Free When Alice Met Danny by T A Williams

for old-timers like me, and I’ve let myself get talked into competing.’
    ‘I saw the poster.’ As she said it, she had an image of a windsurfer, stripped to the waist, his perfect abs shiny with sweat, as the huge breakers pounded the beach behind him. She shook the picture out of her head and concentrated on Danny’s face. She was pleased to see that, unlike the baby and the dog, his eyes did not follow the movement of her hand as she nibbled at the biscuit. ‘Well, let me know when you are going to be there. I’ll come along and cheer. Come to think of it, I should have a spare room by then. It’s a bit small, but it would do you for a day or two.’
    ‘Thanks, Alice, that’s really kind. But I’ve booked a hotel for the two nights. Janie said she might come down, although somehow I doubt it.’
    Alice decided to change the subject. She nodded towards his briefcase. ‘So, are you ready to give me a seminar on cars?’
    He reached for the laptop. ‘Well, I’ve been doing a bit of research and I think I’ve come up with a solution to your problem.’ He pointed to the pile of magazines. ‘I’ve brought you some bedtime reading if you feel up to it.’ Something in her expression made it clear what she thought of car magazines. ‘No need for that. I suggest we take a trip to north London. The best place to go is a car supermarket.’
    ‘They really have those?’
    ‘They certainly do. Here, take a look at this.’ He showed her the website of a big car supermarket. ‘Just to give you an idea, if you want, say, a Volkswagen, they have…yes, seventy-five different cars. And that’s just one make. Unless you are dead set on a 1975 Ferrari with red leather interior, I think this is the way to go. They will have hundreds of nearly new cars there at discount prices. They’ll give you a guarantee, too. So, fancy a little trip to the suburbs?’
    The trip to the suburbs was a great success. By one o’clock she had chosen a car and paid for it. Amazingly, they even arranged the insurance and told her it would be ready for collection at two o’clock. As they completed the paperwork, she turned to Danny.
    ‘Have you got time for lunch?’ Girlfriend in his flat or no girlfriend in his flat, she owed him a meal to say thank you.
    ‘I took the whole day off, so I’m at your disposal.’ He looked over at the salesman who had been dealing with them. ‘Anywhere close by we can get a bit of lunch?’
    ‘The King’s Arms is pretty good. It’s only a few hundred metres down that way.’ Alice reflected on yet another coincidence. She would be going to the King’s Arms with a man called Danny. Less than a week ago she had been in a pub of the same name with a different man of a similar name.
All I need now is a baby and a Labrador.
    The pub, which was more of a restaurant, was crowded, presumably with people who had come out from central London to the huge retail park behind the car supermarket. Alice bought drinks and ordered food, while Danny hunted round for somewhere to sit. All he could find was a small table in one corner where they were squeezed in side by side. He could feel her thigh against his as she sat down. He didn’t mind.
    Alice tried to move her leg away from his, but it was such a tiny table that she had little choice. She gave up trying, admitting to herself that it was not an unpleasant sensation. While they waited for their food to be brought to them, she told him about the house and in more detail what the surveyor had said. He listened attentively.
    ‘So, what’s the next step? I suppose you’ve got to find yourself some builders. Any leads?’
    She nodded. ‘Yes, Peter the Surveyor has recommended someone, a small family firm. He says he’s worked with them on various projects over the years. I’ll arrange a meeting next week.’ She suddenly realised she had left out the most important bit of news. ‘I’m sorry, Danny, with all this car business, I totally forgot to say: I