‘That whole family’s disturbing,’ Adele said with a grimace. ‘I bet Max’s dad would fancy a go with both of us.’ She winked.
‘Oh God, is he hideous?’ Brenna asked.
‘Not at all. He’s a hot bastard. Just an arrogant dick.’
‘Ugh.’ Brenna threw up her hands. ‘Keep him away from me. I’ve had enough of men like that.’
As more people arrived, they started to fill up the tables, taking seats wherever they wanted. Sam settled in, and Clara claimed the seat beside him, while Brenna took the one on his other side.
‘Is Isaac coming tonight?’ Brenna looked at Sam as she poured herself some wine.
‘No.’ Sam shook his head. ‘He doesn’t really enjoy big gatherings.’
‘Aw, shame.’ Brenna sighed, swirling her glass. ‘He’s such a sweetie, and we’d have looked after him.’
Sam smiled, but before he could respond, Kerr came in. He was so tall he seemed to command a presence. Beside him was his fiancée, looking stunning in a black dress. Behind them were Eddie and his partner, Kenneth, both grinning. Eddie looked dapper in a pale grey suit and white shirt.
Clara gripped the table tightly. Sam glanced down and gave her hand a reassuring pat. She took a deep breath.
‘Oh, you look absolutely beautiful,’ she said as Kerr and Georgie sat opposite them. Sam wasn’t sure which one she was addressing. ‘And your dress is stunning.’
Georgie’s cheeks were tinged pink, and she laughed. ‘Thank you.’
‘Yeah, I managed to steer her away from the white one.’ Kerr put his arm around her shoulder and placed a kiss on her cheek.
‘It’s so nice to meet you properly,’ Clara said.
‘You too.’ Georgie smiled at her. ‘Kerr’s told me lots of wonderful things about you, and everyone. You sound like a great team.’
‘And we smashed the inspection,’ Adele said. ‘We won’t know officially for another few weeks, when the report comes out, but the verbal feedback was all very good. No major things to work on, just the usual small areas of improvement.’
Everyone cheered, and Clara high-fived Sam.
He gave her a broad smile, but felt sure her mind was still lingering on Kerr and Georgie.
The table buzzed with chatter and laughter, wine glasses clinking as drinks were poured. Sam was with his lemon and lime and zero per cent beer for the evening, but he wasn’t bothered. He didn’t need to drink to have a good time. Lissa and Duncan were tossing back gallonfuls and getting louder and louder.
When the menus arrived, Clara leaned into Sam, her shoulder brushing against his as she peered at the options. ‘Do you think that’s good or just weird?’ She pointed to a grilled aubergine dish.
His finger grazed hers as he slid it down the page. ‘I don’t know. Maybe. Sounds a little bit strange, but this place has a good reputation, so it’s probably ok. As long as you like aubergines.’
She giggled and leaned into him again. ‘I don’t know if I do or not. I can’t remember what they taste like.’
Her leg bumped against his, and he worked to keep his breathing steady. ‘They don’t have a very strong taste. It’s more about what goes with them.’
‘Yes, that’s a good point. I might be safe and have the chicken.’
‘And I might have the salmon.’
‘Ooh, nice. I like the sound of that too. I can see I’m going to have food envy no matter what I choose.’ She took a sip of her wine.
Eventually everyone had decided, and some servers came and took the orders. Once that was done, the chatter and laughter restarted.
‘Thank god the inspection is over.’ Eddie raised a glass. ‘And hopefully that’s the last one I’ll ever have – I want to be well and truly retired the next time they’re due.’
‘I caught some second years on TikTok when one of them was in with us,’ Brenna said. ‘When they shouldn’t even have had their phones. I nearly died.’
Sam leaned in close to Clara, dropping his voice. ‘Thank god this is a private room, or we’d be in trouble.’
