‘You’ve become far too sceptical. There’s a surprise in store for you.’
Sick with hunger, feeling overdressed in her black cocktail dress and high-heeled shoes, she wasn’t in the mood for surprises. He pushed open the glass-panelled doors, and once inside, although it wasn’t the Ritz, Kate was relieved it was filled with locals – always a good sign. As Adam tried to get the waiter’s attention, she looked around for a spare table. There wasn’t one. It was then she spotted the staircase downstairs, which was where the waiter indicated for them to go. The lower floor was a cellar with beautiful limestone walls, on which hung tiny lanterns and a scattering of framed images. Each of the round tables had a crisp white tablecloth, nicely dressed with chunky wine and water glasses, cutlery, and folded terracotta linen napkins.
‘I told you I had a surprise for you.’
‘It’s beautiful. I would never have guessed it from the outside.’
‘Don’t judge a book by the cover,’ he said. The waiter led them to a table at the far end. ‘Or if you’re not sure where to go,’ he whispered, ‘Google it.’
When the waiter handed them menus, one side was in French, the other in English. ‘I checked this too,’ he said, turning to the English version. ‘Always best to look after the small details.’
‘You’re a regular Boy Scout,’ she teased.
‘You look happy.’ He poured water for them both.
‘Do I?’
‘Yeah, and kind of different.’
‘Now I’m intrigued. Why do you say that?’
‘I don’t know. You’ve looked different since we arrived here. And tonight, Kate,’ he lowered his voice, ‘you look hot.’
She blushed like an adolescent, remembering how long she had spent getting ready. He caught her looking down at her dress. ‘It’s okay to take a compliment, you know.’
‘Are you psychoanalysing me, Detective?’
‘I like to say it as it is.’ Then, picking up the wine list, he beamed from ear to ear. ‘Red or white?’
‘I’m easy.’
‘Now, that’s dangerous talk. I’ll take my cue from you, and live a little dangerously. Let’s order the most expensive bottle in the house. It says here,’ pointing to a Merlot, ‘this one has a plum rich fragrance with a deep oak-barrelled taste.’
‘What about the bargain meal of twenty-five euros? I doubt the chief superintendent’s budget will stretch to sixty-five for a bottle.’
‘It’s my treat, Kate. It’s not often I get to be in Paris with a beautiful woman.’
She tucked her hair behind her ears, something she did when she was nervous. Tread carefully, she told herself, but all the time another voice inside her head was telling her to do the very opposite.
The food, like everything else about El Picaflor, was excellent, with delivery of the courses timed to perfection. They finished off with two large cognacs, which Adam reminded her were on the house. She felt increasingly at ease as the evening progressed, and it seemed he did too. For once, he didn’t talk about work. He had sent the details of the ex-students to Mark Lynch before leaving the hotel, so for now he couldn’t do any more. Kate swirled the end of her cognac in the glass, the aroma giving her a sense of warmth. She was pleased that during the meal he had talked at length about his son. She had felt comfortable telling him about Charlie, too.
‘Would you like another cognac?’ he asked, pulling her out of her thoughts.
‘No, no, I’m fine. We’ve an early start in the morning.’
‘You can rest on the flight. Come on, we deserve to chill out.’
She looked around at the now half-filled cellar, everyone relaxed, soaking up the ambience.
‘All right,’ she said. ‘Just the one.’
He waved to the waiter at the far end by the stairs, pointing to their empty glasses, raising his hand with two fingers, cutting through the language barrier.
When the drinks arrived, she kicked off her stilettos.
‘How are you doing, Kate?’ He warmed the large glass in his hand.
‘What do you mean?’
‘There are times, I don’t know, you seem sad.’
‘Do I? I don’t mean to.’ She forced a laugh. ‘Maybe I think too much.’
‘That can be hazardous, all right.’ He gave her a reassuring smile.
‘I didn’t mean to bring the evening down …’
‘No, no, you’re not.’
Silence.
She was thinking that perhaps the extra cognac hadn’t been such a great idea. Her head wasn’t in the right place for any of this. He must have sensed the drop in the atmosphere, because he said jokingly, ‘I used to be very shy, you know.’
She raised her eyebrows. ‘I don’t believe that.’
‘It’s true. I’d go as red as a tomato if I had to say a word to a girl when I was in my teens.’
‘I bet you went to a single-sex school.’ She was glad they had moved onto a lighter topic.
‘Yeah – loaded with testosterone, it was.’ Then he lowered his voice: ‘The first girl I fell for, she didn’t even know I cared.’
‘My heart bleeds.’