Page 49 of Pressure Head

“Maybe.”

I couldn’t seem to get my head around the idea.

I think my silence got to Phil. “Look, forget it, I said it was a daft—”

“No!” I blurted. “I mean, yeah, I’ll go out with you. Um. For dinner, you know. I’m not saying I want to be your boyfriend, because obviously . . .” My mouth still wasn’t working properly. Or my brain, come to that, so I shut the one and hoped the other would sort itself out PDQ.

Phil looked a bit shell-shocked. I wasn’t sure if it was down to my babbling, the fact he’d asked me out, or that I’d said yes. It was probably just as well we’d got to the Four Candles, as I had a nasty feeling if we talked any longer, we’d bugger it all up again.

“Right,” he said, as he parked the car next to my van. “Tomorrow all right?”

Probably didn’t want to give either of us too long to have second thoughts. “Yeah, that’s fine. Why don’t I come out to yours, for a change, and we can walk into town from there?”

“My place is a bit of a mess . . .”

“So? What am I, a domestic goddess? Have you got any pets?”

“What? No.” He sounded baffled.

“So you win over me on the cat-hair factor, at any rate.”

“Fine, fine. Just don’t expect much, all right? I’ve only just moved in. You still got the address?”

“Yes, Mum.”

“Call me that while we’re out and you’ll be paying for your own dinner.”

I’d thought I would be anyway. God, this really was going to be a date. Phil Morrison was Taking Me Out For Dinner. An embarrassing little shiver ran through me at the thought, as if I were still at school, lusting after him from afar. Bloody hell, I was going to have to watch myself. At this rate, I was going to start doodling little hearts on my invoices and puttingTomloves Philinside. I shook my head to clear it of the frightening image.

“Are you all right?” Phil asked.

“Yeah—fine. Um. See you around seven, seven thirty?”

He nodded. “Whenever you can get there.”

“Right. I’ll see you then, then.” I got out of the car, still not quite believing it. Me and Phil, going on a date.

I might even have something to tell Gary about, next time I saw him.