The Secret Ingredient by Sue Heath

Author:Sue Heath [Heath, Sue]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780008535674
Publisher: One More Chapter

Chapter Sixteen

DAVID

Runner beans

‘David!’

David had wondered if he was doing the right thing when he’d decided to go and knock on Della’s door.

Would it seem pushy going round again so soon after they’d spent a pleasant afternoon digging over her new veg patch together. After all he was seeing her tomorrow for a walk, so she might think that was soon enough.

He felt awkward. The problem was he really liked Della, and she’d stuck in his head. He couldn’t think for the life of him why anybody would marry her then leave her – she was so nice and easy to talk to. He’d felt they gelled, were comfortable from the off. It was a feeling he wasn’t used to and the fear of making the wrong impression was making him question his every move.

When Harriet had come over yesterday evening, she’d asked him why he’d cleaned his walking boots.

‘I regularly clean them, you cheeky madam!’

‘Not that clean,’ she’d retorted, then her eyes had narrowed. ‘Have you met somebody?’ Surprise, or embarrassment, must have shown on his face, because her hand had flown to her mouth, then she’d sniggered. ‘Oh my God, you have!’

‘If you mean, am I going walking with somebody instead of on my lonesome, then the answer is yes.’ He half held his breath, waiting for the fallout. Harry hadn’t been happy about her parents’ split, so she definitely wasn’t going to be happy if she thought there might be another woman on the horizon.

‘Good. Can I borrow your bike?’

‘My bike?’ That request had taken him by surprise, even as much as the ‘good’. ‘What do you want with my bike?’

‘To ride it.’ she said tartly.

‘Last time you got on a bike, young lady, I was holding the back of it.’

‘Well, maybe I’ve got somebody else to do that and won’t be on my lonesome!’

There was a twinkle in her eye, and a cheekiness that hadn’t been there for a while. It made him feel lighter. Maybe there was something in the air for all of them, positive new beginnings.

‘Enjoy your ramble, Dad.’ She’d kissed him on the cheek as she said it – emphasising the word ‘ramble’ which for some reason she always found funny.

He’d been glad she hadn’t asked anything about Della. For once he was glad of a young person’s lack of interest, but even if she didn’t want to know anything about Della, he did. He wanted to know all kinds of things, and they’d barely started.

He couldn’t remember feeling so keen to see somebody again. Tomorrow seemed such a long way off. It was like being an awkward teenager all over again. Except now he didn’t know the dating rules. She wasn’t a kid – would she think he was being weird? Would he scare her off?

He’d spent a morning agonising over it, before deciding he’d do what he always did: just get on with things. What was meant to be would be. So he’d gone down to the allotment and cadged some seedlings from a mate.

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