After the band had finished their set to rapturous applause, George stepped forward, took over the microphone and addressed the crowd.
‘Right, well I think you’ll agree that we’ve been spoilt tonight with some great performances from local artistes. Who knew that there was so much talent in our area, and I’d like to thank you all for coming along and being so supportive to our performers because as you can imagine, it must be a pretty nerve-wracking thing to do. Some of these people are getting up on a stage for the first time tonight and I’m sure you’d all like to join me in congratulating them on that.’
There was a collective whooping, hollering and cheering from the assembled crowd, and the beginning of a chant for more.
‘Don’t worry,’ said George, holding up a palm to the group. ‘We’re not finished yet. We still have a couple of acts for your delectation. So, first up, we have a late entry.’ He consulted his clipboard. ‘Please give a very big welcome to… Danny Bryant.’
Everyone at the table looked around, wondering from which direction this musician would be coming from, until the penny dropped for Tess and Rob, almost at the same time, as they realised that their Danny, the one currently easing himself up from the table, was about to perform. He gratefully accepted the offered guitar from one of the earlier performers.
‘Did you know?’ Tess whispered to Rob.
‘Not at all,’ he said, shaking his head in bemusement. ‘This is a complete surprise to me, but then again, Danny is always full of surprises.’
When Dilly cottoned on too, she stuck two fingers in her mouth and gave an almighty whistle in appreciation that ricocheted off the walls of the bar, which was deserving of a round of applause in itself.
‘Come on, Danny,’ she called, clapping her hands excitedly. The rest of them exchanged an anxious glance with each other. Having seen some terrible acts tonight, in between a couple of good ones, there was a sense of nervous anticipation about what they could expect from Danny. They had no idea if he would be good, bad or middling, but they were all hoping that he would be able to give at least a half-decent performance to save any embarrassment.
They needn’t have worried though because as soon as Danny strummed the first chords on his guitar and his warm, melodic voice broke into song, none of them could be in any doubt that they were in very safe hands. This was no newcomer, but an accomplished musician who held the audience rapt with his polished and honest rendition. He sang a soulful ballad from the sixties and the recognisable refrain had everyone sha-la-la-ing along with him, his eyes casting in Dilly’s direction when he mentioned his brown-eyed girl. She threw back her head and laughed, totally lost in the moment of the music, her arms moving to the beat. Next, he played a couple of up-tempo songs, which again were instantly recognisable, and had everyone standing on their feet, clapping and joining in. When Danny finished his set, he received the biggest applause of the night, and lots of back-slapping when he returned to the table.
‘You dark horse, you!’ said Rob, seeing his work colleague in an entirely different light. ‘You’re wasted in property management, do you know that? That was an excellent performance. Well done, mate.’
‘Cheers.’ Danny seemed to be bewildered by the attention, but he politely responded to everyone’s exclamations and questions about his hidden talents. Dilly moved to sit alongside him and gave him a hug.
‘Honestly, Danny, that was amazing.’ Dilly’s eyes were bright and her cheeks flushed from either the couple of glasses of wine she’d been enjoying or the thrill of the occasion, who could tell? ‘I never knew you were so talented. Do you play in a band or something?’
‘I used to many moons ago, but now I just play for my own enjoyment. When I was a kid, I took piano, guitar and clarinet lessons so a lot of my free time was taken up with practising, when I would have much preferred to be out playing football with my mates. It was a relief when I could give them up, although my parents weren’t very pleased. I kept on with the guitar because that seemed pretty cool and I thought it might impress the girls, but sometimes, I regret giving up on those other instruments.’
‘Well, you could always pick them up again if you’re feeling so inclined. It seems a shame not to use those skills when you have what sounds to me like a natural talent. I think you should definitely do some more gigs, though. Everyone here absolutely loved your session.’
‘Yeah, I might just do that. I hadn’t intended to get up there tonight, but it was seeing the other acts, hearing the music, I thought why not give it a go. I didn’t know if I still had it in me, but as soon as I picked up that guitar, it all came flooding back.’
‘Well, I hope you included your musical skills in your dating bio?’
‘What? Nah, I didn’t think to. Besides, I’m done with all that for the time being. I’m more than happy just hanging out with my friends these days. Look at tonight; haven’t we all had a great time?’
‘Too true,’ agreed Dilly, ‘but it might be worth doing next time, if you change your mind and want to go back on the apps. You never know, it might be the thing that swings it. You might find someone who shares a similar interest in music.’
‘I’ll bear that in mind, Dilly,’ he said with a gracious smile.
With the last band of the night taking their encore, people were finishing off their drinks, chatting animatedly and agreeing that it had been a brilliant night, before getting ready to say their goodbyes. The front door of the pub swung open and Tess saw Hannah and Billy wander in, arm in arm. If she’d been in any doubt as to whether or not her daughter’s relationship was romantic, and not platonic, then seeing the young couple together, chatting and laughing, only confirmed to her what she’d suspected for a long while: that they were absolutely smitten with each other. It was the glow to Hannah’s whole demeanour, the way she lit up in Billy’s company that gave it away. Tess recognised it because it was the same way Rob made her feel.
‘Hello, you two,’ she greeted them. ‘You’ve missed all the entertainment here tonight. It’s been great fun.’
‘Ahh, had I known, I could have done a couple of numbers,’ Billy said with a grin. ‘I can knock out a few tunes on the guitar.’
‘And he’s got a really good voice too,’ Hannah told her mum proudly.
‘There’s always next time, if you fancy it. I think it’s going to be a regular event here. Do you want a drink? There’s still time if you’d like one.’
‘Thanks, but we’ll probably head home too, if that’s what you’re doing.’
With the evening drawing to a close, Tess and Rob took a leisurely walk back to Hollyhocks, while Hannah and Billy went ahead to open up, let Barney out and put the kettle on.
‘I’m still smiling about Danny,’ said Rob. ‘It’s changed my perception of him entirely.’
‘Yeah, he was great; it just goes to show that you can never really know what’s hiding beneath the surface of people: their talents, their hopes, their secrets.’
‘Any weird perversions,’ Rob quipped.
