Part 94 (1/2)

Nate grabs the blanket from the sofa. ”Gonna go to bed. Hardly f.u.c.king slept on there.”

”It's eight a.m.”

”And? I said I'm f.u.c.king knackered.” Nate drags the blue blanket across the floor and out of the room after him. ”If they need help digging snow or some s.h.i.+t like that, ask someone to wake me up. Otherwise, I'll see you later.”

”Right.”

He pauses in the doorway and looks over his shoulder. ”And Riley?”

”What?”

”Please don't come into the bedroom while I'm in there.”

”Why would I do that?”

He bites his lip. ”Because I normally sleep naked and I'm scared you won't be able to control yourself.”

Leaving a flash of an image of Nate naked behind, the arrogant jerk heads to bed.

I return to the kitchen and as I drink my tea, something I never considered crosses my mind. Nate slept on the sofa and now wants my bed. There aren't enough for everybody. We'd better be out of here before tonight.

10.

RILEY.

I spend the rest of the morning chatting to my fellow guests. George and Val run the pub and have for almost twenty years. Becca works part-time and is studying business at college. The other guy, Jason, is a regular who's a little older than Becca and a close friend. Judging by his body language, I'd lay bets he's her boyfriend. Either that or would like to be.

Becca in particular is interested in my job and asks candid questions about Ruby Riot, confiding she'd wished it was Jax stranded in the pub. I smile and resolve to tell Nate this fact, next time we have a snarkfest.

Val makes lunch and refuses offers of help, and Nate doesn't re-appear. Afterwards, George and Jason dig snow from the front door, but with more falling and no access to the cars or roads, the exercise is futile.

George gives up and speaks to friends in the village; all roads leading up here are now blocked, at least for the day. No snowploughs can travel from the nearest town to the outlying villages, never mind to isolated pubs.

Once I accept this is the way things are, I find a quiet corner and call Mum to update her. Nate remains absent. I'm all for socialising with these people, I'm stuck with them for another night after all, but I'd like to retrieve my laptop from upstairs and work to pa.s.s the time. I have a huge event I'm in the midst of organising, involving a prestige client and his US PR firm. I field some e-mails, but the stress mounts. Mitch.e.l.l, the guy I'm liaising with, arrives from New York next week, and if I'm not organised it will be a dent in my professional reputation.

By two p.m., I'm tired again and desperate for some time alone. Instead, I'm attempting to answer e-mails on my phone while Jason and Becca chatter.

”Typical rock star, eh?” says Jason, inclining his head upwards. ”Does what he wants. Sleeps all day after a few beers.”

”So Nate slept on the sofa because he was drunk?”

”He sank a few. Can hold his ale better than most,” he replies.

”Nate didn't sleep well so I think he's catching up.” And why am I defending him?

”I told Nate to go to bed, but he mumbled something about you and collapsed on the sofa,” Becca says.

”Probably. I can't imagine he'd want to sleep in a bed with me.”

”So you're not a couple? I thought he only slept on the sofa because he was too drunk to move,” she says.

”No, we're not. I work with him. Nate was driving us back to London before... we got stuck.”

”Going to have to fight over the bed, then,” says Becca with a smile. ”Only two guest rooms. Jason and I have the other room, and we're happy to share.”

Becca grips Jason's hand and drops her gaze from his, fighting a smile.

”I can share a room with him if I have to, but not a bed. Nate can use the sofa.”

”Nate said you work for him. Isn't it up to him where he sleeps, then?” asks Jason.

I'm already picturing the situation. Belligerent Nate refusing to leave the room, taking the bed, and sending me to the sofa in the lounge. He's a selfish pig. Why would he offer me the bed? Then what right do I have to demand using it?

Last night I was lucky Nate was too drunk to kick me out.

”I hope the sofa is comfy,” I reply with a weak smile.

Fed up with waiting for Nate to come downstairs, I leave my new friends and bang on the bedroom door.

”What?” calls a voice.

”Are you awake?”

”Yeah.”

”Aren't you hungry?”

”Val brought me some lunch.”

”What? When?”

The door opens and a brighter Nate, dressed in his usual clothes again regards me. ”She brought me my dry clothes. Nice lady, she fetched me a sandwich too. Reckon she wants a picture of the star who visited the pub, to hang on the wall and add to her collection.”

Great, should've guessed at least one of the females in the building would be star struck by Nate and the charm he turns on when he feels like it.

”A bit rude of you not to come downstairs and talk to people.”

Nate shoves his hands into his back pockets. ”I will, when I want to.”

”So you've sat in here awake for a few hours?”