Free The Reluctant Celebrity by Laurie Ellingham

You had a pretty good rant about it.
A violation of human rights, I think you said.’
    Jules
slumped her head into her hands, for once grateful for the loose waves of her
hair covering her flaming cheeks. Of all the places to share something so
personal about her life, why did she have to choose a tiny community she had to
live in for the next few months? Please let that be the last of the stories, Jules
begged to no one in particular.    
     ‘And
as for us, well it’s a small place. It only takes one person to see you leaving
here for people to start talking. If they haven’t already. But don’t worry it
really is harmless. Everyone is really nice; they take an interest in each
other that’s all.
    It
takes a while to settle into a small community,’ Rich continued, ‘as I’m sure
you’ll find out for yourself in a few years.’ He paused for a moment as he took
a gulp of orange juice. Perhaps waiting for her to correct him.
    She knew
now was the time to tell him that she had no plans to be in Cottinghale for more
than a few months let alone years, but for some reason she couldn’t bring
herself to do it. The house was her dream, but she knew she wouldn’t stay. She liked
to keep moving.
     ‘You
make it sound like you’re not a local. How long have you lived here?’ she
asked, dragging her sore head back from the table.
    ‘I moved
out from London about five years ago now, I wanted a change of scenery.’
    ‘A
change of scenery? This is more like changing planets. Did you have a bar in
London too?’
    ‘I
was a chef actually. Had a crazy notion that this place would make a great
country gastro pub.’
    ‘Wouldn’t
it?’
    ‘I’m
sure it would if there were enough people interested. But not many people pass
through here. After a while you kind of like it that way.’ Rich ran his hand
through the tassels of his hair. Despite being indoors, it still had the same
windswept look from the first time they’d met. ‘I do a Sunday lunch once a month
and specials on bonfire night, that kind of thing.’
    Suddenly,
a loud bark pierced the air, sending a new wave of pain ricocheting around
Jules’ head.  
    ‘Okay
mate we haven’t forgotten about you.’ Rich stood. ‘You good to go?’ he asked.
    ‘Yeah
sure, but I can’t find my jacket or shoes,’ she answered with a shake of her
head. Deciding not to add the missing socks into the conversation.
    ‘Try
the stairs,’ he laughed.
    ‘Really?’
    ‘Hey,
it was your seduction routine not mine.’
    ‘Oh
no. I am so sorry.’
    ‘Don’t
worry about it,’ he said, collecting a blue lead from the back of the kitchen
door, which caused a fit of excitement to attack Max as he danced around them.
    ‘I’m
always looking for someone to try new recipes out on if you…’ The rest of his
words disappeared behind Max’s excited barking as Rich led him down the stairs.
    ‘Sure,
sounds good.’ she replied, following behind.
    She didn’t
need to hear the rest of Rich’s sentence to know that he’d invited her for
dinner. After the way she’d behaved, she would be glad to show him that she
wasn’t a deranged alcoholic.
    ‘Great.
Saturday night okay for you? Stan helps out behind the bar at the weekends so I
get a chance to take a break.’
    ‘This
Saturday?’ Jules stuttered, suddenly feeling claustrophobic on the narrow
staircase as she forced her feet into her cold pumps, and choosing to ignore
the still missing socks.
    A
meal with Rich at some point in the future sounded good, but now, with her life
already such a mess, it didn’t feel right.
    ‘Yeah,
why not?’ Rich called out, unleashing a rush of cold air as he opened door at
the bottom of the staircase.
    ‘Um...okay,’
Jules replied, her head too sore to think of an excuse.
    It
wasn’t a date anyway, she reasoned. Not after her drunken antics last night.
Rich was probably just trying to make her feel welcome, she decided, unable to
decide if it was disappointment or relief that her