Page 25 of One Bed

‘I wish you’d said yes to coming,’ she impulsively told him. When was the last time she’d attended a party with a gorgeous guy on her arm? Gerry and Golly had hated each other, so she’d kept them apart, which meant going to Golly’s parties alone.

And Gerry’s idea of a good time was a pot smoke-filled pub with music either sad enough to make you weep, or screechy enough to make your ears bleed.

Gib gave her that half smile she was coming to love. ‘I’ll see you later, Bea.’

She was on her own again. Situation normal. Gib melted into the shadows and Bea walked up to Golly’s esplanade. Below them, the fairy lights created a pretty wave over the villa’s courtyard, and the lamps in the garden threw light up the walls of the villa and it glowed. Lovely, classy … sophisticated. Tonight was a dry run for the party on Saturday night.

So far, so good.

‘Line ’em up, bub, because I plan on starting this weekend off right by getting shitfaced!’

Bea braked and tipped her head back to look at the streaked pink and purple sky. Trust her godmother, and woman of the hour, to bring her back to earth with a thump.

ChapterSix

Fifteen minutes later, Bea leaned her shoulder into one of the pergola’s uprights, a glass of chardonnay in her hand, thinking that if this cocktail party was a precursor to the main event on Saturday, she was toast.

She heard a masculine snort of laughter behind her and turned to see Gib shaking his head. Her eyes widened as she took in his stone-coloured suit. Instead of a shirt and tie, he wore the same black T-shirt he’d had on earlier, with cap-toed, suede and leather trainers on his feet. He wasGQperfect. He looked imperturbable as always, but his eyes, full of laughter, gave him away.

‘It’s not funny,’ she insisted.

‘No, she’snotfunny. She’s hysterical.’

He gestured to the pergola, where Golly satonthe bar, her bare legs and feet swinging. All the guests had made an effort to look nice – except Bea’s godmother and Reena. Golly’d slapped a tiara – real sapphires or not? Who knew? – onto her head and swiped on some bold fuchsia-pink lipstick. But she still wore the same sarong from earlier, tightly knotted above her bikini-top covered boobs. Heavy silver bangles adorned her slim wrists, and the silver chain around her neck was baby-finger thick.

Reena didn’t look much better. She was in the same jodhpurs she’d been wearing all day: frayed at the knee and tucked into low-heeled riding boots. She’d pulled on a man’s button-down and rolled up the sleeves, one of which had a long tear at the elbow.

‘Pour those tequilas, sweetheart!’ Golly told the bartender.

He did as ordered and filled a row of shot glasses lined up in military precision on the bar. Four? No.Five.Jesus.

‘CheerstoGolly,she’strueblue,she’sapissheadthrough andthrough!’ Reena chanted, handing Golly a tequila. No lemon and salt for her, she was a hardcore drinker.

‘She’sabastardsotheysay,shetriedtogotoheaven,butshewenttheotherway. Down! Down!’

The group by the bar joined in the chant as Golly threw back one tequila after the other, slapping the third glass on the bar with a triumphant yell. Reena, bless her, pushed the other two behind Golly’s back where she couldn’t see them.

‘It’s like a septuagenarian frat party,’ Gib said, laughing.

It was an accurate description. Bea shook her head. ‘Welcome to my life with Golly,’ she told him. She squared her shoulders and straightened her spine. ‘Time to do damage control. If she carries on tossing shots back, she won’t make eight o’clock.’

As she approached the bar, she wondered how to get Golly down, and how to con her into drinking some water. She smiled at people she knew, kissed cheeks, all while keeping an eye on her godmother, who was leaning sideways to listen to a man with a handlebar moustache. If she leaned too far, she’d lose her centre of balance and tip over –and the concrete floor would turn her head into a smashed melon.

Bea knew she couldn’t storm in there and demand Golly get down, she didn’t want to embarrass her. No, she had to be subtle and sneaky, and make Golly think that getting down was her idea. And God, she needed to get her away from the bar. Being in close proximity to that amount of alcohol was dangerous.

Bea caught Reena’s eye and scowled at her. Reena just lifted her shoulder in a ‘what can I do?’ gesture. True, Golly didn’t listen to anyone, ever.

As Bea stepped between Golly and her admirers, Gib moved closer to the bar, his arms opened wide. ‘Golly, my gorgeous. I heard that there was a beautiful woman holding court at the bar, and I’m not surprised to see it’s you.’

Before she could reply, he placed his hands on her narrow hips, and easily lifted her off the bar. Golly giggled and held onto his arm as he placed her on her feet. She was, Bea noticed, with grudging admiration, a lot steadier on her feet after three tequilas than Bea had been when she’d swapped her flip flops for her heels earlier.

Golly reached up and patted his face. ‘If only I were twenty years younger, you wouldn’t be able to keep up with me, young man.’

He lifted her hand and gallantly kissed her knuckles. ‘I can’t keep up with you now.’ He threaded her hand through his elbow. ‘Now, come with me, and let’s go watch the sun set. I think it’s going to be a beauty.’

Golly nodded. ‘They always are. Yes, let’s all go watch nature paint the sky.’ As Gib passed her, Bea grabbed his free hand and squeezed.

When his eyes met hers, she mouthed a ‘thank you’. He’d handled the situation perfectly, without embarrassing her godmother. He came across as being debonair and assured, supremely confident, but, nobody would suspect how closed off he was, how much he hated answering personal questions.

---