Convenience

Part 51

What might have been different if they'd come back from that honeymoon and moved in together? Now what would it take to win this woman back? She was not going to step back into his life without him doing something to convince her that he was worth gambling on, for the long haul. He knew he'd have to win her back. With a sense of doom he realised he might have shot himself in the foot by not going after her when she left him! In any case regaining the trust of his wife was not going to be easy. And dating other women had probably given her even less incentive to trust him.

He waited for her to regain her composure.

They both shifted slightly. David draped an arm along the backrest, feigned looking at ease, while from her body language he could tell she was suddenly nervous. He watched as the shutters came down, and wished he knew more about her and how to keep her on-side.

He was pretty sure that she needed some time to regain her poise. David reached for his fork, "So, how did you get started in the bag business?" He kept eating. Quietly she reached for her fork. For a second he wasn't sure she was going to answer him. Then she let out a quiet sigh and started to tell him how she'd gone from selling her grandfather's house to setting up a small business that had grown in the last four years.

David took a break from eating and reached for his glass of water. He sipped slowly and watched her over the top of his glass. Good, her sadness had disappeared as she talked about her business. It was some fifteen minutes later when the waitress reappeared to ask if all was well with their pizza that Beatrice realised that she'd been talking for all that time.

"Sorry." She apologised when the waitress left, after refilling their carafe of water. They had nearly eaten half of their respective pizzas. In between mouthfuls she had told him about her business. Why? She had already told him that she didn't need to tell him about her plans. Yet, she had just told him about her business. Probably just bored him silly!

"For what?" He asked, his eyebrows rose as he looked across at her.

"Talking non stop." She mumbled.

David was tempted to tell her that he found her fascinating. He shook his head and forked up another segment of pizza. He grinned. "You really are an unusual woman!" He told her before he ate. Beatrice frowned. Now what was he up to, she wondered as a twinkle appeared in his eyes.

David finished chewing and then said with a broad grin, "Most women see it as the norm, to talk incessantly!"

"That would have to be one of the most sexist statements I have heard in a long time." She reprimanded before she rolled her eyes at him and pointed out with logic, "Just because your girlfriends do, does not mean all women do." She retorted and then looked anxious.

"And that would have to be an equally arrogant assumption." David told her. He watched the relief mingle with caution in her eyes. She shrugged. Trying to decide on his best option, should he switch their conversation before she becomes cross. But he decided that they needed to deal with difficult subjects. "My girlfriends? Jumping to conclusions, aren't you?"

Beatrice took a quick breath and dug deep for some courage. "Am I?" An eyebrow rose in emphasis.

The corners of his lips twitched as he banked his laughter. Relief. He was not taking her question as a throwaway line. But before he could answer that question, she continued.

Her heart was hammering. "Your girlfriends probably consider themselves in love with you, given your height, breadth of shoulder and your hazel eyes!"

David blinked. He wondered if he'd entered the twilight zone. He thought she didn't like him. So why these compliments? Was he hallucinating? He studied her carefully.

Again she shrugged. "And, you," she said, she remained in control, "you probably gave them whatever they wanted because you like blondes!" Keep it calm, stay nonchalant, she reminded herself, "And you like blondes, who like talking!" Her nerves were just about holding out. She said nothing further. Her heart was thundering.

He hooted with laughter.