Chapter 30
Chapter Thirty
‘Really? Wow, that’s … that’s fantastic. Honestly, thank you so much. I’ll be in touch.’ Kieran hung up, punched the air, and shouted, ‘Get in!’
Prom hissed, flicked his tail in disgust, and stalked out.
‘Fine! No one likes a sore winner,’ Kieran called after him. ‘We could be dining on caviar soon, you ungrateful squatter.’
He dropped onto the sofa, grinning like an idiot.
Three potential investors. Three! It wasn’t a done deal, but ClosetAura was finally getting noticed, and with Alison recommending him for boutique website builds, there could even be cash flow again.
The kind that might pay for plastering, not just tinned beans.
Strolling past the pub earlier, after picking up milk and bread at Janette’s, Kieran had spotted a poster for an Open Mic Night.
All welcome! Join in the fun, whether you sing like an angel or crack jokes like Billy Connolly. Tickets ￡10. All proceeds go to Alzheimer’s Research.
‘Jeez, not another crazy night in store.’ Kieran wondered if Ed and Angela were being a bit OTT with events at the pub.
From what he could gather, they wanted to attract more people to dine at The Jekyll and Hyde.
He’d dodged the tombola, which, according to Janette, had been ‘as successful as a vegan night out at a steakhouse’.
Still, he couldn’t help wondering what Beth made of it all.
Why don’t you ask her?
Kieran froze. The voice was as clear as if someone had spoken beside him.
He glanced around. No one was there. Just Prom, glaring from the doorway.
‘Great,’ he muttered. ‘Now I’m hearing things. Or the cat’s psychic.’
Prom blinked, unimpressed.
‘You’re not fooling me,’ Kieran told him. ‘I’ve seen your breakdancing. Well, I did in some weird dream. That’s not normal cat behaviour.’
The beginning of another headache crept behind his eyes. He rubbed his temples. Maybe he did need to see a doctor. Or a priest.
He distracted himself by checking his phone. A message from Charlie, sent earlier, which he'd somehow missed.
Mate, I am exhausted! Twenty-two hours of labour, contractions you wouldn’t believe, and that gas and air is bloody useless.
Kidding. I’m a daddy again, ten days later than expected, and Heather is a complete legend.
Even when she squeezed my hand so tight I felt bones crack.
And I’m sure she didn’t mean it when she said we were never, ever having sex again.
Anyhoo, baby Ellie is a beauty. Jacob said she looked like a squished pink frog, but he’ll grow to love her.
Or bung her in the microwave. Sorry for long message. Hyper dad here Lol
Kieran grinned, typed a quick Congrats! then opened his laptop. Right. Baby gift shopping. How hard can it be?
Very hard, apparently. The internet offered everything from the cute to the unhinged: sleepsuits embroidered with Future Prime Minister, mugs reading I Survived My Parents’ Sleepless Nights, and a crocheted “first moustache”.
He finally settled on a buttercup-yellow outfit and paid extra for gift wrap. Then his fingers hovered above the keyboard. He could ask Beth for advice…
‘Bad idea,’ he muttered. He remembered how she’d frozen when Jinnie had offered her baby Dahlia. Maybe she wasn’t a baby person. Or maybe there was a story there. Something darker.
He pushed the thought away. Enough overthinking. He needed lunch, and the cupboard was bare.
‘Cost be damned,’ he said, grabbing his jacket. He ignored the traitorous flicker of excitement in his chest. Seeing Beth wasn’t the reason he was going to the pub. Not exactly.
Entering the pub, Kieran spotted a few familiar faces. Wilma and Jinnie, with baby Dahlia sitting on Jinnie’s lap. Jo and her husband Harvey, chuckling in a corner as they looked at something on a phone.
‘Hi, Kieran.’ Angela gave a table a quick wipe and pointed at the menu board. ‘Beth’s trying out a few new recipes based on customer feedback. Taking everyday ingredients and giving them a unique twist.’
‘Hmm. Fiendish fish fingers with linguine and red onion relish. Malevolent meatballs on a bed of buttery mash.’ Kieran grinned at Angela. ‘Still going for the quirky names?’
Angela shrugged. ‘There’s no harm in it, and we’ve had a couple of lovely online reviews praising both the food and the naming thing.’
Kieran ordered the fish fingers and a soda water and lime. As he waited, Sam Addin came in and joined Jinnie and Wilma. Seconds later, Harvey kissed Jo on the cheek and left – then she joined Jinnie, Wilma and Sam.
Kieran fiddled with a beer mat, suddenly on edge. Was it his imagination, or did they keep giving him furtive glances?
‘Here you go.’ Angela handed him his drink. ‘Beth is doing fiendish things with the fish fingers. Won’t be long.’
Kieran watched as a group of people arrived, conspicuous in baseball caps and brightly coloured shorts and T-shirts. They commented loudly on the pub décor in southern American drawls.
‘Howdy!’ bellowed the tallest of them, a man in his late sixties with close-cropped grey hair, his voice like a foghorn over the quiet clink of glasses. ‘Do y’all serve iced tea?’
A moment of silence, then Wilma called out, ‘Aye, son, we’ve got tea. Comes hot, like it should.’
The tourists shuffled in, stamping their hiking boots and grinning as if they’d stumbled onto a film set. A blonde woman, all bounciness and enthusiasm, leaned over the bar. ‘This place is adorable! What’s it called again? Hyde and … how d’you say it?’
‘The Jekyll and Hyde,’ said Ed, wiping a glass. ‘Named after a book. Perhaps you’ve heard of it?’
‘Oh, sure,’ drawled one of the men, adjusting his baseball cap. ‘That’s the one where the guy turns into a werewolf, right?’
A groan rippled around the pub. Kieran coughed into his hand. As he did, Beth appeared with a wry smile on her face.
‘Close enough,’ said Ed. ‘What’ll it be?’
‘Well, we were hopin’ for some good ol’ Scotch whisky,’ the tall man said, slapping the counter. ‘We’ve been in Edinburgh three days, saw the castle, that big ol’ hill – Arthur’s something – and this morning the GPS kinda took us, well, off the beaten track.’
Laughter rippled through the locals.
Ed poured them generous drams and slid them across the bar. ‘Welcome to Cranley,’ he said. ‘And if you’re hungry, our wonderful chef’ – he gestured to Beth – ‘makes the finest food in these parts.’
Beth gave a little curtsy, which made the blonde woman squeal with delight. ‘This place is simply darling!’ she declared, before Angela guided them to a table and dished out menus.
‘Enjoying your fiendish fish fingers?’ Beth said, sitting down opposite Kieran.
‘I can say with all confidence they’re a million times better than the budget ones from Janette’s shop.’ Kieran scooped up another mouthful, having never imagined that the combination of fish fingers and pasta would pass his lips.
‘Are you coming to the Open Mic Night?’ Beth’s nose wrinkled as she spoke.
‘Will I be in your bad books if I don’t?’
Beth laughed. ‘How do you know you’re in my good books?’
Kieran adopted a thinker’s pose, chin resting on his fist. ‘Why wouldn’t I be?’
Beth’s demeanour changed as her gaze alighted on Jinnie, Wilma and co. A tensing of her jaw, a widening of her eyes. Something seemed to pass between them, but what?
‘Beth, are you OK?’ Kieran’s heart beat a little faster.
The raucous laughter of the American group broke the spell. Beth looked at Kieran. ‘I’m fine. It’s … nothing. Ignore me. To repeat my question, are you coming to another fun-filled evening of madness at The Jekyll and Hyde?’
‘Only if you promise to sing. Can you sing?’
The Americans were now indulging in some singing themselves – a tuneless rendition of ‘Jolene’ which no amount of whisky could enhance.
Beth stuck her fingers in her ears, then extracted them. ‘Marginally better than the Dolly Parton fan club over there, but I’ve no intention of warbling unless it’s in the privacy of the shower. You?’
Kieran wasn’t about to admit he’d been in both the church and school choir as a child. ‘I can hold a note, but that’s about it. Maybe you can channel your inner comedian, then. Draw on your life experience to have them rolling in the aisles.’
To his dismay, Beth got up to leave. ‘Oh, Kieran.’ Her face was a mix of sadness and amusement. ‘You have no idea how much comic material there is inside me.’