Up Close and Personal (24 page)

Jason paused, mid-shuffle. ‘Bring them over here, then.’

Andy carried the box to the table. Jason picked one up and tested the tip with a forefinger. ‘Jesus, these are sharp.’

‘They’re steak knives,’ Charlie said. ‘They’re supposed to be sharp.’ He pulled the box towards him. ‘Anyway, look, we shouldn’t be messing around with these.’

Jason yanked the box towards him. ‘Don’t be so boring.’

‘Yeah,’ said Tim. ‘We’re not doing any harm. Why don’t you go and find those glasses? I’m spitting feathers here.’

Sighing, Charlie went to the sideboard, pulled open one of its many doors and stuck his head inside. ‘I’m sure I saw some in here at Mrs Fisher’s last dinner party,’ he muttered.

While his back was turned, Andy removed a knife from
the box. ‘Why don’t we see just how sharp these babies are?’ he said, winking at the others. Taking the knife by the handle, he threw his hand over his shoulder and hurled the knife at the door, Apache style. It landed in the back of the door, embedding itself in the soft oak, to a chorus of cheers from the other two.

Charlie looked up from the bureau. ‘Hey, what are you doing?’

‘Chill,’ Andy said as he picked up another knife. ‘We’re just having a laugh.’

‘Don’t you dare,’ Charlie said as Andy raised his hand again. His threat fell on deaf ears.

At precisely the same time the knife left Andy’s hand, the door opened and a middle-aged man in a pair of paisley pyjamas appeared on the threshold. Charlie called out a warning as the steak knife went whistling towards his head, whereupon the man let out a loud scream and dived for cover. A moment later, his forehead smashed against one of the table’s carved wooden feet.

Beneath the table the man was groaning.

‘You stupid fuck, Andy,’ Charlie said as he went to the man’s aid. ‘I’ll probably lose my job over this.’

‘How was I supposed to know Wee Willie Winkie was going to come walking through the door?’ his friend responded sullenly.

Charlie helped the dazed man to his feet. ‘I’m ever so sorry, sir. Why don’t you sit down?’

The man sank into the nearest chair, clutching his head, which was now sporting a bump the size of a sparrow’s egg.

‘Would you like me to get something for you – a glass of water perhaps?’

The man’s eyes blazed with fury. ‘What the hell do you think you’re playing at?’ he said. ‘I’d like to speak to the owner. Now.’

‘Oh, there’s no need for that,’ Charlie said smoothly. ‘I’m sure we can sort this out between ourselves.’

‘Sort what out?’

Charlie looked up. Juliet was standing at the door in her dressing gown. ‘I heard screaming,’ she said, frowning as she clocked the youths. ‘What’s going on?’

‘I’ll tell you what’s going on,’ the man said, jumping to his feet. ‘I came downstairs to see if I could get some indigestion tablets and I found these young savages having some sort of party. They were throwing knives at the door, would you believe? If I hadn’t reacted so quickly, they might have had my eye out.’ He jabbed a finger at the youths. ‘I take it they’re employees of yours.’

‘One of them is,’ Juliet said. ‘I’ve never seen the other three in my life.’

Charlie bit his thumbnail. He wore the bewildered look of a captain who knew his ship was sinking but was powerless to stop it. ‘They’re friends of mine, Mrs Fisher.’

‘And what are they doing here, Charlie?’

‘I, um, invited them over for a game of cards. I didn’t think you’d mind.’

Juliet glared at him. ‘You mean you didn’t think I’d find out.’ She looked at the decanter and the crumpled beer cans littering the table. ‘Are you drunk?’

‘Just a little bit tipsy, that’s all.’

‘Never mind them, what about my head?’ the man exclaimed. ‘I could sue you for damages.’

‘I can only apologize wholeheartedly for Charlie’s
immature and negligent behaviour,’ Juliet grovelled. ‘Would you like me to call an ambulance?’

The man glowered at her. ‘No, it’s all right. I’ll live. I wouldn’t mind a drop of that cognac, though.’ He coughed. ‘Purely for medicinal purposes.’

‘Of course,’ Juliet said soothingly. ‘Let me get you a glass.’ As she strode towards the sideboard she glared at the others. ‘Get out of my sight,’ she said through gritted teeth. ‘All of you.’

‘I’m ever so sorry, Mrs Fisher,’ Charlie said quietly as he passed her. ‘It won’t happen again.’

‘It better not,’ Juliet replied. ‘Or you’ll be out of a job.’

Charlie nodded. ‘Message received and understood.’

For the next half an hour or so, Juliet tended to her injured guest. After pouring him a generous measure of cognac, she brought ice for his forehead, Alka-Seltzer for his indigestion and promised him a free breakfast, as well as a hefty discount on the room tariff. Eventually the man took himself back to bed, still muttering threats of legal action. When he was gone, Juliet didn’t go straight back to her own bedroom where she’d left Dante sleeping soundly. Instead, she crept down the hall to the snug, decanter in hand. As she replaced the cognac on the bookshelf, a great weariness came over her. She slumped onto the sofa and stared into the fireplace. ‘What am I going to do?’ she said out loud. ‘It’s all such a terrible mess.’ Tears sprang from her eyes and slid sideways down her face onto a cushion. ‘Oh, Gus,’ she whimpered. ‘Oh, Gus, Gus, Gus.’

18

As soon as the cab pulled up outside the house, Dante was on his feet. Even though he didn’t know Juliet’s friends that well, he was excited at the prospect of a night out. For one evening at least, he would be able to escape Ashwicke and the ghosts of the Ingram family, who seemed to haunt every room and corridor.

When he opened the front door, Yasmin was standing on the step dressed in a thigh-skimming bronze shift that showed off her long legs to dazzling effect.

‘Wow,’ Dante said, taking a step back. ‘You look amazing.’

‘You’re looking pretty hot yourself,’ she replied, eyeing him approvingly.

As she spoke, Juliet appeared at Dante’s shoulder and blew Yasmin a kiss. ‘So, young lady, which dens of iniquity are you taking my husband to tonight?’

‘I thought we’d start off at The Barn,’ said Yasmin, naming one of Loxwood’s most fashionable watering holes. ‘And then, if Dante’s up for it, we can head over to Attica.’

Juliet frowned. ‘Isn’t that a private member’s club?’

‘Yep – and guess who’s on the guest list?’

‘How did you manage to swing that?’

‘One of my press contacts does the PR for the club; he was only too happy to pull a few strings for his favourite showbiz editor.’

‘Sounds like a good plan to me,’ Dante said. He glanced
towards the cab and saw that it was empty. ‘Are we picking Nicole up on the way?’

Yasmin shook her head. ‘She’s blown us out. I got a call from her a couple of hours ago; Tilly’s running a temperature.’

‘Poor little thing,’ Juliet said. ‘I hope it’s nothing serious.’

‘Connor reckons it’s just a summer cold, but Nic wants to stay home with her, just in case.’ Yasmin smiled at Juliet. ‘Why don’t you come along? I’ve got a plus-two at Attica.’

Juliet sighed. ‘I’d love to, but I’ve got guests arriving in half an hour.’ She patted Dante on the bottom. ‘You two have a lovely time, though.’

‘We will,’ Yasmin said as she started walking to the cab. ‘And don’t wait up.’

Dante was in high spirits as they set off for town. ‘You don’t know how much I’ve been looking forward to this evening,’ he said, beaming from ear to ear.

Yasmin found that she was smiling too; Dante’s enthusiasm was infectious. ‘Me too. Nic and I have been dying to get to know you better; she’s gutted she couldn’t come.’

‘This is my first big night out since I came to England.’

‘In that case, we’d better make it a good one,’ Yasmin replied. ‘Did you use to go out a lot in Aspen?’

Dante nodded. ‘It’s got the best nightlife of any US ski resort. I was working in the bar most evenings, but I still found time to party.’

‘You must find life in Loxwood ever so quiet by comparison.’

‘I guess, but it’s a small sacrifice to make. I’m with Juliet – that’s the most important thing.’

Yasmin felt a pinprick of envy, knowing that when she returned home the house would be empty. ‘Juliet said you’ve managed to find some bar work at the golf club.’

‘Yeah, it’s only for one night, but if I do a good job they might hire me again.’

Yasmin gave an approving smile. ‘You know, Dante, I really admire you for getting off your arse. Plenty of men would have taken one look at Ashwicke and decided they were perfectly entitled to take it easy.’

Dante chuckled. ‘That’s not my style. I’ve been taking care of myself since I was seventeen, and I don’t see why that should change just because I’m married.’

‘But you didn’t fancy working with Juliet at the hotel?’

‘It’s not that I don’t want to help out around the place; I just don’t want Juliet to pay me for doing it. That way it would still feel like I’m living off her.’ Dante rubbed his forehead with the back of his hand. ‘Only I’m not sure she understands that.’

‘I’m sure she does,’ Yasmin said reassuringly.

‘I know she’d prefer me to be more of a high-flier, but it’s not as if I’m always going to be working for someone else. One day I’d like to have my own bar. I always thought it would be in Aspen, but I guess Loxwood will do just fine.’ Dante rubbed his hands together. ‘And tonight will give me a good chance to check out the competition.’

‘How did you end up being a bartender?’ Yasmin asked him. ‘Was it a deliberate career choice?’

Dante shook his head. ‘Ever since I was a kid I wanted to be a football coach. I studied Phys Ed at college in Montana, but I struggled with the academic side of things and ended up dropping out at the end of my first year.
After that, I bummed around for six months, then a friend of mine got a job as a snowboard instructor in Aspen and invited me along for the ride. I’d been skiing since I was eight, so I didn’t have to think too hard about it. When we got there, I took the first job I could find – which just happened to be in a bar.’ He smiled ruefully. ‘I must admit I didn’t think I’d still be doing it ten years later. When I started out, my only aim was to make enough money to pay for my room, my beer and my ski pass. But then I discovered I really enjoyed bartending. I was pretty good at it too. I moved around a lot to get as much experience as I could. With each new job I got a bigger pay cheque and more responsibility, until eventually I was Senior Cocktail Waiter at one of the coolest bars in town.’ He gave a contented sigh. ‘Then I met Juliet.’

Yasmin raised an eyebrow. ‘And the rest, as they say, is history.’

The cab drew to a halt outside a long, low building. ‘Are we here?’ Dante asked eagerly.

‘Yep, this is The Barn. It only opened a few months ago; the owner spent quarter of a million on the refurb.’

‘It looks pretty popular,’ Dante said, noting the queue outside.

‘Don’t worry about that; they know me here.’ Yasmin leaned forward. ‘How much, driver?’

Dante reached for his wallet. ‘I’ll take care of this.’

‘Okay,’ Yasmin agreed reluctantly. ‘But all the drinks tonight are on me.’

‘No, I can’t let you do that.’

Yasmin held up a warning finger. ‘I was the one who invited
you
out, remember? Which means it’s my treat.’

Dante gave her a shy smile. ‘Well, okay, if you insist. Thanks.’

With the cab driver paid, Yasmin led the way to the front of the line of drinkers waiting patiently for admittance. The girl on the door smiled and waved her straight in. Inside the bar, the vibe was louche and intimate, with candlelit tables and squishy velvet sofas.

‘You must be pretty important around here,’ Dante said as a waitress greeted Yasmin by name before leading them to a prominent table on a raised platform.

Yasmin wrinkled her nose. ‘I wouldn’t say that. It’s just one of the perks of being a journalist. The bar manager likes me because I sometimes bring celebrity interview subjects here.’ She grinned. ‘I like to loosen them up with a few drinks before I go in for the kill.’

Dante assumed a look of mock horror. ‘Does that mean I oughta watch what I say?’

‘Uh-uh. Tonight is strictly off the record, I promise.’

Yasmin had been a little anxious about entertaining Dante on her own – but, to her relief, conversation flowed easily, especially once they’d both been lubricated with one of The Barn’s trademark mojitos. She was keen to hear about Dante’s upbringing in Montana and it was a subject he talked about with a good deal of fondness: his close relationship with his brother and two sisters, their carefree existence on his parents’ farm, the weekends spent horse riding or skiing in the Rocky Mountains. By the time they were ordering their third cocktail, it felt as if they were old friends.

‘How about you?’ Dante asked as a waitress delivered tapas to their table. ‘Were you born in Loxwood?’

Yasmin shook her head. ‘I’m from the West Country originally, but I went to uni around here, and after I graduated I got some unpaid work on a local free sheet. Just like you, I discovered something I was good at and a place I liked, so I stuck around.’

Dante helped himself to a thick slice of tortilla. ‘You’re single, aren’t you?’

‘Yeah, much to Juliet and Nicole’s disgust. They’re desperate to see me settled down. I keep telling them I’m perfectly happy as I am, but they won’t listen.’

‘But you’ve been in love before, right?’

Yasmin was a little taken aback. She hadn’t been expecting such a direct question. ‘Yeah,’ she conceded after a brief hesitation. ‘But it was a long time ago.’

‘How did you meet him?’

‘At uni. We both worked on the student newspaper. He was an ex-public schoolboy, not my usual type at all. I thought he was a bit of an idiot when I first met him, but then we got to know each other and I realized that underneath his arrogant exterior he was actually quite shy.’

‘He must’ve been pretty special for you to fall in love with him.’

‘What makes you say that?’ Yasmin asked through a mouthful of vodka-flamed chorizo.

Dante looked her in the eye. ‘Because you’re a stunning-looking woman … and obviously very clever. And because somehow I can’t imagine you ever settling for second best.’