Page 72 of Summer at Croftwood Cinema
‘Hey, you. Take a seat.’ He gestured to the grass beside him and she collapsed with a sigh.
‘It seems like a hit,’ said Jess. ‘I would love a party here.’
‘It does look great, doesn’t it?’ Patsy looked into the backstage from her position opposite the back door and couldn’t believe they’d pulled it off.
‘It really works,’ agreed Oliver. ‘Was it worth us having a dry run?’
‘Yes, I think so,’ said Patsy. ‘I’ve quite enjoyed it and there’s not much to iron out before next week but I’d hate to have felt as nervous as I did tonight before the actual launch party. I’m hoping to enjoy that a bit more.’
‘Hmm, I think Ed’ll be the nervous one that night,’ said Oliver.
They’d decided to show a film, a crowd-pleaser but something relatively short which Ed was sorting out for them with his contacts from the Film Society.
Matt had come back to join them and over-hearing Oliver’s comment, said, ‘If it goes down as well as tonight has I think you’ll be onto a winner. I’ve enjoyed it.’ He looked at Patsy when he said that, making her blush.
Unable to bear his gaze on her, memories of the kiss hurtling back, she looked around for her drink. ‘I’ve had four glasses of wine tonight and not had more than a sip from any of them,’ she said.
People were beginning to leave. There were a hardcore few who had begun dancing the night away in the middle of the room but the catering staff had already cleared everything up aside from a few glasses and had said their goodnights with Oliver making sure to thank each of them for making the night a success.
‘Think it’s time to turf out the stragglers and lock up,’ he said.
The four of them began to take the chairs inside and then once the last few people had gone, Oliver pulled the doors across and locked up.
‘I think we can leave it at that. Is everyone out, Jack?’ Oliver called across the stalls.
Jack poked his head around the door. ‘Yep, just checked the loos. All clear.’
‘Great. Everything else can wait. Let’s go.’
Oliver locked the door.
‘Our first night. Done,’ Patsy said wearily.
Matt put an arm around each of them. ‘The first of many. Well done you two.’
‘Okay. Come on, let’s get home.’ Oliver and Jack offered to walk Jess to her car so they said their goodbyes, Oliver gave Patsy a big hug then, looking slightly emotional, he, Jack and Jess headed back towards town.
Patsy and Matt watched them walk away, then he turned to face her and took her hands in his.
‘Do we need to talk?’ he asked.
She nodded. It would have been more romantic to simply pick up where Matt had left off earlier but things for her were complicated and she knew his life was too. He knew most of it already, and was the only person she knew to have seen Dan with his own eyes, but Patsy wanted to share everything. And make sure he knew what he was getting into, if that’s what they decided.
They headed arm in arm back to her flat in companionable silence. She tried not to think about the fact that Matt was coming back to her flat. Tried not to think about what might happen there and instead concentrated on how the evening had gone.
It was strange to think that the cinema was up and running because the sense of relief she thought she’d get after their dry run had gone so smoothly was non-existent. Perhaps that’s because the launch party had more riding on it and had to be perfect or maybe that’s what life was going to be like all the time now, going from one big night to the next. Either way, that was fine. She needed to turn her anxiety — not only about the cinema but about her love life too — into anticipation and channel that into making Croftwood Cinema amazing.
30
MATT FOLLOWED PATSY into her flat. She’d left the windows open and now that the sun had set, the place was a lot cooler than it would have otherwise been; the Victorian eaves weren’t as well-insulated as they would be nowadays.
Taking the idea from the cinema, Patsy had bought some solar-powered fairy lights and trailed them through the branches of the oak tree that grazed her roof terrace and she’d bought a couple of old deckchairs and given them an amateur makeover with some bright floral canvas from The Croftwood Haberdashery. Now that she was so busy with work, it seemed more important to have somewhere she could enjoy relaxing in when she got home.
‘This is fantastic,’ Matt said, climbing out of the window onto the roof terrace before Patsy could even suggest it.
‘Is it too late to have a glass of wine?’ Patsy suggested, hoping he wouldn’t prefer a cup of tea.
‘Never too late on an evening like this.’ He hooked his jacket on the back of one of the deckchairs and eased himself down into it. Patsy watched in mild horror since her makeover had only been cosmetic, and might not have done anything to strengthen the ripe old fabric that still lay underneath but it seemed to be holding.
