This Could Change Everything(51)

‘Kidding.’ Evie grinned.

‘Oh.’ Phew.

‘Just testing you.’

‘Right.’

‘You passed, though. So that’s good news.’

‘Thanks. You can join us if you’d like to.’

‘Nah, you’re all right. I’ve got Netflix here and Caz is coming over later with home-made burgers. You two lovebirds go off and have fun.’

‘Hey, you. Stop being embarrassing.’ Belinda, returning with her shoes and coat on, dropped a kiss on Evie’s blonde head. ‘Right, we’re off. See you later.’

‘Bye.’ Evie waggled her wet purple nails at them. ‘Be good!’

The evening was going well. In the light from the candle flickering on the table between them, Belinda’s face glowed. She was wearing a petrol-blue jersey dress and a coral necklace, and had visibly relaxed as dinner progressed.

Now she said in confiding tones, ‘This is nice. Thank you for inviting me. Are you having a good time?’

‘I am.’ Conor had overcome his own first-date nerves. ‘Apart from one thing. Does this mean I’m going to have to be grateful to Caz?’

‘Looks like it.’ Belinda’s eyes danced. ‘Sorry about that.’

‘She won’t let me forget it for a moment.’

‘I promise you, Caz isn’t as bad as you think she is. And Evie loves her to bits.’

‘Ah well, she can’t be all bad then.’ Just bossy and opinionated. And loud. ‘So how does Evie usually get along with your boyfriends? Pretty well?’ Because he knew that some children made it their mission in life to kick up a fuss when their single or divorced parents brought home potential new partners. Was being a guardian rather than a parent any different?

‘OK, don’t be scared,’ said Belinda, ‘but you’re the first.’

Conor did a double take. ‘What? I’m your first date? You mean, ever?’

‘Not ever. Since Evie came to live with me. So that’s four years now.’

‘Wow.’ It made him like her more. ‘Because you didn’t want her to feel insecure. That’s impressive.’

‘It was only for that reason for the first couple of years.’ Belinda spoke drily. ‘I did think I was doing the right thing, until one day Evie asked me why I wasn’t going out with men any more and had I decided to become a lesbian?’

‘And had you?’

‘No. Actually, she was a bit disappointed. One of her friends has two mums and Evie thought it might be fun to be like her.’ Belinda shook back her hair. ‘Anyway, she told me I really should get out there and find myself a boyfriend. So I thought, OK, I’ll do that!’ She pulled a face. ‘Except it turned out to be not quite as easy as I’d thought.’

‘Ah.’ Conor nodded sympathetically. ‘What happened?’

‘Well, I suppose I’d got pickier. Now that I had Evie, my standards had to be higher. There couldn’t be any wild one-night stands – not that I was ever really a one-night-stand kind of person, but up until then, there’d always been the option. And there was the other side of it too. If you meet some random stranger at a party and happen to mention that you’re responsible for a fourteen-year-old who lives with you, it puts a lot of men off. They’re not interested in getting to know someone like me because I come as a package deal and they just can’t be doing with the hassle. Why go out with me with all my baggage when there are plenty more out there who are young, free and single?’

‘Their loss,’ said Conor, because the last few years must have been incredibly hard for her.

‘That’s what I used to tell myself.’ Belinda shrugged. ‘Although sometimes all I wanted to do was tip their pints over their heads. So anyway,’ she concluded with a wry smile, ‘thanks for asking me out. I know you might decide not to see me again after tonight, but at least you’ve broken my duck. I finally met someone nice and he didn’t run a mile, so cheers for that.’

Conor said, ‘I already know I’d like to see you again. If you’d like to see me.’

‘Really?’ Belinda’s eyes sparkled. ‘I would. Very much.’

‘How about tomorrow?’

‘Yes please.’

‘Great.’ Feeling ridiculously pleased with himself, he lifted his glass and clinked it against hers. ‘That’s a date, then. Cheers.’

By the time they left the restaurant, well wrapped up against the cold, it was gone eleven. High above the city, the stars were out.

‘I’ve lost one of my gloves. That’s crazy,’ Belinda exclaimed, patting her pockets. ‘How can I have lost one of my gloves?’

Glad of the excuse, Conor said, ‘Here, hold onto my hand,’ and extended his arm. His warm fingers closed around her cold ones and he experienced the zing that accompanied the right kind of physical contact.

‘You make an excellent glove.’ She swung his hand as they made their way along York Street.

‘Thanks. You make an excellent compliment.’ He smiled, because he’d just caught a glimpse of the two of them reflected in the shop window opposite, and they looked like an actual couple.

Belinda said, ‘Uh oh, noisy people. Shall we cross over?’