Chapter 22
‘Evening.’ A tall man with fair hair and a black polo shirt was standing behind the bar. ‘What can I get you?’
‘I’ll have a large Coke, please.’
Gabe heard his name being called and turned to see Pete and some of the others on the far side of the room, laughing and drinking. From the look of the table, there was more beer being drunk than pool being played.
‘Anything else?’ He turned back, used by now to the unspoken question that hung in the air whenever he asked for a non-alcoholic drink in a pub.
Gabe shook his head. ‘That’s it, thanks.’
‘Didn’t expect you to come back,’ said Ed with a grin when he made his way across the room.
‘A man can watch too much Netflix.’ Gabe took a drink. ‘And I had some good news from – from family.’
The words fell off his tongue and surprised him. It was the easiest way to describe it, but he’d always been slightly wary of inserting himself into a dynamic that was complicated at best. But there was no denying it – he was incredibly touched that Jacob wanted to give his unborn son his name.
‘Cool,’ said Pete, looking at his drink with a grin. ‘Glad to hear it. But you’re toasting it with a Coke?’
‘As good as anything,’ said Gabe, catching the pool cue as Leo, one of the gap year students tossed it his way.
‘Your break,’ said Leo.
He put his drink on the window ledge, looking out at the steely grey of the sea for a moment and wondering how Meg was doing over at the lighthouse. Then he turned, taking the chalk and rubbing it briefly on the end of the cue.
‘Come on, boss,’ said one of the other young lads, grinning at him from over his beer.
Gabe bent over the table.
‘Five in a row?’ Leo reached up, offering him his hand in a high-five.
‘You’re a dark horse,’ said Pete, laughing.
‘Mis-spent youth.’ Gabe passed the cue to an eager Leo.
‘I’ll use that one. It must be lucky.’
‘Or not,’ said Pete a moment later, as Leo missed an easy ball and gave a groan of disappointment.
Five short minutes later the lads headed to the bar, laughing and joking about Leo’s defeat at the hands of Gabe.
‘You never told us you were a pool shark,’ said Leo, shaking his hand with a good-natured grin.
‘I’d hardly say that,’ Gabe laughed. ‘But yeah, I used to spend a lot of time playing pool when I was young.’
‘Had they invented pool tables back then?’ Leo ducked as Pete swiped at the side of his head. ‘Same again?’
‘I’m alright, thanks,’ Gabe lifted his half-finished drink.
‘You’d be wired on caffeine if you kept up with us pint for pint,’ Pete said, finishing his beer and wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. He looked at Gabe with his head cocked slightly and a thoughtful expression. ‘You don’t drink at all?’
Gabe shook his head. ‘Not really, no.’
‘Sorry,’ Pete shifted from one foot to the other. ‘I didn’t mean to – I mean…’ He looked uncomfortable.
Gabe lifted his hands in an appeasing gesture.
‘I’m not against people drinking alcohol… I’ve just seen enough of what it can do at close quarters. It was enough to put anyone off.’
Pete eyed his empty glass with a mock-guilty expression.
‘Oh no.’ Gabe shook his head again. ‘I’m talking about a bit more than a couple of beers down the pub on a Sunday evening. I wouldn’t begrudge anyone that. I ended up going off it because of everything it was tied up with.’
‘Ah. Yeah. Say no more,’ said Pete, lifting his head in an upward nod of understanding. ‘Anyway, on a different subject altogether, I’m glad to hear you’re on the books officially now.’
‘You’ve spoken to Donald then.’ Gabe felt himself relaxing slightly as the subject changed. No matter what happened, there was always a slightly awkward conversation about why he chose not to drink, but he’d worked out over time that if he just gritted his teeth and dealt with it once, it tended to be brushed over afterwards. Hopefully now that would be the alcohol conversation over and he could relax and enjoy the evening.
‘Yeah.’ Pete reached out a hand. ‘I’m glad to have you on board. I mean not that you weren’t already, but now you’re not holding out on us.’ He waggled his eyebrows as Gabe shook his hand.
‘I wasn’t holding out on you.’ He laughed at Pete’s expression.
‘You’re a good addition to the team,’ said Pete, turning and taking a beer as Leo returned, putting a tray of drinks down on the table beside them.
‘Thanks.’ Gabe raised his glass slightly. ‘Appreciate it.’
‘You’ll need to watch your back mind you,’ added Pete, his eyebrows flashing upwards briefly.
‘How so?’
‘Well, Una’s already been saying in the office that she’s got a couple of nice single friends she knows that are on the lookout, and once she knows you’ve signed on the dotted line, she’s going to redouble her efforts.’
Gabe groaned. ‘Save me from matchmaking women.’
‘Amen to that,’ said Pete with a roll of his eyes. ‘I’d get your excuses lined up and ready if I were you.’
‘I’ll bear it in mind.’ Gabe found himself glancing out of the window again, his eyes drawn towards the far rocky shore of the little Applemore harbour. Typical that the first woman he’d wanted to get to know a little better wasn’t planning on staying around.
‘Come on then,’ said Leo, breaking his reverie with a nudge of his elbow. ‘Let’s make it best of three. I reckon that was beginner’s luck.’