A Song in the Night (41 page)

“Come on, Rosie. Let’s give it a whirl. If you don’t enjoy it, I’ll get you a Fireman Sam box set to make up.”

She
had
enjoyed it. They had held hands throughout, and from time to time, Gavin had leaned over and kissed her cheek gently. Rosie had felt herself melting. At long last, it was starting to feel like a relationship.

Now as she sat in the car thinking about it all, her stomach began to flutter. It was an unfamiliar feeling; one that thrilled and terrified her at the same time. Was she falling in love? She wasn’t sure. She’d never fallen in love before. One thing she did know – she was letting her guard down. Was there any going back?

When they pulled up outside her house, Gavin turned to her and ran a finger gently down her cheek. “Rosie, there’s going to be a big party at the Mappin Hotel to celebrate the opening of a new Apex Health Club. Should be a pretty glitzy do. I’d really like to take you. Show you off.”

Rosie could detect a slight hesitancy in his voice. She looked at him in surprise. “Show me off?”

Gavin read her glance and squeezed her shoulder affectionately. “Hey, I meant that in the nicest possible way. What guy wouldn’t want to show off his girl – especially when his girl happens to be someone like you?”

It could have sounded smarmy, and a few weeks previously Rosie would have read it that way. But tonight, as their eyes met in the half-light of the car’s interior, Rosie saw a candour and sincerity in Gavin’s expression that made her heart turn over. So – she was
his girl
. He’d stated it quite plainly. And what was more, he wanted to show her off. Someone like Gavin wanting to show
her
off? It seemed the wrong way round. And yet his eyes told her he was serious.

“Will you come, Rosie?” His voice was huskily soft as he twirled a tendril of her hair between his fingers.

“When is it?”

“A week tomorrow. Saturday the twenty-fifth, I believe.”

Rosie’s heart sank.
The twenty-fifth …?

Gavin noticed the consternation in her face. “What’s wrong? Got something planned?”

Rosie wasn’t sure what to say. “It’s just that I was intending to go up to Yorkshire on the twenty-fourth. I’ve already booked the Monday off to give me a bit more time.”

A flash of disappointment crossed Gavin’s face. He tried to hide it, but Rosie had noticed. She felt bad. “I’m really sorry, Gavin.”

“That’s okay. My fault. I should’ve asked you earlier.” He made an attempt at a smile.

Inwardly Rosie groaned. She appreciated the generosity of his reaction, but she couldn’t help wondering if the thing would cast yet another shadow between them.

That night as she lay in bed, sleep did not come easily. Just when things had been going so well between them. It felt almost like a rerun of the Christmas situation, except this time, Gavin had been much more gracious in his response. As she thought about him, she couldn’t shake off the fear that she may have hurt him. He’d been a tower of strength to her in recent days; everything any woman could want from a guy. Sensitive to her emotions, checking on her every day, spoiling her rotten, and generally making her feel the most cherished girl in the universe. And now she was letting him down again. This party obviously meant something to him, and he had wanted her there. Surely she could give him that much. Suddenly she knew what she had to do. She would try to rearrange at work for the following weekend. Beth would understand. And Ciaran. After all, Gavin had managed to win
them
over the first time they’d set eyes on him.

____________

“Wow, Rosie!” Gavin’s eyes drank in the vision standing in the doorway. “Wow … look at you. You look amazing!”

Rosie felt flattered, if slightly embarrassed. Thankfully, Mel wasn’t long in coming to her rescue. “Isn’t she gorgeous?” she gushed as she followed Rosie into the living room. “I knew as soon as we spotted it she’d look fabulous in it.”

The dress was in cobalt-blue satin, its bodice fitting Rosie’s slim figure like a glove, its skirt falling from her hip-line in generous folds. The thin satin straps were studded with diamanté and she wore a necklace and drop earrings to match. Mel had completed the look for her by fixing her hair in an elegant pleat, then pulling out a few wispy tresses to frame her face. Even Rosie had been surprised when she’d seen herself in the mirror. Now as she stood before Gavin’s admiring gaze, she could feel her cheeks warming. “Not too much, is it?” She grinned nervously. “I didn’t want to go over the top, but you did say it was going to be a posh do.”

“You’re perfect,” Gavin said simply. “Absolutely perfect.” He didn’t seem to be able to take his eyes off her.

“Come on then, you two! You need to get going or you’re gonna be late.” Mel carefully placed a faux fur wrap around Rosie’s shoulders. It was one of her own and she’d insisted Rosie wear it for the evening. “Hang on a minute … .” She disappeared for a moment and came back clutching a bottle of perfume.

“Oh no –” Rosie groaned, “not more of that. They’ll know I’m there ten minutes before I arrive. You’ve practically marinated me in the stuff already.” She turned to Gavin and rolled her eyes. “It’s not like I haven’t got any of my own.”

Mel ignored her objections. “This is Dior. I always use it for special occasions. Posh parties need posh perfume.” She sprayed Rosie generously then stood back with a satisfied smile. “Off you go! Have a fantastic time.”

“I’m so glad you decided to come, Rosie.” Gavin extended his hand to help her out of the car. “I’m gonna be the proudest guy there.”

Rosie took his arm and smiled. There was no doubt about it. Gavin’s affirmations had a powerful effect on her. In his black dinner suit and crisp, white shirt, he looked quite simply stunning. Like a Versace model. And yet
he
was going to be proud of
her
. That was some compliment.

They walked up the hotel steps and into the foyer. “Hey, Gavin!” A tall man who appeared to be in his mid-fifties strode over to them. His dark hair was shot through with wisps of silver and his lean face was tanned and animated. “Great to see you!”

Rosie sensed that the man was looking at her with some kind of approval. She willed her cheeks not to flush.

Gavin introduced him. “Rosie – this is Paul Warrington, Managing Director of Apex Health Clubs. Paul – this is my girlfriend, Rosie Maconochie.”

Rosie’s heart quickened slightly as she shook hands with the older man.
Girlfriend?
It was the first time she’d heard Gavin use the term in public, but it sounded good. Paul greeted her warmly and gestured towards a large room on their right. “We’re in there, Gavin, if you want to make your way through. They’re serving sherry and canapés at the moment. Have a good evening, both of you.”

As they made their way towards the function room, Gavin’s arm was around Rosie’s waist, his touch gentle and protective.

“So – you’re on first name terms with the MD? Pretty impressive.” Rosie was smiling. Secretly, she wouldn’t have been surprised if Gavin had been on first name terms with the Queen.

Gavin played it down. “You mean Paul? He’s a decent guy. He was actually on the interview panel when I went for the job. Glad I didn’t realise who he was at the time. But he’s remembered me ever since. Nice bloke – and he’s loaded.”

The party was just warming up as they walked into the function room. One of the first things to hit Rosie was the heady mixture of aftershave and perfume which hung in the air like a luxurious intoxicant. She thought of Mel and smiled. It appeared her Dior had competition. Gavin found a table for two and they sat down. He took her hand. “Shall I get you a drink yet, or do you want to wait till the sherry makes its way down here?”

Rosie thought about it. She wasn’t working tomorrow. Perhaps a sherry would help her relax. Gavin went off to get himself an orange juice. While he was away, Rosie cast an eye around the place. The room was large and spacious, one side of it lined with long buffet tables draped in starched, white cloths and adorned with sprays of carnations in slender, fluted vases. Huge crystal chandeliers hung from the high ceilings, though for the moment, the lighting had been dimmed, and only the soft, seductive glow of mounted wall lamps afforded any illumination to the gathering. At the far end of the room, a stage had been set up with instruments and sound equipment.
A band as well,
she thought to herself; it seemed no expense had been spared. She could see two young waitresses moving amongst the guests with trays of sherry. People momentarily broke off conversations to help themselves, or graciously turned down the offer with a dismissive gesture and a smile. Rosie couldn’t help noticing that it wasn’t your average get-together. Everyone looked toned and well turned out. Even the older guests had a youthfulness about them, helped, no doubt, by their perfect tans and trim physiques.
So these are the kind of circles Gavin moves in,
she mused wistfully.
No wonder he always looks so fabulous – it goes with the territory. These people must spend half their lives in the gym.
Thank heavens she’d been blessed with a naturally slim figure. Hopefully none of Gavin’s colleagues would ever guess that
her
idea of a workout was a brisk walk to the sandwich shop in her lunch hour.

At that moment Gavin came back.

“Do you work with all these people?”

Gavin looked around the room. “No. A lot of them are from the other branches. The chain has five clubs at the moment. Tonight they’re launching the sixth. But I do know quite a lot of the people who are here – I’ve done stints at three of the other clubs before.” He looked across at her. “Thanks for coming, Rosie. You don’t know what it means to me.” For a moment their eyes locked, and Rosie’s heart seemed to skip a beat. It was a sensation that was becoming increasingly familiar to her these days. The waitress arrived at their table just then, and Rosie took a glass of sherry. As she sipped it, the liquid slid down her throat like warm gold. She was aware of Gavin’s eyes still on her, and for the first time in her life she suddenly felt beautiful. She pretended to be oblivious to his gaze. Instead, in her mind’s eye, she remembered her own reflection as she’d stood in front of the full-length mirror shortly before Gavin had arrived to pick her up.
Could this
really be me,
she’d wondered almost incredulously? Even to her own eyes she’d looked like a princess, and now, here tonight, she felt like one. Gavin was her prince and everything felt right.

At just after eight thirty, the lights went up and the food was brought out. Gavin wanted to mingle as they ate and Rosie dutifully obliged, hoping beyond hope that she wouldn’t drop anything down her front or end up with spinach between her teeth. Eating took over an hour, and during that time Rosie lost count of the number of people Gavin introduced to her. Thankfully he did most of the talking and Rosie’s contribution to their conversations consisted of little more than a nod and a smile. She did not mind.

After the food came a few speeches, for the most part entertaining and well-timed. The manager and team of the new health club were presented to the assembly and were greeted with heartfelt clapping and cheering. Rosie had never seen so many beautiful people packed onto one stage. For a moment, she toyed with the idea of taking out membership. When the speeches were over, the band came up onto the stage and began their first number.

“D’you like dancing?” Gavin whispered into her ear.

Rosie gave a light shrug. She’d never danced to jazz music before. “Not sure I know how to. It’s not like being down the local rave joint, is it?”

Gavin smiled. “We’ll wait till the slower numbers. Then just stick close to me.”

Rosie found herself looking forward to it.

For the rest of the evening they sat, fingers entwined, watching the other guests as they danced or generally stood about posing. Gavin made occasional snide comments about various individuals and Rosie laughed. She felt comfortable with him tonight. A few glasses of wine on top of a more than generous glug of sherry had gone quite a way towards helping her loosen up. She was happier than she could remember. When the music slowed down, Gavin pulled her up onto the dance floor and held her close as they swayed to its sultry rhythms. Rosie’s head was spinning with a strange sense of elation. If this was falling in love, she liked it – she liked it a lot. After a few numbers, Gavin bent down and kissed her hair. “Fancy coming back to mine for a coffee? I think this thing’ll be wrapping up soon by the looks of it.”

“Yeah, okay,” Rosie said dreamily. “Pity. I was just starting to get the hang of it.”

“Not at all.” Gavin put his arm gently round her waist as he escorted her back to their table. “You’re a natural mover, Rosie. I could tell the minute we got up on the floor.”

Rosie took a long, last look around the room. It had been a wonderful evening; one she wanted to remember. The band was still playing, the dancers still dancing, and in the soft jazz haze, everyone suddenly seemed to look more beautiful than ever. Stealing a momentary glance at Gavin, Rosie picked up her handbag and wrap. She sighed happily to herself. To think she was girlfriend to the most beautiful of the lot of them.

Gavin, meanwhile, had started to wave to various people around the hall to indicate that they were leaving. Paul Warrington came over with his wife to say goodbye. “Thanks for coming, Gavin –
and Rosie
.” He shook hands with Gavin and kissed Rosie lightly on the cheek. “You look after this boy, won’t you? He’s going to go far.”

Rosie glowed. If the Managing Director saw them as a serious item, things really must be looking up.

“So – we’re going back to mine for a while?” Gavin checked as they stepped out into the cold night air. The sudden change in temperature made Rosie shiver. As they walked through the quietness of the car park, she was aware of the sudden change in atmosphere too. Behind them lay the heady ambience of the Mappin. She could still hear faint strains of music as the band continued to play. But out here, there was just the two of them – and she felt strangely floaty.

“Yeah. I mustn’t stay too late though. I need my beauty sleep.”