A Spanish Engagement Read Free

‘Pleased to meet you, Carrie.’
    The air stewardess came along to collect the trays, leaving them with just the bottle of wine between them.
    ‘So, you were telling me of your plans for Santos Wines,’ he prompted gently.
    He looked genuinely interested and Carrie found herself expanding on her ideas. ‘Well, it’s a family business and I thought we should work on that angle.’ She took out a rough childish drawing that Molly had scribbled on one of her business papers last week. ‘This gave me the idea, actually.’
    He took the drawing and studied it intently. It was of matchstick figures dancing through what looked like vines with a big yellow sun above their heads.
    ‘Very artistic.’ He grinned. ‘Is it all your own work?’
    She smiled. ‘My four-year-old niece did it last week. I wasn’t too happy at the time, but then I looked at it and thought…that’s it—it’s perfect. Santos Wines need to change their image and expand on the idea of the family, and at the same time make it young and trendy.’
    He was very easy to talk to and he asked very pertinent questions—questions she was sure the director of the company would ask when she went to meet with him tomorrow.
    It wasn’t until the seat-belt sign came on and the pilot told them they were preparing to land that she realised just how much talking she had done.
    ‘That time seemed to go very quickly…’ she murmured. ‘I hope I haven’t been boring you too much about my work.’
    ‘On the contrary, I’ve found it fascinating.’
    She wondered if he was being very polite. Nobody could really have been as genuinely interested in the subject of advertising wine as he seemed to be.
    The flight touched down smoothly and Carrie felt a pang of regret that she hadn’t found out much about him. He had been adroit at drawing her out but very reserved when it came to revealing things about himself, she realised.
    The seat-belt sign went out and as everyone stood up to collect their belongings she noticed how tall he was—well over six feet two.
    She glanced at her watch, trying to close her mind to him. He was just a passing stranger; they would probably never see each other again. What was more important was the time. She should just about make it to the school for Molly.
    ‘It’s been a very interesting flight. I’ve enjoyed your company,’ he said casually as she stood up and gathered her belongings.
    ‘Yes, me too…’
    He stood back and allowed her to precede him off the plane. Carrie noticed that the air stewardess only had eyes for him as they passed at the door.
    Curiously Carrie glanced back and noticed she had put a detaining hand on his shoulder and was saying something to him.
    Probably something along the lines of, Would you like to take my number? Carrie thought dryly.
    For a moment she was reminded forcibly of her ex-husband. He’d been like that; everywhere they had gone women had fallen over themselves to get his attention…it hadn’t even seemed to matter that she was with him.
    The memory made her keep on walking without looking back.
    The heat of the Spanish sun hit her as she stepped out of the aircraft and onto the steps. The sky was an amazingly clear azure blue, and the breeze that ruffled her hair was dry with dust from the arid ground that blew over the runways.
    It didn’t take long to clear Immigration; Carrie just held up her passport as she walked through into the modern airport. She had no luggage to collect so she went straight outside.
    Usually there were plenty of taxis waiting outside the terminal, but today there was only one. Hurriedly she made her way in its direction, only to notice that there was already a passenger in the back seat. He turned slightly as she approached and she noticed it was the man who had sat next to her on the plane. How on earth had he got out here so quickly? she wondered in surprise.
    He opened the door just as she was about to walk away. ‘You look like you’re in a