Page 48 of The Cocktail Bar

“I’ll see to it,” said Alice. “Georgina isn’t feeling too good, isn’t that right, honey?”

“Honey?” he questioned her, as if she was completely out of her mind. “But a moment ago you two were at each other’s—”

Georgina lifted her hand from her sodden cheek then and clocked River’s mystified expression for herself.

“Since when did you become best friends? Wait, you’re crying too? Oh for bleep’s sake, of all the nights. What’s wrong with her?” He looked to Alice for an answer.

Georgina stood slowly, straightened herself up and took a deep breath.

“Does it need any more explanation?” Alice barked, back at the vacuum cleaner already and looping the extension cord between her fingers as if that might help untangle the mess. River looked seriously affronted.

This was working a treat, Georgina stifled a hysterical smile.

“Well, yes, ideally, I’m trying to run a bar here and it’s seriously busy down there, we might even fill the top half tonight the way things are carrying on, so I really need all hands on the deck.”

“And like I said, she doesn’t feel too special. Let her have the weekend off.”

Georgina could only look at the floor. Her deceit knew no limits; it was enough to send her into one of her Cruella De Ville laughter fits. And yet a tiny part of her felt sorry for Alice. Clearly she was in love with him, her heart shattering in a million pieces in front of Georgina’s eyes.

“Right… well… whatever. I’ll have to ask Mum for a hand, if she’s not too merry after two Ginger Rabbits, that is. Georgina,” he looked at her as would a boss, not a lover, all traces of their union erased. Her stomach churned, making her wonder if she really was with child, “take the weekend off, Alice is obviously clued up as to what’s wrong. Get yourself better and we’ll see you next week.”

And with that he ran back down the stairs two at a time.

“Thanks, Alice, I… I couldn’t seem to find the words.” Georgina took a couple of very tentative steps towards her, but Alice was a young fawn now, ears sharpened, senses heightened, the drawbridge of friendship well and truly up. “I guess that’s why I’ve been so moody with everyone, so snappy and unpredictable.”

“Not today you couldn’t tell him… perhaps… but youwillfind those words and you’ll find them very soon. You can’t keep him in the dark like this. It would be like history repeating itself.” Alice’s words were hard and stony. She switched on the vacuum cleaner and Georgina took this as her cue to leave.

She too took the stairs two by two, but only once she was clear of Alice’s line of vision, ever mindful of the fact she needed to keep up the Expectant Mother Act. She saw her moment to sneak behind the bar for her bag, and she left the building, echoes of her dad and Heather chuckling in the background at something undoubtedly highly inconsequential, echoes of River enjoying banter with a group of tourists, echoes of Alice and her threat as she continued to scrape those floors with theDyson.