Page 20 of The Ex Factor

That surprised Ashley. ‘Your friend is wrong. No one came.’

‘I came.’

‘Why?’

‘As I said, my housemate said you’re good.’ There was a pause. ‘He also said…’ Molly broke off, laughing.

‘What?’

‘It sounds bad.’

‘What does?’

‘He said… you’re hot.’

Ashley blinked. ‘He got that wrong too.’

‘I guess I’ll never know for sure,’ Molly sighed. ‘Unless you perform.’

‘I’m not performing for two people.’

‘Why not?’

‘It’s humiliating.’

‘I see,’ Molly said eventually. ‘There’s more than two people out there, by the way.’

Ashley frowned at the door. ‘I don’t mean literally two people. It’s an expression.’

‘Okay,’ Molly said. ‘So, what is the minimum amount of people you’d feel okay about playing for?’

‘I don’t know.’

‘Fifteen?’

‘No.’

‘Twenty?’

‘Getting there.’

‘OK.’

There was the thump of feet and a door banged. Molly had left. Ashley was oddly disappointed.

But the door banged open again seconds later. ‘I counted the people.’

Ashley smiled for the first time in hours. ‘You didn’t have to do that. How many?’

‘There are eighteen people out there,’ she said. ‘Wait, I didn’t include me. Nineteen. Can we count the barman? That brings us up to twenty.’

That was better than it had been. But still, not great. ‘I can’t count staff, so nineteen.’

‘I know it’s not quite what you were hoping for. But you have to take into account that I’m going to be one of those people.’

‘Right...’

‘And I’m gonna go nuts. Clapping, whooping. I’ll really embarrass myself. And my housemate will join in because I’ll make him. That’s going to seem like one of those secret gigs for someone really huge.’