A chorus of laughter alerted him to the fact that Sorrell, Keren and the rest of their pride were walking in.
Zack took a long breath. “He liked Keren. He asked her out while you were sitting your finals. I thought you knew.”
“She said no?” Scott said. He knew very few women who turned Jake Maynard down. He was catnip for anything with a clitoris.
“Yep. Told him she saw him as a brother and she really liked him, but doing anything else with him would seem like incest,” Zack said. “I can’t believe I didn’t tell you that. It was the best thing to happen around here that Easter. Jake had no clue what to do with himself.”
Scott simmered. He loved his cousin but at various points of his life he would’ve been quite happy to throw his body in a tarn with a few lead weights attached. Now was also one of those points.
“Is Jake coming in here tonight?”
Zack nodded. “He is. Shall I keep him out of your way?”
“That might be a good idea.”
“Why don’t you get him to speak to Keren? Set things straight?”
“That’s not her point. She said I shouldn’t have believed what I was told. That I clearly didn’t know her that well,” he said. “And you know what? She’s absolutely fucking right.”
* * *
Acoustic night was one of Keren’s favourites. She liked the setting, the décor, the wooden benches and the rustic way Scott had styled the furniture. She liked how the guitars and voices filled the rooms and everyone had that chilled out vibe from the locals who were in every night to the passers-by who dropped in on the off chance they’d hear something good.
Tonight she was distracted. Sorrell had messaged Sam herself and given him Keren’s number and for most of the day she had been exchanging texts with him. Nothing heavy, just what they were up to.Getting to know you stuff.
“Have you stalked him on social media?” Patsy said, straining to try at look at Keren’s phone. The doctor was settling in well to Severton, being sociable and keen to get involved. She’d mentioned to Gran that she used to crochet and had since become the youngest member of the Severton Stitchers. Keren wasn’t sure if she felt proud for Patsy or embarrassed.
“I had a look at his photos,” Keren confessed.
“Let’s see.” Patsy put her chin on Keren’s shoulder.
Keren looked up, feeling eyes on her. Dark, brooding eyes, framed by the longest lashes she’d ever seen on a boy or a man.
The pictures on her phone suddenly weren’t as appealing.
“He’s gorgeous!” Patsy said. “You need to get to him, fast. I’d move to Manchester if that was on the menu.”
Scott’s eyes continued to burn a whole in her. She didn’t dare look up.
There were a few more photos, a little bit more stalking of Sam’s posts from his holiday and she felt the relief of the eyes moving.
“Can I squeeze in?” Marley Washington, the woman with the amazing voice and boobs every bloke wanted to bury his head in, beamed at them.
Keren didn’t know Marley too well, just that she ran a local business but probably should’ve been on stage somewhere.
“Sure. Shift your backside up, Ray. Either you’re hogging space or you’ve been eating too much cake.”
There were a few expletives, but then space appeared and Marley sat down.
“I usually don’t get to hear Scott sing,” she said. “His set’s generally before mine, but then he waits for me, helps me pack up and I’ll sleep with him. It’s amazing how singing and music can wake up your libido and he’s such an accomplished lover.”
Every voice around the table and some from slightly further afield fell silent. This was Severton. As much as there was gossip and speculation, no one discussed sex in such a casual way, unless you were part of the coven and considered slightly mad.
There was no music to cover up Marley’s words, and her voice was one that carried.
“You and Scott are sleeping together?” Rayah spoke evenly, as if she was asking her what she’d had for dinner.
“From time to time. It’s a mutual arrangement whereby we shake off some of that pent up energy us musicians have. He’s extremely good: not selfish in the slightest and his penis is one of the biggest I’ve seen.” Marley smiled, giving a little nod to confirm the facts.
