Page 71 of Summer at Croftwood Cinema
‘It was my pleasure. We’d better get back to the party, hadn’t we?’
Seeing the food beginning to come out, Patsy detoured from her route to the projection box to find Ed and instead went into the kitchen to make sure everyone was okay. One of the lecturers from the cookery school was supervising so there was nothing to worry about but Patsy wanted them to know they had support if they needed it. As the food began to come out and people began to look for a place to sit, it became obvious that there weren’t quite enough chairs in the backstage area. Some of the students were sitting on the grass outside, seeming quite happy to do so but it was a good note for the next event they held that they needed to make sure that there was a chair for every guest to sit down to eat. The kitchen staff produced food from a limited menu, sending out enough meals for everyone in the space of an hour, which was quite a feat and something they hadn’t been sure would be possible on their first try.
Patsy went to the bar and grabbed another glass of wine, forgetting where she’d left the first one and then went in search of Ed. He was standing outside, deep in conversation with Toby. Most people were outside under the fairy-light-strung trees which were also hung with big flouncy tissue paper flowers that Jess had made for them. It was a perfect evening for entertaining outside.
Ed greeted her with a smile. ‘I was wondering where you’d got to. Do you know Toby?’
Toby jumped in before she could answer. ‘Ah, yes. Oliver’s has become my home from home over the past few weeks. A bit more lively than actually working from home.’
‘Did you know Toby’s a lawyer? Used to be a top barrister in London and gave it all up for a quieter life in Croftwood. I was saying it’s the best thing he could have done.’ Patsy realised she hadn’t socialised with Ed and other people before, apart from Oliver and Matt. Where had Chatty Ed come from?
‘It’s a wonderful part of the country, I have to say,’ said Toby.
‘I bet you miss the buzz of London sometimes though?’ She was feeling like being devil’s advocate.
‘Well, I still get up to London a fair bit, keep my hand in, you know,’ he said diplomatically. ‘But it’s nice to have the best of both worlds.’
‘You couldn’t pay me to leave Worcester,’ said Ed.
Patsy couldn’t help but raise her eyebrows and she noticed Toby stifle a smile before he made his excuses and went inside.
‘Matt,’ she said, with some relief as he wandered over to join them. ‘Have you had any food yet?’
‘I’ve eaten,’ said Ed. ‘It was alright, actually.’
‘I’m going to see if there’s anything left. Matt?’
‘Great, I’m starving,’ he said, and followed her inside, leaving Ed to move on to a group of students.
‘God,’ she said. ‘I think he’s had too much to drink,’ she said.
‘There was no need to rescue me,’ Matt said sounding surprised.
‘Well, I feel responsible for him for some reason. I’m sure the last thing you want is to spend the evening talking to someone who you think is a bit of an idiot.’
‘Is that what I think?’ Amusement danced in his eyes.
‘I assumed after the Birmingham thing…’
‘Okay, well you assumed correctly. He treated you badly and I can’t for the life of me think why anyone would.’
He leaned towards her but unlike earlier on, he paused much closer towards her, his lips so close to her ear that she could feel his breath, warm on her skin. Considering how much time they’d spent together lately she realised it was the first time she’d been close enough to notice how he smelt. And it was divine.
‘You’re a constant surprise,’ he whispered in her ear before he gave her a much more considered, tender kiss on the cheek.
All she could do was close her eyes, feeling him linger there, and imagine his kisses slowly making their way around to her mouth. She drew in a breath and quietly tried to exhale; it seemed important not to startle him for fear he’d move away and it would be over.
Whatever it was.
It was Matt and she hadn’t felt as turned on by a kiss on the cheek in her life.
Of course, he did pull away, with a graze of his hand down her upper arm which almost undid her. Before she could gather herself, or think of anything to say, his phone began to ring and he excused himself and headed into the foyer.
Patsy exhaled, feeling briefly dizzy from the adrenaline. What was happening? Aside from work, they barely knew each other. She wouldn’t even have said she found him attractive with his clean shaven, preppy look, wavy dark blonde hair and dark blue eyes. But there was something about him. And now she knew what a kiss from him could do, a kiss on the cheek no less, it was going to be difficult not to think about what a proper kiss from him might feel like. It was going to be a challenge to keep her mind on the job in hand for the rest of the evening.
She could hear music playing in the backstage area so she picked up her drink and headed back outside. The few people still there had started dancing while others mingled under the trees outside, the small corner of the park becoming all the more magical looking as dusk and then darkness fell.
Patsy took her drink outside, looking for Oliver. He was sat under a tree talking to Jess.
