by Wells, Nicky
Chapter Forty-Five
‘There.’ With a satisfied grin, I shoved my home-made lasagne in the oven and set the timer. ‘Dinner is in one hour.’
Nobody was there to hear me, but I said it anyway. Mike would be back any minute now. We had given ourselves this Friday night off in anticipation of a long haul the following evening, so I had donned my pyjamas and leisurely put together a meal. I was about to pour myself a glass of wine when the phone rang.
‘Mike, hey! What’s up? I made your favourite lasagne,’ I gabbled before he even had a chance to speak. I sounded like a housewife—a wife, even—and I grinned. ‘Sorry. That came out wrong. I was simply throwing together some stuff because we were having a night in.’ Probably one of our last, I added silently.
‘Hi babes,’ Mike finally got a word in edgeways. ‘Sounds lovely. I’ll be back in ten, I’m on my way. But listen, put the wine back in the fridge.’
I froze mid-pour. He knew me too well. ‘Why?’
‘We’ve got to go out. I had word that Blue Heart is playing tonight.’
‘Really? Where?’
Blue Heart was the band of the guitarist who Mike wanted to bring into Fallen For Rock. We were supposed to see them the following night, so this gig was a bit of a curveball.
‘At the Lion in Putney. It’s a last minute stand-in for a band that cancelled.’ Mike’s voice came in panted bursts; he was evidently walking at great speed. I put the cork back on the bottle and the wine back in the fridge while I listened to him.
‘I want to hear them “on the hop”,’ he explained. ‘It’ll be very interesting to see how they cope with an unscheduled gig. I’m really excited about this.’
‘I can tell,’ I deadpanned. But I knew what he meant. Seeing a band improvise was one of the biggest clues to their prowess. Moreover, word had finally got out, somehow, that Mike Loud was out talent spotting, and Mike had become wary about attending well-advertised shows of up-and-coming bands, even in disguise. So this was a huge opportunity as the band would be less likely to expect him.
‘Okay, sounds great. I’ll see you shortly.’
‘I’m walking up the road,’ Mike announced. ‘I’ll be two tics.’
I rang off and hurriedly got dressed again, donning my rockette extraordinaire uniform. When Mike walked in a few moments later, I was dressed, physically and mentally, as Emily Trenden, ace publicist, and he wrapped me in a bear hug excitedly.
‘This is it, babes, it’s all happening tonight. By tomorrow, Fallen For Rock could be complete.’ He lifted me up and swung me around, careful not to bounce me into the walls of my narrow hallway.
‘Whoop whoop,’ I replied, sharing in his thrill. ‘I can’t wait to hear them. What time do we need to leave?’
‘It’s only up the road, really, so probably in an hour? Hour and a half?’
‘Cool. I’ll turn up the heat, and we can have dinner first.’
Mike opened his mouth, but I nipped his objection in the bud. ‘Sustenance, my friend. You’ll make a better decision if you’ve had some delicious beef, fortifying carbs, and gooey cheese first of all to soothe body and mind.’
‘You’re a health nut,’ Mike admonished, but surrendered to my plan.
‘As your publicist, your wellbeing is my first concern,’ I countered. ‘But I will allow you a glass of vino while we wait.’
Just over an hour later, duly fortified by food and buoyed by a glass of wine or two, we made our way to the Lion. We decided to go by bus as it was only a short ride, and it would allow us both to consume alcoholic beverages. Plus we didn’t have to worry about parking, which was a nightmare in Putney. Mike slapped on his sunglasses, a baseball cap, and his Magnum moustache before we left. I giggled helplessly.
‘What will you do for a night out once Fallen For Rock is the number one band, and a pair of sunnies and some fake facial hair won’t disguise you anymore?’
Mike shrugged. ‘I’ll simply hire the pub when I want to hang to out on a Friday night.’
‘Ah. Well, that would work, I suppose.’ I giggled some more. ‘Except wouldn’t it be a bit empty with only you?’
‘It would be a quiet night out,’ Mike replied. ‘By that stage, I’ll cherish it.’
I smacked my forehead. ‘Of course. Yes, that makes sense.’
Mike nudged me affectionately. ‘Don’t tease me, woman. I don’t know what I’d do. Shall we cross that bridge when we come to it?’
‘Okay. As long as you promise to throw that moustache away after tonight.’
‘You don’t like it?’ Mike pulled a droopy face that made him look like a sad walrus.
‘Nope. Can’t stand ‘taches, not on you or anyone. Except for Tom Selleck, of course.’
‘Is that so?’ He wiggled his eyebrows at me in an uncanny imitation of the man himself, and I nearly peed my pants with laughter. But when he twiddled his moustache suggestively before bursting into the theme tune for the detective series, I punched him on the arm.
‘Stop it, you’re embarrassing me.’
‘No way, get outta here!’
Now he managed to sound like Tom, too, timbre, lilt, inflection and all. I grinned, despite myself. Mike continued mercilessly in his new voice.
‘And why would you be embarrassed being seen with a star private detective?’
‘No reason, I suppose. As long as you stay in character. That could be fun.’
Mike doffed his baseball cap. ‘Your wish is my command, ma’am.’
‘You great big oaf.’ I smiled. At the same time, I felt sad. I would miss Mike’s particular brand of humour once he had moved out again and the new band was in full swing. Of course, I would still get to see him loads—but not twenty-four–seven. And while I didn’t have a crush on him as such, I really had grown exceptionally fond of him. I dreaded the thought of being alone again.
Mike seemed to sense my small mood change. He put an arm around my shoulder and whispered in my ear. ‘It’ll be all right, you’ll see.’
I didn’t get a chance to ask him what he meant by ‘it’—the evening? The band? Us, after he moved out?—because the bus had crossed Putney Bridge, and we had to get off in rather a hurry.
Mike took my hand, and we walked in companionable silence to the pub. I had come to recognise this mood of his. He was getting in the zone, and he usually fell silent when he prepared to listen, really listen, to a band.
For a little while, the pavement followed the path of the Thames, and I enjoyed the sight of the lights glittering on the water. As we walked further up Lower Richmond Road, the street turned semi-residential, with grand old blocks of flats, shops, restaurants, and smaller semi-detached houses all jumbled together. I loved this part of London. The streets felt full of potential, like you could turn a corner and anything could happen.
As it happened, the potential that Mike and I faced right at that moment was not getting into the pub. Mike slowed and ground to a halt when we saw the long queue outside the Lion. I checked my watch.
‘It’s nearly nine o’clock. The band will go on soon.’
Mike grimaced. ‘Not helpful. I didn’t expect this. What are we going to do?’
‘At least they’re pulling a crowd. That’s got to be good news, right?’
‘Sure. But we’re the wrong end of the crowd. We’ll never get in.’
I chuckled. ‘Odd, isn’t it, being the other side of that fence again? When I first came to see you with those VIP tickets at the Apollo, I nearly passed out when I saw the queue. I thought I’d had it.’
Mike stared at me. ‘But they were VIP tickets. You should have walked right in.’
‘I know that. Now. I didn’t know that at first. I panicked a little. But I decided to try my luck and find the VIP entrance. You’ve got to remember, I’d never done this before. It was all new to me.’
‘But you got in,’ Mike remembered.
‘Course I did. And we shall get in here. Follow me.’
I took the lead and walked d
eterminedly along the pavement, past the crowd right to the front of the queue. I had no clear plan what I was going to do but was acting on blind faith. I needed us to get in, therefore we would get in. ‘Blind faith’ was proving a key ingredient in this industry.
Ah. I exhaled. Sorted.
I slowed my step, and Mike dawdled a little behind me, fiddling with his glasses. I squeezed his hand and waited for him to draw level with me. At last, I fixed the bouncer with a stare until he made eye contact.
‘Yo. Harry. How’re you doing?’
‘Harry?’ Mike mouthed beside me. ‘You know this chap?’
I didn’t pay him any notice. The bouncer looked at me intently and eventually nodded his head. ‘Emily. Fancy seeing you here.’
I took a step closer to the barriers. ‘Well, you know me. Always on the lookout for the next big thing.’
‘I know. You coming in tonight?’
‘If there’s room for a little one?’
‘For you, always. Who’s your friend?’ Harry looked past me at Mike.
‘That’s Tom.’ I spoke loudly so ‘Tom’ would hear me clearly. ‘He’s my partner. Business partner. I’m gonna pay for our covers, of course.’
‘Ah.’ Harry hesitated for a second, but obligingly nudged the fence open far enough that we could bypass the queue and walk straight in.
‘What’s with the sunglasses?’ he asked me quietly as Mike strolled past me and into the pub.
‘It’s a disguise,’ I whispered back. ‘That’s really Mike Loud, but don’t tell on him.’
‘You’re kidding me,’ Harry guffawed.
‘Would I lie to you, Harry?’ I teased back.
He winked. ‘I dunno, Emily, I dunno. Anyway, in you go now. Enjoy your evening.’
‘Thank you, Harry. I won’t forget this.’
I proffered the money for our tickets and shook his hands. Harry deftly palmed the additional note I handed him. He grinned and nodded and returned his attention to queue management.
Mike stared at me with wide eyes. ‘What was that?’
‘What was what?’ I repeated innocently.
‘That. The bouncer thing. How did you know him?’
‘Oh that.’ I couldn’t help grinning. I gave my best nonchalant shrug. ‘Well, let’s just say, while you’ve been busy doing your job, I’ve been busy learning mine. It appears Harry works shifts here and at The Swan. We had a nice long chat there the other night. Very informative.’
‘Well, I never. You really are working the circuit.’ There was a tinge of admiration in Mike’s voice, and I felt a red glow of pride rise in my cheeks.
‘I’m only learning the ropes.’
‘Speed-climbing them, by the looks of it. First Iron Dave, now this. Wow. Hats off to you.’ Mike lifted his cap and gave a bow.
‘Stop it already, you fool.’ I poked him the ribs. ‘You’re gonna ruin my reputation.’
Mike laughed. Before he could say anything else, the lights went down and the show started. I had a brief Groundhog Day moment, having gone through so many of these occasions in the past three weeks, but I blinked it away and launched myself into the fun with Mike. Tonight, I wanted to see the band, too. I wanted to know what this hot new guitarist was all about. Mike had been talking about him for days. There was a lot of buzz around this genius, and Mike was anxious that somebody else might poach him before he could get a chance to do so.
We got drinks at the bar and leisurely elbowed our way to the stage. Blue Heart sounded great so far. Hard, fast sounds with plenty of depth. Good rhythm. Powerful vocals. Strong chords. A distinctive lead guitar. Some of the arpeggios overlaying the main tune were vaguely familiar, but I guessed that was in the nature of the style. On the other hand, some of the tunes seemed strangely familiar, but I put that down to them having that hook, that instant classic feel, and chalked it up to great song writing.
‘They’re great,’ I shouted at Mike when we had finally reached a good vantage spot near the front.
‘Told you,’ he agreed. ‘Look at the guitarist. See his fingers move? He’s awesome.’
Obediently, I looked at the guitarist. He wore frayed jeans, a loose-fitting long-sleeved shirt, and cowboy boots. I couldn’t make out his features because his head was bent forwards, bopping in time with the beat, and his long hair completely obscured his face. But musically, he certainly was awesome. Fast and in control. His classic black Gibson sounded divine in his hands. He had assumed a typical rock stance, his feet planted well apart, his knees bending slightly with the rhythm, his whole body living the music.
I felt myself irresistibly drawn to this man. He reminded me of someone—Mike, most probably—and inwardly I laughed at myself. Emily Trenden, are you turning yourself into some kind of groupie after all?
Mike elbowed me sharply. ‘You’re drooling.’
‘I’m so not.’
‘You so are. But I don’t blame you, he’s fantastic. A fantastic player, I mean. If you like him too, ever so much the better. He’s gonna be a hit with the girls.’
I shook my head. ‘You’re incorrigible, Mike Loud.’
‘Practical,’ he countered.
I ‘tskd’ softly and let him be, giving myself up to the music once more. I felt at home, happy, relaxed.
And before I knew it, the guitarist launched into a solo. He struck down hard on a chord with his strumming hand and followed through on the movement by lifting it high in the air. Fab move, I thought. You’re gorgeous.
As he stood there, holding the chord, fist extended, he threw back his head at last and stared out over the crowd as though he had spotted someone in the far distance. He let his gaze travel down, examining faces here and there, and our eyes connected.
At long last, my brain told me what my heart had known all along.
Nate.
Chapter Forty-Six
I nearly fainted.
Nate.
Nate’s eyes lingered on mine for a second before moving on. There was no flash of recognition there at all. And why would there be? He wouldn’t expect me here. And I looked very different from the last time we had seen each other. Plus it would be hard for him to make out features from where he stood. I knew that for a fact because Mike had let me stand on stage one night, blinking into the lights and trying to make out anything beyond the wedges—the speakers—at the front of the stage.
No wonder the music had sounded familiar. I had heard some of it in my very own flat. Oh, if only I had bothered to come to his gigs and listen properly. He was good. No, scratch that. He was extraordinary.
My head swam while I tried to process the situation. I had a weird buzzing in my ears, as though I were under water. My breathing was hard and ragged, and my heart sat right in my throat. My knees were shaking, and for a second, I feared that I would pass out. But I inhaled air in big gulps, the biggest I could manage, and gradually the sensation cleared.
Nate was here.
Nate was amazing.
Mike wanted Nate.
Mike would talk to Nate.
I would have to talk to Nate.
I would have to talk to Nate. With Mike there.
The potential for disaster was limitless. I wanted to run and hide. At the same time, I wanted to climb the stage and throw my arms around him.
‘Oh man, you really got it bad.’ Mike wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me closer to him so he could shout into my ear. ‘I’ll introduce you later, never fear.’
I bent my head back so I could look at Mike. He had no idea. Absolutely none. He was clueless. There was no mischief in his eyes, no malice, only pure pleasure that the guitarist should be such a hit. I opened my mouth to say something, but no words would come out. Helpless, I shrugged.
Mike laughed and let me go, liberating his hands so he could applaud the band. I swayed, forlorn. What the heck was I going to do?
A fresh wave of complications broke over me. What if Nate wouldn’t join Fallen For Rock because of me? What if I stood in th
e way of Mike’s dream?
He mustn’t know, I resolved. He mustn’t make the connection, at least not at first. I’ll tell Mike when we get home, and I’ll let him manage the situation. But Nate mustn’t know about me, not tonight.
My whole being screamed at being denied the chance I had been craving, but I knew it would be the right thing to do. It would be easy to stay out of Nate’s way. I would simply let Mike do his thing and disappear to the bar, perhaps even feign a headache and venture home before disaster could strike. No great shakes.
As for me… Well. If Mike did manage to get Nate on board, sooner or later, we would talk. I would get my chance. But Fallen For Rock was more important.
I ducked my head and retreated a few steps. The set would wrap up soon, and I needed to backtrack.
‘Hey.’ Mike grabbed my hand. ‘Where are you off to?’
‘Um.’ I looked at the stage, panic-stricken. ‘I… I need another drink. And the loo. I was just gonna…you know.’
‘Ah. For a second there, I thought you were running away. Don’t you want to meet your latest fantasy?’
I choked. You have no idea. ‘Yeah. Sure. Of course.’ I swallowed some more. ‘To be honest, I’m not feeling so great. I’ve got a headache coming on.’
Mike’s face fell. Oh dear, this was going to be harder than I thought.
‘Let me get to the bar and get a drink. You go do your thing. I’ll catch you both later, okay?’
‘Okay. You sure? If you’re not well, I…’
‘I’m sure,’ I interrupted. The set ended to rousing applause, and I had to shout at the top of my voice to make myself heard. ‘Go get him. I’ll see you in a minute.’
I extracted my hand from Mike’s and gave him a gentle shove in the right direction. Mike smiled and blew me a kiss. I smiled back, turned on my heels, and stalked off to the bar.
