Miranda's Big Mistake - Jill Mansell [137]
Is this the right one? Hope so. Happy reading. D.
Miranda blinked hard. What a really, really nice thing to have done for her. How he had managed to get hole of a copy of a book that had probably been out of prin for the last fifty years, she couldn't begin to imagine.
Smiling idiotically to herself, Miranda made a cup of tea and carried the book through to the sitting room She had been thinking a lot about Danny during the las couple of days. It had been lovely to bump into him again They hadn't bickered - well, hardly at all. Danny hadn' brought up the subject of Miles and she hadn't so much as mentioned Danny's finger-waggling blonde. They had beer relaxed in each other's company, at ease with each other it a way she had never imagined possible before now.
Amazing, thought Miranda.
Amazing, but nice.
She picked up the phone and punched out Danny's number. He answered on the fourth ring.
Miranda smiled again. It was even nice just hearing his voice.
`How?' she said. `How? How? How?'
`Are you impressed?'
`Hugely impressed. But you have to tell me how you did it.'
`It was nothing.' Danny sounded modest. `Just a question of trawling through every second-hand bookshop in the country. Found this one, finally, in a little back street in Newcastle-'
`You didn't!' gasped Miranda.
Danny burst out laughing.
`No, of course I didn't.' Fondly he said, `See? I can still fool you.'
`Oh, ha ha.' Miranda, going pink, was just glad he couldn't see her.
`If you really want to know, there's a shop on the Charing Cross Road that specialises in tracking down out-of-print books.'
`Well, it was still really kind of you,' said Miranda.
`My pleasure. You'll be able to read it to Chloe's baby when it's older. How did the antenatal class go, by the way?'
`Oh, you know. Not so bad. They definitely thought we were lesbians.' Impulsively she added, `I'd like to thank you properly for the book. Why don't you come over for lunch tomorrow? I'll cook.'
Danny hesitated. Then he said, `I'd have loved to, but I have to fly to Berlin tomorrow morning.'
Miranda knew her cooking wasn't brilliant, but was it really that bad?
`When are you back?'
`Not sure. Maybe a couple of weeks. Well, two or three.'
Oh dear. She heard the change in his voice. If that wasn't back-pedalling, she didn't know what was.
Miranda's blood ran cold as she realised why. Danny was fine as he was. He already had a girlfriend he was perfectly happy with. And now here she was, muscling in… He was being kind to me, that's all, Miranda hurriedly reminded herself. The last thing he needs is for me to start making a nuisance of myself, latching on to him like some desperate stray puppy.
`Oh, brilliant! Two or three weeks in Berlin? That's fantastic!' She forced herself to sound bright and totally unclingy. `You'll have the most amazing time! Well, better go now, I really just rang to say thanks for the book. You have a great trip, okay? Bye-ee!'
Bye-ee came out as a manic, high-pitched, Joyce Grenfellish shriek.
Mortified, Miranda hung up the phone and surveyed her reflection in the gilded mirror above the fireplace.
Oh, well done, Miranda. Played a blinder there, didn't you?
You know, don't you, that you sounded completely mad.
Heaven only knows what Danny thinks of you now.
Chapter 54
I must be mad, thought Bev three days later. Completely barking mad. Out of my tree.
`Marks out of ten then,' Johnnie said cheerfully. `How d'you think it's going so far?'
`Oh, fabulous. Sixteen at least. Here we are, speeding down the M4 at seven o'clock on a Sunday morning, and you won't even tell me where we're heading.' Bev spread her manicured hands in despair. `I mean, why does it have to be such a secret? Are we going to have lunch at a fabulous country house hotel? Are we visiting friends of yours? Am I being taken to meet your parents? Because if I am, I'd like to know.'
As soon as these last words were out, Bev regretted saying them. Laughing to himself, Johnnie flicked the indicator