Keren turned round to see their benefactor. He was looking at them, his face serious. Kitted out in a dark suit with no tie, his blonde hair was tidily styled but suggested he spent time running his fingers through it, perhaps in frustration.
He smiled at her and raised his glass.
She returned the gesture, mouthingthank you.
“Is he attractive?” Sorrell said. Her back was to the bar so without being completely obvious she couldn’t see him.
Keren looked a little more, not trying to hide her assessment. It had seriously been too long since she’d had any action and if a move to the city was a possibility then it would be good to know some more people here.
“He’s a little like that actor who plays Thor, but not as built. Really blue eyes though. Shit, he’s coming over.” She started to fall into panic mode, trying to keep it together.
“He’s just a person with a penis, Key,” Sorrell said. “Imagine he’s Scott. Actually, don’t. He’ll probably call the police.”
The mention of Scott had the same effect as a very cold shower, waking every sense and transporting her head straight back to Severton and Tuesday night. She was still trying not to think about their conversation and how he’d felt against her.
Mr Blue Eyes Blonde Hair no longer looked as attractive.
“Hey,” he said, not sitting down. “I hope you didn’t mind me getting you ladies drinks? It was nice to see two happy women here instead of the usual lunch time crowd who are more interested in their phones.”
“Thank you,” Keren said. “It was really kind of you. Do you want to sit with us?”
He shook his head. “Thank you for the offer, but I have to head back to work. Do you live in Manchester?”
Keren could see Sorrell watching with amusement, almost as if she was having her own private viewing of an episode of a soap opera.
“No, I’m from a place called Severton. It’s in the Peak District, but you’ve probably never heard of it,” she said, making excuses again for her hometown.
He shook his head. “Actually, I’ve been there. I did the mud race on Boxing Day and saw some bloke break a world record for eating donuts. It was really impressive.”
Keren laughed, not quite believing it. “That was Jake Maynard. Sorrell here lives with his brother. It wasn’t really a mud race though – too much snow.”
“Just a bit. It was good though. You live in a gorgeous place. I’d love to be somewhere like that rather than stuck here with all the concrete.” He gave her that smile again, the one that lit up his face, but it didn’t move her.
“What do you do?” she said. “And Manchester’s great. I’m thinking about moving here.”
He shook his head. “I’m a financial analyst, but based here instead of London and yeah, Manchester is great, but only while you’re in your twenties. People move around a lot and your neighbours in the apartment next to you might be there one week and it’ll be someone else the next. I’d love to live in Severton, just not sure what I’d do there. What’s your job?”
“I’m a shepherd for a pack of alpacas,” she said, keeping her face straight, poker straight. Sorrell choked on her drink.
He was obviously trying not to laugh and doing a very bad job of it. “Seriously?” he said.
She giggled. “No. I’m a dentist. I have my own dental practice there.”
“Wow,” he said. “I hope you don’t tell jokes like that while you’re taking a tooth out.”
“Depends on the patient,” she said, thinking of one of the last teeth she’d extracted. “And we do actually have a pack of alpacas. I don’t even know if that’s the correct term.” She looked at Sorrell. “Flock? Herd?”
Sorrell shrugged. “Zack refers to them as a pain in the arse.”
A phone started to ring and their drinks benefactor rolled his eyes. “That’s me. Sorry.” He looked at his phone and cancelled the call. “My lunchtime’s over. It’s been lovely chatting to you ladies.”
“You too,” Keren said. “And if you’re ever in Severton, be sure to look us up. Sorrell here owns the boutique hotel there.”
“And you’re the dentist,” he said, pulling out a business card. “Give me a call or a text. It would be good to talk some more. My name’s Sam, by the way.”
She smiled. All that and they hadn’t even exchanged names. “I’m Keren.”
His grin this time was almost a little shy, which was endearing on a man who had no reason to be shy.
