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Grabbing the water jug, Samantha poured herself a glass. The music lulled and up on the stage the lone singer and his guitar returned from his break. She gave thanks to the powers that be, because she couldn’t cope with hearing another retro pub classic that involved a series of coordinated dance moves. Taking his place at the microphone, the musician began to play a familiar Clearance Clearwater Revival song. Taking sips from her water, she couldn’t help but hum along to ‘Lookin’ Out My Back Door’ as her foot tapped in time to the catchy rhythm that took her back to the few B&S balls she’d gone to as a teenager. The partygoers were loving it, too, their combined voices hollering every word. When the song finished, the crowd exploded in whistles, claps and cheering. Clearly chuffed with the applause, the singer took a bow before strumming his guitar to a Guns N’ Roses classic, ‘Paradise City’. By the chorus, there was headbanging galore.
A red-faced, sweaty Shea reappeared and leant into her ear. ‘Passionate mob, aren’t they.’
‘They sure are,’ Samantha called over the crooning of the crowd.
‘Oops, looks like I’m empty again.’ Shea held up her champagne glass. ‘You want another?’
Feeling as though she was tipping over the edge of tipsiness, and into drunkenness, Samantha shook her head. ‘I think I might stick to my glass of water for now.’
Shea pulled a pouty face as she flopped down beside her on the couch. ‘Boo to that, water is so yesterday.’ Hooking an arm around Samantha’s, she rested her head on her shoulder and swallowed a hiccup. ‘Come on, bestie, have another drink with me because we never get to go out and party together anymore, seeing as you live hundreds of thousands of miles away from me.’
That old familiar guilt pounded Samantha’s heart, and her resolution caved – it wasn’t often that Shea could rope her workaholic aunt into babysitting, and it was never that Samantha was back here, in her hometown. ‘Oh, okay then, but this will be my last, otherwise you might be holding my hair back while I throw up.’
‘Of course I would do that for you.’ Shea’s easygoing smile was skewed. ‘Because that’s what friends are for, right?’
‘Ditto, lovely.’ Grabbing the bottle of bubbles from the ice bucket, she poured them their fifth glass – or hang on, was it their sixth? She went to ask Shea, but her friend was now resting back with her eyes closed. ‘You know, it might do you good to have a water, too, Shea.’ She rested a hand on her leg.
‘Hmmm.’ Her eyes flicking open, Shea offered Samantha a weary sideways glance. ‘Yeah, the room’s spinning a little bit so maybe you’re right.’ She pointed to the jug. ‘I’ll have a double.’
All Samantha could do was laugh.
Swapping the glass of bubbles for a big glass of water, she passed it to Shea, who downed it in a couple of gulps. ‘Aah, thanks Sammie, always looking after me, you are.’
The lady with the forgotten name returned and playfully smacked her hands to her hips. ‘I’m afraid I have to take Shea back to the dance floor for one last boogie because my hubby will be here in twenty to pick me and a couple of the gals up.’
Yay, the night’s coming to an end … Thinking of what it was going to feel like to kick her shoes off, wash her face and then fall into bed, Samantha flashed a smile. ‘Be my guest.’
Watching Shea disappear into the gyrating throng, Samantha blocked out the conversations around her as she searched the sea of faces. She didn’t recognise anyone, but after so long away, and with many locals having left since the mine closed, what did she expect? But then, just as she was about to turn her focus back to the dance floor, her attention hooked on every country girl’s dream. Dressed in nice-fitting jeans and a button-up plaid shirt, Connor Gunn stood almost a head above the rest. Unable to tear her eyes from him, Samantha could feel the potency of his presence, as if he had climbed inside of her. As Connor turned from the bar with two glasses of water in hand, their eyes briefly met, and they shared a moment of mutual understanding. Evidently, Jack was likely in the same state as his wife-to-be, and Connor was looking out for his mate. With a dimple-clad smile created only for her, he gave her a nod before disappearing back into the thick of the crowd.
‘Oh my God, Samantha Evans, is that really you?’
Samantha swore beneath her breath. There was no mistaking that nasal voice, and she wasn’t up for small talk with the girl who had taken great pleasure in antagonising her at high school, the granddaughter of the gossiping woman who’d death-stared her at the supermarket her first day back in town.
‘Hi, Claire.’
‘Oh my god, it is you.’ A much older-looking Claire sank down on the couch, eyes wide. ‘Grandma mentioned you were back, but I told her I had to see it to believe it.’
‘Yeah … ’ A tight smile formed on Samantha’s lips. ‘I’m back for Shea’s wedding.’
‘I didn’t think you’d bother coming all this way for some last-minute shotgun wedding.’ She smiled a little smugly. ‘Especially seeing as you haven’t set foot here since you ran away.’
‘I wouldn’t dream of missing it.’ Samantha ignored the dig – it wasn’t worth wasting her breath on a person who thrived on upsetting people. ‘But I understand you’re not invited.’
Claire pulled an ‘I don’t care’ face. ‘I wouldn’t have gone anyway.’
Samantha couldn’t help her look of disbelief. ‘If you say so.’
The air was suddenly thick, suffocatingly so, as they just sat and stared at one another.
‘Okay, well, I better get back to my big group of friends.’ Claire shot to her feet.
‘Yup.’ Samantha breathed a sigh of relief. ‘See you round.’
Alone again, and beyond busting, she decided to make the trek past the bar, and the area the blokes were restricted to, so she could take another much-needed trip to the loo. Her eyes darted left and right as she passed the bar, the desire to lay her gaze on Connor again so irresistible she took the long way around. Standing over by the pool table with pool cue in hand, his gaze was fixed on her. They shared a smile, a moment in time that somehow fluttered into her heart and landed there, before she watched him get slapped on the back, then bend over the table and line the cue up, sinking three balls in quick succession. Hot damn, that man was good at everything. Snapping back to reality, she joined the line of women winding out of the toilets, her view of Connor now partial, but not blocked.
As if appearing out of thin air, Shea was suddenly at her side. ‘Look at that, Connor is checking you out,’ she said, gazing towards the blokes.
‘No, he’s not.’ As the line moved forward, Samantha feigned indifference while her heart did otherwise.
