Chapter 5 #5
He grinned at her, and it was so crowded in the pub now that they had been pushed even further into a corner.
She could feel the warmth of his breath when he spoke.
In her mind it felt like they were the only two people in the pub.
Far from claustrophobic, she just started to feel slightly delirious with desire.
Was she reading him wrong, or was he flirting?
Maybe she could actually achieve her rebound sex fantasy, though right now it felt very hard to focus on anything other than Luke’s piercing eyes and intoxicating presence.
‘Well, if you won’t tell me those secrets, tell me, how are you finding life in Farmington so far? A week in and you’re already judging tractor competitions and hitting karaoke night at the pub – a bit like freshers’ week for you.’
She swallowed and refocused. It might be time to sprinkle in a little honesty.
‘I have to admit, I was filled with trepidation when I first came down. I was meant to be moving with my boyfriend, now ex-boyfriend,’ she clarified hurriedly, ‘and coming on my own has meant a slightly different adventure. But as I have no job, no partner, and nothing else to do, I thought I might as well fill my time with everything I could!’
‘I like that,’ said Luke. Eliza noticed his eyes were like tiny pools of light, and she couldn’t stop looking at them.
‘It shows you have a fighting spirit. I’m sorry about the boyfriend, but I would see it as his loss.
And on top of that he’s still stuck in London, whereas you get to spend your days surrounded by countryside and fresh air.
I think you win. And you know, I could always help you—’
Just then she heard a scream from across the room. It was Nancy. ‘This one’s for you, LIZA!’
‘Oh my God, she is so drunk,’ giggled Eliza, ‘do you think I should go and rescue her?’
‘It’s “Take A Chance on Me”!’ Nancy yelled across the room again. ‘Get it? Come on!’
‘Oh shit, maybe I better go and sing with her.’
‘I thought you couldn’t sing,’ teased Luke, grabbing her arm as she turned to go, setting off a cascade of fireworks in her stomach.
‘I can’t, but everyone needs a wingman. And if I’m going to stay in Farmington, I might as well show everyone what I’m made of.’
And with that, every part of her body burning up with yearning, she turned and ran towards the stage.
She secretly congratulated herself on playing a blinder and walking away, leave him wanting more.
Grabbing the mic from Jean Pierre who was by now standing at the bar, she took up position next to Nancy.
She locked eyes with Luke across the room as she sang, and in all honesty, she didn’t think she sounded as bad as usual.
Well, no one had walked out yet at any rate.
Luke was smiling at her across the room, while the old boys were all standing at the front whistling and clapping for Nancy.
Suddenly, Eliza felt like this might be one of the best decisions of her life.
Moving here, moving away, starting a new life.
Nancy reached over and grabbed Eliza around the shoulders as they went in for their finale, and in sweet unison they sang the final lines, giving it their all.
There was a rapturous applause and screaming as they climbed back into the crowd.
Dan gave them a hand and spoke loudly over the crowd, ‘I think you’ve proved your point, Eliza, please no more singing.’
‘Oh shit, was it that bad? I thought I was fucking fabulous tonight.’
He laughed. ‘That’s all that matters, then.’
Nancy yelled, ‘Liza, we were amazing! Well, I was amazing, and you were shit as usual, but I still love you. Do you think Luke got the message?’
‘What message?’ asked Luke, appearing from nowhere with a drink for both of them. ‘That you both needed another drink? If so, here you go. That was quite a show, Nancy. If you aren’t careful they might offer you a weekly gig here.’
‘Well, I might just be up for that,’ responded Nancy, with a cheeky grin. ‘Who knew I’m a country girl at heart!’
‘That’s what you should do, Luke!’ squealed Eliza, forgetting that no one had asked her opinion, but too overexcited to care. ‘Pop-up gigs at Stanley’s, how cool would that be? Open mic nights? Do you ever do those?’
‘Yes!’ interjected Nancy. ‘I’ve never been to your place, but it sounds like a good idea!’
Luke looked at them both slowly, before realising they were serious.
Taking a moment to think, he responded, ‘Hmm, I’ve often thought it would be good to do things in the evenings there, but I’m not sure how wide an audience there is for it, given you’ve probably brought the average age down in Farmington by about twenty years.
Plus, the pub here offers karaoke already, I wouldn’t want to take the audience away.
But maybe I should give evening events some more thought. ’
‘You could pack that place out!’ Eliza was on a roll; the ideas were just spinning round and round her head. That or she was getting dizzy standing upright. Either way, it felt amazing.
‘Here she goes!’ Nancy smiled. ‘She’s off, straight into events mode.
Seriously, Luke, this girl is a genius when it comes to planning the perfect night for just about anything – birthday parties, business launches, bespoke dinner parties, all the way to unforgettable weddings.
You should listen to some of her ideas. You might find there’s more to her than just a pretty face. ’
Eliza felt her eyes grow damp, as Dan grabbed Nancy and swirled her around to much shrieking.
‘Is that what you do then, events?’ asked Luke, peering intently down at Eliza. God he was tall.
‘It is,’ she said, suddenly feeling incredibly drunk and like it might be time for bed.
‘Or rather, it was. Like Nancy said, everything from celebrity weddings to brand launches all over the world. But I’m not sure how much of a need there is for that down these parts.
I feel it’s more cake sale than red carpet! ’
He laughed, somehow moving even closer. ‘It might seem that way, but if you dig a little deeper you might be quite surprised. I think there’s a lot that can be done in Farmington; it just needs the right person to do it.’
Eliza suddenly felt very lightheaded. ‘Hold that thought – I might need to just grab some fresh air for a second. I’ll be right back!’
Eliza wove her way over to the front door, and as she pushed it open the cold night air felt so good.
Her dizziness abated in seconds, and she just stood there, eyes closed, allowing herself to get chilled to the core.
She spun around when she heard footsteps on the gravel, in a moment of fear that someone might be about to murder her.
She had watched enough episodes of Murder, She Wrote to know this was just the kind of time it happened.
‘I just wanted to check you were okay,’ came Luke’s voice, as he emerged from the shadows. ‘You bolted pretty quickly. Did those tequilas suddenly hit you?’