Sophie Pembroke - An A To Z Of Love

‘Maybe wait until they’ve paid the bill too,’ Magda suggested, pushing open the doors. ‘Just in case.’

Charlie groaned and yanked the fridge open again.

* * * *

Once they’d finished their drinks, Tony dragged them out of the Crooked Fox and down Water Street, which meant it was only when she was standing outside StarFish that Mia had a moment to wonder what Charlie would make of her having a lunch date.

Which was ridiculous, of course, because what did Charlie care who she had lunch with? He probably wouldn’t even notice if Tony kissed her over the bread basket.

Not that she thought he was going to, or anything.

Tony was, at present, far more interested in the menu hanging beside the door. ‘Doesn’t look bad,’ he said, sounding surprised. ‘Come on, then.’

Once inside, any concern Mia might have felt about Charlie’s feelings melted away at the sight of Ditsy and Becky sitting together. And any thoughts she’d had about kissing Tony followed shortly afterward, when Tony headed directly to their table and said, ‘There you are, Bex. Mia, let me introduce you to my colleague, Becky Thrower.’

Becky Thrower. Back again like the proverbial bad penny. Or bad credit card, maybe, given the designer suit and glossy, perfectly styled hair. Mia bit the inside of her cheek, concentrating on the perfect cutting comebacks for whatever jibes Becky chose to throw in her direction this time. She wasn’t a teenager any more. She could handle Becky.

But could Charlie?

She looked up to see him hovering in the open kitchen doors looking guilty, although Mia couldn’t quite figure out why. Stupidity, perhaps, for letting Becky into StarFish in the first place. At the table – and Ditsy better not think she wasn’t going to ask what the secret society social they’d got going on was all about – Ditsy was making expressive yet indecipherable eyebrow movements at Mia from behind Becky. Mia figured it was easier just to ask later, when there were less satanic goings-on to deal with.

‘Oh, Mia and I are old friends,’ Becky said with a tinkling laugh at the end.

If she included the first fourteen years of their lives in Aberarian, when they’d been inseparable best friends, perhaps. Personally, Mia tended to remember the following four years, after her father left, when Becky and her new friends had made life unbearable for her until she went to university.

Becky, however, obviously had a different recollection of events.

‘It’s so wonderful to see you again!’ Becky scampered out from behind the table and gave Mia one of those hugs where she didn’t need to touch her, and Mia refrained from slugging her because it wouldn’t look good for Charlie’s restaurant. ‘You’re just the person we need.’

‘Need?’ That sounded ominous. ‘For what?’

Becky shooed her over to an empty seat at the table, and Mia eyed Ditsy for some clue to what was going on. Ditsy, in turn, made more expressive movements, this time including her hands, which still meant absolutely nothing to Mia.

‘Tony and I have a business plan,’ Becky said, settling back down in her seat. Tony pulled up an extra chair beside her. Mia wondered how a round table could have a head because, despite the seeming geometrical impossibility, Becky was most definitely sitting at it. ‘The council have already agreed in principle, and we all think it could save Aberarian!’

‘Have you, now.’ Mia gave Charlie a significant look and he scurried off behind the bar to return with a very large glass of chilled white wine. Which enabled Mia to feel more kindly towards him when he pulled another seat up to the table. ‘So, this plan. Ditsy and Charlie are both already on board with it, are they?’

‘Becky and I were just discussing it now,’ Ditsy broke in, before Becky replied. ‘I still have some… questions.’ And for questions, read reservations , Mia thought, Ditsy’s previous attempts at communication becoming clearer. ‘Basically, Becky and Tony want to turn Aberarian into a gambler’s paradise.’

Becky looked hurt. ‘Ditsy! You know that’s not it at all.’

‘Okay, you want to turn the Coliseum into a casino,’ Ditsy amended.

Mia felt a chill start at her fingertips and begin working its way through her veins and into her heart. ‘But the Coliseum is part of the town. Part of what makes us… Aberarian.’ It was her home, she wanted to say. When everything was so awful after her dad left, Walt would let her sneak into the cinema and stay there all day if she wanted to. The Coliseum was part of her .

‘The owner seems quite keen to sell,’ Tony said. ‘Apparently there’s not much money in antique cinemas these days. And the council’s desperate to get rid of the other empty buildings along that street. Should give us a nice slice of real estate.’

She’d shown him round, Mia realised, her anger rising. She’d actually shown Tony the bloody cinema and let him mock it.

‘Sorry I couldn’t tell you earlier,’ he said with a smile. ‘Only I promised Becky I’d let her do the talking on this one, to start with.’

‘Obviously we need to discuss it some more,’ Becky went on, ‘and there’s a meeting planned to fill the town in on what’s going on. But I’m sure you can see, Mia, how we could all benefit from attracting more tourists to Aberarian.’

The most damnable part of it was she was right, to a point. Aberarian needed more tourists to provide more business. But a casino… That would change Aberarian quite fundamentally. It wouldn’t be the town Mia loved any more.

‘I really do believe it will be good for the town,’ Becky said with irritating earnestness.

Personally, Mia believed the best thing for the town – and for her, and for Charlie – would be for Becky to leave forever. Why hadn’t Walt told her things were so bad?

‘You have to admit, Mia,’ Tony said, leaning across to touch her hand. This time, the rising of her heartbeat was because she was resisting the urge to punch him in his smiling face. ‘From what you showed me this morning, Aberarian does need help.’

‘I didn’t know you wanted me to give you a tour of things you could tear down,’ she said, pulling her hand away. She could see Becky giving Ditsy a knowing look across the table, and she wondered what part she’d played in their discussion even before she arrived at StarFish. ‘Why are we getting a sneak preview of the plans, anyway?’

Tony sat back. ‘Well, it’s always nice to have people on our side, going into town meetings.’

I will never be on your side . Any side with Becky on it was a bad thing to start with. And a side that wanted to tear down her cinema and turn her town into a mini Las Vegas? That was one she was going to have to fight. One way or another.

‘But I invited you to lunch,’ Tony said, his voice brighter and louder. ‘Charlie, do you have some sort of tasting platter? I’d hate to make myself a liar so early in our friendship.’

Charlie nodded and got to his feet, but when Mia looked up, his eyes were on her. She gave him a small smile, and he said, ‘I’m sure I can come up with something,’ and disappeared into the kitchen.

How was he coping with this? Mia wanted to follow him into the kitchen and ask. Find out if he was as horrified by all this as she was. Or if he was just so pleased to have Becky back he didn’t care what happened to the town… No. She wasn’t back for Charlie anyway, was she?

Mia’s stomach sank at the thought. As if the casino wasn’t bad enough on its own. What if Becky was here for Charlie? What would he do then? Move back to London with her once Aberarian was a thriving Welsh Atlantic City, and he could sell StarFish for a profit at last?