The Kathryn Freeman Romcom Collection

Luke served the next customer quickly, keen to get back to the newcomer. There was something about her that appealed. She wasn’t his type – he tended to go for tall, slender women who dressed up to go out, and who flirted back – but she intrigued him. Turning up to a bar by herself, dressed in clothes she might have gone to bed in, not a trace of make-up, she was … unusual. Different from the women he saw in the bar most nights.

And he’d enjoyed sparring with her.

Indicating to Mateo, currently picking up empties from the tables, that he wanted him to take over at the bar, Luke headed back to the girl with the green stripes in her hair.

‘Ready for something radioactive yet?’

Her gaze jumped to his and she smiled. ‘I like my brain unscrambled, thank you.’

Freckles. How had he not noticed them earlier? A cute dusting of them across her nose. Bending to pick up a beer from the fridge, he twisted off the cap. ‘Mind if I join you?’

‘Aren’t you supposed to be working?’

He grinned. ‘The boss is very understanding.’

She angled her head, scrutinising him, and he wondered what was going on behind those big blue eyes. He was used to being appraised by women, but usually it was accompanied by a flirty smile and a glint in their eye. Not this sober appraisal. ‘Let me guess,’ she said finally. ‘You’re the understanding boss.’

He laughed. ‘Why do I get the feeling nothing gets past you?’

A cloud seemed to cross her face. ‘That would be great, if it was true.’ Her eyes fell to the beer bottle and she wiped at a drop of water before glancing back up at him. ‘So how long have you worked here?’

‘Too long, probably.’ He worked the dates out in his head and experienced a small jolt. Where had the time gone? ‘Worked behind a bar since I left school, and behind this bar for nearly ten years. Took it over from Bill a month ago, though you’ll still see him here when he covers my days off.’ He flashed a grin. ‘Older guy, bit of a belly. Hopefully you’ll notice the difference. Assuming you come back, of course.’ When she didn’t reply, he added, ‘I promise not to force a cocktail on you if you do.’

She laughed and he liked the sound of it; warm, natural. Some of the women he’d met laughed to get attention. This one seemed to laugh for her own joy, just as she seemed to dress how she wanted to, not to please others.

‘I suspect I’ll be back.’ She shrugged. ‘I’m new around here, so it’s been good to talk to an actual person for a change. I’ve been relying on Facetime and Skype for the last three weeks.’

‘Ah, I thought I hadn’t seen you before.’ He made sure to catch her eye. ‘You’re kind of hard not to notice.’

She didn’t blush, or give him a coy smile. ‘It’s the green hair.’

He shook his head, gaze not leaving hers. ‘It’s more than that.’

Her eyes widened. ‘You’re really going to call me out on my tracky bottoms?’

‘What?’ He could honestly say he’d forgotten what she was wearing.

She gestured down her body. ‘Come on, nobody else in here is wearing their slob-in-front-of-the-TV clothes.’

He glanced around him and nodded towards the group who were sitting at the back. ‘How do you know they don’t watch TV wearing a tight dress and five-inch stilettoes?’

‘Because they couldn’t breathe?’

‘You make a good point.’ Leaning against the counter behind him, Luke took a mouthful of beer. This didn’t feel like work, not now. ‘So … wait, I don’t know your name.’

‘Mia.’

He smiled. ‘Nice. Pretty, easy to spell, but not ordinary. So, Mia, what brings you to this metropolis, beside the lure of a great bar?’

‘Ah.’ She avoided his eyes and took a slow drink of her beer. ‘I fancied a change of scenery.’

He could bullshit with the best of them, and frequently had done. Mia’s evasive reply wouldn’t fool anyone. Just because he knew there was a story behind her move though, didn’t mean he had a right to prize it out of her. Even if he was surprisingly interested. ‘A change from where?’ he asked, figuring it was less contentious than the question he wanted to ask: why?

‘Somerset. Famous for cider, Cheddar cheese, Glastonbury and the country’s smallest city.’ Her face relaxed as she spoke, seeming to back up his theory that her move was more about getting away from something or someone, than moving to Manchester.

‘They’re quite compelling reasons to stay. Then again, we have got Coronation Street, Oasis, Vimto and the best football club in the world.’

She grinned, pointing her bottle at him. ‘Now that’s what sold me.’

‘You’re a fan of the reds?’

Laughter spluttered out of her, her eyes crinkling with mirth. ‘You’re sadly deluded if you think the reds are the best club in the world, when they haven’t won a Premier League title in ten years. Arguably right now the blues are the best.’ He wanted to butt in, tell her Man U had won other trophies since then, but even diehard United fans like him had to admit, as of now, that she was right. ‘What is indisputable,’ she continued, her face as animated as he’d seen it all evening, ‘is that Oasis are a brilliant rock band.’

It was his turn to be amused. ‘Thank God you went for that. If you’d said you were a fan of Corrie, I’d have to assume you were drunk on one bottle of beer.’ From the corner of his eye he saw Mateo waving at him. Yep, he was drowning under a sea of punters wanting another drink. ‘Sorry, looks like duty calls.’ He gave her his best, slow smile. ‘What do you say we carry on this chat another time, when I’m not working?’

Surprise flashed in her eyes, and she gave him another of her quiet appraisals. ‘Maybe.’

Before he could push any more, she’d slipped off the bar stool. For a moment he thought that was that, but as he watched her head towards the ladies, he relaxed. Hopefully he’d get his date before the end of the evening.

Chapter Three

As Mia washed her hands with green liquid soap, the green walls of the ladies reflected back at her in the mirror. He’d not been kidding about it being their colour. She stared at her face; flushed cheeks, bright eyes. Yep, for the first time in months, over a year’s worth of months, certainly since she’d begun to realise Pete wasn’t as advertised, she looked excited. That’s what a little light flirting with a dishy guy could do.

The door pushed open and two women almost fell inside, giggling away.

‘Ooops, sorry.’ The dark-haired one glanced over at her. ‘Hi.’

Mia smiled back. ‘Hi. I’m Mia.’ Her mum would be proud of her, she thought wryly. That’s two people she’d spoken to tonight.

‘Donna,’ she pointed to herself, ‘and the wasted one with me, is Chloe,’ she added, nodding to the blonde standing next to her.

‘Four cocktails doesn’t make me wasted,’ Chloe complained. ‘Just makes me horny.’

Donna groaned. ‘Oh God, don’t get her started. One more and she’ll be hitting on Luke again.’

Mia wasn’t sure why her heart jumped at the sound of his name. ‘The bartender?’

Chloe raised her perfect eyebrows. ‘You know him?’

‘He served me, that’s all.’ He hit on you. For a few minutes he made you feel special.

‘Did he flirt with you?’ Chloe asked, then shook her head. ‘Don’t know why I bothered asking, he must have. He flirts with everyone.’

‘He was friendly, yes.’ He basically asked you on a date. Maybe he hadn’t though. Maybe he’d suggested meeting up because he’d taken pity on the new girl.

‘That’s Luke for you. Friendly and flirty.’ Chloe sighed. ‘And sooooo dreamy. He’s got this sexy as fuck smile. And a body a girl just wants to get her hands on.’ Leaning against the wall, she closed her eyes. ‘Tanya says he’s great in the sack, too. Like he really knows what to do with his hands, his mouth and his—’

‘We got the message.’ Donna opened the door to one of the loos. ‘Go and pee some of those cocktails out.’

Chloe staggered into the cubicle and the door bounced shut behind her.

‘Excuse her.’ Donna smiled. ‘She’s a nightmare when she’s drunk.’

‘Hey, I heard that. I’m not drunk.’ There was a loud curse from the cubicle and a roll of loo paper rolled under the door, landing at Mia’s feet.

Donna frowned and bent to push it back under before turning to face Mia. ‘I don’t think I’ve noticed you here before. Are you local?’

Mia pulled down a paper towel and dried her hands. ‘I am now. I moved here from Somerset a few weeks ago. I live in one of the flats.’

‘Ah. Not far to stagger home then eh? Result.’ She gave the closed cubicle door a wry look. ‘Maybe Chloe should buy one.’

The toilet flushed and Chloe lurched out, cursing again. ‘Bollocks. I’ve caught me bleeding nail in the frigging door. I think it’s broken.’

Mia’s eyes widened as Chloe waved the offending nail at Donna. She had talons on the end of her fingers. Honest to God, talons.

‘Don’t panic.’ Donna gave the nail a quick glance. ‘It’s not that bad. We can fix it with glue and a teabag. But first, I’ve got to pee.’

A tea bag? Mia’s mind boggled.

‘Cool.’ Disaster seemingly averted, Chloe turned to wash her hands. ‘We’re staying for one more, yeah?’ She called over her shoulder.

‘Maybe.’ Donna pushed open the cubicle door. ‘As long as you’re still on your feet when I come back out.’

Chloe shrugged at Mia in the mirror. ‘She used to be a right laugh. But then she,’ Chloe raised her fingers and mimed quotation marks, ‘fell in love. Now she’s a party pooper.’

‘Up yours, Chlo’.’

Donna’s voice echoed from behind the door and Chloe giggled. ‘Don’t take notice of her, I’m not wasted. Just got my happy on.’

Mia watched as Chloe proceeded to take out her lipstick and draw a wonky line around her lips. ‘Err, you’ve kind of missed a bit.’

Chloe frowned, and rubbed her lips together, spreading some of the vivid pink lipstick even further from her lips. ‘Better?’

Mia winced and pulled out another paper towel. ‘Can I?’

‘Go for it. Make me look so gorgeous Luke’s gonna want to shag me.’

Ignoring the twist in her gut, Mia carefully rubbed off the smudges. ‘There you go.’

‘Fab, thanks sweetheart.’

Donna emerged from the loo and after washing her hands, she turned to Mia. ‘Are you here with anyone?’

‘Nope, just me.’

‘Then you have to come and join us.’ She nodded towards Chloe. ‘We’re not all as bad as this one.’

‘I’d love that, thanks.’

Wait till she told her mum, Mia thought a few minutes later as she was introduced to Michele and Tanya. She now knew the names of five more people. And so what if one of them had slept – or was it present tense? – with the guy who, for a few moments, had made her feel a little bit special?

‘Who’s for another drink?’ Michele looked like a model. She had shiny auburn hair, like they did in shampoo adverts, and though Mia wasn’t an expert on nails, unlike everyone else’s Michele’s perfectly varnished red nails actually looked like they could be real.

‘I’m gagging for one.’ Chloe winked. ‘But I’ll get them in. It’ll give me another shot with Luke.’

Tanya – tall, endless legs and long red hair she must have ironed flat, because no way did anyone have hair that straight – sighed. ‘Leave it, Chlo’. I know you’re just trying to wind me up.’

‘Maybe I am.’ She shrugged. ‘Or maybe I figure as you guys aren’t actually dating, I’ve got as much right to chat him up as you have.’

Mia watched as she sashayed off to the bar. When Luke turned to flash Chloe the same wide, sexy smile he’d given her, the tiny kernel of excitement she’d felt earlier, shrivelled.

She shrugged the disappointment off. The bar owner was clearly a major player. One of those men who flirted with anything in a skirt, and possibly slept with them all, too. She didn’t need a man like that in her life. What she did need, was friends. And maybe she didn’t have much in common with these girls with their high heels, fake tans and long, painted nails, maybe she’d found it easier talking to the guy behind the bar, but at least their company was real.

Luke kept the smile on his face as he served Chloe. It wasn’t that he didn’t like her, he did. Recently though, she seemed to have got it into her head that she fancied him. Wrong. Sure, he had a pretty solid ego, he knew to many women his smile and his muscles were attractive, but that wasn’t what Chloe saw in him. She only saw a chance to prove she wasn’t cut up over being dumped by her ex.

How did he know all this? He was a bartender, people talked to him, especially once they’d had a drink.

‘So, when do you get out of here?’ Chloe fluttered her long false eyelashes at him as he poured the house cocktail into the waiting glasses.

‘When the last customer has left, the rubbish cleared, glasses washed, bar wiped down and the floors mopped.’ He smiled. ‘Nobody said owning a bar was easy.’

Though her face fell a little, she gave him a valiant smile. ‘I can wait. Help you out, you know, if you like.’

Oh Christ. He ran a hand down his face, wondering if there was an easy way to do this that he hadn’t discovered yet. ‘That’s a great offer, Chloe, but you’ve got better things to do than hang out here.’

Her eyes dropped to the credit card she clutched. ‘What if I haven’t?’

He took the card from her, placing it on the bar before wrapping his hand around hers. ‘Chloe, don’t do this.’ Her gaze snapped to his and she tried to pull her hand away, but he held on. ‘You’re better than me, better than this.’ He indicated between them. ‘Clive was too dumb to realise what he had, but other guys won’t be. Give them a chance to realise you’re single again, and they’ll come running.’ He smiled. ‘You’ll be able to take your pick.’

‘Yeah, right.’ She sighed. ‘That’s just your way of turning me down.’

‘No. It’s my way of telling you that if we started anything, you’d regret it.’ He looked her straight in the eye. ‘I want you to keep coming to my bar, Chloe. I enjoy chatting with you, serving you. I don’t want that to stop because we got into something you regret and were too embarrassed, or too angry to come back.’

‘You sleep with Tanya.’

‘Sometimes, yes. But she’s different to you. She’s happy keeping things casual. You’re not that kind of girl, Chloe.’

She stuck out her bottom lip. ‘I could be.’

He dropped a kiss on her knuckles before letting her hand go. ‘No, don’t go changing. You stick out for what you really want. There are plenty of guys looking for a gorgeous woman to settle down with. Plenty who’d bend over backwards for a chance with you.’ He winked. ‘You never know, maybe you’ll meet him here. And if you do, you’ll thank your lucky stars you didn’t chuck away your principles and tumble into bed with the bartender.’

‘Chuffing Nora, Luke. You sure know how to turn a girl down.’ After a long exhale, she gave him a sly look from under her lashes. ‘Can’t promise I won’t stop flirting with you.’ Then she leant across the bar and flung her arms around his neck. ‘But ta for the ego massage.’

As he peeled Chloe off him, Luke caught sight of Mia, waiting behind her. A dart of satisfaction shot through him; she was still here. He smiled over. ‘I’ll be with you in a sec.’

To his disappointment, she shook her head. ‘I’m just here to give Chloe a hand carrying the drinks back.’

Chloe started to giggle. ‘Bummer, I nearly forgot yours, Mia.’ She turned to him. ‘And a—’

‘Bottle of beer. Got it.’ He bent to retrieve one from the fridge, looking again at Mia. ‘Sure I can’t tempt you to the radioactive cocktail?’

She smiled, shaking her head, but though it was friendly, he sensed a wall that hadn’t been there before. ‘I don’t want my hair going any greener.’

Chloe’s mouth fell open. ‘You’re kidding, right. I mean this stuff,’ she looked down at the tray of vivid green cocktails, ‘it isn’t going to turn me green, is it?’

‘Only if you have too many.’

‘What?’ Then she burst into laughter. ‘Oh right, you mean because I’ll be sick. No flaming way. I’m not chucking them up, not after all the money I’ve spent on them.’

Picking the card off the bar, Luke quickly took payment for the drinks. As Chloe reached for the tray, he put his hand on hers. ‘I’ll take them over.’

She gave him a wide, flirty smile. ‘Such a gentleman.’ Then tottered back to join the others.

Mia set off behind her, but Luke touched her shoulder, only realising then how short she was. ‘Hey, wait a sec.’ Slipping round the bar, he fetched the tray of drinks. ‘Good to see you still here.’

‘I met up with Chloe and Donna in the ladies. They persuaded me to stay.’

He gave her a crooked smile. ‘So it wasn’t the lure of continuing our conversation?’

‘Which conversation was that? The one about Somerset versus Manchester, cocktails—’

‘The one where I suggested meeting up outside this place,’ he interrupted, wondering if he’d got this totally wrong. He’d been certain there’d been a spark between them earlier. Sure, she was different from the women he usually chatted up at the bar, but that was part of the interest. He didn’t meet many women who had the confidence to come into a bar alone, and without the need to squeeze into a tight dress or put on make-up for the occasion.

Nor did he meet many people who outsmarted him in the banter.

‘Oh, that conversation.’

He was interrupted by Helen, one of his regulars, who gave him a smacker of a kiss on his cheek. ‘Luke, I’ve not seen you all evening.’ She darted a look at Mia. ‘Seems others have claimed your attention. I’m going to be upset if you don’t drop by our table when you’ve finished here. Lizzie, I know, will want to say hi. She was telling us how much she missed your pretty face.’

‘You’re busy.’ Mia’s eyes followed Helen as she walked back to her table.

‘Yeah, sorry, Saturday nights are usually mad. It’s quieter during the week. Easy to talk.’ When she didn’t reply to his opening, he gave it one last shot. ‘So, can I have your phone number? Maybe meet for coffee one day?’

‘Umm.’

‘I’ve lived here most of my life. I could be a pretty useful guide while you settle in.’ He grinned. ‘Cheapest coffee, best take-out, prettiest place to eat outside, most scenic running route if you’re into that.’ Crap, he sounded desperate.

Her eyes flicked over to where Chloe and … damn, Tanya was there. Was that what had put Mia off? She thought he was dating Tanya? ‘Look, I don’t know what you’ve heard, but—’

‘They’re waiting for the drinks.’ She gave him a small smile. ‘Thanks for the offer. I know where to come if I decide to take you up on it.’

‘Okay.’

She took the tray from him and nodded to where Helen was watching them. ‘Thanks, I’ve got it from here. You’d best go over there before she gets upset.’

He was left feeling confused, a little put out and, yeah, he had to admit, a lot disappointed.

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