Part 13 (1/2)
Holly rolled her eyes. ”Oh no, I'm sorry, I'll wander around town for a bit and come back later so,” she said, hopping off her stool.
”Hey, don't be silly.” He flashed his pearly whites. ”The shops are all closed by now and you can keep me company, that's if you don't mind...”
”Well, I don't mind if you don't mind...”
”I don't mind,” he said firmly.
”Well then, I'll stay so,” she said, happily hopping back onto her stool again. Daniel leaned his hands against the taps in a typical barman's pose. ”So now that that's settled, what can I get you?” he said, smiling.
”Well, this is great, no queuing or shouting my order across the bar or anything,” she joked. ”I'll have a sparkling water, please.”
”Nothing stronger?” He raised his eyebrows. His smile was infectious; it seemed to reach from ear to ear.
”No, I better not or I'll be drunk by the time everyone gets here.”
”Good thinking,” he agreed and reached behind him to the fridge to retrieve the bottled water. Holly realized what it was that made him look so different; he wasn't wearing his trademark black. He was wearing faded blue jeans and an open light blue s.h.i.+rt with a white T-s.h.i.+rt underneath that made his blue eyes twinkle even more than usual. The sleeves of his s.h.i.+rt were rolled up to just below his elbows. Holly could see his muscles through the light fabric. She quickly averted her eyes as he slid the gla.s.s toward her.
”Can I get you anything?” she asked him.
”No thanks, I'll take care of this one.”
”No, please,” Holly insisted. ”You've bought me plenty of drinks, it's my turn.”
”OK, I'll have a Budweiser then, thanks.” He leaned against the bar and continued to stare at her.
”What? Do you want me to get it?” Holly laughed, jumping off her stool and walking around the bar. Daniel stood back and watched her with amus.e.m.e.nt.
”I always wanted to work behind a bar when I was a kid,” she said, grabbing a pint gla.s.s and pulling down on the tap. She was enjoying herself.
”Well, there's a spare job if you're looking for one,” Daniel said, watching her work closely.
”No thanks, I think I do a better job on the other side of the bar,” she laughed, filling the pint gla.s.s.
”Mmm...well, if you're ever looking for a job, you know where to come,” Daniel said after taking a gulp of his pint. ”You did a good job.”
”Well, it's not exactly brain surgery,” she smiled, bouncing across to the other side of the bar. She took out her purse and handed him money. ”Keep the change,” she laughed.
”Thanks,” he smiled, turning to open the cash register, and she scorned herself for checking out his b.u.m. It was nice, though, firm but not as nice as Gerry's, she decided.
”Has your husband deserted you again tonight?” he teased, walking around the bar to join her. Holly bit her lip and wondered how to answer him. Now wasn't really the time to talk about something so depressing to someone who was only making chitchat, but she didn't want the poor man to keep asking her every time he saw her. He would soon realize the truth, which would cause him even more embarra.s.sment.
”Daniel,” she said softly, ”I don't mean to make you uncomfortable, but my husband pa.s.sed away.”
Daniel stopped in his tracks and his cheeks blushed slightly. ”Oh Holly, I'm sorry, I didn't know,” he said sincerely.
”It's OK, I know you didn't.” She smiled to show him it was all right.
”Well, I didn't meet him the other night, but if someone had told me, I would have gone to the funeral to pay my respects.” He sat beside her at the bar.
”Oh no, Gerry died in February, Daniel, he wasn't here the other night.”
Daniel looked confused. ”But I thought you told me he was here...” He trailed off, thinking he had misheard.
”Oh yeah.” Holly looked down at her feet with embarra.s.sment. ”Well, he wasn't here,” she said, looking around the club, ”but he was here,” she put her hand on her heart.
”Ah, I see,” he said, finally understanding. ”Well then, you were even braver the other night than I thought, considering the circ.u.mstances,” he said gently. Holly was surprised by how at ease he seemed. Usually people stuttered and stammered their way through a sentence and either wandered off or changed the subject. She felt relaxed in his presence, though, as if she could talk openly without fear of crying. Holly smiled, shaking her head, and briefly explained the story of the list.
”So that's why I ran off after Declan's gig that time,” Holly laughed.
”It wasn't because they were so terrible by any chance?” Daniel joked, then he looked lost in thought. ”Ah yes, that's right, that was the thirtieth of April.”
”Yeah, I couldn't wait any longer to open it,” Holly explained.
”Hmmm...when's the next one?”
”July,” she said excitedly.
”So I won't be seeing you on the thirtieth of June then,” he said dryly.
”Now you're getting the gist,” she laughed.
”I have arrived!” announced Denise to the empty room as she swanned in, dolled up to the nines in the dress she had worn to the ball last year. Tom strolled in behind her, laughing and refusing to take his eyes off her.
”G.o.d, you're dressed up,” Holly remarked, staring her friend up and down. In the end Holly had decided to just wear a pair of jeans, black boots and a very simple black top. She hadn't been in the mood to get all dressed up after all, especially as they were only sitting in an empty club, but Denise hadn't quite grasped that concept.
”Well, it's not every day I get to go to my own premiere, is it?” she joked.
Tom and Daniel greeted each other with hugs. ”Baby, this is Daniel, my best friend,” Tom said, introducing Denise to Daniel. Daniel and Holly raised their eyebrows at each other and smiled, both registering the use of the word 'baby&rsquo.
”Hi, Tom.” Holly shook his hand after Denise had introduced her and he kissed her on the cheek. ”I'm sorry about the last time I met you, I wasn't feeling very sane that night.” Holly blushed at the memory of the karaoke.
”Oh, that's no problem,” Tom smiled kindly. ”If you hadn't entered then I wouldn't have met Denise, so I'm glad you did,” he added, turning to face Denise. Daniel and Holly shared a mutually pleased look for their friends, and Holly settled down on her stool feeling very comfortable with these two new men.
After a while Holly discovered she was enjoying herself; she wasn't just pretending to laugh or finding things mildly amusing, she was genuinely happy. The thought of that made her even happier, as did the knowledge that Denise had finally found someone she really loved.
Minutes later the rest of the Kennedy family arrived, along with Sharon and John. Holly ran down to greet her friends. ”Hiya, hun,” Sharon said, giving her a hug. ”You here long?”
Holly started laughing. ”I thought it was on at eight o'clock so I came at half seven.”
”Oh no.” Sharon looked worried.
”Oh, don't worry, it was fine. Daniel kept me company,” she said, pointing over to him.
”Him?” John said angrily, ”Watch yourself with him, Holly, he's a bit of an oddball. You should have heard the stuff he was saying to Sharon the other night.”
Holly giggled to herself and quickly excused herself from their company to join her family. ”Meredith not with you tonight?” she boldly asked Richard.