Page 12 of Never Too Late
‘He’s better than that. He’s really famous now as a soloist.’
Steph still maintained a keen interest in classical music, but the name Robert Bailey didn’t ring any bells.
Noticing her uncertainty, Tara went on to explain. ‘He’s always used Faye’s maiden name: Sinclair.’
‘Rob Sinclair!’ The penny dropped. ‘He’s Rob Sinclair? Wow. He’s extremely well known. But why not use his real surname?’
Tara shot a glance down the table to check that they weren’t being overheard. ‘Faye says it’s because he wanted to make it on his own merits, not as the son of a music legend like Keith.’ She winked. ‘Unlike his big brother…’
Steph sat back and digested what she had just heard. One thing was for sure: if she ever had the opportunity to listen in to one of Robert’s practice sessions she would jump at the chance. Had her father still been alive, he, too, would have been delighted to have that opportunity. Nostalgic thoughts of her father, immediately followed by worry about her mammogram results, darkened her mood, but she was shaken out of her melancholy by the arrival of Donatella with a trolley load of antipasti. Tonight these included slices of red peppers, roasted and skinned and then rolled around small anchovy fillets laced with olive oil and garlic. They were exceptional. As they helped themselves to these and other delicacies, Cesare came around to ask how they would like their pizzas. Steph decided to stick with the fishy theme and opted for what he called apizza ai frutti di mare, which would apparently be topped with all sorts of seafood.
Beside her, Ethan appeared to be controlling his drinking a lot better than the previous night; no doubt aware of the importance of being at his best the next morning. Thoughts of the recording session to come made her ask Johnny for his take on Ben’s hesitation to get involved with the band once more. She was careful to check that Ben himself was out of earshot further up the table before doing so.
‘Is it just going to be you and Keith tomorrow morning? No Ben?’
Johnny shook his head. ‘Not so far as I know.’ He, too, checked that they weren’t being overheard before continuing. ‘Lottie says he plays his guitar every day and, if anything, he’s even better now than he used to be, so I don’t think it’s a confidence thing. I think it’s just a hangover to what happened ten years ago.’ He raised an eyebrow towards her. ‘You know all about that, I imagine.’
‘I know Vince died. I read that it was drugs.’
‘It was drugs all right. He was completely out of it. In fact, he’d been getting worse and worse. On stage we had to have a second keyboard player in the background to cover for him. We actually unplugged him from the amp on more than one occasion and he didn’t even notice. He could hardly stand up unsupported at the end.’ He shook his head sadly. ‘There was only one way it was going to end… and it did.’
‘And Ben was so affected by his death that he opted out of the band there and then?’
‘That’s right. Now, ten years on, Keith and I think the time’s right for us to reform before we get too old, but Ben’s still very hesitant.’
‘Lottie said Keith had been getting a bit too bossy, and Ben’s maybe afraid that’ll all start up again.’
‘He certainly was bossy back then – and I can think of a few less polite words to describe him – but I’m getting the distinct impression he’s mellowed since.’ Johnny shot her a little grin. ‘And if he hasn’t, then Ben might not be the only one not signing up again.’
Steph nodded slowly. There was a lot hanging on how the next few days panned out. It certainly didn’t look as though Royalty reforming was anything like a done deal yet. She offered a bit of encouragement. ‘Like I say, Keith’s been fine since we got here, hasn’t he, Ethan? He played us a few bits of his new stuff this morning and we loved it.’
Ethan joined in. ‘You never know, once Ben hears what you and Keith can produce, maybe he’ll feel like joining in.’
‘That’s what we’re hoping, but neither of us is holding our breath.’
The pizzas arrived and, as expected, were amazing. They were so big that they spilled out over the sides of the already extra-large plates, but the base and crust was wonderfully thin and perfectly cooked, and Steph surprised herself by managing to eat virtually the whole thing. Afterwards, when Donatella arrived with the offer of chocolate and raspberry tart, all Steph could do was to shake her head weakly and compliment her on the pizza. Later on, as Donatella and Cesare were clearing the table, Steph approached them for help.
‘Keith and Faye have their anniversary on Friday, haven’t they? They’ve been so terribly kind and welcoming to me, I’d like to get them something and I wondered if you had any ideas. They’ve probably already got everything they could possibly need and I don’t want to give them something useless or tacky.’
Cesare and his wife had a quick confab before Cesare produced a suggestion. ‘I’m going down to Lerici tomorrow afternoon to pick up supplies. Why don’t you come down with me and see if you can find something in the local shops? You’re right about Keith and Faye already having all they want, but you might spot something and, if not, flowers are always safe.’
The party broke up at eleven, and Ethan accompanied Steph back to the guest apartment down the path between the cactus and palm trees. She was pleased to see that tonight he was looking and sounding sober. She was even beginning to wonder whether this more responsible behaviour might herald the long-awaited change in him for which she had been hoping, when he suddenly stopped dead and turned towards her.
‘So it’s all over between us, then? Is that right?’
To give herself time, she threw a question back at him. ‘What makes you say that?’
‘It’s been getting worse and worse of late. You’re always going on at me: “Ethan, don’t go out with your mates; Ethan, you drink too much; Ethan, whose bag of coke’s that?” That sort of thing. And now, just in case I hadn’t realised how you felt, you even refuse to share a room with me. So it’s all over then?’
Steph was thinking desperately. If she said yes, might this lead to him telling her to look for another job? Alternatively, if she said no, would she find herself back in the same old round of drunken nights, embarrassing encounters and maybe even abusive behaviour? After a few seconds’ pause she decided to tell him the truth, whatever the consequences.
‘I’ll be quite honest, Ethan, I’ve been thinking about this a lot. You’ve been behaving more and more selfishly lately, and unless that changes, you’re probably right and we should split up. The thing is, you weren’t always like this. Why can’t you just turn back into the nice guy you used to be? Would that be so hard?’
‘I’m still a nice guy.’ He had stopped alongside a lamp, and she thought she spotted a chastened look on his face, but it didn’t last more than a second or two before he went back on the offensive. ‘But what right have you got to tell me how I should live my life?’
‘If you’re the other half of a relationship I’m in, then I think I have every right. If we aren’t in a relationship, then of course your life’s your own. I loved you a lot, Ethan; I still do, deep down. But you’ve changed and I like the new Ethan a whole lot less than the old one.’ She waved a large moth away from her face. ‘So it’s your call: I want you the way you used to be. If you don’t want to make the effort then you’re right, and we’re finished.’ She turned away from the light and set off for the apartment. ‘Why don’t you think it over and let me know in the morning?’
Chapter 6
