‘They deserve it,’ I manage. I hate the way he’s looking at me– like I’ve disappointed him. I force my brain to replay the image of him groping Amy in the bandstand to counteract the churn in my stomach, but that only makes it churn more.
‘Ok,’ he says eventually. His tone gives nothing away. That could either beok, that sounds great, orok, let’s see if you still have a job when you come back to the office.
‘Ok?’
He smiles, and it cuts right through me. ‘I look forward to seeing it in my inbox by close of play on Tuesday.’
Relief pulls a breath out of me. ‘Great,’ I say. ‘No problem.’
Then Peggy appears at my side, a showstopping smile on her face as she addresses me. ‘Sorry to interrupt,’ she says, in such a way that it’s obvious she’s not sorry in the slightest. ‘But we should nip to the toilet now, my lovely, before the band comes on.’ She winks at me. ‘You won’t want to miss a second of that.’
She’s giving me an out, and I know it. There’s a good chance Jon knows it too– she’s not exactly subtle– but I take it anyway, whispering my thanks to her as we scurry away.
By the time we get back to the group, Jon is nowhere to be seen.
‘I hope you weren’t rude to him,’ I say. ‘He’s my boss.’
‘Oh, no.’ Wladek smiles as he adjusts his cape on his shoulders. ‘We were very friendly.’
‘Nigel was, perhaps, a littleoverfriendly,’ Sean adds, with a twinkle in his eye.
Nigel just shrugs, feigned innocence on his face. ‘It’s just that I’ve found that the quickest way to get rid of undesirables like that is either to tell them about a potentially embarrassing medical problem you have, or to flat-out flirt with them.’
I snort a laugh. He looks very proud of himself, his narrow chest puffing out behind the jet-black waistcoat he’s wearing. It makes the criss-cross of chains on it twinkle in the coloured spotlights.
‘And you did…?’ I’m almost afraid to know the answer.
‘Both,’ he replies, his smile stretching so wide that his eyes disappear behind it. ‘I did both.’
I’m still laughing when I hear that familiar rasp, and it makes me snap to attention immediately.
‘All right, Whitby, have we got a treat for you tonight!’
One of the men assembled behind Bram plays a single note on his guitar, and the sound rings out through the room, drawing whoops and cheers from the audience. ‘Put your hands together for our favourite tribute band, Dawn is Dark!’
The roar in my chest mirrors the roar of the crowd, growing and building until it’s a heartbeat I can feel in my ears. As I look to the stage, those green eyes are looking right back at me, and I catch the tiniest curl of a smile before he hops off the stage and the band explode into their first song.
And that’s when I know I’m a goner.
Chapter Twenty-Four
BRAM
I’m not a saint. I’ve tried a fair few things in my time. I’ve been so drunk I’ve forgotten my own name, tripped absolute balls on what Quinn swore blind was just a regular joint, even jumped out of a plane once. But nothing, no single thing, has ever come close to the pure high I got from performing.
At least, nothing ever had, until the moment I stood on the stage in the bar I own, looking up to see my girl right there in the audience, eyes locked on me.
The thought slips out a little too easily,my girl. It should make me panic a little, but it doesn’t. It feels right. Comfortable. Like it was always supposed to happen. And yes, I know how that sounds, but it’s true.
I waste exactly zero seconds hopping off the stage and weaving my way through the crowd to get to her. It’s busy in here this evening, a buzz to the place so intense that I wonder if they know what I have planned, though we’ve kept it so secret that I’m not sure how that could be true. The idea of what’s coming sends a thrill right through me, which only intensifies as I reachthe group of familiar faces. One in particular stands out– an oasis of colour against the comforting hum of darkness.
It’s too loud for small talk, but I accept their greetings with a smile, warm handshakes and pats on the shoulder, a kiss on the cheek from Peggy. I mouthwe’ll talk laterat her, and she replies with a knowing grin. Then I reach for Lucy’s hand and tug her away from the group.
We don’t go far. There’s a little alcove behind the bar, just on the way to the stockroom. It’s close enough that we can still see the whole room, but set back enough that the light is dimmer and we’re not on show.
I wrap an arm around her and pull her into me, and I feel her smile against my chest as I do.
‘I missed you today,’ I say against her ear, and I feel the shiver that runs through her. It should feel like too much considering how long we’ve known each other, but it doesn’t. It feels natural.