One Night Only (67 page)

“
W
ell,
”
sh
e
said
,
“it
’
s
a
lon
g
stor
y
.
Bu
t
let
’
s
jus
t
sa
y
we
ar
e
ou
t
t
o
hav
e
a
reall
y
goo
d
tim
e
an
d
it
’
s
jus
t
go
t
bette
r
.”
“
Y
eah,
”
sai
d
Michael
.
“Thre
e
thousan
d
pound
s
u
p
would
mak
e
an
y
goo
d
tim
e
see
m
bette
r
.
”

“Oh
,
it
’
s
no
t
onl
y
th
e
mone
y
,
”
sai
d
Rut
h
an
d
sh
e
giggled.
Sh
e
wa
s
flirting
!
Sh
e
waite
d
o
n
th
e
bombshell
.
H
e
was
probabl
y
marrie
d
o
r
ga
y
o
r
,
a
s
i
n
he
r
experience
,
both
.

“Th
e
wine
,
i
s
it?
”
h
e
asked
,
cockin
g
a
n
eyebro
w
a
t
he
r
. “
Y
es,
the
wine,”
said
Ruth
coyl
y
.
“That
’
s
exactly
what
I
meant
.
Th
e
wine.
”

H
e
slippe
d
hi
s
busines
s
car
d
int
o
he
r
han
d
a
t
las
t
and hel
d
i
t
ther
e
fo
r
a
littl
e
whil
e
longe
r
tha
n
h
e
neede
d
to. “
W
ell
,
her
e
ar
e
m
y
details
.
Thin
k
abou
t
m
y
proposition. On
e
colum
n
a
month
.
Nam
e
you
r
pric
e
–
thoug
h
g
o
easy
o
n
me
!
I’
d
lov
e
t
o
hav
e
yo
u
o
n
board
.
I
thin
k
we’
d
make
a
winnin
g
team.
”

H
e
winke
d
an
d
sh
e
fel
t
he
r
leg
s
tur
n
t
o
jell
y
.
Sh
e
saw hi
m
loo
k
a
t
he
r
bar
e
weddin
g
finge
r
.
Hi
s
wa
s
th
e
same.
Ringless
.
Result
!

“Ooh
,
yo
u
hav
e
al
l
th
e
lingo
,
don
’
t
you?
”
sai
d
Ruth, battin
g
he
r
eyelids
.
Sh
e
reall
y
wa
s
feelin
g
rathe
r
funny
inside
.

“That
’
s
onl
y
th
e
ti
p
o
f
th
e
iceberg
.
I’l
l
le
t
yo
u
ge
t
back t
o
you
r
friends
,
bu
t
yo
u
kno
w
wher
e
I
a
m
onc
e
yo
u
have, yo
u
kno
w
,
though
t
abou
t
it
.
I
t
wa
s
lovel
y
t
o
mee
t
yo
u
–
?”
“Ruth,
”
sh
e
sai
d
wit
h
confidence
.
“Rut
h
Monaghan.”
Sh
e
reache
d
int
o
he
r
purs
e
an
d
gav
e
hi
m
on
e
o
f
her ow
n
busines
s
card
s
whic
h
ha
d
al
l
he
r
curren
t
details
includin
g
he
r
websit
e
whic
h
sh
e
wa
s
extr
a
prou
d
of
.

“
I
lik
e
you
r
style,
”
sai
d
Michael
.
“
I
lik
e
i
t
a
lot
,
Ruth Monaghan.
”

Th
e
wa
y
h
e
sai
d
he
r
nam
e
an
d
looke
d
int
o
he
r
eyes
wit
h
a
smil
e
mad
e
he
r
stomac
h
d
o
a
leap
.
I
t
was butterflies
!
Sh
e
hadn
’
t
experience
d
butterflie
s
sinc
e
she
wa
s
a
teenager
!
No
t
eve
n
wit
h
Jeffrey
!
An
d
wit
h
that Michae
l
wa
s
gone
,
bac
k
int
o
th
e
snu
g
wher
e
hi
s
mates wer
e
awaitin
g
hi
s
retur
n
wit
h
a
pin
t
o
f
Guinness
.

“
Ahem
,
”
sai
d
T
ess.
“What?
”

“Wha
t
o
n
eart
h
wa
s
tha
t
al
l
about
,
Rut
h
‘Mysti
c
Meg’
Monaghan?
”
aske
d
Poll
y
.

“I’
m
no
t
quit
e
sure,
”
sai
d
Ruth
.
“Bu
t
I
thin
k
I
may hav
e
jus
t
pulled!
”

“What
?
Already?
”
aske
d
T
ess
.

“Don
’
t
loo
k
s
o
surprised
!
Som
e
me
n
d
o
lik
e
th
e
more voluptuou
s
look!
”