11. CHAPTER 11
CHAPTER 11
T he next few rounds passed in a blur, with all of them giving answers to the questions and Taylor only stepping in when they got something obviously wrong or didn’t know.
By the time they reached the final round, they were so far in the lead that no other team could come close to beating them.
“We’re going to win the pub quiz!” Sadie uttered in disbelief.
“This has literally never happened before. Tom, you should come next week,” Hel added.
Taylor didn’t answer, obviously forgetting that he was supposed to be called Tom.
Clara nudged his leg and repeated the question. “Tom, Hel was just asking why you don’t come to the quiz next week.”
Taylor looked pained as he replied, “I’d love to. But I travel a lot for work, and I’m never in one place very long, so I won’t be in town next week.”
Clara felt a stab of disappointment shoot through her. It was so fun sitting with him and having someone to whisper and laugh with. And for a second, her mind skipped to a place where Taylor was at her side every week rather than it being a freak, never-to-be-repeated event in her life.
“The final scores are in. Our winners this week are ‘the Suture Superstars’,” Ron announced to the bar.
The whole table leapt to their feet, jumping and pumping their fists in the air. Hel swept Clara into an excited hug, and Mike dashed over to pick up their prize.
She froze in shock when an arm looped around her shoulder, tugging her away from Hel, and before she could work out what was happening, she found herself pressed against the very hard chest of Taylor. Who lifted her off her feet and swung her around; on each spin, she saw Sadie’s delighted face giving her a thumbs up.
When he placed her back on the floor, she was breathless and gazed up into his bright blue eyes, which were staring straight back at her. The noise from the pub faded away, and she couldn’t see anyone else in the room except Taylor and couldn’t hear anything except the sound of her own ragged breaths in her ears.
Taylor leaned slightly towards her, his face getting closer, his eyes never leaving hers. Then she was wrenched from his grasp by Mike, who had just arrived back with the prize.
“Well done, mate. We wouldn’t have won without you,” Mike declared, grabbing Taylor’s hand, giving it a firm shake and patting him on the arm. “Sorry if I was a dick at the start. Ouch, what was that for Sadie.” He rubbed at his ribs where Sadie had just elbowed him.
“Sorry, I slipped,” Sadie said sweetly to Mike and inclined her head toward Taylor, indicating that Clara should step back into his arms.
Clara shook her head and stepped away from Taylor, trying to suppress the shiver she felt when she moved away from the heat of his body.
Taylor returned Mike’s handshake, grinning. “It’s all good. I had a lot of fun.”
Mike slung his arm around Clara and squeezed her into his chest, crowing, “I can’t believe we won.”
Clara hugged him back, then stepped quickly away, glancing up at Taylor to see him staring at her, a frown pulling down at his eyebrows.
“What’s the prize?” Taylor turned his attention back to Mike.
“A fifty-dollar voucher for the pub. It’ll be enough to get us all a pint!” Mike smiled happily, the paper voucher clutched in his hand. “I’ll go to the bar. Does everyone want the same again?” He consulted everyone about their drink preference and was about to head to the bar when he paused, pulled two dollars out of his pocket, and handed it to Clara. “Can you enter me in the bonus round?”
Clara took the money and nodded before sitting down and fishing around in her handbag for another two-dollar coin to enter herself as well. She found two and passed one to Taylor.
“What’s this for?” he asked quizzically.
“The cash bonus round. It’s a single question. You pay two bucks to enter, and it rolls over week to week if no one wins the jackpot,” Clara explained.
Ron announced loudly into the microphone, “And now, the round everyone has been waiting for. The bonus round. We’ve not had a winner for a few months, and the prize has jackpotted to six hundred dollars.”
“I can’t take your money,” Taylor refused and tried to hand the coin back to her.
“Do you want to enter?” Clara asked, lifting an eyebrow.
“Yes,” he admitted.
“Do you have any coins?”
“No.”
“So take the money,” she insisted, putting it into his hand and closing his fist over the gold coin.
“On one condition.” Taylor waited to continue speaking until Clara nodded at him. “If I win. The cash is yours, as you put the two dollars up.”
Clara stared at him for a second before she nodded again. The questions were always so difficult that she wasn’t going to have to take his money.
When the pot came around, they all chucked their coins in and took their entry slips.
When everyone was ready, Ron held his hand up for silence. “This last question is going to continue with tonight’s theme. It’s a tough one, and I think we might be rolling over to next week. Now, everyone, I need full names for this next question. No cheating and using Google. You have thirty seconds to complete your entry, then hold them up. Don’t forget to put your name on them in case we have a mass of answers to check.” Ron chuckled.
He always made them write their names on the paper, although the reality was that the questions were so difficult that he just came and checked them.
Clara nudged Taylor and subtly pointed to his paper. His eyes widened when he noticed what she had seen. He had written his actual name down. He crossed it through very thoroughly and wrote Tom Anders instead, which had Clara rolling her eyes and suppressing giggles.
“Like I said, we’re continuing the Superman theme. I want to know—“ he paused for effect before saying, “What are the full names of Taylor Anderson’s current dogs.”
All around the room were huffs of disappointment and the sound of pens being thrown down on the table.
Clara blinked once, then blinked again. She knew this. Taylor had shown her photos of the dogs.
She turned to look at him to see if he was going to answer the question, but he gestured to her piece of paper and whispered, “You know this.”
She nodded and wrote down Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton. Then folded her piece of paper over.
“Five seconds. If you know the answer, hold your paper up, and I’ll come and check them,” Ron called.
“Why don’t you answer?” Sadie whispered, gesturing to Taylor’s blank paper.
He shook his head, explaining, “When it’s for money, it feels like cheating. And Clara knows anyway.”
“You know this?” Sadie leaned across Taylor, hissing at Clara. Her eyebrows had shot so high they almost disappeared into her hairline.
“Yeah,” Clara confirmed.
Ignoring the look of astonishment on her friend’s face, she put her hand up. She got the feeling Sadie would not be satisfied for long with the thirty-second summary of her week with Taylor and would demand a blow-by-blow account, including a detailed explanation about how she knew the names of his dogs.
Clara surveyed the room to see two other people holding answers in the air. Her other hand rested on her knee, and she started in surprise when she felt Taylor take hold of it.
She knew she should pull away and that she was just torturing herself, but she didn’t and stayed holding his hand while she waited for her answer to be checked.
Ron went to the other two people first.
“Fido and Fred.” He read out.
Taylor chuckled quietly. “Really?”
“Not even close.” Ron moved on to the next person. “Superman and Clark Kent.”
The table the lady was sitting at burst into laughter.
“While that’s very on theme. It’s not the correct answer. We have one more guess before we can roll the jackpot over to next week,” he said, taking the paper out of Clara’s hand. “Our final guess is Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton.” He hesitated, frowning hard at Taylor before a smile broke out across his face. “We have a winner! Six hundred dollars goes to,” He checked her name written at the top of the paper. “Clara!”
Clara beamed as the rest of her table leapt to their feet to celebrate. Taylor pulled her up too, again gripping her to his chest and swinging her around. She laughed so hard her cheeks hurt, and she was breathless when he put her down.
This time, he didn’t let go of her when her friends came over to congratulate and hug her; he kept his arm around her shoulders.
“Well done, Clara. How on earth did you know that? Do you have a celebrity crush?” Hel smirked at her, giving her a friendly nudge.
“No, just lucky. I saw a picture in a magazine with the dog names on it,” Clara lied with a straight face. Technically, she had seen a picture; it was just on Taylor’s phone.
“Apart from buying us all a drink. What will you do with the money?” Mike patted her shoulder.
“Oh, um.” Clara hesitated, thought about it for a moment, and her mind flashed to the debt Jack had left her with.
“You should do something fun,” Taylor encouraged, squeezing her shoulder.
Clara stared up at him, slightly bewildered that she was standing with Taylor’s arm around her shoulder like they were a couple.
“Umm. Unfortunately, it’s going to be boring. I’ve got some big bills this month, so it’s going towards them.”
“Clara, you should treat yourself. Get something nice,” Sadie agreed.
Mike began to boo her, “No, you’re a consultant anaesthetist. You earn good money. This has to be spent on something fun!”
“Yeah. Well—“ Clara sputtered.
The debts Jack had left her flashed in front of her eyes again. He had racked up well over two hundred and fifty thousand dollars in her name. She shuddered every time she thought about the total. So she lived frugally, desperate not to lose her house, which she had managed to buy just after he left and before the mountains of debt had come to light. She still wasn’t sure how the banks had missed all the credit cards, but she didn’t question it; she just worked hard to keep herself afloat and pay the mortgage.
In the two years since he had left, she had managed to pay half of Jack’s debts off. However, it hadn’t been without sacrifice. Her holidays were non-existent. She hadn’t been to the hairdresser since before she had split up with Jack.
But it would all be worth it. In another two years, she would be free from his debt and able to live her life as she wanted.
“I’ve had a great idea. You should take us all out for dinner!” Mike yelled in delight.
“Oh, um, right, I—“ Clara stuttered.
“Brilliant. Next week, we’ll meet an hour before the pub quiz, and Clara will shout us dinner,” Mike whooped, thumping her on the back.
“Yeah. Great,” Clara replied, wishing she could think quicker on her feet, as she would have loved to put the money towards her debt, not fritter it away on her colleagues getting drunk and eating too much food.
She tried to fake enthusiasm, which she knew was very muted, and sadly put the money into the centre compartment of her handbag to ensure she didn’t spend it before next week.
“Okay all, I’m feeling pretty tired. I’m going to head off.” She put her head down to avoid everyone’s eyes, knowing that she couldn’t hide the upset in them, but she felt Taylor’s arm pull tighter around her shoulder.
And while her friends were distracted, all chatting happily about their win and the fantastic time they would have the next week spending the proceeds of the bonus round, Taylor leaned down to her, his breath tickling the side of her face.
“Are you alright?” Taylor murmured into her ear.
“Yes. Totally fine,” Clara said but didn’t look up. She was a crap actress.
Slipping out of his grip, she mentally shook herself and put the disappointment about not being able to use the money against Jack’s debts aside and gave them all a final wave. “I’ll see you all later.”
Sadie dashed forward and pulled her into a hug. “Are you okay?” she questioned.
Clara hugged her back and made sure her face was cheerful when she pulled away. “Of course.”
She hadn’t even told her best friend about the financial mess that Jack had left her in, too embarrassed that she had been so easily fooled.
“Are you sure?” Sadie checked again.
“Of course. I was on call Monday. I’m still knackered from that. I just need a bit of sleep,” Clara said, trying to make her voice as convincing as possible. “I’m going to head out.”
Stepping away from her friend, she gave her a small reassuring look before she called to the rest of the group. “I’ll see you all for dinner at seven next week.”
A cheer rang around the quiz team.
“I’m going to head off too,” Taylor declared. “It was great to meet you all.” He reached over to shake hands with the men and gave the women chaste kisses on their cheeks.
Clara giggled at the expression of sheer ecstasy on Sadie’s face and the fact Hel had no idea that her ‘imaginary boyfriend’ had just kissed her on her cheek.
“You don’t have to leave,” she whispered to Taylor.
He shrugged and murmured back, “I came here to spend time with you, and you’re leaving. So I’m leaving too.”
Clara’s heart did a funny flip in her chest, then beat painfully fast. She knew a blush would be rising up her cheeks, so she turned away from him to hide it and, after a last wave to her friends, strode toward the door.
“I’ll walk you to your car,” Taylor said, falling into step beside her. “Where are you parked?” He held the pub door open so she could walk out first.
“A few streets over. Really, you don’t need to. It’s safe enough here,” she informed him, purposefully keeping her head straight to give her blush a chance to settle down.
“It’s no problem. It’s a nice evening for a stroll.” His long legs easily kept pace with her hurried steps.
“Thanks,” Clara squeaked, her mind churning with what he had said. He had been there to see her and left because she did.
“Are you working tomorrow?” Taylor’s voice rumbled through the silence, which made Clara jump, but she quickly pulled herself together.
“Yeah, Theatre Six. It’s my last day this week. If you want, I can find someone for you to follow on Friday,” she offered.
“No, It’s alright. I’ve had a change of plans. I have to fly out on Friday,” he disclosed.
“Oh,” Clara stammered, stopping suddenly.
Disappointment overwhelmed her. She tried to shake it off, telling herself that she was reading too much into a man being kind to her, and that the small part of her brain that had flitted off and imagined him still being in town on the weekend and wanting to do something with her was absolutely ridiculous.
Taylor began to talk, but must have realised she wasn’t there and his long stride ate up the distance back to her before he spoke again. “Yeah. I’ve just heard from my manager. I’ve got to do some reshoots on location for my last movie. And they need to be done before I start Dreamless Sleep.”
“Dreamless Sleep?” Clara queried and began walking again.
Taylor fell into step with her. “Yeah. That’s the name of the movie that I’m following you for.”
“Oh, right,” Clara muttered, knowing her voice sounded disappointed, so she brightly added, “I hope you’re filming somewhere nice!”
“The Antarctic,” Taylor stated.
“The what now?” Clara had heard him and was intensely jealous.
She was stuck in a boring small town, and he was going to a place she was desperate to visit.
“Yeah, we were shooting at one of the research stations. A few scenes didn’t work in previews, so they’ve done a rewrite, and we need to get them filmed fast. They’re putting me on a plane tomorrow.”
“The Antarctic! I’ve always wanted to go there!” Her voice was full of envy.
“You’re not missing much. It’s cold and white.” Taylor grinned at her and nudged her shoulder with his.
“And incredible?” Clara could tell by the look on his face, a blend of happy and wistful, that he had enjoyed his time there.
“Yeah. It’s so barren. It was amazing. It’s one of the most stunning places I’ve ever been.”
“So you’re not disappointed that you get to go back?” Clara nudged him back.
“No. It was a mind-blowing experience. It’s amazing to be in the middle of nowhere. To be somewhere completely silent. It’s a small shoot with minimal crew, which makes it even more special.”
She guessed, “You don’t spend much time alone anymore?”
“No. There’s always someone with me: my manager, my agent, my PR, my personal assistant, my mom,” he sighed, going through the list.
Clara sputtered with laughter. “Your mum?”
“Yeah,” Taylor confirmed, rolling his eyes. “I bought a house, and she moved in to ‘house sit’ the dogs while I was away filming a movie. Then she discovered the pool house and never left,” he huffed in annoyance.
“You have a whole house by your pool?”
He shrugged. “It’s not very big. Just a living area, a couple of bedrooms and a small kitchen.”
“That’s literally the same size as my entire house.” Clara chuckled, which trailed off at the thought of how differently the man who walked beside her lived.
“Your house is a little bigger,” he said seriously.
“And your main house?”
“It’s not massive,” Taylor mumbled, staring at his shoes as they walked.
“Only ten bedrooms and bathrooms?” Clara’s said in a teasing voice.
“No, it’s only five bedrooms,” he muttered.
“And do the five bedrooms include the pool house or is that seven total?” She nudged his shoulder again.
“Seven total.” Taylor sounded embarrassed.
“Ohhhhhh. Have you done an at-home with ‘Taylor Anderson’? Can I see the entire walk through of ‘your beautiful home’ in a magazine? Maybe Hello, or OK?” She began giggling at her own joke, trying to make light of their vastly differing wealth.
But she couldn’t lie to herself; she was jealous of the comfort in his life and knew having money made things a lot easier. Although she was only two years away from achieving that goal for herself—two years, and she would be debt-free and able to start living.
She had already picked out the first place she was going when she did. She was going to fly into Ushuaia and get on an icebreaker to the Antarctic. It had been at the top of her bucket list for a long time, and it gave her a twinge of jealousy when she heard Taylor mention so flippantly that he was going there.
“When I pay off my debts, I’m going to the Antarctic too.” The word slipped out of her mouth.
“Debts from University?” Taylor’s step slowed a little.
“No. Other things,” Clara clammed up.
Taylor quietly asked, “Oh, that’s what you wanted to do with the six hundred dollars? Put it towards some debt?”
Clara’s shoulders pulled in as she muttered, “Yeah. I would have.”
“You got railroaded into that big meal for the others?”
“Yeah. Bloody Mike. And I know him; he’ll make sure every penny of that money is spent. It just felt like a nice bit of luck, you know, you turning up, the whole quiz being about you, and you telling me the name of your dogs.”
“Don’t go next week. Then they can’t spend your money.”
Clara laughed. “That’s a great thought. But then it would just be the following week. I’ve accepted it. The money was never meant to be mine. This whole week has been a weird dream. And the money was a dream.”
“This week has been a dream?”
Clara ignored him, a little embarrassed that she had implied that hanging out with him was dream-like. Luckily, her car saved her from needing to answer his question.
“Right, this is me.” She gestured to the car and turned away from Taylor to put her key in the door.
She felt him standing over her, his warm presence behind her. When she turned back to face him, she took half a step back, surprised at how close he was.
“I’ll pay for the dinner. It’s my fault for suggesting you do something nice,” Taylor offered.
Clara shook her head. “No, you won’t. That’s so kind of you but totally unnecessary.”
“I should—“
Clara cut him off before he could offer again. “Taylor, it’s really fine. Anyway, I should go.”
But she didn’t step backwards, just gazed up at him as he stared down at her, unaware of the chill night air nipping at her.
Taylor’s head moved towards her fractionally, and she froze in surprise. Was he going to kiss her? No, that was ridiculous. Wishful thinking, and if she continued looking at him, she would look like another desperate fan. A groupie who would do anything to get the attention of a famous man. She was such an idiot.
Her eyes dropped, and she turned away from him and back to her car.
She shivered when she felt his warm breath on her neck but continued to ignore him while berating herself for being stupid and reading things into a situation that didn’t exist.
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” she whispered, opened the door and slipped into the car.
When she pulled away from the curb, she glanced into her wing mirror to see him still standing there, watching her go.