Free Restoration by Kim Loraine Page B

“After that, we left and Mick started telling me I was acting like a whore by the way I was dancing and what I was wearing. He told me I was his and I needed to start acting like it.”
    Grace finished her beer while Valerie talked and felt herself getting angrier with each sentence.
    “So, I kicked him to the curb and he’s been calling and texting me non-stop ever since,” she finished and took a deep breath, polishing off the rest of her own drink.
    “Wow, that’s kind of scary. Has he threatened you in any way?”
    “No. He sticks to the constant calls and texts. I ignore it. He’s harmless, but annoying.” She looked around the pub, a pout on her sweet face. “This place is dead, let’s go somewhere we can sing karaoke.”
    Valerie hopped off the barstool and headed out before Grace could finish paying for their round. She followed as they made a beeline for the nearest karaoke bar.
    When they walked in the door, they were assaulted by someone finishing a terrible Whitney Houston impression on the tiny stage, followed by the crowd’s enthusiastic applause. The bar was dark, humid, and filled with weeknight drinkers. The smell of cigarette smoke tickled her nose and made her sneeze as Valerie found them a table toward the center of the audience. Grace sat gingerly at the slightly sticky table, while Valerie headed toward the bar to bring them each a drink.

Chapter 9
    “Oi, mate! All right? Let’s get this show on the road,” Alec called to Drew from the doorway. “Missy will be pissed good and proper before we even get a pint in if you don’t hurry it up.”
    Drew finished doing up the buttons on his faded denim shirt. He glanced in the mirror, giving himself the quick once-over. He looked good. A night out with his mates was just what he needed to get his head straight. He’d not been able to get Grace out of his mind, and their snogging session a few weeks back just intensified the feeling. He wanted to be near her every second and it was driving him mad. He felt slightly giddy at the idea of escaping her magnetic pull on him, if only for a moment.
    The group standing in front of him was a ridiculous bunch of crap footballers. There were five of them all together. Stuart, Mark, Bryan, and Alec, the groom, all looked as if they’d already started the festivities without him. Stuart, who was a bit on the round side, out of shape, and a terrible drunk, belched and grinned. His cheeks were reddened by the effects of the alcohol he’d obviously consumed.
    Drew cocked an eyebrow. “Started without me?”
    “Pfft.” Stuart waved a hand at him. “Didn’t expect us to wait all bloody night for a greengrocer, did ya?”
    Mark rolled his eyes at his stocky friend. “We’ve only had a few pints. Stu, on the other hand, has taken it upon himself to be the first of us to be sick all over someone.”
    “All right, you sod, let’s go.” Drew pushed Stuart down the walk toward the first pub in their path.
    They were smashed by the time they finally caught up with Missy and her hen-night party. His group must have stopped at four pubs since beginning their shambling adventure toward drunkenness. Drew couldn’t keep going like the rest of them. His lanky build left him little tolerance for excessive alcohol, and five pints was bordering on excessive for him. The place they were meant to meet Missy was the town’s only karaoke bar and he grimaced at the thought of listening to bad covers of Beyoncé.
    The club—for a pub it was not—was dimly lit, smoky, and loud. His head began hurting the moment he walked inside and was assaulted by the smell of sweat and stale cigarette smoke. He and Mark hung back, observing the scene, while the rest of the party was already entangled with Missy’s hen-night.
    Mark shot a keen glance his way and grinned. “Come on, old chap. Let’s get you a drink.”
    Drew caught a glimpse of the women already out of control and taking over the karaoke stage. He waved away the