Page 23 of The Best Book Boyfriend
A drink would really take the edge off my nerves, but I don’t want to look like a lush. “What are you drinking?”
“I was thinking red wine with dinner.”
“Red would be lovely, thank you.” I hover while he fetches two glasses from the open shelving and uncorks a bottle.
“Take a seat and I’ll bring it over.” I notice he’s set two places at one end of the table, and he’s lit candles.Candles say date, right?
The solid dining table reminds me of a scene in the banquet hall inTaken by Night,and I immediately think about having sex on it.
I cross my legs and regain my composure, taking the seat facing the kitchen so I can check out more of his place. The wall behind me is exposed brick, though I think it must be brickslips rather than original, as this part of the room would have been in the original house and they’re neater than decades of wear and tear would leave them. On the wall, he’s hung three large framed black and white photographs; a sunset, a valley, and a tree. I wonder if it’s the same tree as his tattoo.
“Your place is beautiful, Luke. How long have you been here?” I ask when he hands me my wine and takes the other seat.
“Well, welcome, it’s lovely to have you here. Cheers!” he raises his glass, and we lock eyes as we clink them together and take a first sip. It’s seriously excellent wine, bold and spicy and I know I’m going to enjoy every drop. “I moved in at the start of the year.”
“Did you do the renovations yourself?”
“Oh no, the people before me did all of this. After I sold my old house, I just wanted a smaller place where I could move straight in and not do anything. Are you judging it?” The accusation makes me laugh.
“Occupational hazard, I’m afraid. I’m always checking out people’s houses. I love seeing how differently they approach renovations and decor. They’ve done a lovely job here. This space is impressive, I bet it’s great for entertaining.”
“Ha, everybody says that.” His smile drops. “Can’t say I’ve been doing too much of it, though.”
“No?”
“My friend Rob is the only person I really know here, but we grew up half an hour away, so I go back a lot to visit my Granny. How long have you lived here?”
“My whole life. My folks live up near the garden centre.”
“You didn’t go away for uni or anything?”
“No, that wasn’t really for me. I used to work weekends with Dad in a timber merchants, and then after school I got a full-time job but still lived at home while we saved up for a deposit. After I renovated my house, I did an evening course and then started doing interiors stuff.” I’m talking way too much, and he’s just nodding along. “What about you?”
“Well, my mum and I lived with my Granny and Grandad when I was a kid. Mum’s a doctor. She got pregnant just after her medical training and my dad was never on the scene. Mum moved back home so they could help look after me while she worked. They owned the village pub, so I worked my way up in the kitchen there.”
“Wow, I bet you’ve got some great stories from there.”
“Yeah, I really loved it. Definitely thought I had a career ahead of me, but then my Grandad died around the same time that Heather got sick. Granny sold the pub and gave us the money so we could concentrate on getting Heather better, which, you know… she didn’t. And that’s my whole miserable life story.”
“I’m so sorry Luke. That’s such a shit ride.”
“It’s OK. It’s good to get through that bit fast,” he says, taking a slow drink from his glass. “I’m grateful for what I had.”
I don’t want him to feel sad so after a long pause I change the subject to the real reason I’m here tonight. “So have you had many thoughts about the book club?”
“I’ve actually had such a busy week, thanks to your Instagram recommendation, I’ve not had much of a chance to be honest. Though the only thing I was thinking is that maybe Wednesday is a good night for it?”
“Wednesday is what I was thinking too!” He looks relieved that I agree. “It’s the perfect night. Not much else going on, but far enough into the week that people might want to do something rather than stay in and watch telly. And I was thinking 7:30pm might be a good time to start? And maybe do it on the first Wednesday of each month, so it’s easy to keep track?”
“OK, first Wednesday it is. I mentioned it to Jo and Katy who work at Sunshine. I think you’ve met them? They were both keen to join, so we’ll all be there.”
“Oh, lovely.” I can’t remember who I’ve met, but I’ll attempt to introduce myself properly next time I visit. “One thing I was wondering is how many people do you think you can fit in?”
“Capacity is probably fifty. I was thinking we could move all tables and chairs so they’re all facing up the back end and you could host from there?”
“That sounds good. So if it’s OK with you, I think we should just promote it with posters in the cafe and through your social media. I would share it on my account, but then there is a risk that more than 50 people turn up and I want it to be a Sunshine Coffee thing rather than a Kara Wilson thing.”
“It’s still so weird to me that you’re internet famous. Does it freak you out?”
