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cool too,’ he said. ‘I’ll just grab a water.’

      The man raised a hand, mouthed the word, and a glass of water appeared in an instant. Another reason to believe that he was someone with influence. The queue for drinks now was five deep and the barmaids were struggling to cope. But clearly what this man asked for he got. Right away. ‘I’ve just bought a nightclub in town,’ he explained, as he pushed the brimming pint glass in Joey’s direction. ‘Silks. You probably know it? Or of it, anyway. And my business partner Nico and I’ – he nodded towards the swarthy Greek man standing a few feet away, who had his back to them currently – ‘well, we’re on the hunt for talent. A decent house band.’ He paused. Paula saw Joey’s eyes widen. ‘So we were thinking that we’d like to offer you a provisional residency there, if you’re interested. One night a week to start with. See how it goes before making it permanent, obviously. Do you think you might be interested? The pay’s good, of course. It’ll be more than you get here. And we would need you to finish here because it’ll be Saturday nights we’d want you. Now,’ he said, looking at Paula. ‘Do you need time to think about it? Discuss it with your bandmates?’

      Paula wavered. Taking in that he wasn’t a record company scout was a bit disappointing, and now her reticence took precedence again. Yes, it sounded good, but the strings attached – dropping The Sun gig – needed thinking about. It seemed a bit unfair to drop The Sun, especially after they’d been so good to them. It had been The Sun, after all, that had given them their first real start. Regular work too. Which wasn’t something you turned your back on lightly.

      And what did they really know about these characters? Only what this Mo guy had told them. And wasn’t it true that nightclubs opened up and closed down again all the time? Silks hadn’t always been Silks. It had been lots of things before that. Like many a nightclub, its history was littered with the corpses of many an ambitious businessman’s shattered dreams. Money pits – wasn’t that what her dad had once told her? And she’d no business agreeing to anything without consulting Matt, not to mention Dan first. It was Matt who’d given her a start, after all.

      ‘Can we get back to you?’ she said, causing Joey to look at her like she was mad. ‘Only we do need to speak with the rest of the band before making a decision like that. How about you give us your number and we ring you after the weekend?’

      Mo nodded, his expression cool. Then pulled out a business card from his wallet. She slid a thumb over its surface as she took it. Embossed. Expensive-looking. ‘Suit yourself,’ he said. ‘But I’m willing to pay well, as I say. Say, £225 per gig? So don’t leave it too long making your minds up, will you?’

      Paula tried not to gape. That was more than double they were currently getting paid by The Sun. She tried not to let her surprise show on her face.

      ‘Sure,’ she said. ‘We’ll be rehearsing tomorrow anyway. Will Monday morning be okay?’

      ‘I don’t do mornings, sweetheart,’ the man said. ‘Bit of a creature of the night, me. Monday afternoon would be better.’ He nodded towards the stage, where Matt and Dan, presumably returned from sharing a joint out the back, were getting ready for the second set. ‘Anyway, looks like you’re on again.’ He winked at her. ‘And we’ll be here watching.’

      And there was something about the way he said it – something she couldn’t put her finger on – that made a flicker of uneasiness edge into her brain. She pushed it aside. Just force of habit, she told herself. Bound to be hard to break.

      Their second set, if anything, was even wilder than the first. They even got thunderous applause when they performed a couple of their own numbers, which she knew would make Matt, who’d composed them, ecstatic. Perhaps the chance to play in a nightclub really could launch them to another level. But Matt was so naturally cautious – it was in his nature – and she wasn’t sure how he’d react to the idea of dumping The Sun, who could get another band in just like that, on the strength of an offer from a complete stranger, to play in a shut-down nightclub that hadn’t actually re-opened yet. Not least because she knew Matt really didn’t share her ambitions. He’d been gigging a few years now and though he loved writing music, she suspected he liked his life just as it was. Couple of gigs a week, plenty of downtime and a healthy weed habit. For which he had more than enough in his pockets, because he also played with a showband, doing weddings and birthdays, where he banged out the usual staples for a decent wodge of cash. He was a pragmatist. There were definitely no stars in his eyes.

      And as it turned out, there was little opportunity to sit down and discuss things anyway, by the time they’d finished. The mysterious Mo and his cronies had slipped away before they’d done, and Matt was anxious to pack up and get his gear home as he and Dan were off to a party. Perhaps, on balance, they should wait till rehearsal tomorrow anyway. Discuss it properly then.

      ‘Not that I’m sure what there is to discuss,’ Joey observed, once he’d loaded his kit onto Matt’s van – he was taking it back to his place ready to take to the rehearsal – and he and Paula were in the mini and about to head off to his. ‘I mean, it’s miles more money, a bigger venue, and a chance to be heard by thousands. What’s the problem?’

      To be fair, Paula thought, Joey didn’t know Matt and Dan like she did. Didn’t really know them at all yet. And he had that irrepressible way about him – that eagerness, that puppyish enthusiasm that so appealed to her. Was that why she liked him so much? Because he reminded her so much of her father? Though wrapped up in a package that was a million miles from her father. Tall, dark and … well, it was a heady combination.

      ‘It’s not a problem, exactly,’ she told him now, as she fiddled about looking for the headlamp switch. Joey leaned across her and turned it. He smelled appealingly of fresh sweat and some kind of woody aftershave. ‘It’s just that I think we should maybe proceed with caution – as my old driving instructor used to say. Just that we should make sure it’s the right thing for all of us before committing. I mean, what if this Mo is a fly-by-night? He might be talking bollocks about owning Silks, mightn’t he? I mean, you’ve seen the size of that place. Well, I suppose you might not have,’ she corrected herself, remembering his age. ‘But it’s huge. Only someone seriously rich – or seriously stupid – could afford to take on a place like that. I mean, the rent on it must be massive.’

      ‘But to what end? I mean, why would he do that? Why would he say he was looking for a band if he wasn’t?’

      ‘I know, but if we pull out of The Sun we might lose it permanently, mightn’t we? In fact, I’d say that was probably a cert. And, don’t forget, it’s the only regular slot we have.’

      ‘Well, it’s not for me to say anyway,’ Joey said. ‘I’ve only been in the band five bloody minutes. So whatever you reckon, I’m cool with that. It’s your call, completely, Paula. I’m just so bloody happy to be part of it – be it in The Sun or anywhere else. Anyway, we don’t have to say now, do we? Whatever this Mo says. In fact, why don’t we tell the lads that we’re going to check the place out for ourselves first? And if it all seems genuine – and everyone’s happy – we give it a go. Proceed with caution, like you said.’

      Paula reached to switch on the engine. ‘I reckon that’s best,’ she said. Though despite her concerns, her automatic need to analyse, she was still buzzing from the response to their final set, the adrenaline still pumping. Whatever else was true, the world suddenly felt full of possibilities. New car, new recognition for the band, new boyfriend … She smiled at him coyly. ‘Still, however it pans out, exciting times, or what?’

      She then blinked as two passing cars flashed their lights at them, one after another. ‘Whoah! Am I on full beam or something?’ she said, rootling around again in the darkness to try and find how to dip the lights. ‘I really need to sit down properly with the manual for this, don’t I? Anyway, how come you know where everything is anyway?’

      Joey tapped his nose. ‘Comprehensive education, me.’ He didn’t elaborate. Instead he leaned across her and this time he doused the lights completely.

      ‘What you doing?’ she

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