Chapter 18
Chapter Eighteen
The chill-out music drifting towards the bar was balm to Suzie’s soul as she did her usual checks in preparation for the busy evening session. The routine of stacking the glasses, pumping the draught beer through the pipes and balancing the till was second nature to her.
In the background, she could hear Charlie, the DJ for this evening’s Eighties night, setting up his equipment next door.
She’d try and catch a word with him later, to see if he had any up-to-date news on the boys.
If anyone had seen them, or spoken to them, it would be Charlie.
She’d left her sons well alone today, following the meeting at the farm, and they wouldn’t be in the bar tonight, that was for sure.
When she looked up from changing a barrel, Manolis, the young man who might or might not be dating her younger son, had turned up for his shift. He looked straight past her to the back of the bar as if trying to spot someone hiding behind her.
‘Kosta not in tonight?’
‘No, sorry to disappoint you. It’s me in charge. Kosta’s got the evening off.’
The guy’s face fell. He obviously had no clue as to what had been going on, which was good in one way.
Her baby father news would be a juicy titbit, and none of them wanted to be the subject of gossip around town.
But Manolis’s surprise at Kosta not being in showed that her son hadn’t confided in him, which was not so good if they were in a serious relationship.
‘Don’t worry. He’ll be back in tomorrow.’
Manolis gave her a thumbs-up and went to store his bike helmet and personal belongings in the staff room.
Boyfriend or not, Suzie wished he could get Kostas to wear a helmet on the bloody bike he rode like a maniac.
Like many young Greek men, he refused to do it, and it always worried her to see him bareheaded, but every time she mentioned it, he’d just say she was fussing.
Maybe she’d try and get it into a conversation with Manolis in a casual way.
A smiling Charlie strolled in from next door and sat at the bar stool in front of her. The man was pure sunshine on a rainy day. He could even give Leo Woodall a run for his money.
‘Kalispera, Mrs I. Ti káneis? How goes it?’
It had been so long since she’d been Mrs Ioannides that she’d almost forgotten it was still her name.
She’d never got round to changing it back to Sessions.
If she were Greek, she’d never have had to alter her name, as it had been enshrined in law back in the Eighties that women kept their maiden name.
But Panos had been keen for them all to have the same name and be one family.
And it was what Charlie had always called her.
‘I’ve been better, to be honest. Do you want a beer?’
‘Mythos, please.’
Suzie bent to retrieve one of the freezing cold green bottles from the fridge and pulled out one for herself too. She reached over and clinked bottles with the first male to smile at her in several hours.
‘Yamás!’
‘Yamás to you too.’
Suzie took a long swig, walked round to the front of the bar and plonked herself on a stool next to the man she’d known since he was a small boy. There were still fifteen minutes until opening.
‘OK, shall we stop the pretence? I’m sure you’re up to speed with everything, and if my instinct’s right, you’ve all met up to discuss things already. I just want to know how my boys are.’
Charlie looked as though he was going to deny all knowledge for a moment but took a big draught of his own beer before speaking.
‘OK, busted. I could never lie to you, Mrs I. Even when I was ten, and we nicked all those apples and tried to sell them on the side of the road, I was the one who cracked.’
‘Exactly.’ Suzie waited a beat. ‘And…?’
‘You’re right, as usual. I was with them both earlier at a café in town.’
Suzie was glad they’d confided in their oldest friend.
‘How were they?’
‘If I’m being honest, Gianni’s still angry, but he’s more stunned than anything.’
Suzie took another swig of beer.
‘Kosta’s somewhat more forgiving about it all, but he’s worried about his brother.’
Suzie nodded and turned away from his gaze as her eyes filled with water. She’d promised Vicky there’d be no more tears, but was there any hope she could stick to it?
Charlie held her hand and pulled her back to face him.
‘Hey, Mrs I. Don’t be sad. It will sort itself out.’
‘But will it, really?’
‘They love you to bits. You know that. It will just take a little time.’
He was echoing Vicky’s words almost exactly.
‘Thank you for that.’
‘No probs. Don’t worry so much. If it all gets out, so what? It will be old news in a few days, and then they’ll be onto the next thing.’
Charlie waved his hand in the direction of the DJ booth.
‘Of course, I know who Christian Lestrange is because of my Eighties obsession. But not many people will. He’s never been part of Gianni’s life, so why should that change?
If the guy’s able to have a quick chat with Gianni somewhere, hopefully then he’ll bugger off and no one will be any the wiser. ’
If only it were that simple. Suzie had a flashback to Christian’s set face on the boat.
‘I’m just not sure he’ll be put off that easily.’
Charlie sat back and gave her one of his most charming smiles.
‘I bet you were a great couple back in the day. I can see you together one hundred per cent.’
Suzie had to turn away to hide her first smile of the day.
‘Cheeky boy.’
‘Did you ever sing together?’
She supposed she owed it to him to be honest.
‘Yes, in grotty clubs and pubs at the beginning of our careers.’
‘I’d love to have seen that.’
‘Mmmm. Thankfully, it was before mobile phones.’
Suzie wanted to get away from the memories it was stirring up. She pointed at Manolis, serving the first few customers at the bar.
‘And do you know what’s going on there with him and Kosta?’
Charlie made to zip up his lips.
‘Now my best friend’s love life is a step too far, Mrs I. Can’t divulge anything there.’
Suzie held her face in her hands for maximum waif vibes.
‘Not even to me?’
‘Especially not to you.’
‘Manoli seemed very worried that Kosta wasn’t in tonight … positively traumatised.’
‘Enough already!’
Suzie forced a smile.
‘Not even a tiny little morsel of news to brighten my day?’
Charlie sighed.
‘Not sure it’ll brighten it. There are some ongoing issues there, I can tell you that. But you’d need to speak to Kosta directly to find out anything else.’
She’d pushed him as far as he would go. Suzie patted Charlie on the leg as she jumped down from the stool. A large group chattering away ten to the dozen had just walked in, and she had work to do.
‘Understood. And thanks for giving me an update. On both subjects.’
‘No worries.’
The evening passed in a blur. Suzie was on her feet for six hours straight without a break.
The Eighties’ nights always brought in a good crowd, and the lovely May weather meant even more people than usual were out and about, natives and tourists alike.
The club section of the Star Bar was packed with people of all ages and nationalities drinking and dancing away to Charlie’s beats.
Once the DJ set had finished, and the crowd thinned and drifted out the door, a sweaty Charlie came to sit at her bar again, and she handed him another beer. Suzie smiled at his soaking wet hair and the T-shirt clinging to his chest.
‘Tired?’
‘Yeah, but good tired. I love a receptive crowd.’ He raised his beer in her direction. ‘Cheers. I’m going to make a move as soon as I’ve downed this. Anna’s waiting for me at home, plus I’ve got a class of nine-year-olds to teach in the morning.’
Teaching and DJing may sound like unusual bedfellows to some, but Charlie put his all into both his passions, and Suzie loved him for it.
‘That’ll be a way tougher gig than this, if they are anything like you three were, little terrors.’
‘True.’
Suzie happened to look up from the bar at the exact moment a tall blond man walked in.
Her hand shook on the tray of empty glasses she was holding.
Charlie looked from one to the other.
‘Bloody hell. And you think you’re going to be able to hide that away? Now I’ve seen it with my own eyes, he could be Gianni’s older brother.’
Suzie swallowed hard.
‘Thanks. Helpful, not.’
Christian approached the bar with a determined look on his face as Charlie knocked back the last of his beer and lowered his voice to a whisper.
‘Do you want me to stay?’
‘No, you’re sweet, and thanks for asking. But I’ve got to face him sometime.’
‘If you’re sure, I’ll be off.’
Charlie gave the man who’d reached the bar a nod and blew Suzie a kiss. Christian took his vacated seat at the bar and smiled his slow smile.
‘I come in peace.’
At least he wasn’t scowling.
‘I just wanted to see where you’ve been hanging out all these years.’
Suzie put the tray of glasses down before she dropped them, and grabbed two beers from the fridge.
‘Not here. Follow me.’
‘Intriguing…’
Suzie looked round for the barman.
‘Manoli, can you finish up here, please? We’re going through to the other side. I’ll clear up in there and lock up later, just leave when you’re done.’
‘Sure, boss.’
Manolis appeared to do a double take when he saw the man sitting at the bar, but she could have imagined it. Anyway, she might well have to get used to it, unless Christian left again virtually straightaway, but there was faint hope of that.
His footsteps were loud behind her.
‘“Boss” has a certain ring to it.’
Suzie ignored his comment and showed him through into the now deserted open-air section.
There were empty bottles and glasses everywhere on the tables, as well as full ashtrays and a few half-eaten snacks.
Clearing them up was the last and least pleasant task of the night before she locked up.
At least there was no one else in there.
But Christian didn’t seem to have noticed the debris all around him. He stood in the middle of the roofless space, bound by ancient stone walls, looking up at the twinkling night sky.
‘Ah, I get it now. That’s why it’s called the Star Bar.’
‘Well done.’
He looked down at her.