After that, she got ready to go meet Ellie at Rendezvous. Her friend was picking her up there in her car, and they were going to drive to the storage unit that held Bente’s possessions.
It was wet and windy outside, and by the time she reached the restaurant, Bente was glad she’d pulled on her raincoat at the last minute. She was about to slip into the covered doorway next to the winebar when she saw a notice taped to the door of Rendezvous. She went over and read:
Rendezvous has closed but will return soon with a new look. Look forward to seeing you again!
So Tomas had finally managed to sell the place.
At that moment, Ellie pulled up. Bente jumped in.
“So the bar has closed?”
“Yes. We found out yesterday.” Ellie set off along the street. “We don’t know who’s bought it yet. We all got two weeks’ paid vacation before the new owner takes over. Generous,” she said with a wink.
“That was very quick.”
“It was—crazy.”
“But you all get to keep your jobs?”
“It looks that way. All Tomas knew was that the new owner still intends to run the restaurant; I don’t think he bothered to try to learn more than that.”
“So how do you feel?”
“Good. It looks as if it will still be a wine bar, and it will be good for all of us to carry on working together—minus Tomas. A fresh start.”
Bente’s mind was whirling. She had always loved the place. It could be so much better than Tomas had made it—it had huge potential. An owner could conduct classes and hold wine tastings in addition to serving fantastic wines and delicious food.
And that wonderful wine cellar. Tomas had mostly filled it with crap, apart from one section of wines, but Bente imagined the walls lined with shelves and racks full of wine, with new lighting so that diners could sit in there. Clear the place out, clean it, bring in a table and chairs, and hold small tasting sessions for guests, but also for the staff. The wine bar could really take off with a different owner.
All it needed was a new, more ambitious concept.
30
That evening they made pizza with Dad’s tomato sauce recipe.
“Isn’t it great that the cork took your story to the next step?” Agneta put down her phone (open to Candy Crush, of course) as Bente placed the steaming-hot pizza on the chopping board she’d set atop the table. “It was such fun to see it all happen.”
“Yes, it was definitely a turning point,” Bente replied.
Hanna sat down at the table. Agneta gave her an encouraging look, but Hanna simply smiled and shook her head. What was going on? Now that Bente thought about it, the two of them had been whispering together while the pizza was being made.
Agneta poured them all chilled cola from the big bottle on the table—nobody felt like cocktails or wine today. “Was there a risk that the show might not happen?”
“Well, there would have been a show, but with a more personal approach. A bit more in the line of reality TV, with Didrik and me talking about ourselves and inviting along celebrity guests who would also ... talk about themselves.”
“Oh dear,” Hanna said.
“Yes—it doesn’t really feel like my thing.”
“You don’t say.”
“Didrik seems lovely,” Agneta said after a moment.
“Yes, he is.” Bente sliced up the pizza and served them. There was no point in denying anything or pretending that nothing had happened;Agneta always knew what was going on, and was well aware that he had stayed the night. “He’stoogood,” Bente added.
“Don’t say that—nobody is too good for my daughter.”
“She’s right,” Hanna agreed. “Or for my sister.”
