Chapter 40
Chapter Forty
‘Peace, perfect peace.’
Kieran relished the silence. After a full-blown bout of histrionics from Lisa, he needed the tranquility of a quiet cottage. Even a damp, slightly whiffy one.
‘I did the right thing,’ he said to Prom, curled up at his feet in a semi-conscious coil. ‘We were never a good match, apart from in the bedroom.’
Prom stretched and gave him a look of mild distaste.
‘Sorry, bud. Too much information.’
Despite her teary objections, Kieran knew Lisa wouldn’t be single for long. Another Sven, perhaps. Or not.
‘Not my problem,’ he murmured, stroking Prom’s head.
To get things moving with his app, Kieran had booked a small function room at The Jekyll and Hyde for that evening.
Baby steps, but he needed feedback. Ed had happily agreed for a nominal fee, and with Jinnie, Angela and Alison’s help, he hoped for a decent turnout of fashion-savvy, eco-minded guinea pigs.
Just not too many, as the room wasn’t large.
The room, which wasn’t used much, had been kitted out for the event. Ed and Angela had dragged in a few mismatched tables, set out borrowed chairs from the beer garden, and scrawled ClosetAura Meetup – Free Tea a couple of nods. His shoulders loosened.
‘So yeah,’ he said, gesturing towards a sign-up sheet on the bar. ‘If you fancy being part of the first wave of closet revolutionaries, write down your name and email address. You’ll get early access, a say in shaping the app, and possibly a free coffee. Courtesy of Ed’s generosity, not mine.’
‘Oi!’ Ed called, laughing. ‘You’re paying for the biscuits, mate.’
Beth appeared in her chef’s jacket, hair loosely tied, a smudge of flour across one cheek. She must have come straight from the kitchen. For a second, he forgot what he was saying.
‘Cat got your tongue, lad?’ Wilma heckled, which earned some laughter.
Beth slipped into a chair and the room settled. Kieran wrapped up, relieved no one had fled or fallen asleep.
‘Thanks, Ed,’ he said, gathering his laptop and notes as people dispersed.
‘No worries, Kieran. It looks like a lot of people signed up. I did, and so did Angela. She’s forever moaning that I own forty shirts and wear the same three things on a loop.’
As the last people filed out, Beth wandered over. ‘ClosetAura, hmm?’ she said. ‘It sounds intriguing.’
‘I’m aiming for mega-successful, but I’ll take intriguing.’
They walked together into the pub’s low buzz. Alison, sitting with Janette, gave him a thumbs up.
‘You’re a dark horse,’ Beth said, nodding when Kieran offered to buy her a drink. ‘How come you never mentioned before that you’re starting a fashion revolution?’
Kieran shrugged. ‘Hey, it’s early days. More like a fashion … minor uprising.’
Beth laughed, the sound soft and warm against the buzz of the pub. ‘Well, consider me on board. Sign me up for your beta thingy. I want to see if it tells me to bin half my manky aprons.’
‘Deal. But please don’t roast me in the feedback form.’
‘No promises,’ she said, eyes glinting. ‘Depends how good your app is.’
They sat together quietly and sipped their drinks. Kieran felt he should mention Lisa – or rather, her overdue departure – but the time wasn’t right. Instead, he soaked up the pub atmosphere. And the feeling of rightness with Beth.
As if she sensed his thought, Beth stiffened. She gulped back the remains of her drink and stood up.
‘Do you have to go now?’ Kieran wanted her to stay. He wanted to spend hours with her, unravelling what made her tick. What made her happy or sad.
‘Sorry, the kitchen awaits. Night, Kieran. And for what it’s worth, you looked in your element there.’
‘I did?’
She smiled. ‘It suits you, if you’ll pardon the clothing pun.’ And she was gone.
Kieran finished his drink and wandered into the now-empty room. He looked around at the higgledy-piggledy chairs, the flickering fairy lights and the sign-up sheet, with Beth’s name scribbled halfway down.
He stood there, hands in his pockets, heart doing that annoying hopeful flutter. For the first time in a while, he didn’t just believe in the app.
He believed he might make this work, all of it. ClosetAura, Cranley, and whatever this was with Beth. Maybe, just maybe, his new beginning had materialised in a scruffy back room strung with fairy lights.