The Ties That Bind
Thanks for all the lovely comments. I hope you enjoy this chapter.
Thanks again to @mo-nighean-rouge for the beta.
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Chapter 6: A First Date
You meet thousands of people, and none of them really touch you. And then you meet one person, and your life is changed forever. - Jamie Randall, Love and Other Drugs
Claire twirled in front of the mirror for the third time. That was the problem with Scotland, four seasons in a day. Although it was a clear evening at the moment, whether it would stay like that was another matter.
It seemed like half of Claire’s small and mostly practical wardrobe lay strewn across the bed as she hesitated between outfit choices. The black pencil skirt and white shirt reminded her too much of a waitress; her go-to little black dress was too dressy for a casual first date. Having finally made her choice, she took a quick selfie in the mirror and forwarded it to Geillis for confirmation.
Geillis’s response was almost instantaneous: “hot momma,” followed by three fire emojis. The black jeans and patterned satin shirt had passed the test.
Geillis quickly sent another text. “Unbutton the shirt a bit.”
Claire ignored it and hunted for some heels in the bottom of her wardrobe.
Another ping, again from Geillis. “I mean it, unbutton a bit. This is potential fling material here. Love ya xx”
Sighing, Claire undid a couple of buttons, letting the black lace of her camisole peep though.
Glancing at the clock, she fastened her high-heeled black sandals. It had been some time since she’d worn anything so high. Whilst Claire herself was not overly tall, Frank had been most particular about her not appearing as tall or even, heaven forbid, taller than him. So her very few pairs of high heels had been relegated to the back of the wardrobe for the duration of their relationship (apart from the odd ‘gentleman’s choice’ bedroom dress-up sessions - they tended to feature quite heavily there). Besides, they weren’t really practical in her day to day life, suitable only for dates and other ‘romantic assignations’. And seeing as this was Claire’s first ‘first date’ for six years, walking in them felt very strange indeed. Although, Claire thought as she executed a final twirl in the mirror, they really did make her legs seem longer.
She collected her black clutch bag and leather jacket, ignored her umbrella and headed for the door.
******
The taxi dropped Claire off at the restaurant ten minutes before the agreed meeting time. Fortunately the evening was still rain-free, so Claire decided to have a quick peek in and, if there was no Jamie, take a ten minute stroll before going in. Somehow it seemed important to her not to be the first one to arrive.
She gazed through the window into the restaurant’s bar area. She immediately saw him sitting at the bar, the broad lines of his back easily recognisable, as were the soft, red curls nestling against the collar of his denim blue shirt.
Claire took a deep breath and gave her reflection in the glass a final inspection before pushing the door open and stepping inside.
Through the mirror behind the bar, Jamie had a clear view of the door and kept one eye on it, the other one on his watch as he sipped his whisky. He had arrived early, he knew, but it seemed important that he was there to wait for her as his guest. With ten minutes to spare, he looked up and saw her reflection as she entered the restaurant. Even at this distance, he could see how special she was.
As she approached he turned to face her, smiling. Her dark hair was loose about her face, the wildness somehow tamed slightly into defined curls. From the top of her satin shirt, he caught a glimpse of black lace. The black jeans that she wore accentuated the shape of her legs, and, Jamie was sure even without looking, her arse.
He stood up as she drew closer, ready to greet her.
“Hello.”
“Hello, Claire.”
Jamie leant in to give Claire a small kiss on the cheek, just as Claire extended her right hand, ready to shake his. Quickly, she withdrew her hand, her cheeks reddening as she brushed against his abdomen.
“Shall I see if our table is ready or would ye like a drink at the bar first?” Jamie asked, tactfully ignoring the hand placement issue.
“I don’t mind.” Claire suddenly felt nervous. Her first date since Frank and she’d forgotten how to behave. She felt awkward and her mouth was suddenly very dry. “Actually, could we have a drink here, would that be ok?”
“Aye, that’s fine. We’re a wee bit early anyways. What do ye fancy?”
“Whisky, please, Glenmorangie.” Jamie raised an eyebrow in approval at her choice of drink.
Claire perched herself on a high bar stool next to Jamie as he tried to attract the barman’s attention. She watched him, admiring how his shirt enhanced the blue of his eyes. Eyes she could drown in. His cheeks and chin wore a trace of stubble. She longed to reach out and stroke those tiny bristles. She had forgotten how this felt, this attraction, now a spark in her stomach but ready to ignite with white-hot intensity.
The clink of her whisky glass roused Claire from her reverie. She leant over and added a couple of ice cubes to her drink.
Jamie suppressed a shudder and decided not to comment on her preference, certainly not on a first date.
They engaged in casual chat for a few minutes - the weather (could I be any more English, Claire despaired), the state of Wee Jamie’s health - until they were escorted to their table.
The high-backed semi-circular booth provided an air of intimacy. It also meant that they did not have to sit formally facing each other across the table, so automatically positioned themselves at an angle to each other as they slid into the booth. Close enough to touch… but no, not yet. Jamie watched Claire as she read the menu, biting her bottom lip in indecision as she struggled to make a choice. The waiter hovered expectantly.
“Have ye decided?” Jamie asked.
“Not quite. You go first…” Claire knew how indecisive she was in restaurants. She always preferred to hear everyone else’s choices first and then make her decision.
“I would like the bruschetta con gamberi, followed by the trofiette con agnello, please.” He spoke the Italian phrases with confident pronunciation.
Claire studied his choices. “I’ll have the same, please”
“What wine would ye prefer?”
“I usually drink white - Pinot Grigio.”
“A white would get swamped with the flavours of the lamb, ye ken? How about we try a red, and if ye dinna like it, we can get yer Pinot Grigio?”
Claire nodded as Jamie ran his eyes down the extensive wine list. “A bottle of Pinot Nero Trentino 2015 please. It’s no’ as heavy as some of the reds here.” He explained to Claire as they handed their menus to the waiter.
“So, are you ‘into’ your wines then?”
“Aye, I suppose. I have an uncle in Paris who has a wine export business. I spent a couple o’ summers working wi’ him while I was at university. It gi’es ye a taste for a nice wine.”
“And after uni, did you not fancy working with him in Paris?”
“Nah, I reckon I couldna live anywhere but Scotland. It’s part o’ me… in ma blood. So, why are ye here in Scotland, ye Sassenach?” He teased.
“I do know what that means.” Claire retorted. “I get called ‘bloody sassenach’, and worse, plenty in the Emergency Department on a Saturday night.”
“‘Twas no’ meant as an insult.” Jamie said hurriedly, anxious lest Claire get annoyed or upset. To him it was a term of endearment, the first of many, he hoped, but not one that could scare her off so early with declarations of love and passion. In his mind, and in his contact list, he had been referring to her as his Sassenach since their phone call earlier in the week.
“That’s fine, I know you didn’t invite me here just to insult me!” Claire smiled in reassurance. “To answer your question, I came up to Glasgow for my residency programme after university. Then I sort of, well, stayed…” She tailed off, flustered. She didn’t want to bring Frank into the conversation tonight.
The waiter appeared at the table with the wine, presented label uppermost. He poured a small amount in a glass and passed it to Jamie, who sniffed, then sipped at the wine, letting the liquid roll around his mouth before swallowing. “Aye, that’s grand. Thank ye.” The waiter poured two glasses before departing.
Jamie looked at Claire as he lifted his own glass. “Slainte. Now try that wine… see what ye think.”
Claire sipped tentatively. Surprised, she took a larger mouthful and nodded enthusiastically.
“I’m sorry about before. I dinna mean to ask ye questions ye dinna want tae answer. I willna ask ye to tell all yer secrets.”
“No, that’s ok. I stayed up here when I finished my training because of a relationship.”
“With a Scot?”
“No, an Englishman working at the university. Anyway he moved back to England several months ago and I decided to stay here. I have my job and my friends here and, well, I love the city.”
“Do ye no’ have family in England?”
Claire shook her head, her curls swaying with the motion. “No, I’m an only child. My parents died when I was five, and I was adopted by my only other relative, Uncle Lamb. He died about four years ago, so there’s nothing, or no one, to lure me back to England.”
Jamie reached across the table and lightly stroked her fingers, wrapped around the stem of her wine glass.
“Och, lass.” He said softly.
The arrival of the first course lifted the mood at the table and the conversation between Claire and Jamie flowed as easily as the wine. As they consumed the main course and a second bottle of wine, Claire realised that she could not remember the last time she’d had this much fun on a date. Even during the best times with Frank, there had always been an underlying tension: Another glass of wine, Claire? Is that wise? Wouldn’t the salad be a better choice? Is that appropriate for dinner conversation?
Jamie was entranced. The date was progressing better than he could have hoped. This is what had been missing with Geneva, this natural flow of conversation. He felt relaxed, could be himself. God, he was enjoying it.
Finally admitting defeat, Claire leant back, full of good food and wine. “So, you’ve not told me what you do, if you’re not in the wine business.”
Jamie finished his mouthful of lamb and put his fork down. “Well, I’m Chief Finance Officer for a distillery - Broch Tuarach. D’ ye ken it?”
“Ooh, yes. Never tasted it though. Supposed to be one of the best? But don’t you work here in Glasgow? I thought Broch Tuarach was in the Highlands.”
“Aye it is. No’ far from Inverness. That’s the production side of it. The finance, marketing and the like is based here in the city. I go up tae the distillery every couple of weeks. There’s no place quite like it. One of the oldest in Scotland, ye ken?” He added proudly. “I like tae wander round, imagining what it would have been like when it first started in the late eighteenth century. There’s a collection of ledgers and such up there right from the start. Fascinating! Weel, at least I think it is…”
Jamie tailed off, worried that Claire might think him boring or a geek, to get excited about such things.
Claire only saw the brightness in his eyes, heard the passion in his voice. “It sounds really interesting. You must be quite the expert on the whisky’s history.”
“Aye, I’d love for ye tae see it…” He stopped. Dinna get ahead of yerself, one step at a time. “...Sometime, perhaps.”
Claire looked directly into his eyes. “Yes, I’d like that… I’d like that very much.”
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Casa-vacanze -Liguria-Cavi di Lavagna-4 notti🏡
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Date disponibili➡30-12-2020 - 03-01-2021 - € 360✅
✅Max 4 Ospiti 🟢🎄
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Accogliente appartamento per vacanze a pochi passi dal caratteristico centro medievale e dalla lunga passeggiata a mare di Lavagna. La casa vacanze dista soli 150m dalle lunghe spiagge sabbiose e 450m dalla stazione, ideale per raggiungere in treno o in battello Portofino (26 km) e le Cinque Terre (45 km). A pochi metri dall'appartamento si trova la pista ciclabile, facile percorso di 35 km. Da raggiungere a piedi Chiavari, con i suoi carruggi (tipici vicoli stretti e lunghi), le botteghe artigianali, il mercatino dell'antiquariato, il mercatino dei sapori, i ristoranti e le trattorie in cui è possibile degustare la farinata (tipico piatto a base di farina di ceci), il pesto, le trofiette e i testaieu (pasta fresca). Da non perdere la suggestiva manifestazione folkloristica 'Torta dei Fieschi' (14 Agosto), un suntuoso corteo storico in costume medievale. Sestri Levante (6 km) vi affascinerà con il suo paesaggio. Il capoluogo Genovese (45 km) si raggiunge facilmente in auto o in treno. L'appartamento è quindi la soluzione ideale anche per visitare il famoso acquario, il porto antico di Genova, e ancora Rapallo (18 km), Camogli (28 km), Recco (24 km). A pochi metri dal terrazzino sono presenti i binari della ferrovia. Su prenotazione e a pagamento sono disponibili escursioni per famiglie e con degustazione a Genova, escursioni alle Cinque Terre, Riviera di Levante, Portofino e San Fruttuoso, trekking urbani a Genova o naturalistici alle Cinque Terre e Portofino, escursioni a Noli e Finalborgo, gite a cavallo, escursioni in barca, food personal shopper, transfer privati, noleggio motoscafi e gommoni, noleggio auto o autista privato; a domicilio: lezioni di cucina, degustazioni prodotti tipici, (vino, olio di oliva, focaccia, pesto etc..), baby sitting, animazione bambini, dog sitting, organizzazione eventi e compleanni, corsi di italiano, lezioni di degustazione. Si consiglia di prenotare con largo anticipo.
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ℹ Informazioni sull´alloggio
Appartamento - 1. Piano55 m2
Vani/camere da letto3 (2)
Persone4
Bambini1
Bambini ammessi gratuitamente (sotto 4 anni)1
Anno di costruzione1960
Anno di restauro2018
Materiale di costruzione
Costruito con: Cemento armato
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🌊Distanza/vista
Spiaggia di sabbia150 m
Spiaggia a pagamento150 m
Negozi350 m
Ristorante200 m
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🏙Energia/riscaldamento
idonea anche per l'inverno
Riscaldamento a gas
Radiatori elettrici portatili
Elettricità e riscald. escl.
Acque incl.
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🏙Città più vicina🌆
Lavagna (GE) 5 m
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ℹDotazioni➡
Cucinotto; acqua calda/fredda
Forno elett. e fornelli a gas
Frigorifero e cappa aspirante
Microonde
Macchina da caffè
1 Seggiolone
Soggiorno
1 TV
Dintorni
Parcheggio vicino/gratuito
Mobili da giardino
Varie
Lavatrice
1 Lettino da sole
Linea ferroviaria vicina
Prop. vive nell�edificio
X-box 1 pz.
Internet (senza fili)
Nintendo Wii 1 pz.
Aria condizionata calda/fredda 1 pz.
Ascensore
Biciclette 4 pz.
Campo da golf 16,0 km
GOA 50,0 km
RICHIEDI PRENOTAZIONE
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