‘That’s such a lovely idea Denise.’ I choked back some tears. ‘The Great Gatsby is one of my favourite books too. Did you enjoy it, Diane?’
Diane didn’t even acknowledge that I’d spoken. She sat with her arms folded, staring into the middle distance. I shrunk back into my seat and stared down at my hands. I’d known this wouldn’t be easy. She still blamed me for what happened to Vicky, after all. Maybe hot-footing it out of the café when I’d had the chance would’ve been the wiser option…
Denise seemed to sense how awkward things had become and clapped her hands, like that would somehow magic away the tension.
‘Now let’s get things started, shall we?’
The meeting was utterly magical. I was introduced to all the other members – Jean, Cath and Frank – and heard their individual stories. Diane’s frostiness towards me continued throughout the meeting, but she allowed the group to welcome me and tell me about themselves. All of them had experienced heartbreak in their own ways, through loss or betrayal, and had found strength in the Broken Hearts Book Club. They’d all joined at different times for their own reasons and I was enchanted by their strength – as I listened, I felt a shift within me. I was welcoming them into my heart and for one perfect hour, I was part of the group, sharing in the highs and lows of each member. It was a wonderful feeling.
By the time I met George at The Purple Partridge for a drink I was bursting to tell him all about what I had heard.
‘There’s Frank, he lost his wife Harriet to Alzheimer’s last year, and Cath’s husband ran off with his Pilates instructor. Jean’s dog Hobie died recently and then there’s Denise who lost her teenage daughter, and Diane whose husband Derek died of a heart attack.’
‘So you didn’t get involved or anything then?’ George grinned and rolled his eyes. ‘Just went in for a little look, as usual?’
‘It was amazing George; they come together every week and discuss what book they’ve read as well as how they’re coping with their broken hearts. They’re like a little support network for each other and it’s lovely – if Nana Lily thinks I could lead them and help them be happy again then maybe I shouldn’t dismiss that so quickly.’
‘Well if you’re looking to swell your ranks, there’s a prime candidate over there.’ He gestured to the bar, where Jake was looking utterly miserable. ‘Go and sprinkle some fairy dust on him and you’ll be able to see if you can do it with the rest of the members.’
Shaking my shoulders to psyche myself up, I approached the bar. Every step I took felt like I was treading on eggshells. I wasn’t really sure what to say to him, given that I’d accidentally flashed him earlier that morning.
He smiled when he saw me, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. ‘What can I get you?’
‘Two orange juices please.’ I waited until he handed them over before bringing out my fairy dust. ‘You’re not looking too happy. Is everything OK?’
‘Nothing that a one-way ticket to Brazil wouldn’t sort out.’ His tone and smile were wry, but I could tell something was lurking underneath that beautiful façade of his. ‘Talking of which, your mum and dad are over at their cottage. Looks like it’ll be dry sooner than they thought, so they’ve moved all your stuff back across. An electrician’s coming to check the electrics are working, but you should be back in your own house before too long.’
‘That’s great,’ I said, throwing him a dazzling smile. ‘I reckon we’ll have to ban Dad from trying DIY in the future though! Thanks for putting us up, by the way. I hope we weren’t too much trouble –’ I trailed off blushing when I thought of my impromptu striptease earlier that morning. ‘Why do you fancy a one-way ticket to Brazil, by the way?’ I said hurriedly to change the subject.
His eyes flicked upwards to look into mine and for a brief moment I could see raw pain and sadness that I’d seen before in the members of the Broken Hearts Book Club. Before I could even begin to wonder about it, he’d plastered a weak smile to his face and was trying to look like nothing was wrong.
‘A million and one reasons that I won’t bore you with now. You’re making it hard for me to do my usual cheery barman routine, you know.’
‘Sorry. I’ll bugger off and leave you alone if you like?’ I hoped he’d say no so I could delve more into what was bothering him.
‘Don’t be silly, it’s not every day we have Luna Bay’s Joni Mitchell in The Purple Partridge. I’d like to make the most of you while you’re here.’
‘I prefer Lucy, you know. Joni Mitchell’s just my stage name.’
When he looked at me, I stuck my tongue out.
‘Lucy it is then. Your wish is my command, o talented songstress.’
My cheeks burned furiously under his gaze. When he turned on his charm, he really was quite lovely. You’d never guess at how sad he was, that was for certain.
‘O talented songstress eh? I could get used to that! Now we just need to find a name for you. Let’s see…’ I drummed my fingers on the bar and pretended to think long and hard. ‘How about the Lord of Luna Bay?’
He grinned, but shook his head, ‘Jake will do fine, Lord Hartley if you really fancy it. In fact, what about Your Highness? I’m the king of all I survey. Which isn’t much but there you go,’ he said, suddenly dropping the bravado and giving me a sheepish smile.
‘And yet you still need a miracle worker. Why’s that?’
His easy smile fell away and was replaced with an expression etched with sorrow and worry. He heaved a sigh and looked at me, probably realising that my line of casual questioning wasn’t going to let up until he confessed.
‘Well it could have something to do with the fact that there are livelier morgues than this place! Take a look around, how many people do you see in here?’
I cast a discreet glance around the main bar. There were around ten people, including George.
‘It’s not exactly buzzing, is it?’ I said with a grimace.
‘Exactly, and this is an evening – so it should be packed! If you’ve got any spare miracles lying around in your back pocket, toss ‘em my way. I need one!’
‘Oh, but there’s loads of things you could do,’ I replied, feeling the cogs in my brain starting to whirr. ‘Why not have a quiz night or something? Those are always popular, and I could help you organise one if you want.’ I blushed and hurried on, hoping he didn’t notice, ‘Or you could do an event that involves the whole community, show them how amazing this place is.’
Looking back up at Jake I saw his face twisted into a grimace and watched as he concentrated even harder on wiping the bar down.
‘No offence, but it’s going to take a lot more than asking people what the capital of Slovakia is to pull this place out of the shit. You haven’t lived here for eight years; things have changed, love. There’s no such thing as a community banding together to save a local business any more. I think you need a reality check.’
I narrowed my eyes. This was not what I’d been expecting after our easy banter and I couldn’t help but feel hurt. ‘I was just trying to help!’ I whispered.
‘Well unless you’ve got a magic wand in your back pocket that’ll stop this place from shutting down, you can’t.’ And with that he stalked off to serve a customer at the far end of the bar, leaving me shocked.
I found George and we went over to an available table. While he chatted away happily, I stared into my glass and brooded.
‘OK, what’s up?’ he asked. ‘Either I’m boring you rigid about the audition I