‘Blown away, huh?’ He laughed, and she watched as his head tipped back a little. God, he was gorgeous. ‘Well, I’m happy to hear you enjoyed it so much. We put our hearts and souls into every performance.’
Ella snuggled deeper into his jacket, feeling in a way that wearing an item of his clothing was far too intimate, but also liking it.
‘Where are we going?’ she asked, as the small group of musicians disappeared up ahead.
‘Wait and see. You’ll either love it or hate it.’
‘Really,’ she said, shaking her head. ‘Why would I hate it?’
‘Because it’s full of musicians and arty types, which means the drinks are cheap to keep us all coming back. The downside is that the interior is as low budget as the cocktail menu.’
Ella stopped when he gestured for her to walk ahead of him towards a nondescript door. She looked back, feeling immediately out of her depth at the same time as her stomach filled with butterflies of anticipation.
‘You’re not really selling it to me.’
He leaned towards her, his arm brushing hers as he opened the door, his words spoken directly into her ear.
‘What I forgot to mention is that the company is excellent. It most definitely makes up for all the other parts.’
She took a deep breath and moved past him. If she’d been braver, she’d have told him that she was already enjoying the company. But the moment she walked through the door into the bar, she promptly forgot what she’d been thinking and looked around her in awe. The most hilarious part was that half the people were dressed in black evening wear and the rest were like an intense blend of misfits wearing an eclectic mix of clothing. It was the most diverse, interesting bunch of people she’d ever set eyes on in one space.
When she felt a hand touch her back she spun round, seeing the question mark on Gabriel’s face.
‘One drink?’
She shrugged. ‘Why not?’
8
‘So tell me what you’ve been doing with yourself since I last saw you,’ Gabriel said when he returned with their drinks. ‘Daisy mentioned you were an art dealer.’
Ella happily took the gin and tonic, sipping from the little straw as they moved side by side to a spot at the bar that had just been vacated.
‘Well,’ Ella replied as she sat down. ‘I went to university, graduated, took a job at an art gallery…’ She laughed. ‘I don’t know what else to say.’
‘And now you represent Daisy? I’m guessing you discover new artists as part of your job?’
‘Yes and yes, although they’re not all as wildly talented and successful as she is,’ Ella said, as she glanced around the room. ‘Let’s just say that we broke our own record for a new artist with her first few sales.’
Gabriel let out a low whistle. ‘At least one of us is making serious money then. I’ll be sure to make her pay for dinner next time we catch up.’
They both laughed and sipped their drinks again.
‘Speaking of our mutual friend, she told me you were left some clues to do with your family. She said something about you needing help deciphering a piece of music? That I might be able to help?’
Ella leaned in closer as the noise around them amplified. ‘Yes! To cut a long story short, it turns out that my grandma was adopted, and one of the clues was a sheet of music that—’
‘Gabe! Who’s your friend?’
He gave her an apologetic look as a young man, in a white shirt unbuttoned far too low and with a pint of beer in hand, slung his arm over Gabriel’s shoulders.
‘Arch, this is Ella,’ he said. ‘She’s stopped in to have a drink with us.’
‘You were in the audience tonight?’
‘I most certainly was. I loved it.’
‘Good! That’s great to hear.’
