost forgotten. It was about one of your books. I have a buyer. Quite a good price.’

‘Oh, that’s nice. And will you take a cut? I think you should.’

‘Well, if you’d rather—’

‘I’d much rather.’

‘Very well, we’ll keep it strictly business.’

‘Except when you’re rescuing me or offering me beans on toast.’

‘I think I can do better than that.’

‘You really don’t have to. And I’ll take a taxi home.’ She raised her hand to stop his protest. ‘No. I can easily ring Angus now and say I met a friend in town and we’re going to have dinner, we want to drink and I’ll take a cab home. He knows I never drink and drive so it won’t seem unreasonable to him.’ She paused. ‘I could even say I met you.’ She sighed. ‘I don’t want him to know about the internet dating. He’d just worry.’

‘With good reason, if I may say so.’

‘Please don’t. No one could reproach me more than I’m doing myself and if you tell me off I’ll start making excuses.’

‘But you will be more careful in future?’ James said.

‘Of course! Now can we change the subject? I’ve been a complete idiot and you rescued me. I’m eternally grateful—’

‘But you hate being ticked off and if I say any more you’ll go right off me?’