34. Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Four
May couldn’t help but notice how quiet Cillian had been since they had arrived at the Plymouth pub. There was something going on with him he wasn’t prepared to share, and he’d barely spoken two words to her all night. She wished she didn’t mind as much as she did.
‘It must be good having your girlfriend around,’ said Luke, laying down a round of drinks on the table.
‘Yeah, great,’ muttered Cillian, and May couldn’t tell if his voice was muffled by his mood or the stupid fake beard he was wearing.
‘She didn’t fancy coming tonight?’ asked May. ‘I thought a dingy pub and local cover band would have been right up Kia Critchlow’s street.’ She avoided Cillian’s eyes as he studied her, having done nothing to hide the sarcasm in her voice.
‘She was worried about being recognised,’ said Cillian.
‘Of course she was.’ May rolled her eyes. If Cillian was going to be a fun straw, she certainly wasn’t going to bother pandering to his feelings.
‘I’m excited to hear this band.’ Nick valiantly steered the conversation back on track, trying to lift the mood.
‘If they’re as good as they were at the wedding fair,’ said May, ‘then we’re in for a treat. They only play covers, but they’re so talented, and covers is what people want at a wedding reception, right?’
‘Exactly.’ Luke nodded. ‘People flock to a dance floor when they hear something they recognise.’
‘It was impossible not to dance when we heard them.’ May’s cheeks warmed as she realised she’d revealed too much. She caught Cillian’s eye. Something flicked across his face. Fondness? Regret? He gave her a small smile, and despite herself, May’s heart fluttered.
Further conversation was hampered by the noisy chatter around them. There was nothing special about the pub, with its old-fashioned swirly carpet and reproduction prints on the walls, so it had to be the band which had drawn so many people in.
‘Have you checked the band is free on the date of the wedding?’ shouted Luke over the noise of the crowd. ‘It would be a shame to like them only to find out they’re unavailable.’
‘What do you take me for?’ May shook her head. ‘Of course I’ve checked. I emailed them the day after the wedding fair. I haven’t committed you to anything. They’re holding the date until we confirm or otherwise tonight.’
‘She’s not just a pretty face.’ Cillian smiled. ‘I wouldn’t have been so organised.’
Nick laughed. ‘Mate, you’re talking about a Cambridge graduate. Of course she’s more than a pretty face.’
May observed Cillian’s cheeks flush with some satisfaction, followed closely by a sinking feeling as she realised how far from the truth Nick’s words were.
At some stage, she needed to come clean.
Not until after the wedding, because why upset Alice unnecessarily?
The excuse was a relief, a brief reprieve from the hangman’s noose.
The band walked onto a makeshift stage area to cheers from the assembled crowd. They acknowledged their fans with nods and struck up the opening bars of “Go Your Own Way”.
Nick jumped to his feet, holding a hand out to May. ‘We have to dance to this,’ he said.
‘I don’t need asking twice.’ May turned to Luke. ‘Are you coming?’
Luke squirmed. ‘I’m really not much of a dancer.’
‘Then you’d better get some practice in,’ said Cillian. ‘Come on, I’m in if you are.’
‘Says the famous pop star who’s probably had years of dance lessons,’ said Luke, shaking his head and slowly getting to his feet.
Cillian stared at Luke. ‘I’ll have you know, the only dance lessons I’ve had are in Irish dancing.
’ With a straight face, he kicked his legs out in front of him and began hammering his heels on the sticky floor in sharp, rapid-fire taps, his arms pinned stiffly at his sides like a soldier on parade.
The table shook, glasses rattled, and a couple at the bar twisted around to watch as if he’d suddenly become tonight’s entertainment.
Luke and Nick fell about laughing, and May couldn’t keep the smile off her face as people around them tried to give Cillian a wide berth.
‘I’m not sure you’re doing a good job of keeping a low profile,’ she said when his impromptu performance ended. When she leaned over to stick down the corner of his fake beard that had slipped, he looked her straight in the eye. Her stomach flipped.
‘Right, enough of this silliness,’ said Nick once his laughter was under control. ‘Let’s hit the dance floor.’
On their way across the pub, they stopped at the bar for another round of drinks.
May was pleased to see the lighter side of Cillian.
Whatever had bothered him seemed to have been forgotten temporarily, and she was grateful, for the sake of Nick and Luke if nothing else.
Whatever personal dramas they each had going on, it was important they remember the reason they were there.
The wedding was going to be the best Saffron Bay had ever seen.
They’d been entrusted with the biggest day of their siblings’ lives, and whatever happened, it was important they didn’t lose sight of that.