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Chapter 38

"Thanks," John said sincerely when Susan handed him the bottle of beer and he turned around to have a look at the place. He had never been a big fan of clubs, but this one had more of a pub-like atmosphere with a punk-ish look to it. Somehow he couldn't imagine that the band playing here tonight would be suitable for a wedding. Not that John minded doing something unconventional, but he doubted that Liz would be on board with this.

"John, you need to lighten up," his daughter told him with a chuckle.

He growled and shot her a dark look. "I am the oldest person here. I am raising the average age of this place!"

Susan giggled. "Well, at least you fit in," she remarked and nodded towards his plaid trousers. "I think you're just nervous."

"Why would I be nervous? It's just a concert," John replied gruffly and sipped his beer.

He flinched and almost spilt his drink when Susan nudged him unexpectedly. "You know exactly why. Your crush is gonna be here any minute now."

"For the last time," he growled, rolling his eyes to show his annoyance, "I don't have a crush. Clara is a friend and my wedding planner and-"

His words died in his throat when the door opened and John looked up to see Clara step inside and he instantly knew that everything he had just told his daughter was a lie. His heart skipped a beat when he spotted her. Yes, he had a crush and Clara showing up in a tight leather skirt and a torn tank top wasn't exactly helpful. Most of the time his thoughts about her were purely innocent because John felt drawn to her for her humour and kindness, yet right now he couldn't deny that he was attracted to her in every possible way. Unfortunately for him, his daughter seemed to have noticed.

"That must be Clara," Susan remarked, a smirk on her lips. "You're lucky."

"I am not lucky!" John spat. "There's nothing going on between us."

"Uh-huh," she hummed. "Except for a kiss."

"I"m gonna get married soon."

"As you keep saying," his daughter replied and jumped up from her seat. "Come on, let's say hi. You shouldn't keep your date waiting."

"It's not a d-" John's protest got stuck in his throat when he realized that Clara had already noticed them and was making her way across the room.

John sat up quickly and set his beer aside, straightening his back to brace himself. Maybe this was a date. Maybe that was why he was nervous. He really needed to get his heartbeat under control.

"Hey, you're here already," Clara said when she greeted him, a broad smile on her face. She pushed herself up on tiptoes and gave him a quick peck on the cheek.

John needed a second to regain his speech. "Uhm, hi," he spluttered. What if this was a date? John was going to get married soon. He couldn't have a date with another woman.

Clara, on the other hand, didn't seem at all nervous or in doubt as she turned her head and smiled at Susan. "You must be Susan," she said excitedly. "John has told me a lot about you."

"Only the good stuff, I hope," his daughter replied as she went to shake Clara's hand. "I mean, not that I've even told him the bad stuff yet. I left out the pregnancy and drug addiction. I was waiting for the right moment."

"What?" John blurted out.

Both Clara and Susan giggled. "She's messing with you," Clara explained and gave him a soft nudge and that was when John realized that the two women were getting along. Instantly. His heart sank a little at the thought of that.

"John has been praising you as well," Susan went on. "Said you were a kickass wedding planner."

"I doubt he used that word," she replied, chuckling.

"So, uhm," John threw in, "shall we walk towards the stage? Get a good spot?"

Clara smiled at him. "No need. We're VIPs tonight. I just gotta find the singer and let him know we've arrived," she told him. "I'll be back in a moment."

John could do nothing but watch her as she vanished among the crowd and he didn't think he had ever felt as confused as he was feeling right at this moment. Clara and his daughter were getting along and he had no idea why he wasn't sure what to think about that. Then his eyes wandered towards Susan and his daughter was winking at him.

"Stop it," he muttered.

"She's perfect for you," Susan chuckled. "Gorgeous, nice, sense of humour. And you're head over heels in love."

"I said stop it."

She shrugged and then nodded towards the stage where Clara was already waiting for them, waving towards John and Susan to join her in the VIP area.

"Let's just enjoy the concert, okay?" John said and headed towards Clara while Susan trailed after him. Maybe bringing her here hadn't been such a good idea after all.

The concert was amazing, just as he had expected and he and Clara really had a common taste in music. The leader singer was a young man with a rough and raspy voice and even though most of what they played was indeed punk, the slow and sad songs gave him goosebumps. John glanced towards Clara and she smiled at him in return. From the look on her face, he could tell that she knew he had chosen to book the band for his wedding and the thought about it once again made him sad. Not long and he would be married to Liz and the more time passed the more uncertain he grew that that was what he truly wanted. Susan was right. He was in love with Clara, but he couldn't just bail on Liz.

After the concert, Clara excused herself to talk to the singer for a moment and John and Susan walked back towards the bar where she ordered them both a drink. He sipped his beer absent-mindedly, his thoughts circling around the upcoming wedding once again.

"It's okay to change your mind," his daughter told him as if she could read his mind. Patti had always done that and it seemed as if Susan had inherited the trait.

John shook his head. "Not about this."

His daughter took a big sip from her cocktail. "I had a thing with this guy once and he was in love with another woman. I was crazy about him for a while, he liked me too, but he liked the other girl a bit more. I thought we could make it work if we both tried hard enough."

"Why are you telling me this?" John wanted to know.

"Because you can't make it work," she replied simply. "I dumped him after three months. I deserve better than a guy who keeps wishing I was someone else. I don't know your fiancée, but I'm sure she would back me up on this."

"And did he ever get together with the other girl?"

Susan shook her head. "But that's not the point. The point is that we just weren't made for each other."

"Or maybe he didn't try hard enough because any man would be lucky to have you," John growled and all of a sudden he noticed the band's bass player staring in their direction. He had joined them at the bar after the concert and now that he came to think about it, hadn't he looked at them a couple of times during the concert? "That bass player certainly shares my opinion."

A smirk spread across Susan's face and she glanced over her shoulder towards the young man. "Yep," she confirmed smugly. "I think you're right."

John chuckled. "Go and have some fun," he told her. "You're young. You shouldn't be hanging out with your dad on a Friday night."

"What about you?"

"Oh, I'll be fine," he replied with a dismissive gesture. "Don't worry about me."

Susan giggled. "No, I mean you should have some fun as well," his daughter told him.

It took him a moment to realize what Susan was referring to, but when he spotted Clara across the room, it suddenly hit him.

"Have some fun," Susan told him as she rose from her seat to join the bass player at the other end of the bar and John was left alone with his doubts and the very bad idea his daughter had just put in his head.