Page 47 of The Last Saturday In July
‘I’ll go get us drinks. Usual, Simon?’
He nodded.
‘Kate, David, what about you?’
‘We’re good for now, thanks, Jess.’ Kate tucked some hair behind her ears and leaned towards David as he said something to her.
Jess smiled to herself as she headed to the bar and put in the order. Kate and David were definitely giving off good vibes and, if Simon couldn’t see that, he needed an eye test.
By the time Jess returned, Zoe and Finn had arrived. She put her and Simon’s drinks on the table. ‘Sorry, lads, bad timing.’
‘Don’t sweat it, I’ve got these,’ Finn said.
As he headed to the bar, Jess sat down beside Zoe. Opposite, Kate and David were in a huddle, chatting and laughing. Jess passed Simon his drink and he nodded a thanks, before turning his attention to Kate and David again. Jess felt a bit sorry for him. He probably felt Kate and David were excluding him, and everyone else. She supposed they were, in a way, but it would be worth it to see Kate find someone special.
‘Simon?’ She leaned towards him. ‘Simon?’ He half turned, and Jess smiled at him. ‘Everything okay?’
He frowned and reached over to give her hand a quick squeeze. ‘Of course. You?’
‘Totally.’ She was about to add something else, but Simon had withdrawn his hand and glanced away again. Jess sighed and turned to Zoe. ‘How’s Finn?’
Zoe bundled her hair up into a topknot, before rooting around in her pocket for an elastic. ‘I think he liked the photos from Friday. I’ve sent some to a few of the papers. By the way, if you’re trying to set those two up,’ she nodded towards Kate and David, ‘forget it.’
Jess glanced over at Kate, before leaning in closer to Zoe. ‘What are you on about? Look at them!’
‘I’m looking. And I reckon he’s into her. I’m just not sure about Kate.’
Zoe could be so annoying at times. ‘Zoe, look at her body language.’
Zoe shook her head. ‘She’s putting on a good act, maybe to keep you happy. She probably knows you want them to get together.’
Jess studied Kate and David over the rim of her glass. Even after a couple of drinks, Kate tended to be quite reserved. Right now, she looked like she was in a flirting competition. It could be just an act, Jess thought. But it was far more likely that Kate was finally giving her love life a chance. If she was overplaying it with David, it was because she was out of practice.
Finn came back with pints for him and Zoe, and bags of crisps and nuts, which he deposited in the middle of the table. ‘Help yourselves, lads.’ He stuck out his hand to David. ‘Finn.’
‘David.’ He grasped Finn’s hand. ‘Hey, proper Tayto crisps, I’ve missed these.’ He opened a pack and offered some to Kate, who politely declined. ‘Ah, come on, I can’t eat them by myself. I’ll have cheese-and-onion breath.’
Jess watched the exchange. Kate never ate crisps, she was too disciplined. But after a slight hesitation, Kate simply smiled and dipped her hand into the bag. ‘Thanks.’
Jess met Zoe’s eyes. Her sister just raised her eyebrows and reached for a bag of peanuts.
Simon insisted on getting the next round of drinks. He’d always been generous, Jess thought fondly. Unlike the guy she’d dated for a year before him, who’d never even bought her a coffee when they’d been out together.
Finn tipped some peanuts from the bag straight into his mouth, washed them down with a slug of beer, and wiped his hand across his face. He belched loudly. ‘’Scuse me, folks. Better out than in, though.’
As Zoe punched him on the arm, Jess was grateful that Simon had gone to the bar. Simon was always polite to Finn, but Jess knew exactly how he felt about him.
‘So, Jess,’ Finn took another gulp of beer, ‘Zoe tells me you’re sort of in charge of this very cool celeb wedding in Mayo.’
‘I’m more of a bystander, really.’ Jess wondered about the best way to explain her role. ‘Linford needs a lot of wedding business, which to be honest it doesn’t have right now. So, part of my job is to use this wedding to boost our marketing campaign.’
Finn nodded thoughtfully. ‘That because of the Linford Curse?’
Jess gave a mock groan. ‘Not you as well!’
Simon returned with a round of drinks for the table. ‘Not Finn as well what?’
Jess grinned. ‘Finn and I were just chatting about the Linford Curse.’
