The Piano Man Project Page 0,110

hashtag to over three million followers!’

‘Oooh, I love Phillip!’ Lucille piped up, her hand fluttering over her hair as if he might appear at any moment. ‘What’s a hashtag?’

‘Oh my God, look,’ Tash said, turning her screen around to show Honey the shot of Davina McCall in daisy chain handcuffs underneath #standwithus. ‘If this doesn’t make the difference, I don’t know what will.’

Skinny Steve couldn’t believe anyone would ever want to interview him, and he fell over his words when a reporter from one of the nationals waylaid him en route back to the kitchens with empty coffee flasks.

‘You’re doing a fantastic job here today, congratulations,’ the pretty reporter gushed.

‘Thank you,’ Steve stammered. ‘But it’s not all down to me. I wouldn’t have known where to start without Hal to tell me what to do.’

The woman smiled winningly, and Steve really liked the way her kind blue eyes twinkled.

‘Hal?’ she said.

Steve nodded. ‘He’s amazing. I can’t believe I’m being taught to cook by someone as famous as him.’

The reporter tipped her head to one side. ‘Do you think we could meet him too?’

Steve frowned, realising that he might have said too much.

‘I don’t think so. Hal doesn’t want anyone to know he’s here.’ He bit his lip. ‘You won’t tell anyone, will you?’

The reporter drew lines over her heart with her shell-pink nails.

‘Cross my heart.’

She reached inside her shirt and pulled a business card out of her bra, then reached out and tucked it into Steve’s apron pocket.

‘In case you think of anything else to tell me,’ she said, and then tripped away on her high heels.

Skinny Steve breathed a sigh of relief and headed inside for more coffee.

As dusk fell just before six o’clock, the candles turned the pavement into a flickering carpet of light and Honey returned to her sweet spot between Lucille and Mimi.

‘Ernie’s gone then?’

Lucille nodded with a little smile. ‘He stayed for ten minutes or so, but he was worn out. He’s promised to come and see us again soon though.’

Mimi’s expression was inscrutable, and Honey decided not to push her on the matter.

‘Still no sign of Billy?’

‘He appeared a while back with a plate of sausage rolls,’ Lucille said. ‘Odd, really.’

‘Nothing surprises me where that man’s concerned,’ Mimi said. ‘He’s a loose cannon.’

Honey laughed softly. ‘He is that.’

‘How’s that handsome friend of yours doing in the kitchen?’ Lucille asked, her blue eyes keen and wise.

Honey shrugged. ‘Well everyone’s eaten, so I guess he’s doing fine.’

‘Haven’t you been inside to check on him?’ Mimi asked sharply, and Honey suddenly felt as if she were caught in the centre of a ‘good cop bad cop’ routine.

‘Not this afternoon, no. I’ve been busy out here, there hasn’t been time.’

‘There’s time now,’ Lucille said reasonably. ‘Take five minutes.’

Honey picked at a loose thread on her sleeve. ‘Maybe later.’

‘I used to say things like that,’ Mimi said. ‘And then you get old and there isn’t a later, and you wish you’d done it sooner.’

‘You didn’t say that about meeting Ernie,’ Lucille said, her tone laced with hurt.

Mimi shot Lucille a look for going badly off script and ignored the barb.

‘I’m just giving Honey the benefit of my wisdom. If there’s something that needs to be said, don’t let your pride stop you from saying it.’

Lucille nodded and laid her hand on Honey’s arm.

‘She’s right, dear. We both think that you’ve fallen for him. You should tell him.’

Honey let her head drop back and gazed at the stars.

‘It’s more complicated than that.’

She didn’t bother denying the truth. Mimi and Lucille knew her inside out and backwards, and besides, it was a relief to talk about it out loud.

‘It’s only as complicated as you make it,’ Lucille said.

Honey sighed heavily. ‘They aren’t my complications, Lucille. They’re his. He’s got to make some choices, and I’ve got to wait and see which way the chips fall.’

‘That doesn’t sound fair to me,’ Mimi said. ‘Never give a man all the power, Honeysuckle. They don’t know what to do with it and will more than likely blow their own hands off before they’ve even got started.’

‘His ex-fiancée wants him to go back to London. She sent him a letter asking him to step back to his old life.’ Honey folded her arms over her chest and kept her eyes on the dark sky. ‘They’re supposed to be getting married next year.’

Mimi and Lucille fell silent while they mulled Honey’s revelation over.

‘People change,’ Lucille said, eventually. ‘Going back isn’t always possible.’

‘Get yourself in there this