Chapter 28
Chapter Twenty-Eight
W ith an excitable Friday night feeling in the air, it’s not long before things get lively. As I predicted, Amber and Cameron are locking horns, but to my relief, it’s all good natured. Having had an arm-wrestling contest – which Amber won despite being half his size – they’re now engaged in a bizarre drinking game, which involves launching wasabi peas at each other’s Champagne flutes and swigging at their fizz each time one lands in their drink (which, unsurprisingly, isn’t often). The rest of us are chatting and enjoying watching this theatre unfold.
I’ve still to make my ‘Champagne for everyone’ announcement, but as I feel distinctly queasy every time the thought of it pops into my head, I’m now leaning towards conveniently forgetting about it – if I can get away with that. This evening with my friends – old and new – is perfect as it is, so hopefully Cat, Amber and Sara are having such a great time that they’ll forget about it too.
While sat in the booth chatting to Trudy about what led to her family plans being cancelled, I sense someone hovering near me. Expecting it to be one of my friends, I turn with a smile and I’m surprised to see that it’s Simon from the bar.
‘Oh, hi there,’ I greet him.
‘Hello… Emma.’ There’s a hint of a slur in his voice, but he seems in good enough form. ‘Mind if I join you?’
I hesitate, not really wanting to say yes, but having been put on the spot, I don’t feel like I have a choice. ‘Erm… sure, take a seat.’ I shift over to let him squeeze into the booth beside me.
Looking around the table self-consciously, I note that Amber has clocked our new arrival and is wearing a devious expression. Oh god, please don’t start.
‘Who’s your friend, Emma?’ she calls across to me and everyone looks at me expectantly.
‘Eh… this is Simon.’
‘ Hi, Simon ,’ they chorus to my embarrassment.
‘Hi.’ He gives them a wave, then turns to me. ‘Do these friends of yours have names too?’
‘Sorry… yes.’ I work my way round the group. ‘This is Sara, Jana, Cat, Cameron, Amber and Trudy. I only met Jana, Cameron and Trudy this week, but they feel like lifelong friends already.’ I beam at the three of them.
‘I’ll toast to that!’ Cameron cheers at the exact moment the music cuts out, making everyone laugh.
‘So, how come you just met this week?’ Simon asks.
He really is an inquisitive one.
‘Well, there’s a question…’ I laugh, stalling for time, while shooting a blatant under-no-circumstances-do-you-divulge-the-truth warning look to my friends.
They seem to get the message loud and clear, but that doesn’t stop Amber having some fun.
‘They’re her hair stylist, her makeup artist and her personal shopper,’ She grins wickedly, before recommencing her drinking game with Cameron.
‘ Really? ’ Simon is wide-eyed. ‘It must have been quite a week, Emma. May I ask what kind of “doors” have opened for you?’
Thanks for that, Amber. Now what do I tell him? I glance around the table again, this time seeking a bail out, but my friends have returned to their own conversations, no doubt to give me some privacy (that I don’t actually want). I try to think of something plausible to answer Simon’s question, but being rattled and a bit irritated by his persistence, I come up with nothing.
‘Look, would you mind if I didn’t say?’ I try to communicate this politely, but my annoyance unfortunately sneaks through. ‘As I said, it’s kind of personal, and… we’ve only just met.’
A flicker of what seems like resentment passes across Simon’s face, making me uneasy.
‘Sure. Everyone’s entitled to a private life.’ His smile appears forced as he slowly gets up, once again attracting the attention of my friends. ‘I’ll leave you to enjoy your night. It was nice to meet you, Emma. See you later, everyone’ He gives another wave to my friends who wave back, seemingly confused by this turn of events.
Watching him walk away, a wave of guilt sweeps over me. He was a nice enough guy, if a bit full on, and I completely snubbed him. The moment he’s out of earshot, Cat starts quizzing me.
‘What happened, honey? Are you OK?’
I fill her and the others in, and to my relief, they unanimously agree that I have absolutely no obligation to divulge my personal life to anyone who asks.
‘Thanks, guys. You’re the best. Now let’s get back to what this is really all about.’ I raise my glass, inviting them to join me and they reciprocate, flutes clinking, while Amber and Cameron throw in some encouraging whoops.
The lively ambience quickly returns, and it’s not long before my mishap with Simon is forgotten.
‘ Hey, Emma, ’ Amber shouts across the table, way louder than necessary. ‘When are you doing your big announcement?’
‘Oh yeah, I nearly forgot about that,’ says Cat. ‘Better not put it off too long or you’ll miss your opportunity.’
Damn . So much for them forgetting about it.
Instead of being diluted by the reassuring hug of a few glasses of Champagne, my nerviness at the idea of standing up in this bar full of people has intensified. I now really don’t want to do it – and especially not after what happened with Simon.
‘What announcement, Emma?’ Jana asks. ‘You haven’t told us about it.’
‘Nor me,’ says Cameron. ‘C’mon, lovely. Spill.’
‘It’s nothing really. Just a daft idea I had.’ I’m hot with embarrassment at the thought of telling them my plan – but with all eyes on me, it seems I have no choice. ‘I… um… I wanted to do that thing that you see in films… you know, where someone shouts “Champagne for everyone”. Totally ridiculous, I know.’
‘It is not ,’ Cameron states. ‘It’s fricking awesome. What are you waiting for?’
‘I’m… I mean…’ There’s no point in even finishing my sentence. With Cameron being as fearless as Amber, it’s clear that he’ll never understand my concerns.
‘What is it, Emma?’ Cat seems to have tuned into my discomfort .
‘Nothing… I’m just having such a good night with you guys, I don’t want to ruin it by—’
‘ Poor excuse! ’ Amber gives me a thumbs down.
‘Anyway…’ I turn desperately back to Cat, my only possible escape route now being the bare truth. ‘I’m also a bit… um… OK, I’m terrified.’
‘Aww, honey,’ she says. ‘You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to.’
Trudy and Jana both nod sympathetically.
‘Thanks for understanding.’ I smile gratefully at them. ‘I know it’s a cop out but—’
‘I think you should do it,’ Sara says suddenly.
I turn and look at her hopelessly.
‘Come on, sweetie.’ She reaches across the table and takes my hands in hers. ‘You’ve been handed a brand-new start and you said you want your life to be different. Now’s the time to face your fears. It won’t be nearly as bad as you think.’
My frantic eyes land on Cat once more, but she simply shrugs, clearly feeling my pain but also seeing Sara’s logic.
‘I suppose…’ I fan my face in an attempt to stem my rising panic. ‘But it’s so loud in here. I’ll never get everyone’s attention.’
‘Leave that to us.’ Amber gives me a sly wink.
Before I know what’s happening, she and Cameron have scrambled into a standing position on the seats, dinging their Champagne flutes with cutlery snaffled from another table and hollering at the punters in the bar to be quiet. Gradually the voices die down, and a sea of curious faces turn in our direction. Cameron signals to one of the bar staff to turn down the music, and to my surprise, he obliges.
‘Emma, you’re up.’ Amber gives me a nod.
With my heart in my throat, I climb shakily onto my seat, where, seeing so many people staring back at me, I’m paralysed by stage fright. Thankfully, Cameron’s impatience quickly resurfaces to give me the kick up the backside I need.
‘Emma, lovely, you’ve about five seconds before you lose them. Or they turn on you. JFDI .’
He’s right. There’s already a murmur welling up across the bar. I have to do this now .
Taking a deep calming breath, I start to speak. ‘Erm… hi… everyone.’ I sound like a balloon with a leak. ‘You’ve… all made a good… no… a great choice, in coming here… to this bar tonight…’
I trail off and glance down at my friends, who are all giving me encouraging looks and gestures. My eyes meet Cat’s and she mouths, ‘You’ve got this.’ It’s exactly what I need to keep going.
‘So, the thing is… I’m celebrating something… special… with my amazing friends… and I’d like you all to be part of it…’
‘ Get to the point! ’ a voice from the crowd yells.
‘Sorry… OK… so, what I mean is… I’d like to buy Champagne… for everyone! ’
Despite my faltering, cringeworthy speech, the bar suddenly erupts with cheering and clapping, and there’s a surge towards the bar. I’m still shaking uncontrollably, and I won’t be winning any awards for public speaker of the year, but I’ve done it and that’s what matters.
While I’m recovering, someone taps me on the shoulder. I turn, half expecting it to be Simon again, but it’s the barman who served me earlier.
‘Hi there.’ Perhaps he’s come to thank me for giving them so much extra business.
‘Might I have a word? ’
Shit. He doesn’t look, or sound, particularly grateful. ‘Of course, what’s up?’
‘I’m sure you meant well with that little speech there, but the problem is, we don’t have enough Champagne in stock. You’ve already almost cleaned us out.’
My stomach sinks as I tune out of the barman’s words and into the noise in the background. The punters at the bar have started chanting, ‘Champagne, Champagne!’ and look like they’re minutes away from turning rowdy.
‘Oh… my god. I’m so sorry.’
‘I’m sure you are.’ He raises his eyebrows at me. ‘And, as you got us into this mess, you’re going to have to get us out of it.’
‘Of course, anything.’ I push up my sleeves like I going into battle. ‘What do you need me to do?’