First Love, Last Love. Carole Mortimer

      ‘Your car,’ she feverishly grasped for something to say. ‘I—er—I wanted to know if you’d had anything done about it yet,’ she explained with a certain amount of triumph, pleased with herself for thinking of something so quickly.

      ‘As it happens I have. But I thought your boy-friend was dealing with that?’

      ‘He isn’t my boy-friend!’ she said crossly. ‘He—he’s a friend, that’s all.’

      ‘And do all your boy-friends later become just friends?’

      She drew an angry breath. ‘He’s always been just a friend.’

      ‘That takes care of him,’ he remarked thoughtfully. ‘And the other boy-friend departs at the end of the week. Would that be Saturday?’

      ‘Morning,’ she nodded. ‘But—–’

      ‘Then that leaves you free to have dinner with me on Saturday evening.’

      Her eyes became huge in her surprise and disbelief. ‘I—I beg your pardon? What did you say?’

      ‘Isn’t dinner suitable? Or are you one of these females who makes do with a cracker and an apple?’

      ‘I’ve always had a healthy appetite. But—–’

      ‘Then dinner it is.’ He gave another glance at his watch. ‘I have to get to a meeting now, so if you’ll just tell me where you live I can be on my way.’

      Lauri shook her head dazedly, searching his arrogant features for some sign of mockery. The mouth looked impatient, the eyes questioning, but as far as she could see there was no mockery there. ‘Who says I want to have dinner with you?’ she demanded, annoyed with his assumption in thinking she would agree.

      He sighed. ‘Don’t you?’

      ‘Not particularly. Just because your girl-friend is out of town it doesn’t mean I’m willing to—–’

      ‘It would appear you aren’t willing to do anything without an argument,’ he said tersely. ‘I made the suggestion in the hope that we might come to some agreement over the payment for the damage to my car.’ He shrugged. ‘But if you would rather it went through the insurance agents that’s just fine by me. Of course, you may have a little difficulty explaining to the police what you were doing driving without L-plates, but then that’s your choice.’

      Lauri’s mouth gaped open. ‘You know?’ she asked in a whisper.

      ‘That you’re a learner? If I didn’t before I do now. You just confirmed my suspicions.’

      ‘Why, you—– That wasn’t fair! You tricked me!’

      ‘Not really,’ he said calmly. ‘It was a natural assumption to make. Your driving leaves a lot to be desired, and by your own admission you’re only just seventeen.’ He eyed her mockingly. ‘So it would be very doubtful if you’d already passed the driving test, not with the way our system works. I took a shot in the dark and it paid off. Your friend is a braver man than I to allow you to drive his car.’

      Lauri blushed at the sarcasm in his voice. ‘I don’t suppose you ever let anyone drive you.’

      ‘Never. Not even the girl-friend you say is out of town. Tell me,’ he taunted, ‘who is she?’

      ‘You must know who she is! I wish you’d stop treating me like an idiot.’ She glared angrily as she realised that was exactly what he had called her to Jane. ‘You may think that’s what I am, but that doesn’t mean you have to treat me like one. Everyone knows you’re seeing Connie Mears.’ A slight exaggeration here, but she felt she could be forgiven it.

      ‘Then “everyone” is wrong. Do the gossips have nothing better to do than make up stories to colour their day?’

      No doubt he considered her to be one of the gossips! ‘I got my information from a reliable source,’ she said defensively.

      ‘Then it’s a little dated,’ he returned coldly. ‘Connie and I finished weeks ago.’

      ‘Oh. I—I didn’t know that.’

      He gave her a long slow appraisal, making her blush from head to toe at the undisguised insolence in those deep blue eyes. ‘There’s no reason why you should know. And I wouldn’t consider you a suitable replacement in any case. I was hardly asking you for a date, Lauren, just trying to work this thing out like two reasonable adult—people,’ he amended tauntingly.

      ‘I am an adult!’

      ‘You don’t act like one. Look, I couldn’t give a damn whether this goes through the police or not, it’s completely up to you.’

      He obviously felt he had wasted enough time on her for one day. But Lauri couldn’t let him go like this. ‘Do the police have to be involved?’ She despised herself for that almost pleading quality in her voice.

      ‘I told you, that’s up to you.’

      ‘You said you wanted to discuss terms,’ Lauri said suspiciously. ‘What sort of terms?’

      ‘Not those sort anyway.’ He gave a harsh laugh. ‘Credit me with some sense, Lauren,’ he snapped. ‘I’m hardly likely to want to seduce a teenager.’

      ‘But—–’

      ‘Oh, forget it, Lauren!’ he said angrily. ‘I don’t have any more time to discuss it. I don’t know why the hell I should help you out anyway.’ He turned on his heel and walked off.

      ‘Mr Blair!’ Lauri ran after him. ‘Mr Blair, please—–’

      He either didn’t hear her or didn’t want to hear her, opening a door farther up the corridor and slamming the door in Lauri’s face as she would have followed him inside. She had deserved that, she thought dully. Like he said, why should he help her? But he had been willing to, and she had thrown his offer back in his face.

      She started guiltily as she heard the ascent of the lift, and turned to confront her aunt. ‘Jane!’ she sighed her relief that it wasn’t someone else of importance who might also demand to know what she was doing up here.

      ‘Lauri!’ Jane looked shocked. ‘You shouldn’t be up here.’

      Lauri sighed, wishing she had never dared to brave the top floor. ‘I know.’

      ‘Then why are you?’ Jane was obviously agitated by her presence here, looking about her almost guiltily. ‘If Mr Blair or one of the managers should see you you’d have a hard time explaining what you’re doing wandering around up here.’

      She already had! ‘You’ve got my purse,’ she said by way of explanation.

      ‘I know that.’ Jane held it out to her. ‘I went downstairs to give it to you as soon as I realised.’

      ‘We must have missed each other.’ Lauri took the purse. ‘I’ll have to go now, I’m late as it is.’

      ‘But, Lauri—–’

      She dived into the waiting lift, pressing the button. ‘See you later,’ she had time to call before the doors closed.

      Phew! That was a narrow escape. Thank goodness Jane hadn’t probed too deeply into why she had been standing aimlessly about in the corridor. If she had Lauri might have had to reveal that she had called the owner of the company arrogant, had accused him of being insulting, and of tricking her into revealing that she was a learner driver.

      She might also have inadvertently revealed that Alexander Blair had invited her out to dinner, although invited was perhaps the wrong word to use. It had been an order, but a strange one, despite his assertion that he wanted to discuss terms for payment on the damage to his car. Terms! What could he mean by that? He had been furious at her assumption that he had any but the best intentions in mind, but she didn’t think it could have been an entirely innocent suggestion. How on earth could