Chapter 51
Chapter Fifty-One
Beth had rehearsed the words half a dozen times on her walk from the kitchen to the pub garden.
No. More than half a dozen. She’d gone through versions ranging from breezy – ‘Hey, funny story’ – to mildly deranged – ‘So, you know how life sometimes hands you a magical crisis?’ – to downright cowardly – ‘Have you ever considered moving to Australia?’ None of them seemed remotely suitable.
You thought you’d told him the hardest thing of all, but this will send him screaming for the hills.
But if she wanted to make this work, she needed to be completely honest.
Kieran was waiting at one of the picnic benches, jacket zipped to his chin, two flasks in front of him. Steam curled into the cool afternoon air, mingling with the faint aroma of chips drifting from the kitchen.
He smiled when he saw her. A warm smile. A filled-with-love smile.
A smile that made Beth’s heart expand and panic in equal measure.
‘Thought you might need this,’ he said, nudging a flask towards her. ‘You sounded stressed when you called. I thought of lacing the coffee with rum, but as you’re working…’
Beth would kill for a shot of something alcoholic, but she needed a clear head. ‘Thank you. Getting blind drunk might not be a good idea.’
Kieran sipped his coffee, clearly unnerved by Beth’s demeanour.
She took a deep breath. Right. She needed to do this. She needed to stop lying by omission. She needed to—
‘Kieran,’ she blurted, ‘you know how weird things have been happening?’
His brow creased. ‘Weird how?’
‘Lights flickering. Odd noises. Music starting up on its own. The pinball machine doing things that defy every known law of physics, and possibly a few unknown ones.’
‘Right,’ he said slowly. ‘And you think … what? That your pub is haunted?’
‘No!’ Beth winced. ‘Well, sort of. Not haunted. More … occupied.’
‘Occupied,’ Kieran repeated. ‘By…?’
Beth opened her mouth. And of course – of course – that was when the pub lights flickered, the jukebox inside the bar whirred to life and the first ominous bars of ‘I Put a Spell on You’ blasted through the open door.
Kieran’s head jerked round. ‘Did you—’
‘No,’ Beth said quietly. ‘I didn’t.’
‘Then who…?’
A small puff of sapphire smoke drifted into the beer garden, curled in a perfect spiral over Kieran’s flask, and shaped itself – unmistakably – into a chubby, glowing hand giving a jaunty wave.
Kieran froze.
The hand vanished.
‘Right,’ he said faintly. ‘That wasn’t steam, was it?’
Beth felt her stomach drop. This was it. No backing out now.
‘Kieran, I need to tell you something. I’ve been dealing with it for weeks, and it’ll sound mad. Completely bat-shit mad. Please don’t run away, call a doctor or suggest I take up meditation.’
He stared at her, wide-eyed, waiting.
‘I…’ She swallowed. ‘There’s a genie in the pub.’
Silence. Actual, honest-to-God silence.
‘A genie,’ Kieran said.
‘Yes.’
‘As in magic lamp, wishes, Aladdin. That kind of genie?’
‘More sequins, less Disney,’ Beth muttered. ‘But yes.’
Kieran blinked at her. Twice. Then he rubbed his face with both hands. ‘Beth…’
‘You think I’m joking,’ she said miserably.
‘No,’ Kieran replied, surprising her. ‘I think I’m having a stress-induced hallucination. But if I’m not… Could you possibly clarify what you mean by “a genie” before I lose my bloody mind?’
She took a breath. Time to rip off the plaster.
‘He lives in the pinball machine. His name is Gigi. He granted me a wish. A few wishes. Sort of. It’s complicated. And he might have … occasionally … interfered in your head.’
‘Interfered in my—’ Kieran’s eyes widened still further. ‘The voice!’
‘Yes,’ she said quietly. ‘The voice.’
‘The one that calls me “handsome” and tells me to lighten up?’
Beth grimaced. ‘That sounds like him.’
Kieran leaned back, staring at the sky as if hoping for written instructions.
‘OK,’ he said eventually. ‘Right. There’s a genie in the pub. In a pinball machine. And he’s been … chatting to me.’
‘Yes.’
‘Bloody hell.’
‘You’re taking this better than I expected,’ Beth admitted.
‘I’m not sure I am,’ he said. ‘I’m just delaying the freak-out.’
Before she could respond, a camp, disembodied voice drifted from the doorway: ‘You’re welcome, darling.’
Kieran yelped.
Beth groaned. ‘Gigi, go away!’
‘I can’t help it if the man radiates confusion,’ Gigi said breezily. ‘Honestly, you humans take everything so literally. “Oh no, the genie is meddling again.” Well, yes. That’s literally my job.’
‘GO,’ Beth snapped.
A beat of silence, followed by a wounded sniff. ‘Rude,’ Gigi muttered, before vanishing with a faint crackle.
Kieran stared at the empty space where the smoke had been. Then at Beth. Then at his coffee.
‘You have a genie,’ he said, faintly. ‘A real genie.’
She nodded.
His gaze softened, confusion giving way to something like understanding. ‘And you’ve been dealing with that alone?’
Beth’s throat tightened. ‘I didn’t know how to tell you.’
Kieran reached across the table, covering her hand with his. ‘Beth … you could have told me anything.’
A wave of emotions rushed through her. A mixture of relief, fear and hope. ‘Are you … all right?’ she whispered.
‘No,’ he said bluntly. ‘But I’m here. And I’m not going anywhere.’
She managed a shaky smile. Then, without knowing why, she sprang away. ‘I have to go. Now. Immediately.’
‘Go where?’ Kieran tried to grab her hand, but she dodged him.
‘I need answers. They’re waiting for me. I’m so sorry.’ And she took off, running as if the hounds of hell were snapping at her heels.
‘Beth, wait!’
But Beth kept running until Kieran’s shouts faded and she was alone.