He flicks my cheek. ‘Only teasing. It’s lovely to see you so soon. I usually have to wait until I come up to London.’
‘I don’t get down here very often,’ I agree.
‘That’s an understatement. Still, you’re here now. Where shall we go?’
‘You choose,’ I say. ‘But first, I want to see your flat. I haven’t been here before.’
‘I invited you to the housewarming,’ he says.
I feel a pang of guilt. ‘So you did. But I was busy at work that week.’
He doesn’t look convinced. ‘It seems to me that you’re busy at work every time you don’t want to do something.’
‘I always want to see you,’ I say.
‘Flattery will get you everywhere. Come in then, if you’d like the tour. It won’t take long. It’s very small.’
Small is an understatement. It’s barely even a studio flat. The room into which he leads me obviously serves as both living room and bedroom. There’s a quilt and two pillows lying on what seems to be a sofa bed at one side of the room, and a tiny kitchenette in the far corner.
He smiles. ‘You’re trying to work out the politest way to ask where the rest of it is. Don’t worry. Everyone has the same expression when they see it. The answer is that there is no rest of it. There’s a tiny bathroom through that door, and that’s it. It’s all I could afford, and it’s perfect for someone as lazy as me. I never have to take more than ten steps in any direction.’
‘That isn’t what I was thinking,’ I say. ‘At least, not exactly. You’ve seen my flat in London. It’s pretty small. I was just surprised to hear that you’d bought a place. You never seem to settle anywhere for long.’
‘I can always rent it out if I want to go travelling again,’ he says. ‘Oddly enough, that urge seems to have subsided. I rather enjoy having my own place. And I like my current job – which is a miracle in itself – so I’ll be here for a while.’
‘Old age catches up with us all,’ I say.
‘At least one of us still looks about nineteen,’ he says. ‘What’s your secret, Annie?’
‘I don’t have a man in my life,’ I say teasingly.
He sighs. ‘Neither do I, but it doesn’t seem to have such a good effect on me. Never mind. I’ll let you buy me several drinks while I tell you all about it.’
‘I knew there was a reason you wanted me to be the designated driver,’ I say. ‘Come on, then. You can give me directions to wherever it is we’re going.’
I drive him into town, and he directs me to a wine bar behind the main row of shops.
‘This place only opened a few months ago, but I think it will do well,’ he says as he opens the door and ushers me inside.
‘I don’t care as long as it’s warm,’ I gasp. Even the short walk from the car has made my eyes stream and my fingers go numb.
‘It’s horribly cold this evening,’ he says, guiding me over to a table near the fireplace, where I’m thankful to see a fire blazing merrily in the grate.
‘You order for me,’ I say, slipping off my coat and holding out my hands towards the warmth. ‘I’ll have whatever you’re having.’
He waves to the server. ‘Two chimichangas, and a bottle of Merlot, please.’
‘I’m driving,’ I remind him.
‘Who says this is for you? I’ll let you have one small glass if you insist. But the rest is for me.’
I look at him more closely. ‘Are you ok, Brandon? You don’t seem your usual bubbly self.’
He sighs. ‘I’m fine. I’ve just run out of holiday spirit.’
‘I’ll buy you a brandy, if you like.’
‘Seriously, Annie, don’t you ever wish you could wake up one morning and find that Christmas has been cancelled?’