He smiles at me. ‘Nice to see you again.’
‘You, too.’
‘Liam’s a great musician,’ Maddy tells me, in abreath-taking change of subject.
He laughs. ‘That’s very kind of you, Madison, but I thinkyou’re exaggerating a bit.’
‘He’s also very modest,’ she says. ‘No, but seriously Liam,you’re a trained opera singer. You should be aiming higher than being a DJ on apoxy local radio station.’
‘Er, excuse me!’ explodes Marcus. ‘That “poxy radio station”has served me very well these past few years.’
‘Oops. Sorry.’ Maddy flushes a little, although Marcus isgrinning, taking her careless remark with a pinch of good humour. ‘I just meantLiam is... well, he’s reallytalented.’
Everyone laughs, including me.
‘Here’s a spade, Maddy,’ says Ellie. ‘Just keep on diggingthat hole.’
I catch Liam’s eye and he grins at me, and I smile back, awarm feeling enveloping me out of nowhere. I like the way he defused myembarrassment by talking about finding his car keys. I also quite like hislovely dark eyes and his smile...
‘So are you still seeing that bridesmaid, Liam?’ asks Maddy.‘The one in the horrible orange dress?’
Liam’s eyes slide away from mine. ‘Er, no. We...didn’t have much in common as it turned out.’
‘Right. What about that girl who brazenly asked you for adance and then invited you back to hers after? Did you see her again?’
Liam shrugs sheepishly. ‘Again, no.’
‘Liam’s love life is none of your business, Maddy,’ protestsMarcus. ‘Stop being so bloody nosy!’
‘I just like to hear about people’s romances.’ She turns tome. ‘Lottie, Liam is in theperfectbusiness for chatting up women.’
Liam looks at her with a patient smile, as if he’s humouringa rather naughty five-year-old.
Maddy chuckles. ‘Well, it’s true, isn’t it? All those glamgirls, dressed to the nines, a bit tipsy, and you’re their total focus ofattention? It’s a slam dunk, let’s face it.’
I glance at Liam quizzically. He and Marcus are getting upto go.
‘Nice to meet you, Lottie,’ says Marcus on his way out and Inod and smile. ‘You, too.’
Liam pauses by my table. ‘We should probably introduceourselves. Liam Westerbrook. Struggling part-time singer and hopeful soon-to-beDJ.’ He smiles. ‘I sometimes sing at weddings if people will let me.’
CHAPTER SEVEN
Another bloody wedding singer?
I almost burst out laughing. But instead, I hold out my handand say, ‘Lottie. Lottie Fanshawe.’
We shakeand his dark eyes lock onto mine, and for an odd moment, the rest of the worldseems to vanish. I’m caught in the headlights, aware of nothing except LiamWesterbrook’s nearness and the butterflies that have begun fluttering madlyinside me.
There’s acrash of crockery and Maddy laughs, and Liam blinks a few times. And that’swhen I realise my hand is still in his. With a shock, I whip it away and glancearound the café. No one seems to have noticed. Maddy’s leaning on the counter,chatting away to Ellie, who’s at the coffee machine.
Liamclears his throat, gives me a stiff little smile and says, ‘I hope SycamoreHouse is still standing?’
‘Yes. Yes,it is, actually.’
‘So didyou carry on with the sledgehammer?’
‘Er...no. I decided against it. For now.’
