Page 34 of Animal Instincts
“No. Like I said, I’m too out of practise.”
Joss nodded and said nothing more.
Out of practise…The words resonated through Joss, words which he knew, deep inside him, had little if anything to do with the three guitars gathering dust in the corner.
TWENTY
“… Joss tried to persuade me take part, but I don’t know. It’s been ages since I even so much as picked one of them up, let alone played in public.”
Oliver looked over James’ shoulder, and out through the pub’s slung open back doors to where a large marquee was being set up for the following evening’s open mic night, overseen by the old lady he’d seen on pie night. Pink hair had turned a green-tinged yellow, which made Oliver think of jaundice, and bouffant to a tight curly perm. Joss’ gran’s handiwork, it had to be. He bit down on his smirk.
“Then tomorrow’s your chance to rectify that, I’d have said. I wanted to put our names down to perform. Perry wasn’t at all keen, you know how shy he can be, but I had a lot of fun trying to persuade him.” James smiled, smug and vaguely wolfish, as he winked at Oliver.
Oliver shuddered. He wasn’t sure whether it was because he didn’t want to think about how James had tried to persuade his young husband to overcome his reticence, or because James had a voice that sounded like a cat being strangled. No, that wasn’t fair — to the cat.
“I didn’t think you’d be down from London again so soon.” The out of the blue call from James to join him in the pub had been a surprise, but a good one. It wasn’t a Joss day, and Oliver had grabbed his friend’s offer.
“Neither did I. Perry’s been working hard, too hard in my view, and he needed a break. Coming here even for a short visit always does him a world of good and I wasn’t prepared to take no for an answer.”
James’ lips pressed into a tight line as he tilted his chin up. When James made his mind up, nobody stood a chance against him, not even Perry.
“Anyway, if you change your mind, I’m sure they could fit you in. Just one number, that’s all. Think about it. Do you want to eat?” James asked, picking up the pub grub menu.
Oliver shook his head. “No. I had some steak and mushroom pie earlier. It was left over from when Joss and I had our lunch yesterday.”
“Joss? The young lad you’ve taken on?”
“That’s right. What? Why are you looking at me like that?”
Oliver glowered at James. A smile twitched the corners of his friend’s lips.
“Would that be the same Joss who works in Harbour Coffee? Friendly, blond, and rather tasty?”
“Yes.” Oliver took a sip of his drink.
“Yes what? Yes friendly, yes blond — or yes tasty?”
“Oh, for goodness sake. So we have lunch together when he’s working with me.”
“Remind me what you said you were doing yesterday. After work.”
Oliver sighed. He knew perfectly well what James was getting at. Perhaps it was time to put his good — and interfering — friend straight. He put down his orange juice and met James’ narrow stare.
“Walking.”
“With Joss. Outside of work.”
“And what of it?”
“You look better.”
“What?”
Oliver should have been used to James’ sudden changes of subject after knowing him for so long, but they never failed to catch him off guard.
“Perry says the same. You’ve gained a few pounds, which is good, because you were looking too skinny. Must be all those lovely lunches you’re sharing with the very juicy Joss.”
Oliver shook his head. “I was fashionably thin—”
