Page 30 of The Cornish Christmas Book Clu
‘Have you seen how tight his trousers are? Poor sod will have to use a crowbar if he needs a—’
‘Shut it, Paul,’ Nathan said good-naturedly. ‘Gage gets the general idea. Anyway, it’s a toss-up between me and Harry who looks the biggest plonker.’
‘Hercule Poirot, right?’ The centre-parted oily hair, toothbrush moustache, formal suit and shiny black patent shoes were instant giveaways.
‘Yep.’ Harry took a swig of beer. ‘My only consolation is Josie’s got a thing about the little man, so I should be in luck later. Her prim Agatha Christie costume with the grey curly wig,frumpy dress and lace-up flat shoes will have to go though.’ He guffawed.
‘This here’s Micky Broad.’ Paul nodded at the thin-faced man to his right. ‘He says he’s a chimney sweep, but I reckon he’s used that as an excuse not to wash for a few days, right, mate?’
‘Sod you.’ Micky gestured with his middle finger.
‘You won’t beat him when it comes to geography. And that’s Ian Geach.’
A bulky, ruddy-faced giant of a man was the only one not in costume. He was hunched over his phone and briefly glanced up to nod.
‘He don’t say much, but he’s ace at music and art, all the fancy stuff, aren’t you?’
‘Mebbe.’
‘Gage here’s a military-history nut,’ Paul added. ‘His mates in the forces called him Prof, so we’ve got two now, hey, Nathan?’
‘More the merrier.’
‘But his is the real thing,’ Gage added. He almost spat out a mouthful of beer as he clocked Tamara, who stood in front of him dressed as his ultimate fantasy. With too many curious eyes watching, the only option available was to stare. So that’s what he did, long and hard.
Tamara’s lush, glossy red lips curved in a sultry smile. ‘I’ll get Pixie to play “Saturday Night Fever” later.’
‘I’m no dancer, remember.’
‘Spoilsport. Good luck with the quiz. You’ll need it. The Back of Beyond Brainswill be on fire tonight.’ With that parting shot, Tamara sashayed away, giving him a heart-stopping view from the rear.
It was a struggle to focus when his mind was fixated on Tamara, and his eyes followed her all the way to her seat, but Pixie tugged the rope of a large brass ship’s bell hanging atthe bar several times. ‘Take your seats and turn those mobiles off. Jimmy’s coming with the first-round question papers — the subject is Entertainment. You’ll have fifteen minutes to write down your answers.’
‘Oi, mate. We know where your brain is in those tight white trousers, but drag it back to the quiz for fuck’s sake or those bloody women will beat us again.’ Paul nudged his arm.
‘Sorry.’ He forced himself to refocus.
Initially he wasn’t much help because he rarely watched television and was less interested in celebrity gossip than the Pope. But the next round was History, and Gage was irrationally pleased when he beat Micky to answering a tough one on the D-Day landings.
The ship’s bell rang again. ‘Half-time. Back in your seats ready to go in fifteen,’ Pixie shouted.
‘My round.’ Gage stood up and tucked his crutches in place.
‘I’ll give you a hand to carry them back,’ Nathan said. ‘I know what these reprobates drink.’
‘Should do by now, mate.’ Paul chimed in. ‘Brought you in as a sub, we did, last year, and now you’re a regular fixture. Hope you will be too, Gage, if we don’t put you off tonight.’
His chest tightened and a rush of gratitude swept through him. For the first time since becoming a civilian, he felt he might’ve found his place. His people. The old quote about no man being an island was true. He’d always been self-sufficient, but there was a massive difference between that and loneliness. The latter could pull a person into dark, hopeless places. He should know because he’d been there and had no desire to return.
‘I plan on sticking around.’
‘Good.’ Nathan slapped his shoulder. ‘Now, get these drinks in before we die of thirst.’
Gage straightened his stance, turned to face Tamara’s group and flashed what he hoped was a fair approximation of John Travolta’s intense look. Her conspirators treated him to a mix of suggestive smiles and flat-out curious stares.
‘Evening, ladies.’ Two could play the teasing game. And it might just put them off their quiz game.
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