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won’t be a minute. I want to speak to Lily.’ She went up to the woman behind the bar and said something. A short conversation ensued and then she came back and joined me. ‘Just adding myself to the bill,’ she said. ‘Your friends are upstairs. They asked you to wait. They won’t be long.’
    â€˜Do you want a drink?’ I asked.
    â€˜Sure.’
    â€˜Champagne?’
    â€˜Of course.’
    We went over to the bar together. ‘A bottle of Moët,’ I said to the woman.
    â€˜Yes, dear,’ she replied.
    â€˜Lily, this is Nick,’ said Kylie. ‘He’s with Roy and Pat.’
    â€˜Oh, yes,’ said Lily. ‘Roy told me to put everything on his bill. One bottle of Moët coming up.’
    â€˜ Everything ?’ I asked.
    â€˜Yes, love. Everything your heart desires is what he said.’ She produced a bottle of champagne and two glasses.
    â€˜Give me a beer, Lily,’ I said. ‘This stuff’s too rich for my blood.’
    â€˜Heineken or Beck’s, dear?’ asked Lily.
    â€˜Beck’s’ll do,’ I said.
    She went back to the fridge and got me a bottle. She put it and a glass on the bar in front of me. Meanwhile Kylie was soaking up the champagne like raindrops on a hot pavement.
    â€˜Do you work here every night?’ I asked her when Lily went off to serve another customer.
    â€˜No. Why?’ she asked innocently. As if she didn’t know.
    â€˜Just interested. Are you involved with anyone at the moment?’
    â€˜No. I’m free, white and single. Why?’ All innocence again. But she couldn’t keep from smiling.
    â€˜The same. Just interested. I thought I might be round Brewer Street one evening soon, and I could buy you a meal. There’s some very good restaurants round there.’
    â€˜That’s true.’
    â€˜So?’
    â€˜What?’ She wasn’t even trying to hide her amusement by then.
    â€˜You know what.’
    â€˜Mixing business and pleasure can be fatal,’ she said.
    â€˜It’s the same with smoking and drinking and fucking, or so they tell me.’
    She smiled. ‘I’m free Wednesday,’ she said.
    â€˜Me too,’ I said. I didn’t know if I was, but I would be.
    â€˜What a coincidence,’ she said.
    â€˜Isn’t it? So what do you say?’
    â€˜OK, Nick. Wednesday then. Do you know a pub called The Sun And Seven Cantons?’
    â€˜Sure I do. It’s just round the corner isn’t it?’
    â€˜Great Pulteney Street. Meet me in there at eight.’
    â€˜Don’t you want me to call for you?’
    â€˜No. You’re a punter, Nick. A very nice punter, I won’t deny. But still a punter, and I don’t give punters my address.’
    â€˜Or phone number?’
    â€˜No. Let’s take it easy. If I get to like you, you’ll get it all.’
    â€˜Don’t you like me now?’
    â€˜Yes, I do. That’s the trouble. I never date guys from here. That’s my rule. I’m making a big exception with you.’
    â€˜Will you change your mind?’
    â€˜No.’
    â€˜Shall I give you my number, just in case?’
    â€˜Good idea. Something might crop up, and I don’t want you to have a wasted journey.’ She took a small address book from her bag and found the ‘N’ page. ‘Nick what?’ she asked.
    â€˜Sharman,’ I replied.
    I gave her my home number and the number of the bar. ‘You work in a bar?’ she said. ‘The last thing I’d’ve taken you for was a barman.’
    â€˜It’s a long story,’ I said.
    â€˜Tell me on Wednesday. I do want to know about you – I wasn’t lying.’
    â€˜I thought that was just a line.’
    â€˜It is. But sometimes even a line can be the truth. Hey, here’s your friends back.’

15
    I looked round, and Seeley and Hughes were coming back through the door. Seeley was