Rose wasn't going so easy on the wine but knew her limits even though Alec was really cute and she wanted to have more of the kisses from last night.
"This is a nice place Alec," Rose remarked as they waited for their dessert to arrive. "I've never been anywhere this fancy before."
"Then you have dated the wrong men," Alec declared.
"Mickey was the only really serious one and he's the least romantic person I know," Rose smiled as she let Alec fill her glass. "Football on the big screen TV at the pub was his idea of a date, I spent more time talking to my friends."
"Well I can assure you, I am not into football or spending all evening watching it at the pub," Alec declared, thinking he already didn't like her ex without even meeting him.
Rose decided to find out more about him.
"So come on then, did you just come back for your daughter?"
"That and I wanted to be around when the court case came up of the killers of the two girls. You read about that?" he asked, nodding to the waiter as he put the dishes in front of them.
"Yeah, I was sad the other cousin wasn't found alive. What sort of a person does that? I mean leave a young girl in the river?"
"She may have been left on the riverbank and the killer expected her to be found quickly but it had been really bad weather, which hampered the search. I don't normally tell people it was me that found her."
Rose reached her hand over the table.
"I'm sorry Alec, it never said who'd found her. It clearly affected you, was that how you became ill?"
"It did not help but I finally got justice for them. That was why catching the other killer became everything to the point I neglected to take care of myself. Did you read I'd been ill?" he asked, not recalling telling her.
"I looked up about the case here, it mentioned Broadchurch and you being ill. It gave no details though. I figured you would tell me."
"I had to have a pacemaker fitted before it was too late. I came back to spend time with Daisy, to try to make up for not being there and because she had no idea I was ill."
"You never told anyone?" Rose gasped, not quite believing he could have died.
"Well I'm still here, the six million dollar man," he smiled, taking her hand as she put her spoon down.
He half expected her to ask who that was.
"Yeah, seems so but it's only your heart that got something done to it. Me and mum used to watch the re-runs when I was a kid," Rose smiled. "You are okay now though?"
"Yes, I'm fine Rose. Do you want to move to the bar area and maybe get some real Italian coffee?" he suggested.
"Yeah, maybe a latte though? I think Italian coffee's a bit strong and comes in tiny little cups."
"You speak from experience?" Alec smiled as he got up to move her chair back for her.
"Nah, not me. I only went on a school trip to Paris, I wasn't old enough to drink coffee," she smiled back as she got up.
Just before nine thirty, Rose not believing how long they had been in the restaurant, Alec helped her into his car and since they would be passing the end of his street, he wondered if she'd object to him inviting her to his apartment. There was only one way to find out. If she agreed, he could take the other route.
Getting in the driver's seat, he thought he had nothing to lose by asking her.
"Since you were trying to find out where I lived, we could call in before I take you home?" he asked hopefully.
"Yeah, okay then but I wasn't being nosy, I just wondered how far you'd gone out of your way to pay the store next to where I work a visit."
Alec actually believed her. He took the other turn-off that led him to the other end of the road where he lived and came to a small block of apartments, turning into the driveway and thankfully, no-one had taken his space or he'd have to go get another traffic cone.
"Here we are then," he told her, Rose looking at the four-storey white building.
"At least no-one's claimed your parking spot," she teased.
Ten minutes after they got in, they were on the sofa, picking up where they left off last night as Rose got his tie off and half a dozen shirt buttons undone as they nipped at each other's lips as she tried to pull the shirt from the back of his trousers, Alec putting his arm around his back to help her.
"Mmm, this is really nice," Rose hummed as she got all fingers and thumbs with the rest of the buttons.
Alec couldn't have put it better himself as they continued kissing and he decided it was time her floral dress with the low-cut back came off. Rose didn't seem to be objecting as he pulled it over her shoulders, revealing a black lacy low-cut bra and he was dying to know if her underwear matched or not.
Alec shuffled around, pushing her to the back of the sofa and trying not to get tempted to pull the sofa out into the bed Daisy slept on. She wouldn't thank him for it if she found out.
"Have you got any music?" Rose asked as she nipped at his neck while both arms were around it.
"I have a few CD's, I don't play them much, Daisy doesn't like my taste of music," he admitted.
"Let's dance then?" Rose asked, running her fingers down his now bare chest since she'd undone all the buttons.
Alec carefully got off the sofa to avoid falling off it, Rose staying where she was as he looked at the measly stack of CDs and thought he should get some more before he met Daisy the following day. He found a double one of forties and fifties songs and put it on.
"I love all the old songs," Rose admitted as he helped her off the sofa.
Now he seemed much taller since she'd kicked her shoes off earlier. He switched off the main light after putting on the lamp and they began swaying to the music, Rose reaching up to put her arms around his neck after he fastened her dress for her. He put his arms around her waist and she leaned into his shoulder.
Neither of them were bothered about the time as the first CD finished with 'Moonlight Serenade' and Rose reluctantly let go.
"I should take you home," Alec suggested before this went any further, for a first proper date.
Rose went to sit on the sofa, wagging her finger at him. He followed her and sat next to her, taking her hand and leaning her back against the cushion.
"This has been a really lovely evening," he told her, brushing back a strand of her hair and kissing her cheek.
Rose ran her finger down his chest, since he'd not bothered fastening his shirt back up.
"Yeah, we survived our first proper date and I'm still talking to ya," she smiled.
That was a relief to him, though she may not be once he'd confessed. He thought maybe he shouldn't ruin the evening since they'd both enjoyed it so much. The short kisses intensified, leading to Alec unzipping her dress again and putting his arms around her shoulder, Rose putting hers under his shirt and around his back and before he knew it, she was pulling him on top of her.
"Alec, this is really nice," Rose managed to sigh as he placed kisses along her neck and the top of her one size too small bra, well he thought it was one size too small as he was now wanting to relieve her of it since it was too tempting.
His fingers wandered around her back and reached their destination and he wondered if she would notice. She did.
"Mmm, I said it was nice Alec," she smiled, tapping his hand, which he withdrew slowly in case she changed her mind.
"Well you unfastened my shirt at the first opportunity," he reminded her as he propped himself up on the cushion and flicked a strand of her hair.
"Yeah, sorry, it was silly of me," Rose admitted, biting her lip.
"No, it was more than I hoped for," Alec disagreed, running his finger along the top of her bra. "Rose, I want to be serious with you, you do know that?"
"I gathered, when you asked me to be your girlfriend. Sorry, it's just going from a few casual dates to this, it's rather a big jump."
"No, maybe I was moving too fast? I can't see you tomorrow night Rose, so think about it eh?" he asked hopefully.
Rose nodded and put her hand back under his shirt.
"We can do other things, like what you were just doing," she grinned up at him and putting a finger on his chest.
Alec's face lit up. "Really?'
"Yeah, you 'nana, I wasn't objecting to that, was I?" she asked him.
How was he to know? He was definitely out of practice, spending the last few years on his own, mostly, except for a few one-offs he'd met while investigating something and he'd asked a woman out afterwards but he'd not got as far as he'd just done with Rose, whose finger was making circles on his bare chest.
She wagged her finger at him and he leaned closer, putting it on his chin.
"I really like you Alec and yeah, maybe by Sunday I'll realise what I'm missing but we only met a week ago, and you were all coy about asking me out," she reminded him.
"Well, I had Daisy with me at the time, I could hardly ask you out then? Could I?" he asked, rubbing her shoulder.
Rose freed her other arm and put them both around his neck.
"Then come here and ask me to stay?"
"You want to stay?" he asked, taken by surprise.
"Well unless ya wanna drive me home and leave me there?" Rose asked. "I believe you said not seeing me on Saturday night would be enough but if you want to just see each other a few times a week?" she suggested.
Alec thought about it. This was getting way out of hand and he was too much of a coward to tell her it would be short-lived if she hated the fact he was leaving. Could he live with the fact he didn't get it over with and see what she thought about it? Maybe he should just come out with it, if she didn't like it, at least they'd not got round to having sex and better now than when they had he supposed.
"Rose, I want to see you every night, well apart from maybe Friday if Daisy doesn't want to have you round, if she decides to stay over two nights. If she doesn't, well, I could spend a few hours with you and collect her later, maybe?" he asked hopefully.
Rose pulled him down for a kiss.
"Yeah, she's a teenager, I can imagine she could be a bit off with her dad having a younger girlfriend?" she smiled.
"She was teasing me, about asking you out so maybe that's a good sign eh?" he asked, kissing her neck.
"Yeah, if not, well, she'll come round, won't she?"
Alec thought it had better be quick then. This was it, before Rose really hated him.
"Well, that depends on a couple of things," he started to admit.
He tried to prop himself up again, Rose's arm around his waist and he stroked her hair. What was he thinking? Getting involved with her when he had to leave? How did he feel about getting her hopes up of maybe a long-term relationship that was only going to last a few weeks?
If he were inclined, he could use her to take out his sexual frustrations on her for a few weeks then just leave but he wasn't like that and besides, he really did like her and maybe he was beginning to fall for her in a big way. He hated men who thought they could use a woman for a few weeks then dump her, especially when Tess had dumped him.
"What kind of things?" Rose asked, trying to pull the shirt off his shoulders.
"Well, I told you Daisy is having problems? She stayed on at school because of something that happened a while back with some of her older friends from the local college. She can't go there Rose, or to the ones nearby."
"Sorry Alec, I didn't know it was that serious. That's why you have her over on Saturday night? You don't have to explain it to me," she assured him, his shirt hanging off his shoulders.
"That's only part of it," he admitted, trying to get his shirt back on, which was a bit awkward with Rose's hands being on it and not wanting him to. "She can't stay on at school another year so I'm having to try to get her in somewhere else but although her mother dealt with it and the school head teacher was sympathetic about it, it went on her school record."
"It must have been serious then?" Rose asked, sounding concerned.
"Yes, I promised her no-one would ever find out about it that they would hold it against her but I know I can trust you but first, you have to meet her properly and I can get her to agree for me to tell you."
"Yeah, I understand Alec, don't worry about it, yeah?" she asked, finally winning the battle as he stopped trying to pull his shirt back on.
He knew he'd made the right decision to pursue her after he'd met her last week. Maybe now she was sympathetic about Daisy, she would understand he had to get her away from the town but would she understand it had to be Broadchurch? He supposed there was only one way to find out.
"Rose, like I said, I can't send her anywhere around here and her mother, well she reckons she did her part getting Daisy out of trouble and since I've been insisting Daisy stayed with me at weekends, well, that was for two reasons," he admitted.
Rose looked at him. She really did like him and if he came with a troubled teenager, then so be it, the girl would be going away to college by the sound of it.
"I said you don't have to explain it to me Alec, she's your daughter and I told ya, she's lucky to have you, I'd have given anything to have my dad around when I was her age. I used to wish I had a time machine to go back and see him," she smiled, rubbing his bare shoulders.
Alec smiled. "Rose, if I had a time machine, there is nothing I would rather do than take you love."
"Yeah? I just bet you would as well because you, Alec Hardy, are the most decent man I have ever met. So, come on then, where are you trying to get her into college? Is that why you want her to stay the whole weekend? Because she's going away?"
"Partly but also partly because, well, I will be taking her," he admitted, trying to break it to the woman he was falling for gently.
"Oh, ya mean to settle her in? Yeah, I knew you were a good dad," Rose smiled.
"Rose, yes, I will be taking her, her mother's left it to me, she said it's time I took some responsibility and she was right," he admitted.
"Well, that's not until September, is it?" Rose giggled as she poked her tongue out slightly.
"Ah, well, the thing is Rose, she has exams soon and I'm trying to get a college to take her early, since she should have started last term," he admitted, hoping Rose wouldn't get up and run.
"Oh? Well yeah, stands to reason I suppose," Rose agreed. "So, where are you sending her? I mean is she ready to leave home?"
"Not exactly but she won't be on her own," Alec finally admitted, knowing he couldn't hold off much longer.
"You mean student accommodation or sharing?" Rose asked, wanting to get back to snogging him.
"Sharing, yes but she's not ready for that. She was so confident Rose, what happened destroyed her, it affected her badly so at least for now, I can't just abandon her and her mother's not interested in going with her so it's down to me."
There, he'd almost told her.
"So, well it won't be far, will it?" Rose asked.
"That's just it Rose. Finding somewhere willing to take her and I know a place that may just take her on, with some careful negotiations. Somewhere that knows me."
"Oh. Are you taking her back to Scotland?" Rose asked, her heart leaping.
"No, I'm taking her to Broadchurch Rose, I got my old job back and I know a lot of people there, even though the killer walked free but people will help me get her in the college there."
Rose pushed him away and scrambled into her dress and he just knew she was going to demand he took her home and he'd lost her before they'd even got started.
