Someone's Someone

Someone's Someone - Chapter Twenty Seven

Henna....

"It's so very lovely to meet you, Henna...your dad has told me so much about you."

Taking the softest hand I think I have ever felt, I am finally face to face with the reason why my father had a full-on stressy in the kitchen and has already downed two large glasses of red wine just before her very immaculate arrival. "And you, too." I amiably reply to Rita. As our hands begin to separate, we then begin to quietly check each other out—I'm looking at her mauve matt lipstick, she's looking at my shimmery candy floss lipgloss, I am eyeing her bob length greying blonde hair, and she's taking in my mass of conditioned golden curls—it's what we women do.

"Let me take your coat?" Dad is being unusually gentlemanly, and it makes me smile. "Grab Rita a drink, will you, Hen?"

"What would you like, Rita?" Now free of her coat, I can see all of her mature sophistication with what she is wearing. In tapered dark blue trousers and a lilac silk blouse, Rita has this whole Helen Mirren look thing going on.

"Oh, I'll have a little vodka and tonic, if you have it?"

Rita is a vodka drinking, Helen Mirren lookalike, with a slight Bristolian twang—I already like her! "Sure." Is my grin-worthy answer. Just as I'm making us both a little voddy, Danny comes into the room.

As soon as Rita sees him, she is quick to politely acknowledge him. "And you must be Danny?" She's striding across the lounge, her hand all ready to shake his.

Danny smiles. "And you must be Rita?"

"The one and only." She chuckles, being so warm and so natural with him. "Martin has told me all about you, too...how are you feeling now?" Her enquiry is one that's of harmless curiosity.

So Danny smiles more, not hesitating to answer Rita. "Much better, thank you."

The smile that Rita returns, is one so wide and so full of acceptance. "I'm pleased to hear that, Danny. My sisters son-in-law sadly ended up homeless after his divorce. He lived rough for nearly three years, before meeting my niece at the Citizens Advice Bureau. She used to volunteer there once a week, and she was helping Josh with a benefit query. They ended up dating, then married. Myself and Josh have had many conversations about homelessness, so I know how hard it actually is...but you will get through this."

Danny still has Rita's hand in his. With a grateful smile, he clasps his other one firmly over hers. "Thank you, that means a lot." He quietly says.

"My pleasure." She graciously nods, ready to take the vodka that I've just made for her. "Oooooo, is that mine? This old gal is thirsty." She then takes a little sip, her blue eyes all twinkly in my dad's direction.

Yup, I like Rita a lot!

**

To allow my dad to fully enjoy the evening with Rita, Danny has sweetly told him to do just that. He is now very much at the helm of this dinner, and I'm impressed. He seems to be enjoying overseeing all that we're about to eat, whilst politely dipping in and out on us in the lounge. I think this is Danny's way of thanking my father for allowing him to stay in his house, and I also think he is trying not to intrude too much on the first coming together of myself and Rita...which again, is a totally sweet gesture on his behalf.

Not only is he being amazing. He looks amazing. In fact, with his trimmed hair and beard, and his new found confidence, Danny Oneal is beginning to look positively perfect to me. And I'm not ashamed to admit, I am increasingly feeling attracted to him. I even tried out just a little bit of my Henna Nolan flirtation in the kitchen on him earlier, to which I think Danny completely failed to notice. But then again, I am pretty pants at flirting. Fi always tells me that I'm far better at doing it, when I've had a few drinks first to loosen me up. So, I plan on having quite a few more drinks, to enjoy the delicious smelling food, enjoy seeing my dear dad going all ga-ga over Rita, and to most definitely enjoy spending the rest of the evening with Danny.