Page 24 of Once Upon A Player
Luckily, he doesn’t appear offended, but did I really think he would? He’s not up himself at all, and I’ve known that since the day we met.
“What happened? Anything repeatable?” He flashes me another grin, and all the oxygen in my lungs evaporates. I forcibly unhook my fingers from my bag before I shred the damn thing.
He knows where I work, and there’s always something happening, so it’s no problem sharing the latest event that Katie’s scheduled. “Next Thursday there’s a life drawing thing. Nudes.”
“Really? Are you going?”
“Probably not. I mean I like drawing, but doing nudes isn’t my thing.”
“My sister Mac’s a great artist. She might want to go.”
Aha. So that’s what his sister is brilliant at. “I’ll mention it to her.”
Yeah, not likely. He mentioned in passing the other day that his sister is at university, and if she’s studying art, there’s no way she’d be interested in going to a little beginner’s circle. Besides, if she did come, it kind of sets a Carter precedent, so what’s to stop Lucas from deciding to rock up to the Lodge one night?
Sycamore Lodge is quirky and down market, and that’s part of the reason Katie loves it so much. I don’t think she’d forgive me if I was the reason Lucas turned up there and made it a hot hang out.
It seems only a few minutes later that he parks, and I realize we’ve arrived. And I hardly stopped talking the whole journey. He kept asking questions about work and stuff, and was so interested in everything I said, but seriously, in my experience guys much prefer talking about themselves. Then again, since my experience begins and ends with Geoff, that’s hardly conclusive. Except even Katie, who’s had a few more boyfriends to compare with, says the same.
Which just goes to show how different Lucas is, despite his career.
“Harry and Alice are here already.” He nods to a Range Rover parked on the other side of the road, but I’m riveted by the sight of the Slurping Toad. I’d imagined some ordinary Victorian pub, but it’s a Gothic Revival stone church, and even has some stained glass in the pointed arched windows.
I think I’m in love.
We get out of the car, and for one surreal second, I think Lucas is about to take my hand as we cross the road, but nope. We reach the pub, and he opens the door for me. Inside it’s quite dark, with traditional timber beams and vaulted ceilings, but there’s no time to admire the authentic-looking suit of armor in the corner, or the display of pewter plates and tankards on the mantelpiece above the imposing stone fireplace.
“They’ll be in the beer garden,” Lucas says, and as he tenses and twists his earring, I think he’s about to say more, but then he gives me a breathtakingly sexy wink.Did I just imagine that weird pause?We make our way toward the back where the arched wooden door is open, and there’s a fair-sized courtyard garden with raised stone fish ponds scattered about. Curved box hedges give the illusion of privacy for the dozen or so tables.
We approach a couple who are snuggled up together on a bench, and who appear to be in their own world.
“Oy,” Lucas says to his brother by way of greeting, before giving the blonde girl his famous, dazzling smile. “Hey, Alice.”
They untangle themselves but are still holding hands. And wow, although it’s obvious Harry and Lucas are twins, it’s amazing howunalike they look. Harry’s hair is darker, he’s not wearing any jewelry, and no tattoos are on display.
Harry gives his brother the finger before catching sight of me. “Uh,” he says, as though he’s never seen his brother out with a girl before, which is laughable, although not exactly funny. “What happened to Yolanda?”
Even though we’re not touching, I feel Lucas tense. “This is Violet.” He turns to me. I bite my lip so I don’t giggle. “Violet, this is Alice, who for some reason is dating my brother, Harry.”
“It’s lovely to meet you, Violet.” Alice leaps up and pulls her hand free of Harry’s. “You’ll have to ignore Harry. And Yolanda’s a good friend, that’s all.”
Oh my God, she thinks I’m Lucas’s girlfriend and about to throw a fit over Yolanda. I smile at her, to let her know I’m perfectly fine. “I know. Yolanda’s great.”
Before I can say anything else, Harry, who by now is also standing, clears his throat. “Sorry, Violet. When Lucas said he was bringing a plus one, I obviously thought of Yolanda, since she’s the only plus one he ever takes anywhere.”
Alice looks as though she’d like to sink through the ground, Lucas shoots daggers at his brother, and I have the terrible urge to giggle again. Harry is clearly oblivious.
“Glad we’ve got that sorted.” Lucas pulls out a chair for me on the opposite side from Alice, which is adorable. I didn’t think guys did that kind of thing anymore. He sits next to me. “You understand why we never take him anywhere.”
“I missed out on the social genes.” Harry sighs as he sits down, and Alice squeezes his fingers, which is kind of sweet.
“How long have you two been dating?” Alice asks, obviously hoping to smooth things over.
“Oh, um, we’re not exactly dating…”Not exactly?How about just sayingwe’re not dating?Except my brain can’t process that before Lucas interrupts.
“We’re just good mates.”
Relief and regret spill through me. “Yes, just good friends.”
