say taking a sip of the cocktail. ‘Mmm, that is so good. What is it?’
‘Well, it’s my own invention at the moment as I haven’t got half the usual ingredients.’
‘Tastes pretty darn good to me. I’m not sure it will go with the cakes.’
‘I can tell you it does,’ he replies. I have to strain to make out his words; I reckon he’s got a mouthful.
‘They are pretty moreish,’ I agree, tucking into another one myself. I can always make another batch tomorrow. ‘Good grief.’ I suddenly remember the mince and as I run inside the flat, I am almost knocked backwards by an acrid smell of burning. ‘For goodness’ sake!’ The contents of the pan have stuck fast to the bottom in a blackened mess. ‘So much for being organised,’ I lament to no one in particular, scraping the burnt meat into a bowl just in case any of it’s salvageable. This is all going horribly wrong. I was only trying to be organised so things would feel a little more under control, a couple of dinners prepared in advance so I don’t have to worry about cooking when I get in from work, and I can’t even manage that.
‘Everything all right?’ calls the voice.
I walk back outside. ‘Yes – no, not really, I’ve just burnt tea for the next two days and I might have ruined my favourite pan.’ I take a comforting sip of my cocktail.
‘That’s a bit of a crisis. Is it totally trashed or can you save some of it?’
‘It’s pretty blackened.’
‘Looks like you’re going to have to live off cocktails and cakes.’ We both laugh.
‘Could be worse I guess. Where did you learn to make such amazing cocktails?’
‘In Greece. I lived in Crete for a couple of years and did a bartending course.’
‘Oh wow, that sounds amazing. I’ve not been to Crete but I’ve visited Santorini and it was just beautiful.’ I refrain from adding that the memory is tinged with sadness, as it was my last holiday with Ryan. We had stayed in a gorgeous apartment with a shared pool. Our days had been spent exploring the cobbled streets, swimming in the glass-smooth water and making love in the cool white cotton sheets within the sanctuary of the air-conditioned stone-clad apartment. It’s been many months since we broke up, yet I still miss him, the feel of him, what we had together. Now I feel so bereft. Five years is a long time to be together for it to end so abruptly, just like that.
‘Santorini is stunning.’ His voice breaks in on my thoughts. ‘I went on a day trip from Crete once. I didn’t like the cable car ride much though – it felt really dodgy.’
‘I avoided that.’ I smile at the recollection, trying not to think of Ryan. ‘The donkeys looked safer to me.’
‘You’re braver than me; they looked every bit as lethal as the cable car.’
‘Yes, they were a bit twitchy and fidgety,’ I acknowledge. ‘And it seemed to take forever to get up the cliff path. At one point I was worried I was going to have to dismount and carry the poor donkey.’
He laughs. ‘It was awfully hot there, even for carrying just a scrawny donkey.’
‘Baking. I needed one of your cocktails. When I got to the top I drank three jugs full of iced water.’ Ryan had laughed at me, as I had sprawled against a cooling wall in a shady spot to recover. I had laughed too. Everything seemed so much simpler then. We had been two young people having fun. With difficulty, I drag my thoughts back to the present.
‘Did you always want to be a barman?’ I ask.
‘No, funnily enough I wanted to be a sports therapist. I was all set to go to college. I was looking forward to the course but …’ He breaks off suddenly.
‘But?’
‘Things changed. Greece sounded fun, less responsible. It was easier to run away instead I guess.’
‘You could always go back to it, if it’s really what you want to do. It’s never too late. Our local college has an excellent reputation for Sports Science.’
‘I guess.’ He goes quiet and I worry I’ve touched a nerve.
‘What made you come back from Greece anyway?’ I ask, to change the subject a little.
‘My brother Sam,’ he says simply. ‘And a few other things.’
‘Does he live nearby?’
‘Sort of – he’s about an hour away.’
‘That’s nice. It’s good not to be too far away from family, but maybe not too near either?