‘I gathered. With Natálie.’
Leo’s heart sank like concrete boots in a river. What was the point of even trying to tell her that Natálie was a friend? And, the smaller, meaner part of him that didn’t come out very often said, why should he? Why bother to prove her wrong?
‘Have a nice day,’ he said. ‘I don’t know when I’ll be back.’ Hopefully she’d enjoy having the place to herself and he could quash the lingering guilt about making her feel uncomfortable in her own home.
But the petty boy inside who was still pissed off that she hadn’t trusted him had to have the last word. ‘Don’t wait up.’
* * *
Anna had no intention of waiting up. She was going to enjoy the freedom of having the apartment to herself – at least, that’s what she told herself. By mid-afternoon she’d cleaned the kitchen, the bathroom and her bedroom, swept the roof terrace, tried to read a book and started watching a film on her laptop. It was official, she’d had enough of her own company. She picked up her phone. Steve would almost certainly be at the rugby club. Instead she FaceTimed Becs.
‘Hey, Cuz. How’s it going?’ Becs beamed at her down the line.
‘Good. How are things at home?’
‘Mum’s moved through the plate-smashing phase.’
‘Ouch.’ Anna winced.
‘She’s worked out who Dad is spending his evenings with, so no doubt Operation See Her Off will commence. Dad’s such an idiot. I bet you count your blessings you’ve got someone like Steve. He’d never do anything like that to you.’
‘No,’ said Anna. ‘He’s one of the good ones. I haven’t caught up with him for a few days. There’s a lot to take on board at the brewery. It’s fascinating. The building is so old?—’
‘Oh, God, you’re turning into old Ronnie. What else have you been doing?’
‘I’ve been quite busy, you know, settling in.’
‘Anna! Have you done any sightseeing?’
‘Not yet. But I will.’
When she put the phone down a few minutes later, she looked around the apartment again and decided that it was too late to go into the city centre, but she should at least explore the local area.
An hour and half’s wandering confirmed that it was a lovely area to be in. The nearby park was absolutely stunning with its riverside walk and its interesting pavilions, wells and observation deck, and she felt much better when she returned to the apartment. For the rest of the evening she watched a film and cooked herself dinner, trying hard not to keep half an ear out for the front door.
However, Leo had been true to his word about not waiting up. The next morning it appeared he hadn’t come home. Anna ignored his open bedroom door and marched into the bathroom. No doubt tucked up with Nátalie. And it was nothing to do with her. Just Leo being his usual self. She was here to learn about beer and win those tanks, that was the most important thing. She would ring Jirí and ask if there was any update on the new flat.
* * *
‘I have good news, Anna,’ said Jirí as soon as he picked up the phone as she was arriving at the road to the brewery. ‘I will send the keys this week and you can move in on Saturday.’
‘Oh, that’s wonderful. Thank you so much.’
After a brief conversation, in which she learned she’d be on the twelfth floor but the view would be good, she arrived at the doors of the brewery considerably heartened by having a moving date. That would make life so much easier. All she had to do was survive the next five evenings, which, given Leo seemed to have found a new lady friend, wouldn’t be that difficult.
Heading into the building, she was immediately comforted by the familiar smell of the mash fermenting in the open tanks. This was why she was here.
All the tension of the weekend melted away, leaving her shoulders feeling easy again. It was still a miracle to her that something as complex as beer was made from the simple ingredients of grain and water. Of course there was a lot more to it than that. The ability to manipulate ingredients and processes to create such different flavours was where the magic lay, and she was excited to learn more. The Czech brewing process wasthegold standard and had been copied the world over … but to her mind, never equalled.
This week she was going to be shadowing Jakub, learning all aspects of the brewery processes, and then she would be working alongside the assistant brewer for the next few months, starting work on the small batch special brews in preparation for creating her own brew to present to the judging panel, along with her marketing and sales strategy. For a moment she stared at the thick stone walls, which had been here for hundreds of years and had seen generations of brewers pass through the building. There was such a lot to learn.
‘Good morning, Anna.’ Jakub’s bellow made her jump but his wide smile immediately reassured her. She couldn’t help but learn; his passion, enthusiasm and energy were inspirational and he never seemed to mind her asking stupid questions.
He’d set up a second desk in his office for her to use as a base, although he’d explained that the work would be very hands-on and she’d get involved in everything from tasting the beer through to ordering the grain supplies, and lots of technical testing and checking.
She’d already learned that he lived on his own and she suspected from his thin frame and the long hours he spent at the brewery that he didn’t look after himself. He reminded her so much of Ronnie, who’d often been so absorbed in the brewery that he forgot to eat.
‘Morning, Jakub,’ she said. ‘Here.’ She handed him the cup of coffee that she’d picked up for him en route from the tram stop, along with one of thekoláceshe’d brought in for him.
