Vanessa agonised over what to wear. She had a beautiful floaty dress that she hadn’t worn since she’d arrived in Barcelona. But would that be too dressy? She put it on and examined herself in the tiny mirror in her apartment. She loved the way the line accentuated her curves and echoed the wave in her dark hair. She wasn’t sure where Joey was taking her, but once she’d put on her makeup, she decided she didn’t care. She felt beautiful, and she wanted Joey to see her that way.
There was a knock on the door. Vanessa suddenly felt nervous. She hoped she was worthy of Joey’s attentions. Carmen’s words about being careful echoed in her head. She took a deep breath and let Joey in.
“Hi.” Joey gave her a shy smile. Vanessa gazed at Joey’s linen shirt and trouser combo, her mouth falling slightly open. Joey had done her hair differently, and it framed her face beautifully. “You ok?” Joey looked concerned. “We don’t have to go out.”
Vanessa laughed. “No, sorry. I just, I was feeling a bit, um, nervous.” She put her hands behind her back and shook her head. “And you look so good.” She flushed.
Joey grinned, looking Vanessa up and down, her blue eyes glowing. “You look beautiful.” She shoved her hands into her pockets. “And I’m more nervous than you can possibly imagine.”
“Well,” said Vanessa, gathering herself, “let’s make a deal. There’s no point in us both feeling nervous. We can cancel each other out, relax and enjoy ourselves.”
Joey laughed. “Good plan.”
It wasn’t long before they were sitting at a small table in a dark tapas restaurant. Unprepossessing from the outside, it was all soft lighting and friendly smiles inside.
“This is my favourite place for dinner,” said Joey, her eyes sparkling.
“Ooh,” said Vanessa, her heart full. “I feel honoured. What do you recommend to eat?”
Joey smiled and then ushered the waiter over. He seemed to know her, welcoming her warmly and speaking quickly to her in Spanish. Vanessa was always impressed with Joey’s bilingual skills, and somehow today she seemed even more accomplished. “Do you mind if I order for both of us?” Joey looked at Vanessa, breaking into English for her benefit.
“Please do,” said Vanessa. “I have no doubt you have excellent taste in dishes.”
Joey turned back to the waiter and reeled off a list of different dishes. Vanessa was able to pick out some of the vocabulary, but many of the words were unfamiliar. She made do with smiling at the waiter as he scribbled on his tiny pad of paper.
“I’ve ordered you some wine. I hope that’s ok,” said Joey.
“Of course. I hope you’ve ordered something good to drink, too.” Vanessa looked across at the other woman, who seemed in her element in this place.
“Home-made iced tea. It’s a speciality of theirs,” said Joey.
“Well you’ll have to give me a taste of that,” said Vanessa. “Can’t have you keeping it all to yourself.” She couldn’t help the flirtatious tone in her voice.
Joey chuckled and went bright red. There was something adorable about how much thought Joey had put into this evening, and how shy she was.
The meal was exquisite. The waiter brought them ten or eleven different dishes, each one delicious in its own way. There were flavour combinations Vanessa had never experienced, and she asked Joey hundreds of questions about which ingredients were used. Joey, in turn, was knowledgeable and delighted to tell her about the way in which each dish had been prepared.
The evening flowed, and Vanessa found herself wrapped up in the small world they had created between them. She admired the silver rings that adorned Joey’s fingers. She never wore jewellery at the bakery, of course, so Vanessa was seeing a new side to her. She listened as Joey told her about the first time she’d come to Barcelona, all alone. She described taking a job washing up and cleaning at the bakery with Carmen, and how the older woman had taken her under her wing.
“I was incredibly lucky to meet her,” admitted Joey, rubbing her chin with her hand. “It was a big risk just leaving the UK. And my Spanish was pretty rudimentary.”
“Better than mine, I’m sure,” said Vanessa.
“Yours is coming along,” Joey reassured her. “But Carmen was patient with me. She unlocked a passion in me for baking and Spanish culture, and she taught me everything I needed to get to where I am now. I owe her everything.”
“She loves you.” Vanessa’s voice was quiet. “It’s clear to see, in the way she looks at you.”
“Ha.” Joey rolled her eyes. “I’m a pain in her arse. But she’s fond of me, I suppose, yeah.”
“She loves you,” reiterated Vanessa. “And I can see why.”
Chapter Thirty-Four
JOEY
Joey and Vanessa walked slowly back towards their apartments. Joey felt warm and safe, and cared for in a way she didn’t remember ever feeling with a woman on a date before. There was something intoxicating about it, and she could feel a buzz even though she hadn’t drunk a drop of alcohol.
Vanessa looked utterly stunning in that dress. The way it clung to her body made Joey’s mind wander into what it might be like to see her without it.