Page 104 of The Gin Lover's Guide to Dating

‘Me too.’ I match her facial expression as my stomach starts it familiar washing-machine-style churn. ‘So badly. I thought it would fade, the feeling of missing him so much, but it’s still there, strong as ever. I don’t think I’ll ever hear from him again. It’s been so long now. Makes me wonder if he was married after all – maybe separated and got back together with his wife.’

‘Then maybe there is new hombre here for you.’ Reyes starts to scan the room.

‘Here?’ I choke on my pint. ‘No way.’

Dylan gives me a look.

‘It’s not a snob thing,’ I defend myself. ‘I went to school with these blokes. I’ve seen way too much of what they get up to, to ever date any of them.’

‘Fair play.’ Dylan shrugs. ‘They haven’t changed much either.’

‘They are very happy to be seeing you,’ says Reyes. ‘You are feeling good about this?’

I look round me, making eye contact with Neilsy, who raises his pint towards me. I return the gesture.

‘Yeah, they are.’ I smile contentedly. ‘It feels really good. I can finally say with pride that this is where I’m from.’

‘That’s my girl. You’ve come a long way these past months.’ Dylan puts his other arm around me and pulls both Reyes and me into a group hug; his strong arms holding us there until we cry out at him to stop suffocating us.

A short while later, I’m being heralded as Neilsy’s nemesis. Although he’s beaten me twice, I’ve apparently made him sweat, and I’m the first person to do that in the last few years.

I’m in the process of negotiating a short break before playing another old schoolmate, Justin, a nice-looking guy with dark hair and deep brown eyes, who obviously works out, when there’s a tap on my shoulder.

‘Squirt, have a you got a minute?’ Dylan asks.

‘Sure, Dylan. Justin, give me half an hour, and I’ll be back to kick your backside.’ I give him a cheeky wink.

‘Fine by me.’ Justin’s eyes glint impishly. ‘Very happy to get an arse-whipping from a gorgeous woman anytime.’

Caught off guard by his flirting, I feel my cheeks start to burn. Back here in the Broken Arms, in some ways it feels like I never left. But I certainly never got comments like that when I was a teenager. The guys were all fond of me, protective even, but they saw me in more of a little sister or vulnerable kid kind of role. I was never the one they lusted after. I didn’t have any money for new clothes, make-up and hairspray, like some other girls. Their families, though they still didn’t have a lot, made sure their daughters were presentable and had a bit of pocket money.

I turn away from Justin to hide my blush and follow Dylan from the pool table. Once we’re out of earshot, he stops and turns to me.

‘The word’s gotten out that you’re here.’

‘Well, duh!’ I screw up my nose at him, wondering why he just dragged me away to state the obvious.

‘No, I mean the word’s gotten out – beyond this pub. Your mum’s just turned up.’

The bottom just about falls out of my stomach, closely followed by a shiver that runs through me. My mum’s here? In this pub? Shit. I was almost prepared for seeing all my old friends and schoolmates, but not for this. I didn’t think for a second that, even if she heard I was back, she would have shifted her lazy backside off the couch long enough to wave to me in the street, never mind turn up, right here in the Broken Arms.

‘Is she drunk?’ My eyes search Dylan’s nervously.

‘Actually, no,’ he replies. ‘That’s the surprising thing. She’s sober. And she looks pretty well.’

‘What?’ I look past him, scanning the bar to try and spot her. ‘Are you sure it’s her? Where is she?’

‘Of course, I’m sure it’s her.’ Dylan looks at me incredulously. ‘I know what your mum looks like.’

‘Oh, I know that.’ I purse my lips. ‘But you know as well as I do that she’s barely been sober since I was a kid. And the days she was – the ones that I saw – she was a total nightmare.’

‘I know she was. But she wants to see you. Are you ready for that?’

‘I… err…no. NO.’ I rub my face anxiously. ‘I don’t want this to ruin things. This wasn’t part of today’s plan.’

‘It’s up to you.’ Dylan puts a reassuring hand on my shoulder. ‘No pressure. If you don’t want to see her, I’ll make sure she leaves. She even said herself she would.’

‘She did?’ I look up at him in surprise.

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