Cock & Bull - Laura Barnard Page 0,28

his phone and hands it to me.

‘Here, you’ll have to hold it still.’

‘Still for what?’ I whisper hiss, glancing around us. I might not know what we’re doing, but I already know I don’t want to get caught.

He walks up to what looks like a fuse box and opens it.

‘Hold it still,’ he snaps. It’s only then I realise my hands are shaking. I’m not used to being a vandal.

He switches all of the fuses off and we watch as the pub gets plunged into darkness. People shout.

He takes the phone back and hands over his keys. ‘Here, pull the car to the front and wait for me behind the hedge.’

‘What are you …’

It’s too late, he’s already rushing into the pub with the torch. I don’t have time to question him further so rush into the car, rearrange the seat because he’s a tall lanky bastard and then drive to where he instructed.

I hear lots of commotion before he runs over to the car and jumps in.

‘Quick, go! Step on it.’

I manage not to stall and speed away.

‘What the hell was that all about?’ I shout as soon as we are around the corner.

He grins. ‘Just telling them all that we’re showing the rugby in our pub.’

I bark a laugh. ‘God, Clooney, you really have no shame, do you?’

He pouts his lips. ‘I’m trying to help you here.’

‘I know.’ I cringe. I can be such a bitch, but I’m just so bloody stressed these days. Plus, I have weird mixed emotions about him calling it our pub. ‘Sorry.’

‘And yes, I do have no shame.’ He winks, sending a thrill of excitement down my spine. ‘It’s much more fun like that. Now pull the car over and let’s swap, you aren’t insured.’ We do, and with that we are back on our way home to our pub.

Chapter Fifteen

Saturday 4th October

I wake up and yawn straight away. The pub was the busiest it has ever been last night. True to his word, not long after we got back Clooney managed to bring most of the Dog and Duck back to ours, desperate to watch the rugby.

They were all over the moon to see he wasn’t lying when he said we had the sports channels. It was manic. Everyone drinking like it was going out of fashion. The way a pub should be.

The only annoying thing was that Suki kept escaping into the pub whenever we went to get change from the safe. Chasing around after a skunk never looks good.

By the time we’d tidied up it was gone midnight. We practically crawled into bed. God, Ella can snore like an old sailor. The amount of times I lost it and shouted at her to shut up was ridiculous. She’d just snort like a little pig and roll over, managing to be quiet for a few seconds only to start the cycle all over again. I swear her snoring is worse in Ireland.

At about two a.m. I heard Suki scratching at Clooney’s door. She’s clearly found a favourite.

The thought of having to re-stock the pub, do a line clean and open up again has me feeling sick to my stomach. I drag myself up, get washed and dressed and then head downstairs. Ella is still dead to the world, regardless of how many times I’ve shouted that she’s a lazy bitch.

I take a calming deep breath and go down to the kitchen. The smell of sausages hits my nostrils. I look up to see Clooney making sausage sandwiches. There’s three plates set out. For all of us. Wow. I didn’t even think he was awake.

‘Here she is,’ he says cheerily, over the frying sausages spitting in the pan. He has a lazy smile on his lips, Suki at his feet. ‘I was just gonna call the both of you.’

I snort. ‘Don’t bother with Ella. She’s dead to the world.’

‘More sausages for me then.’ He grins, passing my plate over to me.

I start shovelling it into my mouth, eager to get started on the bar. Damn, this is good.

He stares at me, eyes wide. ‘Jesus, you’re eating like you just got let out of prison.’

I cough a laugh. ‘Sorry,’ I mumble through a mouthful, covering my mouth so he doesn’t see my chewing. ‘I just know I’ve got a lot to get done before opening up.’

‘Like what?’ he asks with a frown. Whenever he frowns he gets this adorable little dent between his eyebrows.

‘Like restocking the bar, doing a line clean.’ I sigh