Chapter 6
Chapter Six
L eo’s beer went down the wrong way and he found himself coughing and choking as Michaela, like a Wimbledon spectator, kept moving her wide-eyed gaze back and forth between them.
He could tell from Jan’s odd, stiff jerks that he was kicking his girlfriend under the table but, to be fair to her, she seemed too dumbstruck to say anything.
‘Nice one, Anna,’ he’d said, annoyed as much at himself and his own contrariness. He’d pushed her into saying something and now he realised that it brought the awkwardness between them into the public domain and created a drama in which he didn’t want to be a player. He’d spent the last six years sublimating his feelings and consigning all thoughts of her into a very large mental dustbin.
‘Well, you weren’t helping, sitting there being all condescending. As if this situation is all my fault.’
‘It’s no one’s fault but some of us are trying to be grown-up about things.’ How he managed to sound so reasonable when he wanted to strangle her, he’d never know. ‘You’re the one that’s made a big thing of it.’
‘No, I haven’t,’ Anna snapped, with that tell-tale flush of anger.
‘Yes, you have. Why did you pretend you didn’t know me?’
Michaela’s eyes looked as if they might burst out of her head but Jan hung onto her arm as if physically holding back her lively curiosity.
‘I didn’t…’
He saw her swallow.
‘Didn’t what?’
‘I didn’t mean to. I was shocked. At first, I wasn’t even sure it was you – because you were the last person I expected to see – and the sun was behind you.’
‘I bet it was one hell of a shock – given you walked out without a word to me, six years ago.’
Her mouth tightened but, damn it, he’d deserved an explanation back then, still did, although he no longer cared. It was her problem. He’d been done with her a long time ago.
‘Don’t play the innocent,’ she said furiously. ‘You know why I left.’
‘No, Anna. I don’t,’ he replied, with icy bitterness, and even now the sense of hurt flooded back, momentarily paralysing him. He could still remember coming back to the flat they shared and the stomach-wrenching, sick feeling when he realised it was empty – she’d gone.
‘I left,’ she bit out the words, enunciating carefully ‘because you were all over Savannah Aitken.’
‘For crying out loud, Anna. I told you over and over. She was a friend. She didn’t know anyone. I was being nice to her.’ Beautiful, lost Savannah had been one of those people who was all front on the outside and desperately insecure on the inside. She’d needed a friend, hadn’t she? But Anna had always questioned her motives, insisting that she wanted Leo.
‘You were encouraging her. She wasn’t going to take no for an answer.’
Leo pursed his lips. If Anna couldn’t trust him, that had been her problem. She should have trusted him. He’d married her. The biggest commitment and promise he could make. He swallowed. He’d loved her; the vows he’d made had been for ever. He wouldn’t ever have been unfaithful. Savannah had been a friend. Anna should have trusted him.
Anna stood up. ‘Sorry to drag you into this, Michaela and Jan. If you don’t mind, I’m going to head back.’
Michaela rose, too, distress crumpling her pretty face. ‘I’ll come with you.’
‘No, it’s fine,’ insisted Anna. ‘I don’t want to spoil your Friday night.’
Leo rubbed his hand over his forehead. Nothing between him and Anna had changed. He’d been a fool to believe they could put the past behind them and be friends. That was never going to happen.
He watched the two women leave.
‘Another beer, my friend?’ asked Jan with a sympathetic smile.
‘Yeah, why not?’ He gave him a limp smile in return.
Maybe Anna moving out was for the best… But why did he feel more than little sick about it?
* * *
When he returned to the flat, her door was shut, not that he’d expected her to wait up for him. The next day she stayed in her room virtually all day, only coming out when he went into his own room. On the Sunday morning, while he enjoyed his tea and toast on the roof terrace, he started to wonder if he should go and knock on her door. Was she okay? He wandered back into the kitchen listening hard. No sound of her. Maybe he should make her a cup of tea and leave it outside her door. Or maybe it would be easier all round if he went out for the day, then she could have the run of the flat. That would be fairer.
He scrolled through his phone and pressed call.
‘Hey, Natálie. It’s Leo.’
‘Leo! How great to hear from you.’
‘You said you’d show me the best places to drink beer.’ She’d been so welcoming at the initial induction meeting, and earlier in the week, she and her boyfriend and their friends had made the offer when he’d met them at the floating bar.
‘Sure,’ she said, obviously pleased to hear from him. ‘We’re all meeting for lunch today. Want to join us?’
‘That would be great. What time?’
They fixed a time and when he put down his phone, Leo turned to find Anna hovering in the doorway.
‘Morning,’ he said, determined not to fall out again.
‘Morning,’ she said with a nod.
‘I’m going out—’ but before he could say, ‘to give you some space’, she interrupted.
‘I gathered. With Natálie.’
Leo’s heart sank like concrete boots in a river. What was the point of even trying to tell her that Natálie was a friend? And, the smaller, meaner part of him that didn’t come out very often said, why should he? Why bother to prove her wrong?
‘Have a nice day,’ he said. ‘I don’t know when I’ll be back.’ Hopefully she’d enjoy having the place to herself and he could quash the lingering guilt about making her feel uncomfortable in her own home.
But the petty boy inside who was still pissed off that she hadn’t trusted him had to have the last word. ‘Don’t wait up.’
* * *
Anna had no intention of waiting up. She was going to enjoy the freedom of having the apartment to herself – at least, that’s what she told herself. By mid-afternoon she’d cleaned the kitchen, the bathroom and her bedroom, swept the roof terrace, tried to read a book and started watching a film on her laptop. It was official, she’d had enough of her own company. She picked up her phone. Steve would almost certainly be at the rugby club. Instead she FaceTimed Becs.
‘Hey, Cuz. How’s it going?’ Becs beamed at her down the line.
‘Good. How are things at home?’
‘Mum’s moved through the plate-smashing phase.’
‘Ouch.’ Anna winced.
‘She’s worked out who Dad is spending his evenings with, so no doubt Operation See Her Off will commence. Dad’s such an idiot. I bet you count your blessings you’ve got someone like Steve. He’d never do anything like that to you.’
‘No,’ said Anna. ‘He’s one of the good ones. I haven’t caught up with him for a few days. There’s a lot to take on board at the brewery. It’s fascinating. The building is so old?—’
‘Oh, God, you’re turning into old Ronnie. What else have you been doing?’
‘I’ve been quite busy, you know, settling in.’
‘Anna! Have you done any sightseeing?’
‘Not yet. But I will.’
When she put the phone down a few minutes later, she looked around the apartment again and decided that it was too late to go into the city centre, but she should at least explore the local area.
An hour and half’s wandering confirmed that it was a lovely area to be in. The nearby park was absolutely stunning with its riverside walk and its interesting pavilions, wells and observation deck, and she felt much better when she returned to the apartment. For the rest of the evening she watched a film and cooked herself dinner, trying hard not to keep half an ear out for the front door.
However, Leo had been true to his word about not waiting up. The next morning it appeared he hadn’t come home. Anna ignored his open bedroom door and marched into the bathroom. No doubt tucked up with Nátalie. And it was nothing to do with her. Just Leo being his usual self. She was here to learn about beer and win those tanks, that was the most important thing. She would ring Ji?í and ask if there was any update on the new flat.
* * *
‘I have good news, Anna,’ said Ji?í as soon as he picked up the phone as she was arriving at the road to the brewery. ‘I will send the keys this week and you can move in on Saturday.’
‘Oh, that’s wonderful. Thank you so much.’
After a brief conversation, in which she learned she’d be on the twelfth floor but the view would be good, she arrived at the doors of the brewery considerably heartened by having a moving date. That would make life so much easier. All she had to do was survive the next five evenings, which, given Leo seemed to have found a new lady friend, wouldn’t be that difficult.
Heading into the building, she was immediately comforted by the familiar smell of the mash fermenting in the open tanks. This was why she was here.
All the tension of the weekend melted away, leaving her shoulders feeling easy again. It was still a miracle to her that something as complex as beer was made from the simple ingredients of grain and water. Of course there was a lot more to it than that. The ability to manipulate ingredients and processes to create such different flavours was where the magic lay, and she was excited to learn more. The Czech brewing process was the gold standard and had been copied the world over … but to her mind, never equalled.
This week she was going to be shadowing Jakub, learning all aspects of the brewery processes, and then she would be working alongside the assistant brewer for the next few months, starting work on the small batch special brews in preparation for creating her own brew to present to the judging panel, along with her marketing and sales strategy. For a moment she stared at the thick stone walls, which had been here for hundreds of years and had seen generations of brewers pass through the building. There was such a lot to learn.
‘Good morning, Anna.’ Jakub’s bellow made her jump but his wide smile immediately reassured her. She couldn’t help but learn; his passion, enthusiasm and energy were inspirational and he never seemed to mind her asking stupid questions.
He’d set up a second desk in his office for her to use as a base, although he’d explained that the work would be very hands-on and she’d get involved in everything from tasting the beer through to ordering the grain supplies, and lots of technical testing and checking.
She’d already learned that he lived on his own and she suspected from his thin frame and the long hours he spent at the brewery that he didn’t look after himself. He reminded her so much of Ronnie, who’d often been so absorbed in the brewery that he forgot to eat.
‘Morning, Jakub,’ she said. ‘Here.’ She handed him the cup of coffee that she’d picked up for him en route from the tram stop, along with one of the kolá?e she’d brought in for him.
‘For me?’ he asked surprised.
‘Yes. I bought some at the bakery this morning and I thought you might like one. And I bought myself coffee, so it seemed rude not to bring one for you, too.’
‘That’s very kind of you. I missed breakfast this morning.’ He wolfed the pastry down in such quick hungry bites, Anna wondered if he’d had dinner the previous night.
Within an hour she was absorbed in the work and all thoughts of her difficult weekend and where Leo had got to last night had been swept away. For the time being. Thank goodness she only had five more sleeps at the apartment before she could move out.