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Estelle: I don’t know what you like
James: Really? And there was me thinking I made it pretty clear last night…
‘Can I park anywhere around here?’ Elyse asked.
‘Oh, er, yeah.’
Estelle: Pulling up outside the pub. Two secs
Heart racing, she pocketed her phone. She needed to get Elyse settled with Finn, then dash to the loo to reply.
Why? Just leave it at that! Don’t message him back!
Her phone buzzed again and her fingers itched to take it out.
I mean, where do you think this is going?
The ride of my life?
Are you insane? It’s James Hunter-Savage!
‘Is everything okay?’ Elyse was now chewing on her lower lip.
‘Yes! I’ve just got a lot on my plate right now.’ She grabbed Elyse’s arm. ‘Come on. Let’s find Finn.’
The Horse and Hounds was warm and homely, having welcomed people through its doors for hundreds of years. Past the bar, at the far end of the main room, was a mic on a stand connected to a speaker. Finn and two of his friends sat at one of the small tables dotted about.
Estelle pulled Elyse forward. ‘Hi! I’d like you to meet Elyse. She’s new to the area. Elyse, these are three quarters of the Beardy Boys: Finn, Tommy and Ryan.’
The men stood. Estelle felt Elyse try to take a step backward, so held even tighter to her arm.
All three men were well over six feet, and Tommy and Ryan were even broader than Finn, thanks to the powerlifting training they did together. They all had beards—Finn’s brown, Tommy’s a dirty blond, and Ryan’s as black as night.
Finn held out his hand. ‘Nice to meet you.’
Elyse took it. ‘And you.’
‘Finn is normally clean-shaven and only wears suits,’ Estelle said to Elyse. ‘But he’s let things slide a bit recently.’
Finn glared at her and his friends bit back grins. They’d obviously been briefed about Elyse, and Estelle knew they would have taken the piss out of Finn the moment they’d clocked his neatly trimmed beard and ironed shirt.
Tommy and Ryan introduced themselves to Elyse. Her smile was still in place, but her eyes were wide as she stared at them.
‘Where’s Scott?’ Estelle asked.
‘Can’t come,’ Ryan said. ‘So, we’re a man down.’
Finn cleared his throat and his friends tensed as if they knew what was coming.
‘I was wondering if you and Stelle would be interested in joining our team tonight?’ Finn asked Elyse. ‘We can have up to five, so…’
‘Yes! We’d love to,’ Estelle said, pushing Elyse into the spare chair between Finn and Ryan. ‘Grab me a seat, would you? I’ve just got to pop to the loo.’
She rushed off, making her way through the pub and around the side of the bar so no one at Finn’s table could see her. Taking out her phone, her heart raced at the prospect of another oxytocin fix courtesy of James.
James: Are you on a team?
Estelle: Nope. Nobody wants me
