Page 8 of Hit For Six
‘Do you have any recommendations?’ she asked as she skimmed the list. ‘It’s so hard to choose! They all sound delicious. And I really like the way you have so many Bathandbath-related cocktails. Oh, so this is the cocktail that my hairdresser was raving about. It sounds intriguing. Was it invented locally?’
‘I… take it you’ve not watched Saltburn?’
‘Erm, no. Not yet.’
‘Ah, okay.’ Maxine laughed, pushing her glasses back on top of her head. ‘This one is a little on the XXX-rated side and what we might call a wolf in sheep’s clothing with regards to the tame ingredients– gin aside.’
‘Right. I’ll pass on that for now, then.’
‘My personal favourite at this time of year is the Polin; inspired by Penelope and Colin from the Ton, of course. A honey-infused rum, lemon and elderflower kiss of a cocktail with a splash of soda.’
‘Ooh, I’m sold– even if I did find the formerly dashing Mr. Bridgerton’s behaviour a little on the toxic side as his and Pen’s romance blossomed.’
‘Indeed.’ Maxine raised a brow à la Colin Bridgerton. ‘And I’ll have a peach and coconut mocktail, I think.’
Maxine put in their orders with a waiter called Bartek, before quizzing Lola on her reasons for applying for the evening job when she appeared to have a successful daytime career. How to answer? Lola decided she needed at least one person on her side. Somebody who knew her heart’s desire. For the first time in a long time, she told the truth.
‘It probably sounds a bit ambitious but I’m saving up to invest in my own business.’
‘Hey, that soundsexciting… as long as you’re not going anywhere in the next few months.’ Maxine sounded genuinely pleased for her. ‘I’m not going to dig and ask what your idea might involve. I firmly believe we should protect our dreams and keep them close to our chest, sharing them with a very select few until they’re at the point of manifestation. That’s what I did with this place. You should totally go for it, though, Lola.’
‘Thanks! Slowly but surely, I intend to.’
Lola thought back again to the slightly less glamorous surroundings of the lounge last night, where her half-adopted Squiffy had massaged her beanie paws on her lap. She’d drawn a glut of brainstorming clouds with arrows poking out of them in all directions; her tummy fizzing with excitement just thinking about that scrap of paper becoming reality. Well, she had to start somewhere.
Bartek placed their drinks in the bath and she tried to keep a straight face. It seemed a pointless charade now that Maxine had to lean over to pick up her glass from the plughole. Lola felt like the Chinese gymnast at the Paris 2024 Olympics, whose curiosity had led her to emulate the medal-biting of her Italian peers on the podium and made for a glorious sequence of photos. Taking Maxine’s lead, she angled her torso into the tub and made a grab for her Polin, trying not to fall in or laugh. No wonder the sessions in this place could only be booked for two hours unless the private function area was being used. People must pull so many muscles sitting next to some of these ornate baths– either from nose diving into them or fighting off the hysterics.
When she’d finally fished it out without a spillage, Lola took a contemplative sip of her drink.
‘Wow! That is… Actually I can’t quite find the words to describe it.’
Unputdownable sprang to mind. Quite literally. Which was probably best, all things considered.
‘Mind-blowing, isn’t it? Wilf and Stella Arabella behind the bar have won all sorts of awards for their mixology.’
‘I am not sur…’Lola couldn’t stop sipping her cocktail. Oh, dear. At this rate she’d be spending all her wages here. ‘Prised.’
Maxine laughed in such a way that Lola could tell she was accustomed to her customers’ ecstatic reactions.
‘Well, the job’s yours as long as you’re sure you can handle the extra hours, taking into account your office position. None of the other candidates I’ve seen passed muster and you give off a good vibe. I’m hoping you’ll be able to start tomorrow night?’
Joaquín’s makeover had worked. Lola could have fist pumped the air. She’d never wanted to be famous in any shape or form– most certainly not via Friday’s hideous antics– and it was a relief to know that she blended in with the wallpaper here.
‘Absolutely! That’s great news.’
She knew she was acting like she’d secured the career of her dreams fresh from graduation. She also knew that she’d gone back on her word of bagging a new career within seven days. She’d totally failed to escape Julian. But Lola was working on it. As soon as another part-time job came up which, coupled with this bar opportunity, paid roughly the same as her current exec position, she was out of Celebrate and Commiserate for good. And despite the last part of the greeting card company’s name, she wouldn’t be crying over it.
‘Fantastic. Shadow me tonight if you’re free for an hour, and then come in tomorrow at six p.m. and we can sort out your uniform. Sundays aren’t too busy although we do have one fairly big group booking this weekend. Take the menu home with you so you can familiarise yourself with our signature cocktails and their components. We rotate our specials once a month according to local countryside foraging opportunities, so those are chalked up on the board.’
‘I’ll be back in a bit and I’ll study this as if I’m taking an exam,’ Lola promised as she tucked the menu under her wing.
‘Before you go, Lola, there’s just one thing.’ Suddenly Maxine’s expression turned serious. ‘I don’t want you to feel awkward about it… but–’ Lola’s stomach began to churn.
‘Let me guess… you caught the T20 game.’
Maxine clenched her teeth as if she was the human version of the Grimacing Face Emoji.
‘Just your cameo. It’s been kind of unavoidable on my three times a day forays into TikTok when I post videos of this place. You’ve even been made into a meme. That’s life goal stuff for some people.’
