CHAPTER 43: Hot Date

"Life is great and life is fine!" exclaimed Jeremy Saint as he went for a stroll around Foundry Cove. He couldn't contain his excitement and greeted everyone he met with a broad smile.

"Hello, madam, what a fine morning it is! Good morning, Pizza Guy! I was saying what a great day this is!" he said to two random passers by.

"Erm...I guess, man." said the Pizza delivery man. "Are you tripping out?"

"Only on the joy of life! I have a wonderful new girlfriend and just now I was able to book a table for two at Chez Llama to celebrate out getting together!"

"Whoa! Chez Llama's pretty expensive, man" said the Pizza guy.

"I know...but it's worth it because she is" said Jeremy.

Jeremy was on cloud 9 and later on he got ready for his date. Earlier on, he and Suzy Kent went to the trendy Simnaby Street to choose a new suit for him to wear. Using her sharp, up to the minute fashion sense she chose for him a light grey suit which had a radical collar style and a white shirt with a yellow tie pattern on it instead of a tie.

Later on, Jeremy paced up and down outside Chez Llama waiting for Barbara to arrive. He'd got there early, which was a habit of his, but instead of calming his nerves about being late, it instead played on them because he had a fear she wouldn't show. His watch ticked onwards towards the date time...10 minutes to go, then 5, then 3 and then at 2 minutes to the arranged meeting time there she was...Barbara Dubois, Jeremy's date. His heart skipped a beat as he took in her loveliness...she was dressed in a white Chanel skirt suit and matching heels. She had certainly made an effort for the occasion.

"Wow! Chez Llama! I can't believe you got us a table here!" she exclaimed. "I hope I look alright" she added.

"You look wonderful" said Jeremy. "And I wanted everything to be fantastic so hang the expense for one night"

The maitre d showed them to their table and they looked longingly at the menus, which listed meals of the like they had never heard of. Jeremy ordered a bottle of red wine and Barbara helped him translate some of the French food terms.

"I would have struggled to order without your help" said Jeremy. "Do you speak French fluently then?"

"I'm from Montreal so I'm bilingual" she replied. "My dad's French-Canadian and my mom's from Nova Scotia so I grew up speaking both languages"

Their pleasant conversation was interrupted by the people who were sitting at the next table.

"Honey, I really think you've had enough to drink!" said a man to his wife.

"Nonsense...and you're not my boss! Well hello there, young man" she said, turning to Jeremy, winking and giving him a flirtatious smile. "Fancy seeing you here!"

"Jeremy, who is that woman?" asked Barbara

"I have no idea!" said Jeremy, bothered by this interruption.

"No need to play coy with me, handsome" continued the woman. "Once you've finished with the little girls, maybe you'll want to be with a woman"

"Honey, I insist you control yourself!" said the man to his wife. Their teenage daughter, sitting next to them, slumped on the table.

"And I insist you shut your big yap, Mister!" said the wife.

"OK, if that's the case...hello there little lady" said the man to Barbara. "You know you could do so much better"

"Jeremy, who are these people?" said Barbara, looking visibly upset.

"I HAVE NO IDEA!" said Jeremy, a little too loud. He composed himself.

"I've had enough!" said the teenage girl, leaping to her feet. "You too are an embarrassing pair of old drunks!" she said. "That nice, handsome man who looks good enough to eat in that sharp suit, yum, doesn't need an old dried up soak like you or someone who's clearly just past her prime..." she said, nodding at Barbara. Barbara leapt to her feet.

"That's it! I've had enough!" she said.

The manager came over to their tables and asked the family to leave. "I am so sorry for the disturbance" they said to Jeremy and Barbara.

"I swear I'd never seen them before" said an apologetic Jeremy.

"Harumph! I hope not!" said a still seething Barbara.

Jeremy looked over at their table and saw 3 empty bottles of wine on the other table. "They were absolutely smashed!" he said. "Hopefully our dinner will take away that unpleasantness...I would never do anything to jeopardise what we've got going, Barbara. You mean a lot to me"

Barbara sighed and looked into Jeremy's warm, gentle eyes. "You mean a lot to me too...I don't want anything to ruin our time together." She reached out and touched his hand. After dinner they ordered a taxi and he turned to Barbara and said "would you....like to come back to my place?"

"I'd like that very much" she said, holding his hand. The taxi arrived and they travelled back to Foundry Cove.

As they were about to walk up to the front door, Jeremy turned to her and said "when I said let's come back here what I meant was would you like to stay the night again?"

"I would and....I don't have to be up early tomorrow and I'm not feeling tired now" she said, raising an eyebrow seductively.

They entered the house and Barbara sat down on the couch, patting the seat next to her for Jeremy to sit next to her.

"Thank you for a wonderful evening" she said.

"Despite....?" he replied.

"Despite...it'll take more than that...to....stop.....me......from......doing.......this...." she said, leaning towards him as they drew closer and closer.

"Hmmmm" said Jeremy. "I see your French skills don't just end with reading a menu"

"We can be a very passionate people" she replied. They made out some more on the couch before Jeremy stood up and took her by the hand to join him.

"I think it's time" he said

"I think so too" she replied

"What's 'woohoo' in French?"

"It's woohoo"

They walked hand in hand to the bedroom and there they made the magic happen.