‘Well, money, for one thing. And I have a job, responsibilities…’
‘Aye, and I’m not saying it’s going to be easy, but we’re not getting any younger, and if you want to travel then travel, don’t put aside your dreams. Ask yourself what’s keeping you here?’
She looks at me then, something unreadable in her expression. There’s a pulling sensation in my gut, a sharp tug, and I have to remind myself to breathe. Then she looks away, eyes focusing on the clock ticking away on the wall.
‘For what it’s worth…’ My voice sounds tight. I clear my throat. ‘I think you did the right thing.’
‘Breaking Danny’s heart? Throwing away the best part of four years of my life?’
‘How’d he take it?’
‘How d’you think?’ She lets out a shaky laugh. ‘He’d cooked dinner, well, tried to… He’d lit candles and he had this great big soppy smile on his face when he got down on one knee like someone offDallas, and then I just… froze. Jesus.’ She closes her eyes and rubs her forehead. ‘I think I already knew. Knew it wasn’t right.’ Her eyes open, she leans forward on the table, cupping her face. ‘I had reservations. As soon as I saw the ring… I should have said something before, but I just told myself it was cold feet, that when he actually asked the question that I’d say yes. He was devastated, Mike, then angry, confused…’
‘He’ll get over it, you know. When Sarah broke up with me, I had no idea how I was going to carry on, what I was going to do, but it was the right thing. We wanted different things and it would never have worked, not really.’
She lifts her eyes, her focus steady now.
‘And now look at you, one foot out of the door, off to live in the city.’
‘Not yet. It’ll be a bloody miracle if they let me get one boot cap in, but at least I’ll always know that I gave it a shot.’
‘You’ll get in.’
‘It’s a long shot.’
‘You’ll get in,’ she repeats, firmer this time.
We stay there, watching the dawn lift the shadows from the wall… the longest day of the year fast approaching. Our hands are almost touching. We’ve sat at this table together more times than I could ever count, so why does this time feel so different?
23
ALICE
Spence runs his finger around the collar of his white shirt, his tie slightly crooked. Before I left the hotel, I’d felt ridiculous with the dusting of glitter powder that Josie had insisted I wear across my bare shoulders, but now as we step through the foyer, under the large, vaulted ceiling, I suddenly feel slightly underdressed in my blue halter neck. Georgia is practically vibrating with excitement, her eyes wide, phone fully charged and gripped in her hand. Ruby is just as excited, her long brown hair swinging while she bounces on the balls of her feet. ‘My phone is going to blow up the minute I post these photos!’
‘Right?’ Georgia agrees.
The wide room has a huge emerald-green ceiling from which grand chandeliers hang. Prisms of rainbow light are cast around the marble floor. There are small areas cornered off by distinctly different colours and textures, ‘vibes’ Georgia observes, and where placards of sponsorship endorsements shout from gilded frames. My eyes take in the glamour, the unnatural hue of guests laughing by ring lights. As we move further into the room, we get blasted by scented mist. I sneeze at the lavender and mint air. Inanother corner, Georgia points to giant bubbles that hold their shape, even when held in the palm of the hand.
‘Here you go!’ Josie appears at our side, passing out lanyards like sweets. Her strong, muscular legs are bare beneath a shimmering emerald dress, perfectly sculpted auburn waves hanging down her back. Her skin is glowing, and her face is naturally beautiful: radiant, as though she hasn’t got a drop of make-up on even though I know she has spent two hours in the hotel bathroom.
A waiter passes by, and Josie plants a hand on his forearm. We each take a glass of something that looks like champagne but is shimmering like molten gold. Spence immediately swipes the glass from Georgia’s hand with a slight raise of his eyebrows. Ruby instantly giggles.
‘I was only going to take a photo,’ Georgia says under her breath, cheeks burning, eyes immediately glancing around her. No doubt worrying that her father taking a drink from her hands is going to be turned into a meme.
‘Can we have soft drinks?’ Spence asks, nodding pointedly to Georgia and Ruby.
‘Certainly, sir… we have a blue mombo, a strawberry frizzle, bubblegum salsa…’ The waiter continues to list mocktails to which Spence just blinks twice. ‘All sponsored by LLLF… Live Life, Live Free’. The waiter says LLLF in the same way as he might say The Mighty Zeus.
Ruby grins, her braces catching the light. ‘Blue mombo, please.’
‘The strawberry frizzle.’ Georgia smiles, a strange confidence in her voice that makes her sound five years older than usual.
‘Please,’ Spence adds to her. Her eyes widen and I can practically hear her thinkOh my God, do you have to be so embarrassing?Spence has a quiet word with the waiter, checking on the ingredients.
Josie’s eyes are alight but slightly narrowed as she scans the room and I know that she’s assessing her competition and figuring where to place herself and her green dress for optimum engagement. Spence fidgets with his collar again, but Georgia’s face is pure joy. She smooths down the denim dress she’s wearing above a pair of Doc Martens.
‘Oh my God, there she is!’ Georgia’s warm hand clamps around Ruby’s upper arm. I follow her gaze and there, at the edge of the room is ‘Perri’ with an ‘I’, surrounded by a small entourage, phones in hands, broad smiles at the ready, their heads thrown back in overly loud crystal-cut laughter.
