Miranda's Big Mistake - Jill Mansell [35]
Grinning and waving like some besotted groupie, she yelled, `I'm coming down. You're early.'
Not very cool, maybe, but who cared?
Certainly not Greg, who grinned and waved back, and shouted up, `I couldn't wait.'
He took her to Le Vin Rose, an unpretentious candlelit wine bar in Bayswater packed with couples holding hands.
`How's your chest?' said Miranda, and he undid the middle button on his shirt, revealing the scrawl of faded black numbers.
`They won't go. I'm tattooed for life.'
`God, I'm sorry.'
`I'm not.' Smiling, Greg buttoned himself back up. `Some people are worth getting tattooed for. Did you tell Bev who you were seeing tonight?'
`I couldn't. She's still suicidal because you didn't ring her. How about you?'
`Oh, I'm not suicidal.'
`Berk. I meant, have you told Adrian yet?'
`No.'
`Every time Bev mentions your name,' Miranda blurted out, `I blush. Honestly, it's mad. I feel so guilty, as if I'm sneaking around with somebody who's married.'
`You poor thing.' Greg took her hand, curling his fingers protectively over hers. `So you've had a terrible day?'
The physical contact sent quivers of pleasure zooming up Miranda's arm and down her spine. Heavens, it was ages since she'd felt like this.
`Actually, it wasn't that bad. I went for a swim with Miles Harper in Tabitha Lester's swimming pool. He invited me to a party tonight but I had to turn him down because I was seeing you. Still, he was okay about it.' She shrugged, flicking her blue-tipped fringe out of her eyes. `He took it pretty well, in fact.'
`Same here,' Greg confided. `I had Madonna in the office this morning, pestering me to take her out to dinner tonight. Had to call security in the end to get rid of her. No, Madonna, I kept telling her, I can't see you this evening, I've already arranged to meet Miranda.'
Having opened her mouth to say yes, but he was joking and she wasn't, Miranda promptly shut it again. Boasting wasn't an attractive quality in a girl. Besides, what if Miles Harper did contact her? Much as she liked Greg, it was very early days. Being brutally honest here, if Miles rang the salon and invited her out again - and this time she happened to be free - well, she'd be there like a shot.
Instead, she said gravely, `Thank you. I'm glad you chose me.'
`So am I. Glad you chose me, I mean. You wouldn't want to get involved with Miles Harper anyway,' Greg assured her. `You can't trust blokes like that, they'd mess you around no end.'
`Oh, I know.'
`He's seeing Daisy Schofield,' he went on. `There was a picture of them together in the paper this morning.'
Miranda took a gulp of wine. She nodded sagely over the rim of her glass.
`I saw it too.'
An hour later, Miranda's stomach began to rumble noisily. Too nervous to eat earlier, she was now starving.
`I've booked a table at L'Etoile,' said Greg, `for nine thirty.'
`You always say just the right thing.' She could have kissed him. This was a definite step up from warm beer and soggy pizza.
Not that she was mercenary, but it showed he cared, Miranda thought hastily, hugging herself as she watched Greg make his way over to the bar to settle their bill. In fact the evening was going so well, she wouldn't care if pizza was all she ate.
I've met someone I really like, she thought joyfully, and he really likes me too.
`Damn.' Greg was back, frowning. `My credit card's expired.'
`Oh!' Miranda reached for her bag and began hunting for her purse. `I've got some money here somewhere…'
`It's okay, I had enough cash on me to pay the bill.' He motioned her to put her purse away. `It just means a bit of a detour. The new card's at home. I need to pick it up before we head for the restaurant.'
Chapter 15
Not keen to be arrested for loitering, Pamela Greening had spent the last two and a half hours pacing the length of Milligan Road, planning in detail what she would say to her abysmal son-in-law when she finally got her hands on him.
She was at the far end of the street, three hundred yards from