Starlight on the Palace Pier: The very best kind of romance for the Christmas season in 2018. Tracy Corbett

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СКАЧАТЬ the most delicious goulash,’ she said, hooking her arm through Jodi’s. ‘Now, I think that’s everyone.’ And then she stopped. ‘No…I’ve forgotten someone. Who have I forgotten?’ She looked at Jodi, waiting for an answer.

      Jodi wondered if this was some kind of initiation test. If it was, then she suspected she was failing.

      ‘Leon!’ Carolyn’s exuberance almost knocked Jodi off her feet. ‘Of course, silly me. Our gorgeous bar manager.’

      Supporting a swaying Carolyn, Jodi was led through to the adjacent bar area, which was basically a narrow counter with a few tables overlooking the gardens. Jodi’s hand was stinging and she wished she could tidy herself up, but her boss wasn’t done with the introductions. She’d just have to hope that the bar manager was politer than Petrit…

      And then she saw him.

      The impact was hard and fast. She hoped her sudden intake of breath hadn’t been audible.

      ‘And that’s Leon.’ Carolyn sighed. ‘I told you he was gorgeous.’

      Gorgeous didn’t come close.

      The guy behind the bar looked to be of similar age to Jodi and with similar colouring. His hair was shaved short, with neatly trimmed facial hair that made his eyes stand out. And boy, did they stand out. They looked almost green…no, light brown…or maybe hazel? It was difficult to tell in the dismal light with the rain pounding against the windows. Whatever the colour, they bored right into her, pinning her to the spot, igniting such heat she half-expected steam to start rising from her damp coat.

      And then he smiled.

      Boggin’ hell. It was the kind of smile that could stop traffic.

      ‘Hi,’ he said, leaning on the bar, the outline of his toned arms visible beneath his casual shirt. ‘Leon Malone.’

      ‘Jodi Simmons.’ Her voice sounded calm. She wasn’t sure how – her heart was hammering away.

      His gaze travelled down to her hand. ‘Do you need something for that?’

      Observant too.

      ‘It’s only a scrape. Nothing major.’

      He handed her a paper napkin. ‘Looks painful.’ His hand brushed hers and she could almost feel the electricity firing up her arm. Bloody hell.

      Get a grip, she told herself. She was here to gain work experience, not flirt with the staff. Swooning after a fit bloke would be a distraction she didn’t need. She hadn’t spent the last seven years turning her life around to be derailed on her first day.

      ‘There’s a first-aid box in the office. You’ll find plasters and antiseptic cream inside. Let me know if there isn’t. The contents don’t always get replaced,’ he said, glancing at Carolyn, who didn’t seem to notice.

      Jodi wondered which was going to be the bigger challenge: dealing with a rude chef, the icy front-of-house manager, or trying not to swoon over the hot barman.

      ‘Jodi used to come here when it was a youth club.’ Carolyn leant against one of the bar stools. ‘She made quite an impact.’

      Oh, God. Jodi wanted the ground to swallow her up.

      ‘Is that right?’ Leon raised an eyebrow. ‘How so?’

      Jodi couldn’t believe Carolyn was about to shaft her and tell the gorgeous bar manager about her wayward youth. How did she even remember?

      Carolyn laughed. ‘Blowed if I know. I can’t remember what I had for breakfast. Whatever it was, it made quite an impression on my son.’

      Phew. Of sorts, anyway. Did Tom know she was working here? Somehow, Jodi doubted it.

      Leon looked right at her. ‘I can imagine.’

      Carolyn clapped her hands. ‘Introductions over. Time to get to work.’ She slid her arm through Jodi’s. ‘Now, tell me what you know about QuickBooks. I haven’t a clue and I have a stack of invoices that need entering.’

      Five months’ worth, by the sounds of it.

      And then Carolyn stared down at her bloodstained hand. ‘Goodness me, how did I do that? I’m bleeding. Leon, where’s the first-aid box?’

      Jodi held up her hand. ‘I think it’s my blood, Carolyn.’

      Carolyn’s gaze switched from her own hand to Jodi’s. ‘When did you do that?’

      It was official. Jodi was starring in her own version of Groundhog Day. ‘I fell down the steps outside.’

      ‘Well, why didn’t you say something? We need to get that sorted.’ She took Jodi’s arm and headed in the direction of the office.

      Jodi glanced back at Leon. ‘Thanks for the napkin.’

      A wry smile played on his lips. ‘No worries. Good to have you on board.’ He resumed drying glasses, leaving Jodi to wonder whether working at the Starlight Playhouse was going to be even more challenging than she’d imagined.

       Chapter Six

       Wednesday 13th September

      Becca had learnt early on in her career that being a dancer wasn’t a glamorous existence. From dusty, dirty rehearsal rooms, to dressing rooms that needed more than a lick of paint. Not to mention the touring, getting home late at night, the money that you weren’t paid and the endless physical hard work. You had to sacrifice a social life. You had to get used to being told no a lot, taking criticism, being told you weren’t good enough. The love you had for dancing had to be bigger than all the negatives. And she’d dealt with that. She’d been stoic, dedicated and resilient…but nothing could have prepared her for the horror of teaching a class of seven-year-olds.

      The trial lesson last Saturday hadn’t started well. Mrs Morris had been so relieved a potential replacement had finally been found, that she’d packed up and gone home. Talk about landing her in it. But she hadn’t let this dent her confidence, and had set about trying to win over a group of tiny tots. Her plan was to begin with the basics, assess their abilities and then build on their technique, as her teachers had done with her. Which was fine in principle. It was just in practice that it failed.

      Half the kids hadn’t turned up for the class. The ones who did were unruly, wouldn’t listen to instructions and spent the entire hour running around the studio making an absolute din. Far from reining in their unruly offspring, the parents had stood around the room glaring at Becca, clearly holding her responsible for their children’s lack of discipline. One boy nicked a girl’s hairnet and refused to give it back, making her cry. Two other girls started bickering and ended up crying, and one kid ran across the studio so fast he smacked into the mirrors, resulting in more crying.

      Becca had been close to tears herself.

      But this was nothing compared to the parents. One outraged mother removed her child mid-class, stating in a loud voice that Becca was an ‘utter disgrace’. Three parents СКАЧАТЬ