We didn’t linger for long in the lounge. Instead we went upstairs so Lou could inspect my partially plumbed bathroom and I could make up Steve’s old bed with fresh linen for her.
“How did you say you were going to get the bath in here?” Lou called while I wrestled the spare quilt inside a cover.
“Steve’s taking the window out, hoicking the bath up the scaffold then putting the window back.”
She appeared in the doorway of the spare room, a frown on her face. “Are you allowed to do things like that?”
I gave the quilt a final shake. “Sometimes, but you’re supposed to discuss it all first and of course Steve being Steve...”.
“Then, can’t you get into trouble?”
I shook the quilt into position on the bed and straightened the pillowcase. “I don’t know. I think Steve’s working on the principle that what the council doesn’t know won’t hurt them. That’s why we’re doing this over the weekend. Apparently Mr Poole, the bloke from planning kicked up a fuss over Steve opening up the fireplace and we had to fill in endless bits of paper about patching the plasterwork.”
“Hmm.”
If we managed to get the window out intact and put it back without any damage then everything probably would be fine. Quite how we were supposed to do that with only me and Steve as the labourers was another matter. I had to admit I hadn’t exactly pressed him on the details.
“Okay, your bed's done.” It was still light outside and there was no way I wanted to sit downstairs in the lounge, not even if Lou was with me. “Let’s go out for a drink,”
“We could go to Benny’s. You can help me look for the sperm donor.”
Although Lou made it sound like a joke there was a vulnerable look in her eyes. She had put herself out for me by agreeing to sleep in my creepy cottage. The least I could do was to help her track down her mystery lover.
“Okay, let me get changed and put some lippy on.” I swapped my crumpled bank uniform for a cool pastel pink summer dress and grabbed my handbag before I could change my mind.
The sun was sinking lower as we parked up near Benny’s bar. The sky had changed into a clear, translucent paleness while streaks of fiery umber accompanied by splashes of gold filled the horizon beyond the town landscape.
“It should be a nice day tomorrow. At least it won’t be piddling down when you’re shifting that bath,” Lou observed as we strolled along the pavement.
The doors and windows of the bar were open and groups of people had spilled out front. The sleek aluminium outdoor tables and chairs were all taken so we headed inside.
The bar was busy: the combination of warm weather and Friday night appeared to have drawn half the town out for a drink. At least there was air conditioning so it didn’t feel sticky.
“I forgot. It’s karaoke night tonight.” Lou waved a ten pound note in the air to attract the bartender’s attention.
I supposed that would explain the crowd. Lou snagged us a couple of drinks.
A glass of chilled white wine for me and a soft drink for herself.
“What does he look like, this bloke?” I couldn’t remember if Lou had ever given me any kind of description.
“Tall, I think, and blond, a bit muscled, you know fit. He smelt nice, good aftershave and um…” She sighed. “That’s about it.”
I looked around at the groups of people and decided it might be a little like trying to find a needle in a haystack. There were plenty of men who might fit that description.
“Quick, there are some seats empty over there!” Lou grabbed my hand and tugged me towards a couple of recently vacated chairs.
All around us the buzz of chatter was punctuated by laughter and the occasional clink of glassware on the metal table tops. We’d barely sat down when an electronic screech cut across the noise and the first track on the karaoke started, drowning everything out with someone’s tuneless rendition of a Westlife song. For a brief moment even my freaky lounge seemed an attractive alternative to a night out at Benny’s.
The Westlife murderer was followed by three slightly drunk girls attempting Girls Aloud. I wished I wasn’t driving. If we had to listen to many more like the first two I’d need something stronger than one small glass of the house chardonnay.
I leaned forward to suggest to Lou that we could try to see if we could find a seat outside when the crowd in front of us parted, affording a glimpse of the karaoke stage.
“Kate! That’s him!” Lou clutched my arm in a vice-like grip.
“Who? Where?” I tried to look but the crowd moved again cutting off our view.
“He was on the karaoke stage! Maybe he’s up next?” She jumped to her feet and stood on tiptoes in an attempt to see over the shoulder of a large man who stood in front of her.
I stood up and craned my neck to try and see who was on the tiny stage at the rear of the bar. Whoever he was had his back to us for a moment apparently making some kind of adjustment to the microphone stand.
I glanced across at Lou’s pale face.
“Next up, a special treat for all you former fans of Danger Line, it's Jamie Green!”
Lou and I stared at one another as the announcer’s words died away and Jamie began to sing the track that had propelled Steve’s band to the number one slot ten years ago.
“Bloody Hell! No wonder he looked familiar,” Lou said.
Lost for words I continued to look at the stage. The man who’d been half-naked in my kitchen only the other morning was now giving his all to the audience in Benny’s bar.
Louise began to move. She squeezed through a gap and before I could stop her she started working her way through the throngs of people towards the front of the stage. I had no idea what she planned to do. It was all very well thinking Jamie might be the father but it could still be Gary’s baby. Surely she wasn’t going to confront Jamie in front of the karaoke crowd?
I tried to follow her but the gaps she’d squeezed through had closed up. I was a shade wider and an inch or so taller than Lou so people weren’t so keen to let me through. Jamie reached the end of the song just before I finally managed to push my way to the front. I burst in between the last couple of people only to discover both Jamie and Lou had vanished! Instead a short dark haired girl in a red dress revved up ready to sing a Tina Turner number.
With annoyed glares spearing me like knives I worked my way back through the crowd. I looked for my sister’s emerald green top amongst the groups of people near the bar but couldn’t see any sign of her or Jamie. My chardonnay had grown warm where I’d been nursing the glass. I took a sip and considered my options.
Namely, sending her a text or going outside to see if she was out front.
After a last look around the bar I finished my drink and walked outside where the air was cooler. There were fewer people around but no sign of Lou either. I found a place to sit on a low piece of wall and settled down to wait for her.
After about ten minutes of people giving me pitying looks of the 'she-must-have-been-stood-up' variety, I decided I’d better text her. I’d just pressed send when I spotted her walking slowly back down the street towards me.
It was hard to tell from a distance how her meeting with Jamie had gone. I jumped to my feet and hurried to meet her, trying to read her body language.
“What happened? Where did you go?” I was out of breath by the time I caught up. To my relief she looked quite composed apart from a suspicious absence of lip gloss.
“We went out through a back door behind the stage. He saw me at the front of the crowd.”
That explained why I hadn’t been able to find her inside the bar. “And what happened? Did you tell him about the baby?”
Lou shook her head and grimaced. “Kate, I could hardly meet a bloke I’ve only met once before and say ‘I’m pregnant and I think it might be your baby’.”
“Okay, I can see that, but what did you say?” She had a point.
“We only chatted.” She blushed at this statement. “Actually, he’s coming to your house in the morning. Steve’s recruited him as labour to help with the bath.” She slipped her arm through mine and we turned to walk towards the street where I’d left my car.
“Does he know you’re my sister?” I was dying of curiosity to know what else had gone on in their meeting. From Lou’s heightened colour they might have done more than chat.
Lou nodded. “Actually if he’s going to be around tomorrow can I stop by my flat on the way back to yours? To pick up a change of clothes.”
“Okay, I take this means you still quite like him then? What if Steve tells him you’re pregnant?”
She stopped walking. “Oh crap, I hadn’t thought about that.” A crease appeared across her brow. “We’ll have to grab Steve to warn him before Jamie gets there.”
Great, I didn’t get much of a lie-in on Saturdays but that extra half an hour was something I looked forward to all week. Now I’d have to be up early to break the news to Steve that his ex-bandmate was potentially the father of Lou’s baby. He’d been ready to chase down Gormless Gary, hadn't he? How would he react to this latest revelation?
“Where’s Jamie gone to now? He isn’t staying with Steve in the caravan again tonight is he?” We halted at the side of my car.
Lou shrugged and strolled around the bonnet to the passenger door. “Dunno.
He was on his way to watch a new band somewhere nearby but he’d promised the bloke that owns Benny’s that he’d go in and do a track first.” She chewed the corner of her lip and I knew she was busy thinking her options through.
I unlocked the car and we both climbed inside. We were both busy with our own thoughts all the way across town to Lou’s place. I waited in the car while she ran inside to pack an overnight bag.
She arrived back at the car clutching a small hold-all and slid back into the passenger seat panting slightly. “I’ve sent Steve a text.”
I don’t why I hadn’t thought of that, except I suppose I wasn’t sure how I’d have worded it.
“Fingers crossed then.” It sounded as if Lou was still keen on this Jamie. I’d have to try and find out more about him from Steve. Danger Line was a part of his life that Steve didn’t talk much about. It was as if he’d left that world behind him and he didn’t want to go back there. He was still on good terms with the group members but they didn’t cross our paths very often. I guess I was a little surprised that Steve wanted Jamie to hang around.
Steve still loved music. He enjoyed playing his guitar and listening to new bands on the radio but he rarely talked about his past. I knew from things he’d said that he’d grown tired of touring, living out of a suitcase and of the shallowness of the industry. He’d lost a few good friends to drink and drugs before he’d made the decision to quit.
We pulled to a halt next to Steve’s caravan. It, like the cottage, was in darkness. A shiver ran down my spine as I clambered out of the car to walk down the narrow path through the undergrowth to the back door. Going out to Benny’s with Lou and all the excitement over her problems had distracted me from the events at Myrtle Cottage. But now we were back, and it was dark. I had to face whatever was inside the house.