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Before Rosie could say anything more, Matt put his hand into the small of her back and propelled her into the gyrating crowd. He put his arms around her waist and started whirling her around the floor, almost bumping into Nessa.
‘Who knew that little mouse Rosie would land such a fit boyfriend?’ Katrina glanced up at Liam from under her long black lashes. ‘Aren’t you going to askmeto dance, Mr Satterley?’
‘Yeah, sure.’ Liam held out his hand. He was here after all, so there was no point in behaving like a boorish idiot.
An hour and a half later, Liam leaned against the bar and stole a glance at his watch. He’d head for home soon and only Katrina would notice he’d gone.
Rosie’s perfume, the delicate scent of an English country garden, suddenly mingled with the hall aroma of beer and sweat. She was behind him. He moved along a little, giving her enough space to reach the bar.
‘Hi, Liam.’ Her thin gold bracelet glittered in the light when she waved her hand, trying to attract barman Jim’s attention. Belinda never hesitated to volunteer her husband for a raft of different jobs.
‘Hi.’
Rosie smiled and moved her head closer so he could hear her properly. ‘This disco is like a throwback to our school days. I keep expecting to fall over Year Twelves snogging in the corner.’
‘Did you come to the school discos?’
‘Sometimes. I stood on the sidelines, hoping someone would ask me to dance, but no one ever did.’
‘Not even me?’
‘Especially not you. You were far too busy getting off with all the cool girls.’
‘What can I say? I was irresistible.’
‘Yeah, you’ve always been the local heart-throb.’
‘That’s me.’ He swirled the remains of his pint around his plastic glass. ‘Where’s your boyfriend?’
‘He’s been dancing with Katrina. She ambushed him, though he didn’t look too upset about it. But he’s just had a phone call from a work colleague and has gone outside to answer it.’
Pinpricks of light from the disco danced across her pretty face when she turned to the crowd and started tapping her foot. The years fell away and Liam could imagine her watching and waiting for an invitation that never came.
‘Would you like to dance?’ He held out his hand.
‘What did you say?’
He put his mouth closer to her ear. ‘I said, would you like to have a dance?’
She looked round at that. ‘Why? To make up for all the times you never asked me?’
‘Sort of.’ Liam grinned. ‘Not really. I just thought you might like to dance. With me. Though it’s fine if you’re waiting for Matt to come back and—’
‘All right.’ She placed her hand in his. Her skin was cool despite the stifling heat in the packed hall.
After putting down his beer, he led her into the middle of the dance floor and began to move to the beat. A few years ago, he would have danced unselfconsciously, knowing that he looked good and people were watching him admiringly. What was it Alex once told him disconsolately after a few too many beers?All the women want to cop off with you and the men want to be you.Or rather more Anglo-Saxon words to that effect.
But more recently his confidence had done a runner. He wasn’t the catch he used to be – before the farm began to fail, before his cheeks reddened from working outdoors in all weathers, before he was dumped and became, to use another of Alex’s phrases,no feckin’ fun at all.
‘This is great,’ shouted Rosie, her hips swaying in time to the music. She closed her eyes and the stress etched across her face fell away as the beat pounded through their bodies.
‘That was Madonna’s “Material Girl”,’ said the DJ with an American accent, even though it was Clive who drove delivery vans by day and had probably never been farther than France in his life. ‘Now, let’s slow it down with some romantic vibes from eighties classic “Time After Time”by Cyndi Lauper. This is for all you Heaven’s Cove lovers out there.’
‘Cheesy, or what?’ groaned Rosie.
‘Mega cheesy.’ Liam laughed. ‘Clive’s an eighties throwback himself.’
All around them, couples, bodies entwined, started swaying to the beat while he and Rosie stood stock still in the middle of the dance floor. This was getting awkward. Rosie, cheeks flaming, turned to go but Liam put his hand on her waist and pulled her towards him.
