Finding Home by Kate Field (read book .txt) 📗

the handsome man in crisp black-tie was the one she had been searching for. Mim glanced at his companions – well-groomed men and shiny women who looked like they’d never scrubbed a toilet in their life – and whisked invisibly back to the kitchen with her arms full of dirty plates.

Once the dinner was over, Mim moved to work a shift behind the bar, although there wasn’t much call for normal drinks as two mixologists were making cocktails at the other end of the bar. Their popularity left her plenty of time to people watch. A live band was playing and some couples were dancing – proper dancing, like she’d only seen on television before. It was mesmerising.

‘Mim darling, please pour me a glass of Champagne or I’ll literally die of thirst.’ Lia interrupted Mim’s observations. ‘You’re going to be so proud of me when I tell you what I’ve been doing tonight. I’ve been working incredibly hard.’

‘Have you?’ Mim poured the Champagne, unable to hide her smile. From what she’d seen, Lia had been eating, drinking, and flirting all night. Nice work if you could get it.

‘Don’t be naughty. You shouldn’t laugh at me. This has all been for a good cause.’ Lia waggled her glass at Mim. ‘I’ve been telling everyone about As You Like It holidays. We’ve had some incredible pledges of support, and not just money. I remembered what you said about the practical issues, and so I targeted Charlie Heatherington. His family owns a contract laundry business and he’s offered to service all the laundry from the caravans, without charging us at all. Isn’t he a darling?’

‘That’s brilliant news.’ A relief too. Mim had been worried that the day-to-day issues, such as who would clean the caravans between guests and launder the sheets, had been forgotten in the excitement of logos and social media sites. She had expected the job to fall to her and Mrs Dennis. ‘I hope you’ve not neglected your date though. Is he as hot as you expected?’

‘Urgh.’ Lia slumped against the bar. ‘Don’t mention him. Remind me never to accept a blind date again. I mean, have you seen him? I was promised a cute face and fantastic muscles, but frankly, I’ve seen a cuter face on Dickens. Dickens isn’t such a messy eater either. I don’t know what Bella was thinking of, trying to fix us up. I’m not happy with her at all.’

‘Why don’t you just enjoy being single for a while?’ Mim asked. ‘It suits me.’

‘Oh, I’m a much shallower creature than you, darling. I grow bored of my own company after five minutes.’

‘You could get yourself a Dickens.’

Lia laughed and wandered off to rejoin a lively group who were skirting the edge of the dancefloor.

It must have been an hour later when Mim was interrupted by a Howard again. She turned away from watching the mixologists juggle their shakers to find Corin leaning against the bar, his back to her as he observed the crowd in the room. His hair had begun to stick out again at the nape of his neck, and his bow tie hung loose so he seemed a curious hybrid version of Corin, neither the scruffy nor the smart man. It was still the familiar smile he gave her when he turned to face her.

‘Don’t you wish you were back in the Boat?’ he asked. ‘I’d give anything to be nursing a pint in front of the fire with Dickens.’

‘I’m getting paid more to be here.’ Mim smiled. ‘I can help with the pint, though. It’s not your usual, but there is real ale on pump.’

‘You’re a lifesaver.’ He watched while she poured his pint and passed it over. He drank deeply. ‘Do you mind having to work tonight? It’s not the most romantic way to spend the Valentine weekend.’

‘I’m not bothered about all that romantic stuff. Last year, Valentine’s Day consisted of three pints and half an hour rolling around in a single bed with a man who never called me again. The most exciting part of the night was when I fell out and sprained my wrist.’ Mim grinned. ‘I’m better off working.’

Corin stared at her and then laughed.

‘What do you make of all this?’ he asked, nodding towards the crowd.

‘I love it. It’s like something from a film.’

‘Really?’ Corin leaned his elbow on the bar. He was close enough that she could smell his aftershave, warm and spicy, as it filled her head. ‘I was sure you’d disapprove. The money spent on this event could have gone a long way to help those in need.’

‘But all the profit is going to a mental health charity, isn’t it? I don’t see why you shouldn’t have fun and raise money at the same time,’ Mim said. ‘Anyway, you didn’t have to be here. You could have gone to the Boat if you wanted.’

‘Ah, you still underestimate the influence of my family.’

‘They couldn’t force you to come.’

‘No. But the trouble with a family like mine is that they don’t need to force you to do anything. They simply love you so much that it becomes impossible to disappoint them.’

He sounded again like the man that Mim had first met under the trees on New Year’s Eve. But how could that be right? That man had sounded dissatisfied with his life. She couldn’t understand why Corin should be dissatisfied with his. He had everything she had ever dreamed of growing up, on those dark nights hiding under her duvet when she had felt most alone.

‘That doesn’t sound like much trouble to me,’ she said. They looked at each other and though physically there was barely half a bar’s width between them, Mim felt like they may as well have been a million miles apart.

Corin downed his pint in one go and held up the empty glass.

‘No. I’m an ungrateful devil, aren’t I? I must be more Mim and be thankful to have a glass.’

Chapter Twelve

‘Are you involved in this caravan business,