Chapter Twelve
Liam Lancaster was sitting on one of the proprietor’s squashy sofas. It was a sit-soft area at the front of the café.
The easy chairs were grouped around a sizeable low table upon which several magazines were scattered.
In addition to the usual glossy gossip mags, there was also a selection of daily newspapers.
This, in my humble opinion, was a clever marketing ploy by Susie.
How many customers stayed for an extra cuppa in order to finish reading that article about Elon Musk being a visionary engineer, despite me privately thinking he was stranger than Donald Trump’s orange skin.
Liam appeared to be mentally miles away.
He was reading The Telegraph which surprised me.
I’d had him down as more of a red top reader.
Or was I doing him an injustice? Without warning, he glanced up and caught me staring.
Momentarily flustered, I cannoned into a customer walking in the opposite direction.
‘Oof,’ I grunted, as a female with overfilled lips scowled at me. ‘Sorry,’ I muttered, moving smartly out of her way. I risked peeking at Liam again. He was still looking and this time waved.
‘Want to join me?’ he mouthed.
Bugger. Not really. There was something about his presence that made me feel self-conscious and gauche.
I’d already made a prize prat of myself by bumping into another customer.
I didn’t want to sit down alongside him and slop my coffee, or miss my mouth, or worry about whether one of the muffin’s blueberries had adhered to my front teeth.
However, I could hardly pantomime back, no thanks, I’ve got a date with an empty table in the far corner.
Instead, I found myself smiling weakly and walking towards him.
‘Hey,’ I said.
Such a sparkling opener, Jen. Not.
I could feel my heart picking up speed, and I hadn’t yet had any caffeine.
‘Lovely to see you, Jen,’ said Liam warmly. ‘Here.’ He patted the empty space beside him, before standing up. ‘Take a pew. I’ll treat you. What’s your guilty pleasure?’
‘O-Oh, thanks,’ I stuttered as my face heated up.
If only he hadn’t said guilty pleasure. Instead of thinking about frothy coffee and cake, all I could think of was Liam spreadeagled across Susie’s squashy sofa, stark bollock naked, while he crooned, “Jen, babe… tell me your guilty pleasure.”
Blimey. Where had that thought come from? Apart from anything else, this man was taken. Well, not taken. More reserved. Reserved for Alice. The fact that he knew nothing about my friend’s designs upon him was neither here nor there.
‘Um, thanks,’ I said, willing my face to return to its normal shade of washed-out-white. Actually, forget the cappuccino and muffin. I’d play safe and order a soft drink. ‘I’ll have one of Susie’s mango smoothies, please.’
‘Coming right up,’ he said, fishing for loose change in his pocket.
‘With a straw,’ I quickly added. That way, if further flustered, I wouldn’t bang the glass against my teeth.
As long as you don’t inadvertently stick the straw up your nose, Jen.
‘Any colour preference?’ Liam twinkled.
‘Surprise me,’ I quipped, flopping down on the sofa.
I blew out my cheeks. Flipping heck. Fancy seeing him here.
I thought he was a builder. Didn’t he have any actual building to do?
Or was it all checking out potential sites and having conversations with vendors and architect mates?
Perhaps he had a small army of staff who did all the building stuff for him?
I leant forward and had a quick rifle through the magazines.
There were a few high-end reads, but they weren’t for me.
I’d much rather open the pages of something that talked about the hottest superstar pregnancies, famous relationships and – more rivetingly – celebrity breakups.
But before I could delve into the lowdown on a Z celeb’s mega row with Ant and Dec in the jungle, Liam returned.
As he settled down beside me, I found the proximity of his presence both thrilling and somehow right. How peculiar. After all, I’d only met the guy three days ago. I mentally shook the thought away.
‘One mango smoothie for madame’ – a pair of mischievous green eyes met mine – ‘with a matching straw.’
‘Thanks,’ I grinned. ‘How come you’re in here?’ I asked, putting the straw to my lips and sipping, thankfully without any mishaps. Relaxing, I leant back against the sofa. Might as well enjoy Liam’s company while I had him all to myself. Sorry, Alice.
‘Honestly?’ He took a sip of his coffee and, for a moment, looked thoughtful. ‘Apart from Starlight Hall, there are no other projects on the go.’
Ah, so he was currently out of work.
‘The last few months have been manic workwise,’ he continued. ‘I can’t even remember when I last took a holiday.’
Oh. So, not out of work. Maybe instead having a staycation.
‘I thought I’d take a breather this morning,’ he explained. ‘Explore the locality around Starlight Croft and then do some admin work. There’s always plenty of that to keep me busy.’
‘Ah, so you’re not in this café because you’re at a loose end?’
‘I wish,’ he laughed. ‘There’s loads going on right now regarding Starlight Hall. Forward planning, so to speak.’
‘Like?’ I prompted.
‘Like seeing Ben – my architect mate – and translating plans about the hall into a tangible structure. Project planning, including cost estimates and timelines. Checking out potential sub-contractors. Overseeing quality assurance – not forgetting workplace health and safety. Obtaining any necessary permits. In short’ – he made a sweeping gesture with one hand – ‘the whole kit and kaboodle of a future project management.’
‘But what if you don’t hold the winning bid?’ I ventured.
‘With the greatest respect, Jen, I don’t see the Starlight Society as any real threat.’
‘Don’t underestimate us,’ I said quietly.
He raised his eyebrows speculatively.
‘Is that a warning?’ he teased.
I gave him a level look.
‘Where there’s a will, there’s a way.’