One Last Shot

by Archer, Julie

  “I know,” said Poppy. “It’s just that I don’t think Nate wants the same as I do anymore.”

  “Have you spoken to him properly?” asked Caro.

  Eva shook her head. “They’ve been avoiding each other. I don’t think it helps with me being here.”

  “Eva, we’ve spoken about this, you’re not going anywhere,” said Poppy. “You’re one of the things keeping me sane at the moment.”

  “What do you want to do?” asked Caro. “If you think it isn’t going to go anywhere, then you should make that decision sooner rather than later. Don’t be in a situation you can’t get out of just because you’re scared of the outcome.”

  Whenever Nate had been home before, they had crammed as much as possible into that time to make sure they did things as a family. But it wasn’t long before he was gone again, and she was back to being alone. She’d spent so long on her own over the past few months, a year almost, that it was somewhat like a single mum. Was that what she wanted?

  “I don’t know.”

  Alik poked his head through the door. “How are we doing in here? Dinner coming along okay? Dev and Yulia just arrived, and Nate is sorting out drinks. We’re just waiting for our last guest.”

  Poppy plastered on a smile. “All good, just girl talk, you know. Been a while since we’ve caught up properly.”

  Caro stood up. “I’ll come and say hello.” She touched Poppy’s arm as she went to the door. “We can finish this later.”

  Poppy watched her go and turned to Eva. “It’s okay for her. She’s never had to deal with anything like this. She’s always been something of a free spirit.”

  “I think she gets it though. Don’t dismiss what she’s saying.”

  The timer on the oven pinged, and Poppy went over to check on dinner. She busied herself with prodding the meat and stirring the vegetables, trying desperately to do something normal.

  Caro’s words swam in her head. Maybe she was scared of what would happen if she did decide to end things with Nate. Was she strong enough to cope on her own? She thought back over the time she had been alone, fending for herself and looking after India. She had done a good job of it, and her daughter obviously wasn’t suffering as a result. But she and Nate were soul mates, or so she had thought. He hadn’t vocalised that he wanted to break up; it was his response to going back out on the road that had made her think that. Perhaps she had been too hasty. At least he would be back for a short while, and they could make some plans for the future, ones that could include her and India coming along for at least some of the tour. She took a deep breath and turned back to Eva.

  “I think dinner’s about ready.”

  Chapter Nine

  Richey walked up to the McKennas’ door in the upmarket, gated development just off Kingsbridge Drive. He glanced down at the Argentinian Malbec that had been on offer for less than a fiver and wondered if he should have brought something else. He turned around and saw that the taxi driver had already sped off, so there was no chance he could change his mind. The house was like a show home: large, well lit, and inviting. It was a far cry from the grotty B&B he was staying in.

  Although rehearsals had been going well, this was the first time that they would be socialising together properly with their respective other halves. He obviously knew what had happened on Nate and Poppy’s wedding day, and he was aware of Caro Flynn. The drummer and his girlfriend were a bit of a mystery, as Dev barely spoke. He wasn’t really looking forward to playing gooseberry.

  Richey pressed the doorbell.

  The glossy black front door swung open, and Richey found himself staring directly into trouble. The exact kind of trouble he had been trying to avoid.

  There was the tumbling chocolate brown hair in the tousled just-got-out-of-bed look. And then the wide brown eyes, clear and expressive, and the full pouting lips, glistening with just a slick of clear gloss. Trouble also wore a black lace-up peasant top that criss-crossed over her chest, hinting at a voluptuous cleavage heaven than ranked as one of Richey’s favourite things.

  “I’m here for dinner,” he said.

  “You must be Richey,” she said. “I’m Eva. Come on in, Nate and the others are in the living room.” Her fingers brushed his as she took the bottle of wine from him.

  She turned, and Richey admired the curve of her arse, encased in black leather trousers.

  Jesus, she was hot.

  Whoever she was.

  Richey walked into the living room where Nate and Alik sat on the sofa, drinking beer. Nate stood up and shook his hand.

  “You want one?”

  Richey nodded. He perched awkwardly on the clean sofa, acutely aware of how badly his jeans needed a wash.

  Nate disappeared, and Alik took the lead.

  “Why don’t you tell us a bit more about the bands you were in before NightDrive? I’m sure they can’t be your first.”

  Richey hoped that Nate returned with the beer soon. There was plenty he ought to tell Alik about life before NightDrive, but he couldn’t remember most of it. He still wasn’t sure whether he could share his past openly yet. He didn’t want to jeopardise things before they had even begun.

  “Here you go.”

  Nate handed him a bottle of Peroni, and Richey gulped it gratefully. He decided to stick to the music. “I joined NightDrive several months ago, just to jam with a slightly better-known band.” He went on to explain that he’d played with a couple of local groups where he’d lived. The majority of gigs had been to a handful of locals who couldn’t care less what music was going on. They just needed a pint of ale and half an eye on the darts. “It wasn’t exactly the most fulfilling time.”

  Alik laughed. “Sounds about right, mate. We had a few like that in the early days. Hopefully it won’t be like that when we go out on this tour.”

  “What are you doing outside of the band?” asked Nate. “I know it can’t be cheap staying up here if you’re not working.”

  Richey didn’t really have a plan B. He usually picked up a few labouring or driving jobs where he could, or helped out in a bar or restaurant. If he were going to be around North Ridge for a while he probably should find a job and a decent place to stay. “Bit of this, bit of that,” he said. “I’ll take a look around for something.”

  “Alik, why don’t you have a chat with Caro, see if there’s anything at The Indigo Lounge?” said Nate. “She’s usually got some work going.”

  “Good idea,” said Alik. “That okay with you?”

  Richey nodded. “Thanks, guys, that would be great.”

  The prospect of a small, but hopefully steady, income would mean he could eke out his time at the B&B a little longer, or try to find a place of his own. Unfortunately, places in North Ridge didn’t come cheap.

  “Dinner’s ready!” called Poppy from the dining room.

  The three of them moved into the other room. Dev and Yulia were already seated at the table. It had been set alternately boy/girl and Richey found himself between Caro and the gorgeous woman who had opened the door to him earlier. Caro bombarded him with questions. He was only half listening, as he was conscious of the fact that the most beautiful woman he had seen in a long time was merely inches away from him. He was desperate to talk to her, but as soon as Caro finished asking him something, Poppy or Nate chipped in. He hoped it wasn’t a conspiracy to keep him from getting to know her better.

  In between the main course and dessert, Richey excused himself to pop out for a cigarette. He needed a breather from the constant questions that had been thrown at him from all directions—except the one he wanted. Standing in the alley between the house and the dividing fence, he lit up and breathed in the night air. Everything was happening so quickly, and he still couldn’t quite believe it.

  “Shit!” A female voice behind him dragged his attention back to the present.

  He turned to see Eva. The remains of the roast chicken bones were splattered all over the ground, the sliver foil tray having slipped from her grasp
as she’d tried to bring the leftovers out to the bin, as well as taking some wine bottles for recycling. Her top was covered in the greasy gravy from the tray.

  “Here, let me help.” He dropped the cigarette to the floor and ground it out with his heel. Taking the bottles from her hands, he dumped them in the plastic crate with the others, then took the foil tray and dropped it into the bin.

  “Oh, God, this will probably stain.” She plucked uselessly at the black top, giving him an occasional flash of cleavage.

  “You should probably take it off before it does.”

  Richey hadn’t expected her to agree with him, let alone strip off straight away. His eyes fell on the glimpse of heaven he’d been entranced by earlier, encased in a black, lacy bra shot through with dark green ribbon. He immediately wondered whether she was the type of girl to wear matching lingerie, and his gaze slipped downwards. She caught him doing it and laughed.

  “I guess I should go and put something else on before I freeze to death.”

  “Not on my account,” he said.

  Their eyes met. Richey noticed the bruise on her shoulder at the exact same moment Eva clutched her ruined top to herself to cover it.

  “Um, I’ll see you back inside,” she said. Then she was gone.

  Eva avoided him for the rest of the evening. When they sat down at the table for dessert, she had moved to sit next to Yulia, leaving him to chat some more with Caro.

  “Alik said you need a job.” She was nothing if not direct.

  Richey nodded. “If I’m going to stay round here, then yes. I guess I’ll need to find somewhere to stay as well. Can’t afford a B&B forever.”

  “I can offer you a few shifts in the club. I’ve had a vacancy open up and it would mean I wouldn’t have to advertise and interview. Luckily you’ve got Alik as reference; just don’t let either of us down.” Caro gestured across the table. “Eva’s working there too.”

  Richey looked in the same direction and met Eva’s eyes again. He wanted to stare deeply into those pools of melted chocolate as he kissed her. God, it was going to be hard working in such close proximity to her.

  Chapter Ten

  Eva couldn’t sleep. Her mind whirled over the events of the evening and one person in particular.

  Images of Richey Mason floated through her head: tall, dark, and handsome. She could tell he had a good body—most musicians tended to; after all they had to keep fit to be on stage—and with his long, scruffy black hair and hints of stubble on his jaw, he was gorgeous. His eyes were dark blue, verging on indigo, and she wished she’d had longer to look into them. Sitting next to him at dinner had given her the opportunity to study him a little more closely. She’d noticed an array of inks peeping out from underneath his shirt. She had also spotted that he had various images tattooed across the fingers of his right hand; something she wouldn’t usually be attracted to, but it suited him. He was totally different to any of her previous boyfriends and as far away from Jed—the smooth, golden boy who had taken over her life for eighteen months—as could be.

  She sat up in bed and reached for the new phone that she’d bought with her first paycheque from The Indigo Lounge. She opened a social media app and typed Richey’s name into the search bar. It seemed he didn’t do much himself but was tagged in lots of pictures, mostly with an exquisite blonde. Her slender body was draped over his, her arms wrapped around him. The pictures were dated around eighteen months ago. There was nothing more recent, at least of the woman, although there were some shots of Richey with NightDrive in the past few weeks. She looked at other pictures of the blonde, trying to find out if Richey was still with her.

  The thought struck her that she was behaving similarly to Jed for stalking, and she tossed her phone to one side. The relationship with Jed had—and she was able to recognise it now—been extremely toxic. He had taken away her independence and free thought. She suspected that someone like Richey wouldn’t be like that. The thought of working with him on a regular basis at The Indigo Lounge was an attractive prospect.

  Chapter Eleven

  Poppy was up early the following morning. India had slept for most of the night but woken shortly after five and hadn’t settled again, which had given Poppy a great opportunity to get the kitchen back to normal. She was pleased with how the evening had gone. She wasn’t exactly blessed with a cooking gene, but with mostly shop-bought food that simply needed to be popped in the oven, there wasn’t much that could have gone wrong. Despite a few burned edges, the food had disappeared and there wasn’t much in the way of leftovers.

  Eva had loaded the dishwasher the night before; Poppy only had to empty it and hand-wash a few glasses that were too delicate to go in it. She pulled the door open and bent over to start taking the crockery out, when she felt Nate wrap his arms around her waist, pulling her close to him.

  “Mmm, that feels good,” she said. She wriggled her bottom against his crotch, before remembering they still weren’t on the best of terms. Physical interaction between them had been non-existent and verbal communication only when necessary.

  “You were great last night,” he whispered. “It felt as if we were a proper grown-up couple, with our first successful dinner party, fantastic food, and a gorgeous hostess.” He gently kissed the sensitive spot on her neck, causing her to shiver.

  “Hey, what do you want?” she asked, as she extricated herself from his embrace. It was the most affection he had shown to her in ages and it made her uncomfortable. “You’re not normally that complimentary about my cooking.”

  “How did you know I want to ask you something?”

  Poppy rolled her eyes and continued to take plates out. “Just lucky I guess. What is it?”

  Nate began to help, which only served to confirm Poppy’s suspicions that he wanted something.

  “Well, you know that Richey’s definitely part of the band now, and we’re going to be heading out on tour soon.”

  “Yes?”

  “We’ll need to rehearse a lot more and spend a lot of time here, so I was just wondering if, well, maybe he can move in with us for a bit?”

  Poppy wasn’t completely surprised by the question. She had seen Nate and Alik deep in conversation at various points the previous evening. Having only spent a little time speaking to Richey, she had gleaned that his current living situation was cramped and expensive, to say the least. It wasn’t the worst thing he had suggested. After all, they weren’t exactly making best use of the five-bedroom house they were forking out a hefty mortgage for, and she had given Eva a place to stay when she needed it. But there was one thing nagging at the back of her mind.

  “Okay, yes,” she said. “Although did you see the way Richey and Eva were looking at each other last night?”

  Nate shook his head. “I didn’t notice anything. What do you mean?”

  Poppy searched for the right word before answering. “Hungry. Like they couldn’t wait to devour each other. Having them under the same roof could be interesting.”

  “They’re consenting adults, Poppy, not teenagers! You worry too much.” Nate kissed the side of her forehead noisily. “Thank you though. I’ll go and ask him. He may say no.”

  Poppy doubted that very much.

  He barrelled out of the kitchen, passing Eva on the way.

  “Who are teenagers?” she asked Poppy. She filled the kettle and switched it on, hunting in the cupboard for a couple of mugs.

  “Oh, nothing. Nate and I were just talking about Richey. He’s going to be moving in for a bit.” Poppy searched Eva’s face for a reaction and found none. “Is that okay with you?”

  “It’s your house. Nothing to do with me.”

  Poppy continued her cleaning up in silence while Eva made them both coffee.

  “Are you nervous about having a strange man in the house after everything that happened with Jed?” she asked eventually.

  Eva’s head snapped up at the mention of her ex’s name. “It’s not that,” she said. “I mean Richey seems a nic
e bloke, not at all like Jed.”

  “Ah ha! I knew it!”

  “What?”

  “You do like him! I thought there was something going on last night.”

  “Doesn’t matter if I do, he already has a girlfriend.”

  “Did he tell you that?”

  Eva looked down at the kitchen worktop. “I kind of Internet-stalked him last night. There’s loads of pictures with him and some blonde girl.”

  “Honestly, I think it was probably better when you weren’t allowed on the web,” said Poppy, teasing.

  Eva poked her tongue out. “You might be right. But what do you think about having him here? I mean, I only rocked up here a little while ago and now there’s someone else moving in.”

  It hadn’t been that long ago Poppy had been sitting on the sofa, bemoaning her lack of company. Now it was looking more concrete that Nate would be going back out on the road with Blood Stone Riot. The tour would also mean that there would be some money coming in and things could go back to normal, whatever normal was. Poppy thought about how much had changed since her wedding day. There was Billy’s death, her getting pregnant a lot sooner than they had planned, the worldwide honeymoon trip, moving into a massive house with a huge mortgage, and Nate having to work away just so they could meet the payments each month. There was a part of her that thought she ought to go back to work, but the kind of jobs she could get versus the childcare costs would probably leave her out of pocket. Having two lodgers, even if they didn’t pay a huge amount of rent, would certainly be a help, even if only a small one.

  “It makes sense on a lot of levels,” she replied, after much hesitation. “Having you here has been a godsend already, mostly for my sanity. While it might be a bit crowded and messy with four adults under the same roof, it won’t be long until Nate and Richey go on tour so it will be just us girls.”