Chapter 15
The Answer is No
Holly had been monumentally wrong. Her next date could be, and was worse.
When Brian arrived at the pub for her August date, wearing what could only be described as an Elvis outfit, it was Luke who spotted him first.
‘Oh my God. Holly, please tell me he is your date?’ her brother had managed to say between bouts of laughter.
Luke was helping out behind the bar today as Lucy was having a rare day off.
Holly had secretly been enjoying having him around today.
It brought back memories of how her dad had been behind the bar.
There were similarities between her brother and her late father, but Holly often didn’t spot them.
But when he was pulling a pint, if you looked quickly, it could be a young Mike Loxley standing there instead of her brother.
It was nice having her brother behind the bar, but right now though, she really wished Luke was not witnessing this.
He was never going to let her live this down.
‘I know you’re very fond of your girlfriend, Luke, but I might have to kill her.’
‘Kill me? What have I done–’ she stopped mid sentence as she joined them, and caught sight of Brian.
‘Oh. Right,’ she dragged out the words and unlike her brother, Rose had the good graces not to even smile at the sight before her. ‘Holly, I didn’t know. He said on his Tinder profile he’s a musician, but I assumed…’ she trailed off, not even bothering to try and finish defending herself.
‘You just assumed? After Shaun and the life modeling art class, you thought it was safe to assume?’ Holly hissed out, as Luke made a beeline for her date before she could stop him.
She’d had the cast removed today, and even though she was now quicker on her feet, she still couldn’t weight bear yet.
Using her crutches slowed her down enough for Luke to take advantage of this.
‘Hi, Brian is it? I’m Luke, Holly’s brother. So nice to meet you.’
‘Uh-huh, that’s me. I have to confess, I’m feeling a bit nervous. You might say I’m kind of shook up.’
Luke’s eyes brightened at the pun, his grin nearly splitting his face.
‘If I didn’t love you like a sister, Rose Brayling, I’d hate you right now,’ Holly said, resting on the bar so she could put her face in her hands.
Luke, who had excused himself from Brian, was now pissing himself with laughter from the closed kitchen - Holly hadn’t found a replacement for Seb, so the temporary Kitchen Closed sign, had become a more permanent fixture.
Holly hobbled slowly over to Brian. Although she’d hated the cast, with a passion, part of her wanted it back now as an excuse to slow her down so she’d have less time to spend with an Elvis impersonator. She didn’t even like the real Elvis.
‘Hi, Brian. I’m Holly.’ She rested one elbow on the bar where he’d had chosen to sit, and offered a hand in greeting.
‘Hi, Holly - looking lovely,’ he shook her hand enthusiastically.
Holly cringed, she couldn’t stop it. ‘Do you always dress like Elvis?’
Her words affected him in a similar way she imagined a puppy looked when you took away their favourite toy, but she was tired so drove the point home. ‘I get you like him, but could we have an Elvis free evening?’
‘Oh. OK. Yeah, of course,’ he pursed his lips together and for an awful moment, Holly thought he was going to start crying. But when a second or two ticked by, and no tears came, she relaxed.
‘I saved us a table by the window. What would you like to drink?’ she asked.
‘Half a bitter shandy, please,’ he replied, a little less enthusiastically.
*
Holly made her way to the other end of the bar in search of her brother.
But he was nowhere to be seen, and neither was Rose.
Which could only mean one thing. She loved that they’d been helping her out at the pub, but she was finding their level of affection annoying.
As the realisation sunk in, she breathed a little heavier.
She didn’t like the version of herself she could so easily slip into these days.
She always teased Luke and Rose, but that’s all it had been - teasing.
The emotion that had swept through her just now felt scarily like resentment.
And it was something she would not feel in relation to her brother.
Six years ago, when Luke’s wife, Hannah, had died trying to rescue their dog from the sea, it was as if she had lost her brother too.
He and Hannah had been perfect for each other.
Without her, Luke was lost. He’d focussed all his attention on the cars in his garage and had more in common with machines than people.
Natalie’s birth had thrown him a lifeline.
The role of uncle had brought a fraction of her brother back.
And when they’d lost their parents the following year, Luke - all too familiar with grief by then - had stepped up and been there for Holly in more ways than she could count.
But it was only Natalie who got to see his light.
When he’d finally let Rose in, it was the beginning of a new chapter for him.
One he deserved more than anyone. He was laughing again, spending time with Holly for reasons other than practical ones.
It wasn’t the version of him with Hannah.
This was a different, stronger, Luke. A man who knew what he had to lose.
She wouldn’t resent him for finding happiness with Rose.
Holly took that kernel of resentment and locked it away. The relief in her heart was instant.
*
She rested her crutches on the bar and lifted the access hatch.
As she set to work on Brian’s bitter shandy, it felt good to be pouring a drink again.
She’d missed it - Luke had banned her from the bar area after she’d smashed the third pint glass in the space of an evening shift.
But that had been weeks ago. Holly started to contemplate how she’d get the drink over to her date, the sound of the pub door clicking shut caught her attention.
Her jaw dropped.
She couldn’t believe it.
Brian had ditched her.
He’d abandoned their date before it had even started.
After a quick exhale or either relief of annoyance - she wasn’t 100% committed to either reaction, she downed the bitter shandy, and waited for her brother and Rose to appear from the cellar.
At least causing them some embarrassment could salvage the evening for her.
Whilst she was waiting, she took her phone from her pocket and opened her fortune telling app.
Tapping the screen, she asked her phone, ‘Did I sabotage a potential boyfriend because I couldn’t get over him arriving dressed as Elvis?
’ She released her finger from the screen and watched as the image changed to a message saying The Answer Is No.
She smiled, relieved the fortunes agreed with her. Brian was, thankfully, not the one.