‘That sucks,’ Gaby sympathised. ‘But you need to try to forget about Theo and Harper. They’re not part of your life any more.’
I was about to point out that it’s difficult to forget about someone who you share a child with, but Gaby probably wouldn’t have understood, not having any kids of her own, though apparently the custody battle over the German Shepherds was long and bitter. Anyway, she was following her own train of thought.
‘What you need is a good shag,’ she said helpfully, with typical directness. ‘When’s the last time you had sex?’
I rolled my eyes and smiled. ‘That’s none of your business,’ I replied evasively.
Her big brown eyes widened. ‘Oh my God you haven’t, have you? Not since Theo.’
‘Well, no . . . To be honest, offers haven’t exactly been flooding in. I can’t imagine why.’ I patted my still generous belly and thighs and laughed. ‘I mean, who could resist this?’
‘Don’t put yourself down,’ Gaby said firmly. Then she inclined her head towards someone sitting nearby, just out of my eyeline. ‘What about that guy over there? He’s been looking at you since we came in. And he’s drop-dead gorgeous.’
I looked over my shoulder. It wasn’t hard to guess who she meant. He was sitting by himself, dressed in a suit, as if he’d come straight from work. He was nursing a shot glass, staring broodingly at the liquid inside. As I glanced over, he caught my eye and smiled. His smile was self-assured, bordering on cocky and full of a kind of warm intent that made the heat rise in my cheeks.
‘Not my type,’ I pronounced firmly.
Gaby laughed. ‘What do you mean he’s not your type? Look at him. He’s everybody’s type.’
‘Well for starters, he’s way too young for me. And I prefer skinny, intellectual-looking men.’
Gaby snorted. ‘Like Theo, you mean? Why don’t you try a real man for a change?’
I knew that Gaby was just trying to make me feel better by knocking the man who had betrayed me, but I couldn’t help feeling vaguely insulted.
Angrily, I brushed away thoughts of Theo. I didn’t owe him any loyalty now. Why should I feel offended on his behalf? I glanced back over at the man in the suit. He had loosened his tie and was scrolling through his phone. If I was honest, he was undeniably attractive. ‘What’s he doing here on his own?’ I asked. ‘It’s weird. Anyway, a man like that wouldn’t be interested in someone like me.’
‘Why not?’ Gaby sucked her teeth in irritation. ‘Come on, Cat, you’re an attractive woman. Don’t put yourself down. You’re always putting yourself down.’
‘I know I’m a beautiful, independent woman with luscious curves,’ I laughed, repeating the mantra Sara had taught us.
‘Damn right,’ Gaby nodded, draining her glass. ‘You’re a catch for anyone. We both are. Don’t sell yourself short.’
‘Okay, I won’t,’ I promised.
‘Do you want another vodka and tonic?’ Gaby asked, standing up.
‘I can’t. I’m driving. Maybe an orange juice.’
‘So am I. Why don’t we get a taxi back together and fetch the cars in the morning? Come on. The night is young. We’re young and single and we just likes to mingle.’
‘All right,’ I laughed. I was feeling reckless and free. I didn’t have to get up in the morning, and maybe I was already thinking I wanted to investigate where things might go with the handsome stranger. Against all odds, he did seem to be interested in me. ‘You sit down though,’ I waved my hand at Gaby. ‘It’s my round.’
I pushed my way through the crowd to get to the bar to order more drinks. As I was trying to catch the attention of the barman, someone tapped me on the shoulder, making me start, and I turned to find that it was the man Gaby had pointed out. He was laughing at my surprise and holding out a ten-pound note.
‘Sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you,’ he said smoothly, with just a hint of an Irish accent. A Liam Neeson voice. Feral green eyes. He was even better-looking up close. ‘But you dropped this.’
I examined the wad of notes in my hand. It was all still there. ‘No, I don’t think—’
‘I haven’t seen you in here before,’ he said, ignoring me and pressing the note into my hand. I felt a charge of electricity as his hand brushed against mine. His opening line wasn’t exactly original. He might as well have said, ‘Do you come here often?’ But it didn’t matter; a man who looked like he did could get away with spouting gibberish and still seem eloquent.
‘That’s probably because I don’t live here. I mean I’ve never been here. I mean of course, I’ve been to Tewkesbury, but I’ve never been . . . er, to this pub, I mean.’ I was finding it hard to string a coherent sentence together.
He smiled as if he was used to grown women falling to pieces in his presence. ‘It’s the most haunted pub in England did you know?’
‘Yes, I heard it was haunted . . .’
‘It’s built on the intersection of two ley lines – one that comes all the way from Stonehenge. There are at least five ghosts.’
Even mansplaining seemed charming coming from him.
‘Five?’ I said breathlessly, hanging on his every word.
‘Yes, there’s a headless soldier who fought at the battle of Tewkesbury who roams the corridors upstairs and . . .’ He nodded at a high-backed, dark wood chair near the fireplace. ‘No one can sit in that chair because the ghost of old Nick gets angry if someone takes his seat.’
I stared at the empty chair and shivered.
‘Do you believe in ghosts?’ he asked conversationally.
‘I don’t know. I don’t think so. I thought about my book. I thought about telling him about Embers. It would be
