Page 24 of The Cocktail Bar
“Either at the same table,” he cut her off, “or to a stranger who had caught their eye across the hazy bar. Maybe they’ll use my blank pages in a similar way.” Her stomach flipped then, was it just her or did it feel like his eyes had an agenda of their very own as he muttered those words? “I did think of laying out Post-It notes as coasters,” he continued, unaware that Alice had floated off with her imagination, “but sometimes you can take the whole concept of minimalist a little too far, don’t you think?”
She said nothing, he’d rendered her spellbound, and she didn’t even know it.
“Alice?”
“Oh yes, it’s a cute idea, a bit like those cafés with blackboards in London… in everywhere… where small children can entertain themselves with chalks and pastels.” Alice thumbed through the empty pages again in a bid to come back down to Earth and stay there, wondering who would end up getting together in this place.
River seemed inexplicably nervous again, keen to take her order.
“It’s going to have to be a White Russian,” she said, second-guessing his eagerness to change the subject, “a little heavy with a pizza maybe, and totally un-Italian, but I’m curious as to whether you’ll make it like the guy in that bar in—”
“Sammy’s in New Orleans,” he finished her sentence and slapped at the counter in recognition of the blast from the past. “Ah, we did have some awesome times on tour, didn’t we? Saw some right eye-opening sights.”
“Yeah, not all of them of the good eye-opening variety either.”
They both laughed, the movie reel of yesteryear felt so tangible amidst this atmosphere, she just wanted to stay here forever, soaking up the best bits, like a competitor inThe Great British Bake Offbefore their eviction from the tent, conveniently skipping over the near-misses, collapses, downright disasters, and Paul Hollywood’s condescending turquoise-eyed glares.
“That’s what I want now, to hold on to the good stuff,” she swore he could read her mind, “the parts that have enriched my life,” said River, jug of ice cold milk in hand.
“You’re doing a great job of that so far.” Alice smiled.
Tonight was definitely not an opportune moment to break the bad news she was bearer of, well, as far as news went, she was pretty damn sure River wouldn’t take it too well anyway.
“I’ve got something to show you while you’re waiting… look beneath the cushions to your right.”
She didn’t look there straightaway but at him, quizzically instead.
“Go on. Haven’t you ever wondered where and how I got the inspiration for this place?”
“What is this? It’s exquisite.” She lifted a heavy book onto her lap and felt the smooth cover, embellished in parts with a mishmash of materials and textures from who knew where, but evidently from River’s travels.
“Look inside, it gets better,” he shouted over his receptacle shaking.
“This is magic. Just magic,” she said. “So everywhere you went, you either nabbed a recipe, or drank something and memorised the taste so you could recreate it? And these sketches… I always knew you were a bit arty-farty at school, but these are like illustrations in a proper book. I’m so impressed. It was a no-brainer for you to turn your back on Avalonia when this has been for ever stirring in your soul. You were born to do this, it’s your calling.”
“Just go careful when you get to the back, there’s a pocket with an envelope in it.”
“Oh, okay, no worries,” she said continuing to soak up every detail as if she was reading the plaques in a museum, something that used to infuriate Tamara on their annual trip to London when they’d be hauled around the Tate or The V and A, but never Alice who’d always revelled in the finer detail.
“Here you go.” He placed her drink in front of her. “And don’t let the pizza get too cold either, these were delivered about half an hour ago… in which case they probably are stone cold already.”
Alice laughed. “Luckily I adore cold pizza.”
River held her there then, the undoubted object of his attention. It was a moment she wanted to frame, to sneak into his penthouse suite and hang it at the foot of his bed so he couldn’t, wouldn’t waste any more time with that despicable Money Grabber of a Gold Digger. Yes, that’s what she was. It was totally unfair to be so judgmental, perhaps, but Alice had sussed Georgina out already. And she was more than prepared to harbourherRiver with the same fierceness with which he was protecting her.
“So I’ve been thinking… and you don’t have to give me your answer right away, just hear me out, sleep on it, perhaps.”
Please ask me to move into a house share with you; please ask me to,please…
“How about working with me?”
Oh.
“Not for me… that’s what Georgina does, with me. It would be a great way to get you back on your feet again, out of the hotel, mingling with people, taking your mind off the band and your parents… and that sister of yours.”
“No offence, River.”
“Oh okay then, I see, none taken.” His face fell, expressing itself in a way she couldn’t recall that it ever had.
