Secrets (2 page)

Chapter Three

It was late, but the pub’s small function room remained packed with a dance floor now sticky from spilt beer. Together, Susie and Janey had rocked and rolled, jived and twisted, bopped and boogied the night away. Susie had indeed battered Janey’s credit card. She was now drunk and openly leering at the dark-haired Adonis. As the band’s current song rose to a squealing crescendo of electric guitars, the pub’s sizeable audience burst into a round of applause.

‘Thank you!’ the lead singer yelled into the microphone. ‘And now, I’m going to do something I’ve wanted to do all evening.’

‘You gonna take a leak?’ cackled a brassy blonde, very much the worse for wear.

‘Nope,’ said the dark-haired Adonis. ‘I’m going to ask the lady over there to dance with me.’

Suzie stopped dead in her tracks. ‘Oh my goodness.’ She grabbed hold of Janey’s arm to steady herself. ‘He’s looking my way. Holy moly! Check out the smouldering looks he’s giving me!’

‘Wow, you lucky thing,’ said Janey wistfully. The lead singer had turned to say something to the guy on keyboards. Suddenly the function room was filled with the opening bars of a soft smoochy tune. As the dark-haired Adonis walked towards the two slack-jawed women, the crowd parted like the Red Sea. Just as Janey was about to move away and take up position of wallflower, the Adonis reached for her hand. He pulled her towards him.

‘May I have the pleasure?’ he smiled into Janey’s eyes.

Janey thought she was going to faint. Powerless to do anything else, she melted into the strong arms now holding her tightly. She desperately tried to still her heart rate which was suddenly impersonating a leaping salmon. The guy was a good head taller than her. His body was hard and felt hot from energetically dancing all night. As an unknown aftershave shot up her nostrils, Janey inhaled deeply. She felt as if she was breathing in the guy’s soul. In her peripheral vision, Janey caught a glimpse of Susie’s face. Her friend looked absolutely livid. For one horrible moment, Janey thought Susie might create a scene. Instead, after a moment’s hesitation, she turned on her heel. Stomping across the function room, Susie slammed through the pub’s double doors and out into the cold night.

‘Oh dear,’ said Janey. She was torn between rushing after Susie and remaining in the knee-trembling embrace of the Adonis.

‘Oh
dear
? Does that mean you don’t really want to dance with me?’ the guy grinned mischievously. His teeth were white and even, and his eyes crinkled attractively at the corners.

‘No!’ Janey protested. ‘I mean, yes, I
do
want to dance with you. I’m just a bit worried about my friend–’

‘–who had the hump up to her eyeballs and has now cleared off?’

‘Um, yes. That friend,’ said Janey lamely.

‘I wouldn’t call her a friend. You’ve been abandoned.’

‘Well, perhaps she’ll come back in a minute.’

‘I doubt it. This is the last song for the night. It’s nearly midnight and the pub will be closing shortly. How did you get here?’

‘I walked. I only live a mile away.’ Janey wasn’t thrilled Susie had left her to go home alone through empty streets. Indeed, the thought filled her with anxiety. Susie had wheedled Janey into handing over the only tenner in her purse so she could buy a train ticket to the Argos interview on Monday. There was no hole-in-the-wall near the pub, and it was unlikely a minicab would accept payment by credit card.

‘Well that’s settled then,’ said the dark-haired Adonis. ‘I’ll walk you home.’

Janey felt a mixture of both relief and apprehension. She didn’t know this guy from Adam. For all she knew, he might drag her down some dark alleyway and rape her. But then again, he didn’t look like a rapist. He looked every inch a rock star. She decided to worry about the walk home in another minute or two, when the music had stopped. Right now she just wanted to savour the thrill of being in this guy’s arms and…as he slowly lowered his mouth to hers…the exquisite taste of a first kiss.

Chapter Four

Needless to say the dark-haired Adonis hadn’t been a rapist. And now Janey was standing with this handsome stranger on her doorstep. As she stared up at him, he moved towards her and gave her the most thorough kissing she’d ever had in her life. Breathless, she eventually pulled away, aware her knees were feeling incredibly weak.

‘Th-thank you for walking me home,’ Janey stammered.

‘My pleasure.’ The dark-haired Adonis paused. He furrowed his brow, as if thinking about something. ‘You know, I don’t have to go back just yet. I could come in.’ He flashed a mischievous smile. ‘For coffee.’

Janey stared at him, unsure how to handle this. The last guy she’d invited in
for coffee
had been Brian – and look how that had ended. But Brian hadn’t been a wannabe rock star staying in a hotel and likely to drive off into the sunset the following morning. Janey wasn’t really a one-night-stand sort of girl. As she stood there, apparently robbed of speech, she felt out of practice and faintly ridiculous.

‘Say something,’ the dark-haired Adonis prompted. ‘Even if it’s to tell me you’ve run out of coffee.’

‘I don’t know your name,’ Janey blurted. They’d walked arm in arm for the last fifteen minutes with the dark-haired Adonis making small talk about
Carbon Vendetta
and the band’s hopes and dreams. She’d chatted about her own musical preferences and playing the recorder as a child. But no personal stuff had been exchanged. The only thing Janey knew for sure was that this guy was the lead singer of a band touring pubs and clubs up and down the country, and she was a girl he’d just happened to dance with.

‘Jake Miller.’ He gave her another mega-watt grin. ‘Can I come in for coffee now?’

‘Well, er…I think I’m…um…gosh–’

‘Wait!’ Jake held up a finger indicating Janey stop.

‘What is it?’ Janey gasped. She was making a right pig’s ear of this. What would Susie have done? Well that was a no-brainer. Susie wouldn’t have wasted a second. By now Jake would have been hauled up the stairs, wrestled onto her bed, and Susie would now be impersonating a pneumatic drill as she impaled herself on Jake and rogered him senseless.

‘Actually,’ Jake slapped one hand to his forehead as if just remembering something. ‘I can’t come in.’

‘Oh, why ever not?’ The disappointment on Janey’s face was obvious.

Jake regarded Janey solemnly. ‘My mother told me never to speak to strangers. Despite me telling you my name, you haven’t told me yours.’

‘Janey Richardson,’ said Janey, rattled by the whole situation.

‘
Janey Richardson
,’ Jake repeated softly. ‘In that case, Janey Richardson, I do believe we now officially know each other. I’m able to have coffee with you.’

‘Good,’ Janey squeaked. She didn’t know whether to be happy or horrified. ‘Come on in.’ As her key rattled into the barrel of the lock, she cleared her throat and tried to speak in a normal tone, rather than sounding like she’d swallowed a lungful of helium. ‘I’m afraid the coffee is instant.’

‘That’s okay,’ said Jake. He followed her into the hallway and up the stairs to the top flat. ‘I wasn’t expecting you to whizz up a cappuccino or anything.’

‘Actually,’ said Janey, walking into the kitchenette and flicking on the overhead light, ‘I can indeed make you a cappuccino.’ She reached inside her miniscule larder and pulled out a sachet of powder. ‘All this needs is boiling water and…bingo! Hot, sweet, and gorgeous.’ Janey was horribly aware of Jake’s overpowering presence in the tiny kitchenette. It seemed as though the walls were moving inward, shrinking the size of the room. And was it her imagination, or had he moved closer? She stuck a hand up between them, waggling the sachet about as if it were some sort of tiny shield to keep him away. Jake looked at the sachet and then at her.

‘Mm. Sounds wonderful. Just like you.’

‘Excuse me?’

‘Hot, sweet, and gorgeous.’

Disconcerted, Janey reached for the kettle. Jake’s hand instantly came down on hers. ‘Leave the coffee for now.’ His arms were encircling her waist again.

‘N-no,’ Janey stammered. ‘You don’t understand. I’m not that sort of girl. I don’t do one-night stands.’

‘And the good news is,’ said Jake, tangling his fingers into her hair, ‘I’m not that sort of guy. I’ve never had a one-night stand in my life.’

Janey felt thoroughly unsettled. What exactly was being said here? That he wasn’t going to take her to bed after all? Or that he
was
going to take her to bed but he wanted to see her again? Or–

‘I really like you, Janey Richardson,’ Jake whispered. ‘In fact, if I were so inclined to be an old-fashioned romantic, I’d say I’d fallen in love with you.’

Chapter Five

Janey wondered if she would hear from Susie. It was usual for them to meet on a Sunday. They’d have coffee then take a bus to Greenwich and stroll around the park. The two women loved “people watching” and chatting. Later they’d enjoy a sandwich at one of the street cafés near the market. Susie would gossip about her latest Saturday night conquest. With a wicked sense of humour she’d impart the bonking ability of the ginger geek at the dole office. Once Susie had chatted up her balding bank manager and told him all the things she’d like to do with his paisley tie whilst discussing her overdraft. She was outrageous, funny and adept at snaring any man she chose. She was also mercilessly swift at despatching them the following morning. Janey pondered, if things had gone differently for Susie last night, whether her friend would have been quite so hasty in showing Jake Miller the door on this golden November morning. Certainly Jake was in a different league to ginger geeks and balding bank managers.

Indeed, showing Jake the door wasn’t something Janey had done. Not at half past midnight. Nor at two in the morning. Or four. Or even six. The sachet of instant cappuccino had remained untouched. Instead Jake had thoroughly kissed Janey, peeled off her clothes and spent the night making love to her. In between couplings, they’d murmured endearments, marvelling at how they’d found each other. The chemistry was like nothing either of them had experienced before. They mutually agreed their love, so instant and yet so profound, surely meant they were soul mates. The pair of them had finally drifted off, wrapped in each other’s arms, just after seven in the morning.

Three hours later, fingers of sunlight danced across Janey’s eyelids. She floated gently to the surface of wakefulness. Despite a lack of sleep, she didn’t feel remotely tired. Perversely her whole body felt energised. Carefully she propped herself up on one elbow, mindful of not disturbing Jake. She wanted to quietly drink in every detail of her new love. He had tousled untidy hair and long, almost girly, eyelashes that swept towards chiselled cheekbones. Overnight stubble flecked a strong jaw. His beauty had not been diminished by the shortage of sleep. Her mind replayed Jake reducing her to a quivering wreck, and the pristine bed linen becoming a tangled heap. Janey caught sight of herself in the mirrored wardrobes. Unfortunately Lady Midnight hadn’t been quite so kind to Janey. She looked like a woman who’d been pulled through a hedge backwards. The only giveaway that something euphoric had occurred was Janey’s complexion. Her skin was positively glowing.

Slipping silently out of bed, Janey padded off to the bathroom. She quickly cleaned her teeth, splashed cold water over her face, and raked a brush through her hair. At least she now looked a little more presentable. Ten minutes later she was back in the bedroom, bearing a small tray of warm croissants and fresh orange juice.

‘Good morning, sexy lady,’ said Jake with a sleepy smile. He yawned, stretched like a Cheshire cat who’d had the cream, then sat up plumping a pillow behind him. ‘Wow, this looks wonderful. I’m absolutely starving.’

‘Oh. One measly croissant isn’t going to fill you up,’ said Janey apologetically.

‘No problem. We’ll have this and then I’ll take you out for a full English.’

‘I think breakfast might be over by the time we’re showered and ready.’

‘In that case I’ll take you for lunch,’ Jake grinned. ‘You can show me some of the London sights at the same time.’

‘What about your band members?’ Janey asked between mouthfuls of flaky pastry. ‘Won’t they be wondering where you are?’

Jake looked a bit sheepish. ‘Probably. I’ll text them in a minute. Anyway, it’s not like we’re doing a gig later. Night off,’ he added by way of explanation. ‘And I’d much rather talk about us.’ He finished his croissant and took her hand. ‘The band is playing in and around Camden next week, so I can still see you – if that’s okay?’ Jake suddenly looked anxious.

‘Of course it’s okay,’ said Janey in delight, ‘although I’ll be working during the day.’

‘Don’t tell me,’ Jake teased. ‘You’re a secretary and go to work in a sexy power suit. You have thigh-high splits in your skirt, wear skyscraper stiletto heels, and your boss spends all day drooling about you as you bend over the filing cabinet.’

‘I’m nothing of the sort,’ Janey burst out laughing. She realised there was so much to find out about each other. From the way Jake had talked last night, they would have their whole lives to unearth such treasures of information. ‘I’m a school teacher and I’ve never owned a “power” suit in my life. My working wardrobe comprises sensible machine-washable skirts that don’t hang on to paint, glue, snot, tears and – occasionally – vomit.’

‘I’ll bet you’re great with kids.’

‘So, so.’ Janey made a see-sawing motion with one hand. ‘It depends on whether the day has contained paint and glue, or tears and vomit.’

‘I love kids,’ said Jake enthusiastically. ‘One day I want a dozen of them.’

Janey couldn’t believe her ears, or her good fortune. Twenty-four hours ago she’d been boyfriendless and imagining going to her grave as a childless spinster. Now she was drunk on love with a guy who adored children. ‘Well, I wouldn’t mind one or two,’ Janey smiled, ‘but I’m not in any hurry for them.’

‘Oh me neither,’ Jake assured. ‘I want us to be properly settled before we do the family thing.’

Janey’s mouth dropped open. He really was serious!

‘Am I going too fast for you?’ Jake asked anxiously.

‘Yes. No. I don’t know. Everything seems a little crazy right now. But in the nicest possible way.’

‘Come here,’ he murmured. Taking Janey’s own plate and setting it to one side, he pulled her towards him. ‘There’s no rush to do anything, is there? We have our whole lives to decide where we’re going to live, and how many kids we have. But I want to do things properly, Janey. I can’t buy my lady a whopping engagement ring on my current pay.’

‘Are you proposing?’ Janey inhaled so sharply, she nearly swallowed her tonsils and ended up coughing.

Jake grinned mischievously. ‘Not just yet. But I will be. When the time is right,’ he assured. ‘I want another couple of years with Carbon Vendetta to see where it takes us. We’re doing a lot of promotional work right now with contests and charities, plus there’s some interviews lined up with a few obscure radio stations. In between all that, we have to manage our day jobs.’

‘You have a day job?’

‘Yep. I’m a session musician.’

‘What’s that?’

‘Basically I’m a “for hire” musician. I work with solo artists and other bands, but I’m not officially part of any other group. I mostly get to play in live shows at my local theatres. I can smuggle you into Cinderella next month if you like!’ Jake beamed.

‘Ooh, I love a panto!’ Janey exclaimed. ‘Where is it?’

‘Manchester.’

‘Ah.’ That explained the northern inflection in Jake’s voice. For a moment, Janey looked crestfallen. What were the odds of a long-distance relationship surviving?

Jake caught her expression. ‘Hey, we’ll work something out,’ he said softly. ‘I already have an idea going on in my head.’

‘Oh?’

‘I’ll divide the working week between your place and mine. The days may change from time to time, but it’ll work, you’ll see. And I’ll build up contacts when I’m here in the South too. I’m sure there will be loads of gigs to be had. Word of mouth always comes up trumps.’

Janey was suddenly all smiles again. This was going to work. She really believed it! And that was her first mistake.