The Piano Man Project Page 0,78

his sixties than by his name.’

Honey heard the thread of humour and the louder thread of tension in Hal’s voice. She sensed that the best thing she could do for him right now was keep up the inane chatter. If there was one thing Honey was good at, it was inane chat. A half smile touched her lips as they stood together at the bus stop wrapped up in warm coats, making catering plans for Old Don’s birthday party. He was coming to help her. He was really coming.

‘Skinny Steve, meet Hal. He’s a chef.’

Honey had installed Hal on a stool in the kitchen, and practically floated two inches off the floor with pride when Steve arrived for work half an hour later.

Skinny Steve almost genuflected.

‘You did it,’ he whispered. ‘I didn’t think you would, but you did.’

For a brief moment Honey understood how it felt to be Santa Claus. ‘I promised, didn’t I?’

Steve nodded and stuck his hand out towards Hal.

Honey shook her head emphatically and Steve lowered his unshaken hand again uncertainly.

‘Hi Steve,’ Hal said. ‘Honey tells me you’re the sous chef around here.’

Steve frowned. ‘Why’d you tell him I can cook soup?’ he shot at Honey out the side of his mouth.

Honey coughed. ‘Would you excuse us for just one second please, Hal?’ she said, and yanked Steve into the dining room.

‘Skinny Steve,’ she said, and sucked in a deep breath. ‘That man in there is one of the country’s top chefs. He had an accident and he can’t see anymore, but he’s here to help, so don’t blow it, okay?’

‘You still shouldn’t have said I can cook soup, Honey,’ Steve frowned. ‘What if he tells me to do it today?’

‘He didn’t say soup,’ she hissed. ‘He said sous. It’s French, Steve, for … for super chef,’ she lied. ‘Yes. I told him you’re a super chef and he’s really looking forward to teaching you, so get your act together and just do as he tells you, okay?’

She pushed him back into the kitchen with both hands and offered up a silent prayer.

Alarm bells went off in Honey’s head when she glanced up from pricing a stack of shirts to see Nell and Tash advancing towards her across the shop floor. One or the other of them during the working day was a welcome sight, but both of them together usually meant trouble.

‘Hey you guys,’ she smiled. ‘Lunch break ambush?’

‘I’d prefer to think of it as a friendly pep talk,’ Nell said, as smoothly as only a teacher used to fractious parents knew how to be.

Tash pulled her phone out of her huge handbag and pushed her sunglasses up on top of her head. Clicking through it quickly, she twisted the screen towards Honey, who looked at it and then glanced away again quickly.

‘Ew. Is that Yusef?’

‘Nope.’ Tash shook her head and grinned. ‘It’s your lunch date for Saturday. I told you he was hot.’

‘So hot he needed to take off all his clothes?’

‘What?’ Tash frowned and whipped the phone back, then grinned, thoroughly unabashed.

‘Ha! Sorry, Hon. No, that’s Yusef. What a horse, eh?’

She clicked through a couple of shots and turned the phone around again.

‘Christian.’

Honey looked down again into a profile shot of an admittedly good-looking guy, this time thankfully fully dressed.

‘Couldn’t get a better shot without him noticing,’ Tash said. ‘See what I mean now? He’s even better in the flesh. All blue eyes and yes ma’am, no ma’am. Honestly, it was like talking to Elvis without the rhinestones.’

‘Tash, it isn’t that I’m not grateful, but I just have so much going on right now, you know?’

Nell glanced at Tash with I told-you-so eyes. ‘It’s only lunch,’ she said. ‘One little lunch. Everyone needs to eat, Honeysuckle.’

‘Not with random men who sound like Elvis, they don’t,’ Honey said.

Tash’s green eyes flashed with determination. ‘What would you be doing otherwise? Mooning after your Emo neighbour?’

‘No,’ Honey scowled, not willing to elaborate on how badly wrong things had turned out with Hal on that front. ‘Meeting you two in the café, probably.’

‘I’m busy on Saturday,’ Nell said quickly. ‘Me too,’ Tash smirked, and they both looked at her expectantly.

She was saved from having to say anything more by the wail of a siren outside.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

All three women spilled out onto the grass outside the shop, along with a rag-tag line of shoppers trailing behind them. Billy brought up the rear wearing a frilly pinny, having sportingly offered to fix a leaking tap in the staffroom.

‘Oh my God!