The restaurant was decorated in warm, earthy tones, with low-level up-lighting against the walls and candles adorning each table, giving the room a cosy, intimate atmosphere. Grace smiled as they took their seats and Boyd ordered a bottle of red wine. She raised her eyebrows at him as the waiter retreated from the table.
"We drinking, then?" She asked.
He shrugged as he removed his suit jacket. "Thought we might."
Grace's sapphire eyes were shining. "I see. This is a clever ploy to get me over the limit so I can't drive home and have to spend the whole night in the office."
He grinned. "And I thought I was being subtle."
"Subtlety was never your strong point, Boyd."
"Does that mean I have some, then?"
"What?"
"Strong points."
Grace smiled coyly and glanced down at the wine glass whose stem she was fingering, as the waiter arrived to pour the ruby liquid. She lifted her glass and touched it to her companion's.
"Cheers." She said, amusement shining in her eyes.
Boyd shook his head. "Very smooth, Grace."
Grace gave an innocent shrug. "What?"
"Avoiding answering my question."
"I would never do that, Boyd."
"Well, all right, side-stepping it, then."
She smiled and leant against her hand, her head on one side. "You don't really want me to answer it, do you?"
He blinked, the candle light softly reflecting in his dark eyes. "Would I like the answer, Grace?"
"Well, it depends how honest I feel like being, doesn't it."
He raised his eyebrows. "Meaning you aren't always honest with me?"
She shrugged. "Woman's prerogative."
"Ah."
Grace laughed and held up her palms, the universal gesture of surrender. "Okay. Your strong points."
"I'm listening."
"Well, let's see...you're dedicated, committed to your work, loyal..."
He groaned. "You sound like you're describing a dog."
Grace gave him a mischievous grin and sipped her drink. "It's a point of view."
"Grace!"
She laughed. "Look, you've got plenty of strong points and you know full well what they are. You don't need me to spell them out for you."
"Well, maybe I do from time to time."
She looked at him, suddenly serious. "Not by me, Boyd."
He sighed and took a long draw from his glass, letting the silence between them elongate before speaking again. "Grace..."
She held up her hands towards him. "Let's not go there, Boyd. We've both moved on in the last six months, we don't need to hash over old ground again."
He paused again, studying her face as she looked at him, her expressive eyes, the candle light flickering across her skin. God, did I really hurt you that badly?... "All right." He said softly.
Grace smiled resolutely, despite the sudden ache across her chest. "Good. Let's look at the menu, then, shall we?"
They sat in silence for a few moments then as they studied their menus and gave their choices to the waiter. Boyd poured more wine into Grace's glass and then into his own.
"So," She opened, after taking a sip from her drink. "Did you want to talk about the case?"
He gave her a lopsided smile and shook his silver head slowly. Grace's jaw dropped open in surprise. "All right, who are you and what have you done with Peter Boyd?"
He laughed loudly. "I can take an evening off occasionally, you know."
"What, safe in the knowledge you're going back to the office afterwards?"
"Got it in one."
Grace tutted and shook her head. "I give up on you, you know."
"Oh, don't. Besides, you were the one who wanted to talk about work, remember?"
She shrugged. "I was just pre-empting you bringing it up first."
He groaned. "Am I really that predictable, Grace?"
She gave another shrug, tucking a strand of dark blond hair behind her ear and leaning once more against her hand. "Well, sometimes. Most of the time you keep me on my toes, though. Even after all these years." Good God, am I flirting
"Glad to hear it. I'd hate to think I'd become boring."
"You may be many things, Boyd, but I don't think anyone could ever describe you as boring."
"Well, thanks, Grace. I think I'll take that as a compliment."
She smiled as he emptied the remaining contents of the wine bottle into their glasses and signalled to the waiter for another as he brought steaming bowls of pasta to their table. They ate in companionable quiet for several minutes, pausing only to sip their wine. Grace could feel its pleasant effects in her bloodstream and she knew her face was flushed. Boyd's dark eyes, she noted with satisfaction, were also becoming slightly unfocussed.
"So, come on, Grace." He said eventually, swallowing a mouthful of food. "We haven't done this for a long time, what's the gossip your end?"
Grace laughed in surprise. "Gossip?"
"Yeah. I'm not above gossiping."
"Since when?"
"Since always."
"What kind of gossip you after?"
He shrugged, his dark eyes twinkling. "What you got?"
Grace balanced her fork on the side of her bowl and leant her chin against interlaced fingers, her elbows resting on the table top. "Well, let me see...Frankie's got a new man on the go..."
"Is it serious?"
"Yeah, seems to be."
"D'you see her a lot then, Frankie?"
"Yeah, at least one a month, for coffee or dinner." She paused, her eyes flickering over his face. "You never really kept in touch, did you, you and Frankie?"
He sighed and shook his head. "No. Not really."
"Why not?"
He paused and when he spoke again his voice was barely a whisper. "I think she blamed me a little bit. For Mel."
Grace felt her heart constrict at his words and instinctively, she reached across the table and took his hand in hers, rubbing soothing circles across his skin with her thumb. "That's not true, Peter. Not for Frankie and not for any of us."
He squeezed her fingers, absorbing her warmth, enjoying their uncharacteristic physical connection. "Thanks, Grace. I appreciate that."
She smiled, the all too familiar fluttering in her chest resurfacing as she felt herself become momentarily lost in the obsidian pools of his eyes. She let her hand remain in his a fraction longer before returning it to her lap.
He smiled widely, attempting to lighten the mood once more. Grace noticed that it hadn't quite reached his eyes. "What about you, then?"
She raised an eyebrow. "What about me?"
"Gossip. That was what we were talking about, remember, before it all got a bit maudlin, there."
"Changing the subject, Boyd. Classic defence mechanism."
He grinned. "Do you not want to tell me, Grace?"
"Tell you what?"
"Whatever it is you're not telling me."
She shook her head, smiling. "You're fishing, Boyd."
His grin broadened. "Too bloody right, I am."
"There's nothing to tell. Really. Apart from my kids, my life outside of work is duller than anyone's."
"Oh, I don't believe that for a second, Grace."
She held his gaze for several moments before laughing and holding her hands up in defeat. "All right! There was...someone a couple of months back."
"I knew it."
"How did you know?"
"I notice more than you think, you know. Those little signs women give out when they're getting..."
Grace's eyebrows shot up. "Boyd! It wasn't like that!"
"Well, come on, then, what was it like?"
"It was a couple of dates, that's all. Nothing more than that."
"Why not?"
Grace's expression was of one of puzzlement. "What's it to you, anyway?"
He held up his hands, grinning. "Nothing. Just showing an interest, that's all."
She paused to sip her drink, trying to gauge his sincerity. "Well, if you must know, I was completely set up by my daughter. He's the father of one of her friends."
Boyd smiled. "Did she miss the mark, then?"
"Oh, not really. Paul's a nice enough bloke...we just didn't really have anything in common."
Boyd drained his glass before speaking again. "So, that's it, Grace? That's the extent of your gossip?"
She shrugged. "I told you I had a boring life, Boyd."
"Well, that makes two of us, then."
Grace opened her mouth to reply, aware that surprise had registered across her features at his statement but Boyd cut across her before she could respond. "So...is Spencer sleeping with Stella now, or what?"
She laughed. "You're full of it tonight, aren't you?"
"Innocent question, Grace."
"Loaded question, Boyd."
"So, what's the answer, then?"
She raised an eyebrow. "The honest answer is, I don't know."
"But you suspect?"
"I don't know, Boyd."
Boyd's eyes were shining cheekily. "They fancy each other, though, right?"
"Yeah, I think that's a fair assumption."
He tutted. "Fraternisation in the work place, eh?"
"I don't think fancying each other constitutes fraternisation, do you?"
"Depends what they're doing about it, doesn't it."
She laughed. "Well, so long as they're not...fraternising on their desk tops..."
He rolled his eyes. "Grace."
"I don't see the problem, Boyd. They're always professional in the office, that's the main thing."
"Yeah, that's true." He conceded gruffly.
"So, that's that piece of gossip quashed as well, then."
He pulled a face. "You're no fun."
She grinned. "Told you."
Boyd returned her smile before emptying the remaining drops of wine into their glasses. "Listen, Grace, d'you want to head back to the office for coffee when we've finished up here?"
Grace gave him a crooked smile. "This another attempt at softening me up so I work late?"
"Yeah, what do you think the caffeine's for? I don't offer it to just anyone, you know."
"Well, in that case, I consider myself privileged."
"Is that a yes, then?"
She laughed. "Yes, Boyd."
"Great."
They both drained their glasses before Boyd signalled to the waiter for the bill. Grace felt the full effects of the consumed alcohol hit her as she stood up and she was aware she was swaying slightly on her feet. She stifled a surprised gasp as she felt Boyd's steadying hands on her waist, warm through the layers of her clothes.
"You all right?" He murmured quietly.
She turned her head to acknowledge his concern, feeling the breath leave her body as she registered his nearness and the presence of his hands against her. "Fine." She said. "It's just been a while since I drank a whole bottle of wine to myself."
He smiled. "You're losing it, Grace. I thought you could drink me under the table."
"I'm just out of practice, that's all."
"Well, I'll just have to take you out again then, won't I. Get you back in the swing of it."
Grace let his statement settle in her consciousness and tried not to let the shock show on her face as they slipped into their coats and out into the night.
