Free The Broken Hearts Book Club by Lynsey James Page B

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    ‘Coming right up.’ He fetched a pint glass from under the bar and pulled a beer pump down with his free hand. ‘So it’s official – you’re sticking around?’
    ‘Do you always eavesdrop on your customers’ conversations?’ I stuck my tongue out to show I wasn’t serious, but he didn’t see me.
    ‘Yep, to make up for the fact I have no life.’ He put the expertly pulled pint on the bar and began sorting the other drinks I’d ordered. ‘What made you decide to stay?’
    ‘Your sparkling wit and conversation obviously,’ I shot back. ‘Nah, I just think it’ll be a good move for me. I’ve lived in London for eight years and it’ll be nice to come back home. I’m going to be doing up my nana’s old cottage, which should be a laugh considering I know nothing about DIY.’
    Jake poured some gin into a glass, along with some tonic water and put it beside the pint glass. I noticed the ghost of a smile playing on his lips.
    ‘If you need any help, just ask. I’m no good with electrics or anything like that, but I can just about hang wallpaper without getting into too much trouble. Don’t forget your charges at the Broken Hearts Book Club as well. You’ll be running around like a blue-arsed fly before you know it!’
    I smiled as I watched him dot around the bar, looking for something he wasn’t having any luck finding. He bent over to look on one of the lower shelves and my mouth popped open. There was that pert, squeezable bum I’d seen on my first day back in Luna Bay.
    ‘You know, for someone who’s so against becoming a member, you don’t half mention the club a lot. I think you should just give it up and join; you know you want to.’
    Jake’s head popped up from underneath the bar; he’d found the missing bottle of vodka. Instead of the defeated grin I’d expected to see, he looked even more steadfast than normal.
    ‘Thanks but no thanks. That’ll be ten quid please.’
    I dug my purse out of my bag and handed over some money. ‘So, how’s this place doing? Found your miracle yet?’
    ‘Sadly not and time’s running out. At this rate, I’ll climb up on this bar and do the Full Monty if I have to.’
    The thought made my mouth water, but I tried to remain sophisticated and classy. Well, as much as anyone who’s bellowed out
your sex is on fire
to a pub full of people can.
    ‘I love that film,’ I said, ‘the music in it’s brilliant.’
Oh shit Lucy, don’t sing.
‘What was that song by Tom Jones they dance to at the end?’
    And just like that, I started singing
Leave Your Hat On
in a very deep Welsh voice. Unfortunately, it didn’t make my singing sound any better. Jake stood watching me, looking utterly bewildered, until I finished.
    ‘Well, that was quite something.’ He put a hand over his mouth trying to stifle a laugh but failed. In the end, a roaring chuckle burst out of him. It was such a wonderful noise, even if it was at my expense.
    ‘Um…’ I’d been temporarily struck dumb by my impromptu performance and the mental image of him grinding on the bar with his shirt off. ‘Anyway, I used to work in events planning so anything you need, just ask.’
    A heat crept into my cheeks, tingeing them pink, so I grabbed the drinks and carried them back to the table.
    ‘Well?’ Elle sat up, suddenly rapt. ‘How did it go?
    ‘I sang
Leave Your Hat On
by Tom Jones in a Welsh accent.’
    Elle smiled, shaking her head, ‘Standard.’
    Since I’d utterly humiliated myself, it felt necessary to leg it as soon as possible, so I went down to Rose Cottage to see exactly what had to be done. Once I was inside and looking at it with an open mind instead of a closed one, I could see how beautiful a house it could be. There were original floorboards that would be gorgeous again with a little TLC, an open fireplace in the lounge I loved and a rustic kitchen that would be perfect for cooking in. Once the hole in the floor had been fixed, of course.
    As I walked through the