The Fall Guy

Surely Caitlin’s boyfriend had nothing to do with all the drama going on at the jeweller’s...

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C aitlin looked at the salade niçoise in front of her and decided to start without him. She speared a black olive viciously, then took a deep breath.

Perhaps Guy had been held up in the traffic. There had been several wailing sirens quite close by. Maybe she was being unfair.

But surely he could have rung her? She got out her phone and scrolled down to his number. No reply.

She sipped her mineral water slowly.

Maybe this was fifth-date syndrome? He'd always been very punctual - made a point of it, in fact. Maybe he thought he didn't need to impress her any more.

Which would be a shame - he'd been very impressive up until now. She'd got to the dangerous stage of having romantic little daydreams about him.

A couple of middle-aged women passed her table, and she caught snatches of their conversation.

"Took forever to get here... some sort of kerfuffle going on outside that jewellery shop. Jennings, is it?" "Jeffreys," the other supplied. "There was a man in handcuffs as I went past." The women drifted to a far table.

So maybe that was it. He'd been held up. But those women had managed to get here. Caitlin could feel her irritation rising again.

At first Caitlin had been going to glance at her watch and raise a playful eyebrow at Guy as he arrived. Then, as impatience took over, she decided to order. The service here was slow.

He would rush in, apologising.

"Let's order," he'd say. "You must be starving." And she would retort that she already had, thank you.

Now, however, the food had arrived.

And he had not.

Despite her crossness at being stood up, something was still niggling her.

He'd been so insistent that she should come and celebrate his recent promotion. He'd been made a partner in his law firm at an unusually young age, and he was over the moon about it.