Page 92 of You Float My Boat

More important, she mademesmile.

Glancing around, however, I couldn’t see her.

She wasn’t on stage. She wasn’t with Stella. I sat up in my chair, hoping I’d missed her sitting on the front rows, but none of the backs of heads I could see belonged to Violet. It was only on my second sweep of the theatre that a flash of caramel-blonde caught my eye.

There she was.

Maybe if I’d come to the theatre weeks ago, I would have realized sooner that this girl was one of a kind. Absolutely stunning. It wouldn’t have taken me most of January to figure out that I liked her. And I wouldn’t have been surprised by the realization that I did.

In fact, right now, watching her wander across the stage to join in with whatever discussion they were having, the violet ends of her blonde hair bouncing across her shoulders as happily and carefree as she was, I was surprised how I hadn’t liked Violet Brooks for far longer than a month. I pulled out my phone, taking a quick snap I could add to Instagram later.

‘Cece, I agree too.’

‘I’m the director, Violet. I say what’s happening.’

Leo had stepped away nearer to Stella, so the space was clear for Violet to be next, and once more Cecily had an arm slung over her shoulders. ‘I know you are, Cecily, but come and watch from down here. You’ll see. And when Linus gets back we can show him too.’

Somehow, Violet managed to coax Cecily off the stage, taking her down the stairs and back to her seat.

‘Do-over,’ Violet called, and everyone jumped into action, resuming their positions until only Leo was left in the centre. ‘Stella?’

Stella walked onto the stage from the right and stopped, looking down at Cecily.

‘Well?’

It was faint, but I heard a huffed ‘fine’, from the front row, before standing to resume with the foghorn. ‘Okay, ten-minute break. Ten minutes people.’

I eased up from the chair just as Stella ran down the steps to Violet and spotted me. Her face split with a wide, knowing grin and ten seconds later Violet shot up and spun around.

Rushing across the city in the pouring rain, clocking up a library fine because my pile of books was definitely going back late, not to mention almost dying in training this morning, was all totally worth it from the look on her face when her eyes locked with mine.

If I’d had any doubt at all about liking this girl, it melted away from the warmth of her smile until I swear it was only her and me in the entire theatre. Especially when she made her way over to me, breaking into a little jog for the last few metres.

‘What are you doing here?’

‘Thought I’d come to see if all our rehearsal time’s paying off.’

Her giggle hit me square in the chest, and I knew my smile matched the size of hers. Taking a step forward, I was just about to kiss her when I realized we had an audience. An audience of one. I managed to tear my eyes away from Violet to see who it was.

Up close, Leo looked much more familiar than he had on the stage, and much taller. The velvet suit was still velvet, but somehow he managed to pull it off. In an Austin Powers kind of way, or in the way a velvet suit should never look good on anybody. Maybe it was the shiny brogues he’d paired it with, shinier than I’d ever known shoes could be.

I found myself wondering what he did on rainy days like this because shiny shoes, velvet and rain were not friends.

‘Hi?’

‘What’s up, Leo?’ asked Violet, from her tone clearly annoyed at the interruption. Though I noticed she didn’t frown at Stella who’d also joined us.

‘Well, I came to see if you wanted a coffee, but now I want to know who this dishy chap is. Your boyfriend I presume, given how you’re looking at each other.’

My eyes shot to Violet, who looked utterly mortified, or perhaps that was the face she made when she was trying to bite her tongue. Because I think she was trying to do that too. Whatever it was, I was still learning. I’d got most of her faces down, but this was new.

Stella’s, however, needed no translation. The clenched fists raised to her temples did all the talking.

‘God, Leo. Who speaks like that. You’re twenty years old. No one says “dishy chap” under the age of seventy-five, and Charlie isn’t …’

‘I dunno,’ I interrupted and grinned at Leo. ‘I kind of like it. It has an old-world charm to it. I should thank you, my good sir.’

Leo looked like he might burst with happiness, in contrast to Stella who appeared to be trying to melt him with her glare. But he was impervious. And I liked him all the more for it. Violet, however, was still twisting her lip and it took no guesses for me to figure it was down to the boyfriend comment, not that I could have cared less.

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