They put together a quick list of tracks that Oliver was familiar with, needing to get quickly into being gelled together. Their previous lead guitarist had moved down south to Cornwall a couple of weeks ago, but luckily the guy buying his accountancy practice played the same style of music and had been keen to step into more than just the day job.
Then rehearsals began, a handful of locals making their way upstairs to listen to them with their pints and their pizzas from the recently installed pizza oven.
Scott found, as he’d expected, that the pain melted as he was singing, the music taking over instead. They stuck with the classics; Oliver quickly picking up their style and looking like he was into it, knocking back a couple of pints of a local brewery’s limited edition ale in between tracks.
“Sounding good,” a familiar voice said.
Scott hid a groan. He loved his cousin dearly, but if she was here to steal another bottle of prosecco for her and her vixen of a friend, he’d toss her out of the window. “What do you want now?” he said.
“Huh?” Rayah lifted her brows innocently.
“And what the fuck are you wearing?” He looked at her and wondered whether it was time to put her in rehab or something. Somewhere she could be taught about normal behaviour, but maybe they should’ve done that twenty years ago.
“Oh, just something comfy. You know, it’s been a hard day. I was just having a quiet evening…”
“With a bottle of prosecco that you now owe me for.”
“Yeah, well, what’s a bottle of prosecco between cousins? Anyway, Oliver, how are you settling into Severton?”
Scott looked again at what Rayah was wearing: slippers, tracksuit bottoms and hopefully something under that hideous trench coat. Hopefully. Because one could never predict anything with Rayah.
Although he would bet on the fact that Rayah wasn’t about to try to sink her talons in Oliver. She looked about as under made up as he’d ever seen her, totally different to her Friday night man-eating mode. And completely different to how she looked when she was trying to pretend that she wasn’t into Jonny.
No, she had a different motivation for being here.
“Really well, thanks,” Oliver said.
Scott gave him credit for not looking stunned at what she was wearing.
“That’s good. Is your girlfriend visiting this weekend?” she said, picking at something invisible between her teeth and clearly trying to make herself look as unappealing as possible.
Scott shook his head but she ignored him.
“No,” Oliver said. “I’m not seeing anyone. I was with someone for a couple of years but we broke up about – I guess it was nearly a year ago.”
“Oh,” Rayah said, leaning against a table. “I’m sorry about that. You sound like you’re over her though?”
“Yeah,” Oliver said, rolling up his sleeves.
Scott took a deep inhalation then a long drink of his beer. He officially had no idea what his demon cousin was up to and why.
“It wasn’t really going anywhere. She decidedly to take a career break and go travelling.”
“So you’re free and single?”
He nodded, giving her a hopeful smile. Surely he wasn’t interested, especially as it looked as if Rayah had a pyjama top on under her trench coat.
“Ray, why are you wearing pyjamas and slippers?” Scott said. “Can you not dress appropriately to come here?”
She gave him a beaming smile. “I was on my way home from Keren’s.” Then she looked at Oliver and the smile upped another twenty watts. “Keren’s the dentist here and my best friend.”
Holy fuck. He knew exactly where this was going.
“And she’s single. We have a bet that you need to help me out with…”
“Rayah…” Scott interrupted.
She shot him the V’s.
