Chapter 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.
In another 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 think Oh 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.
Josie nods. ‘I’ve met her before, she’s cool.
Right, duty calls.’ She manages to make her intake of fizz as a dainty sip while leaving only half left in the glass.
‘There’s Helen from Apple Music, and if I’m quick, I can get to her before Kenzie.
’ Her eyes narrow at the petite blonde with a pixie cut who raises a glass in Josie’s direction, a challenge there.
I’m about to wish her good luck, but Josie’s six-inch heels are already carrying her regally across the polished floor.
I love watching Josie’s ambition in action, she’s never been afraid of it.
I’d had that same pull, the same confidence when I knew one of our pieces was award-winning, when I could confidently land my feet on each rung of the ladder of success, as our status rose higher and higher.
I just didn’t know a snake would send me sliding back down to the bottom of the board.
From the corner of his mouth Spence asks, ‘Do you think we’ll get charged if we actually look at somebody face to face rather than through our phone cameras?’ He takes a sip of his gold liquid, almost choking. ‘Christ what, is this?’
I take a sip of my own drink. It’s surprisingly strong, something citrus, something herbal… Rosemary? Basil? I have no idea.
The girls’ drinks appear. Georgia clutches hers in her hand and pulls out her phone.
She smiles, taking a delicate sip, then frowns at the screen, looking around the room for better positioning.
‘Be back in a sec.’ She drags Ruby along, finds a corner with a pink velvet chaise-longue, onto which she arranges herself, adjusts the ring light, pouts, flicks her hair over her shoulder and then holds the glass up to the phone. Ruby does the same.
Spence is taking in the way his daughter is lifting her phone higher, adjusting her hair again. ‘Maybe this was a mistake.’
‘Oh, leave them be. Most girls their age would be doing exactly the same. And let’s face it, it beats sitting in a field and drinking out-of-date sherry like we did.’
Spence downs his drink in one and takes something that looks like liquid mercury from another passing waiter.
The girls rejoin us, eyes flitting nervously to Perri.
‘Let’s see if we can get you closer, eh?
’ I suggest, giving Spence a gentle nudge in the ribs.
We make our way across the room, stopping every few seconds as Georgia spots somebody else famous in her world.
Perri is regaling the devoted fans about the best prank and collaboration ever.
Georgia whispers into my ear, telling me she saw it and it was hilarious.
Step by step we get closer and closer to the group.
Perri’s eyes land on Georgia with a perfectly plumped smile. ‘Hiya!’
Georgia seems to lose the ability to speak, and I can see the rush of heat fanning across her chest and cheeks.
‘What’s your name, sweetheart?’ Perri’s voice is surprisingly warm, her interest genuine.
Ruby gives her a little nudge. ‘George.’
‘Good name. Strong.’
Georgia blushes, but I can tell she will take that compliment as gospel: our modern-day Moses wearing a platinum silver dress, delivering the word of God through a well-angled Apple phone.
Spence goes to open his mouth to correct her, but I give him another sharp dig in the ribs. Perri’s eyes gravitate towards him, taking in the Hugo Boss Josie had picked out for him, but he’s oblivious, eyes firmly on his daughter.
Perri swipes a finger over her screen and begins a livestream. ‘Hi, guys. Well, here we are, and you know how much I love meeting my fans in person! Say hi, George!’
She pulls Georgia close, an arm around her, as she asks her what her favourite reel was, and for a magnificent moment, Georgia is starring in one of her idols’ livestreams. I look to Spence and I can see he’s halfway between looking proud and an eye roll.
The moment ends, another fan being pulled into Perri’s enthusiastic arms and Georgia’s time in the sun is over, but her whole face is beaming.
When she returns to our side, she’s shaking from raw adrenaline.
‘Oh my God, this is the best day ever!’ She looks up at Spence. ‘Thank you.’ All the tension broken between them by a quick hug.
Time passes quickly, and with the aid of another few strange-tasting and shimmering cocktails, Spence, Georgia and Ruby are laughing together, trying to catch bubbles, photographing the strange tiny canapés – Spence diligently checking the ingredients again – and after the fourth cocktail, Spence even agrees to attempt a popular TikTok dance.
I’m smiling as I watch them; even though we are in these opulent surroundings, they’re in their own little world, laughing and dancing in the same way as they would in their lounge.
My cheeks are aching from smiling at them, but then I feel a tug, something in my periphery that makes my head turn.
My mouth dries, my heartbeat knocking loudly inside my ears.
The bubbles, the scented air, the laughter, the perfume…
it all fades away as his eyes meet mine.