Free All Bets Are On by Charlotte Phillips Page A

lied.
    ‘You’re sure about that? Not waiting for something?’
    The humiliation. He knew perfectly well what had been going through her mind and she stood back on the pavement, angry and flustered that he’d guessed her thoughts.
    ‘You’re actually going to just drive off? You’re not going to try and wangle your way into my house for a coffee ?’
    She had years of entrenched dating etiquette and women’s magazines on her side. A kiss at the end of a first date was practically an unwritten rule.
    He shrugged.
    ‘Nope.’
    Her cheeks burned as he gave her a predatory grin that made her knees feel melty. He pressed a button and the window began to slide back up.
    ‘You’re really not going to kiss me?’ she snapped at him through the closing gap.
    ‘Maybe next time,’ he said.

FIVE
    Rule #6 How long before he calls? If he doesn’t call or text you within twenty-four hours of your first date, you’re not high on his priority list. He won’t like committing to plans, so don’t be surprised if he finishes a date without setting up the next one. He’ll be keeping his schedule open in case something better comes along. A player will keep you hanging...

    An unrestful night later and Alice gave up on sleep around six and brewed mega-strength coffee. No word from him since he’d dropped her home the previous afternoon. Curiosity gnawed at her. What had he done with the evening? Had he gone out? Another date maybe? She had no clue if he wanted to see her again, yet she knew for a fact that a first date with Harry Stephens often meant second base, or even third.
    He’d knocked her right back from first base yesterday.
    At around eight o’clock Tilly’s bedroom door slammed and a moment later she walked into the kitchen, face pale against her pillar-box hair, eyes bleary.
    ‘It’s Sunday morning. Are you insane?’ she said, switching the kettle back on. ‘What the hell are you doing up when you could be lying in?’
    ‘I could ask you the same thing.’
    ‘I’ve got a couple of parties today.’
    Along with selling jewellery, Tilly had a face-painting business that she was growing via word-of-mouth at school gates.
    ‘And since you are up, I really need a favour.’
    ‘Go on,’ Alice said, taking another mug from the cupboard for Tilly.
    ‘Do you think you could cover for me for an hour or so this lunchtime? I’ve managed to double book so I’ve got two parties overlapping. I was going to leave the first one a bit early but that makes such a bad impression, and if you could set up at the second one I wouldn’t have to.’
    It wasn’t as if she had a prior engagement.
    ‘Go on, then, as it’s just an hour.’
    Tilly swiftly made them each a coffee.
    ‘Now tell me why you’re up at cockcrow,’ she said, shoving a slice of bread in the toaster.
    ‘My experiment is corrupted,’ Alice said. ‘He didn’t kiss me. For some reason he didn’t behave to type. King of the One-night Stand and he just drove off.’ She covered her eyes briefly with her hand. ‘It must be some kind of record. He beds anything with a pulse but he couldn’t wait to get away from me.’
    Overnight her insecurity had moved in and showed no sign of shifting, as if she had a very large, very ugly vulture sitting on her shoulder. She couldn’t bear to tell Tilly she’d capsized the boat and made an idiot of them both in public. Harry had made her feel so much better about that the day before but he must have decided it wasn’t an experience he fancied repeating.
    She’d been so surprised by his support that its withdrawal smarted all the more.
    She took a sip of her coffee.
    ‘If I scare off a player like him, what the hell chance do I have of snaring someone decent? He hasn’t called and there was no mention of a second date.’
    Tilly picked up a piece of toast.
    ‘At least now you know he’s probably not got cash staked on landing you or he’d have done everything he could to get you straight into bed,