‘Riiiiiggghhhttt,’ Barnaby Shaw nodded slowly, clearly not following. His eyes were a little red and Lorelai could see he was getting drunk quite quickly. Neither he nor his wife would be able to follow this conversation if the pace at which they were getting through their wine was any indication. She caught Joy’s eye and they silently agreed this might be a lesson for another time and Lorelai made a mental note to make sure the list of books and movies for the club was truly inclusive.
The function room’s door burst open and a man almost fell through the door. He righted himself and hurried towards Lorelai.
‘Glad you could join us, Mr…’ She snatched up her list and found his name, ‘Mr Brady.’
‘Just Grayson is fine. I’m sorry I’m late.’ He had the grace to look sheepish.
Lorelai took a beat to assess the new arrival. He wore simple black trousers and a black shirt, open at the collar. His brown skin glistened in the fluorescent strip lighting. A singular bead of sweat was making its way down his strong jawline, the dark stubble on his chin halting its progress. It was proof, at least, that he’d run some of the way there in an attempt to not be as late as he’d ended up.
‘Take a seat, Mr Brady,’ Lorelai said pointedly. He held her gaze and although she was irked he’d turned up so late, she couldn’t stop the corners of her lips curling upwards.Stop it,she warned herself.You don’t do this.Lorelai had learned long ago how to immediately push down feelings of attraction, no matter how big or small. She looked away and cleared her throat, trying to ignore the sound of her racing heartbeat.
‘Welcome… everyone!’ she said (too) brightly. ‘I’ve worked at this cinema for three years and The Duchess has never had anything like this club before. My boss is convinced the sign-up sheet was filled with names I made up, so he’s thrilled you’re not figments of my imagination.’ They laughed politely. A good start. ‘We’re beginning withThe Wizard of Oz. An indisputable classic when it comes to kids’ books, and its musical adaptation has gone down in cinematic history. Not to mentionWickedbyGregory Maguire with its long-running show on Broadway, and in the West End,The Wizstarring Diana Ross, and the Disney sequel,Return to Oz.’
‘Yes, about that.’ Barnaby sat forward, his elbows on his knees and his glass of wine teetering precariously between his fingers. His tone immediately put Lorelai on edge and she braced herself for what was coming next. ‘Neither Sarah or myself know anything aboutThe Wizard of Oz.’ He rolled his eyes ever so gently as he said it that Lorelai almost missed it. He trailed off with a, ‘So…’ and a shrug, as if his unwillingness to participate was Lorelai’s problem.
‘This is the perfect chance to get to know the story. We’ll all read the book over the next few weeks and then watch the film together at the end of the month.’ Lorelai felt her fake smile drop a little, and knew her tone was sharper than before.
‘Where do we get our copies from?’ Sarah mumbled into her glass.
Lorelai dug her nails into her hand. ‘Most bookshops will stock copies of classics such asThe Wizard of Oz. Or you can order it online. Waterstones will be able to get you a copy, I’m sure.’
‘You mean we have tobuyour own copies? It’s not included in the ticket price?’ Barnaby howled.
Nadia, Shanice, Sue and Meera shared a glance before pulling their copies from their bags. All brand new except for Shanice’s, which was dog-eared, its spine broken. Clearly well-loved from her childhood.
‘There are always libraries,’ Joy said.
‘Didn’t all the libraries close?’ Sarah drained the last of the rosé into her glass, shaking it to make sure every last drop was out of the bottle.
‘No, there are still lots of libraries,’ Lorelai said. This was frustrating – she wanted to get on with the club.
‘Oh, but they’re just forpoor people,’ Barnaby whispered the words and waved his hand dismissively. Everyone shifted uncomfortably in their seats.
‘No, they are not. They’re for everyone.’ Lorelai wondered if he always made such invidious statements in public, and so thoughtlessly.
‘How about we read a book foradults?’ Sarah squinted at Lorelai with such condescension it made her blood boil. She took a deep breath. ‘I’m sick of reading kids’ books to my little ones at home and I came here for something a bit more grown-up.’
‘Most books written for a younger demographic still appeal to a wide age range. Take Harry Potter, for instance.’Why are you still having this conversation?
‘I can’t get away from that bloody wizard. Harry Potter this, Hermione Granger that. I’d happilyAvada Kedavrathe bloody lot of those books and be done with it,’ Barnaby said, slugging down the rest of his wine.
‘I’m just not sure reading is really our thing,’ Sarah slurred, waving her glass at Lorelai.
‘Then why did you come to abookclub?’ Grayson laughed incredulously.
‘Oh, no one takes these thingsthatseriously, do they?’ Sarah said.
‘How about a show of hands? Who here planned to actually read the books?’ Lorelai raised her own hand and felt foolish when no one immediately followed suit. What were the chances everyone aside from Tweedledee and Tweedledumb-arse had signedup with serious creative and educational intentions? Thankfully everyone slowly began to raise their hands. Lorelai realised it may just have been to spite the Shaws but she was grateful nonetheless. She was pretty sure Barnaby mumbled, ‘Liars.’
‘Right. Well, I’m not sure this is the right club for you then.’ Lorelai stood so abruptly that Sarah missed her mouth by approximately five inches and the last of her wine dribbled down her clean, baby blue, crease-free blouse. Lorelai fished two ten-pound notes from the cash box. ‘I hereby revoke your club membership.’
‘You can’t be serious?’ Sarah snorted.
‘This… this…’ Barnaby’s face quickly became slick with sweat and a vein on his meaty neck began to pulse. ‘This is discrimination!’
‘Sorry, but did you really think you could come to a book club just to drink? And not read a single word?’ Joy asked far more gently than they deserved. Neither of them answered.
‘Sarah, Barnaby, you’re not in Kansas anymore.’ Lorelai smiled, feeling mischievous. ‘You’re somewhere over the rainbow but it seems Oz has no place for you.’ She ushered them up from their chairs and towards the door. ‘Please follow the yellow brick road back from whence you came and don’t let the Munchkins bite your ankles on the way out.’ The door slammed with a satisfying thud and the remaining members of the group expressed their gratitude with a small round of applause.
