Miranda's Big Mistake - Jill Mansell [160]
The kite was released at last, amid a flurry of falling leaves. Danny swung himself down from the branch and landed next to Miranda. Having glanced briefly at her, he busied himself brushing bits of bark from his jeans.
`The thing is, some kites are easy, you get on with them from the word go. Others need a bit more work. You can either give up, or you can persevere. But if you get there in the end… well, that makes it all worthwhile.'
Miranda's nose and cheeks were pink with cold. She had tugged the sleeves of her warmest sweater over her knuckles and her arms were wrapped around her waist, but she was still prone to fits of uncontrollable shivers. She watched the kite slither off across the grass then begin to leap upwards, straining against its leash like a slavering Rottweiler.
`Take it to the vet. Have it put down. If you really want to impress your nephew, take up rollerblading instead.'
`You're freezing. Here, put my jacket on.' Danny shrugged it off and placed it around her shoulders.
`I didn't know it was going to be this c-cold.' Surreptitiously, Miranda sniffed the collar of the jacket, breathing in a lungful of that oh-so-familiar aftershave. `I suppose you tried to persuade your girlfriend to come up here with you, but she had more sense.'
There, managed it at last! She'd slipped the subject into the conversation but in such a deft and casual manner that he wouldn't guess how long she'd been dying to bring it up.
`Girlfriend,' Danny said thoughtfully, winding the kite back towards him.
`You remember. Blonde. Posh-looking. Waves at you like this.' Miranda waggled her fingers in pseudo-friendly fashion, accurately mimicking the girl she'd seen sitting in his car.
She was careful not to sound bitchy. That wouldn't do at all
`I think you must be talking about my sister,' Danny said `Caroline. Eddie's mother.' Helpfully he held out his hand palm downwards, indicating the height of his nephew. 'You remember Eddie.'
`Your sister.' Miranda breathed out slowly. `You made me think she was your girlfriend.'
`Did I?' Danny frowned, not altogether convincingly. `Oh no, she's definitely my sister. Although she certainly wishe I had a girlfriend. In fact she's so desperate to see me settled down, she spends her life trying to fix me up with her single friends.'
He wasn't exactly looking thrilled. Exercising caution - and a degree of jealousy - Miranda said, `And you haven' found one yet that you like?'
The kite, fully rewound now, had arrived back at Danny's feet. It flapped rebelliously amongst the fallen leaves like truculent teenager.
`It can't escape if we sit on it.' Danny held one wing down with his Timberland-booted foot until Miranda was settled or the kite, then he joined her. `Oh yes, I've definitely found one I like.'
His faded denim knee was inches away from her own, his tone amazingly casual. Almost as if he was telling her about a car he had seen and was thinking of buying.
Miranda swallowed and tried to concentrate on the panoramic view stretched out before them. This was London, home to millions and millions of people. But at this moment in time, could any of them possibly be more confused than she was?
At last, lamely, she said, `Well, good. What's this girl like?'
`Difficult.' Danny shook his head and tapped the crimson material beneath them. `Like this kite. Never does what you want her to do. Veers off in all the wrong directions… keeps getting tangled up with other kites…'
Miranda's heart began to thud like a marching band. In her stomach, the dolphins leapt.
`Is she seeing anyone now?'
`No. I've kept away for the last couple of months, to give her time to get over something that happened.' He paused. `It hasn't been easy, but it was something I knew I had to do.'
Crash bang, crash bang, thud thud thud.
`What does she look like?' said Miranda, her gaze fixed helplessly on the distant horizon.
`Oh, ugly. No, that's a joke,' said Danny as her shoulders stiffened. `Not ugly at all. Incredible dark-brown eyes. Very