Page 43 of Never Too Late
‘Do you think so? I’ll certainly miss him. It’s crazy; I’ve only just met him, but he’s made such an impression on me.’
‘Well, if it helps, I think the same can be said for him and, for what it’s worth, I’m delighted. He’s been fooling around for so long now, he needed somebody like you to come along and shake him out of it.’
‘And maybe I’ve been needing somebody like him to show me what I’ve been missing all these years.’ Steph reached for the glass of very good cognac she had barely touched. ‘Shame it’s all going to end before it’s even begun.’ She took a sip but barely tasted it. ‘He told me he’s coming back on Thursday and the big boss man’s coming the same day or the next, isn’t he, and I suppose that’ll be the end of any free time.’
Keith had been listening in to their conversation and he leant forward to offer her a top-up of cognac, which she refused with a smile and a little wave of the hand as he confirmed the arrangements. ‘The latest I’ve heard is that Sol’s flying into Pisa on Thursday. I’ll send him over the demos if we can get them all recorded in time, but he’ll want us to play the whole thing live to him. He’s like that. He tells me he’s putting their London studio at our disposal next week, so I imagine we’ll be heading off there on Saturday or Sunday for the final recordings.’
Steph glanced across at his wife and shrugged. ‘See what I mean? By the sound of it I won’t even have a chance to say goodbye to Rob.’
Faye gave her a sympathetic smile. ‘That’s showbiz. Still, things can change. Just you wait and see.’
By the time Thursday arrived, Steph was in a state of heightened expectation as she awaited news of Rob’s return and the arrival of the record company execs from Hollywood. Her excitement was tempered by the fact that nine days had now passed since her biopsy and so the result should be coming any minute now.
Rob hadn’t told anybody what time he would be back, and she was half expecting to see him when she and Waldorf went down to the beach for their late afternoon swim, but there was no sign of him. She and the dog splashed around in the water for a while as she alternately threw a stick for him and floated lazily on her back in a reflective mood. Apart from the people she was going to miss when she left for London, she knew she would miss this wonderful private cove and the playful dog. For a moment she contemplated getting herself a dog but immediately realised that a dog, like a family and a settled home, was out of the question for the foreseeable future now that she had joined a rock band.
Her spirits received a boost later on as she emerged from the shower. Her phone bleeped and she saw that it was a text message from Rob.
Hi, Steph. Hope all’s well. On my way home. Fancy a late dinner? Say nine o’clock?
She answered straightaway.
Sounds great. Call me when you get back. Really looking forward to seeing you again. x
The last thing she did before leaving her room was to check her emails but there was still no message from London. From what they had told her, news should arrive the very next day and she could only pray that it would be good news. Still, she told herself, she had dinner with Rob to look forward to, so she went up to the villa to tell Donatella that she wouldn’t be having dinner with the family. When she got there she suddenly discovered that it wasn’t going to be as simple as all that after all. Faye was sitting on the terrace enjoying the last of the evening sunshine and she had news.
‘There was a call a couple of hours back. Sol’s on his way. Keith and Cesare have gone off to Pisa airport to collect him and his people. They should be back here around nine and we all need to be on parade, so we’ve put off dinner until a bit later on. I hope that’s okay with you.’
Steph groaned inwardly and Faye must have spotted something on her face. ‘What is it? Something wrong?’ Her expression became suddenly serious. ‘Have you heard from the hospital?’
‘No, nothing yet, but it’s just that I’ve had a text from Rob asking me to meet him for dinner at nine.’ Her brain was working overtime, trying to find a solution, but the inevitability of what she had to do gradually settled on her. ‘I’d better give him a call and put him off.’
Faye gave her a sympathetic look. ‘I’m afraid you don’t have much choice. You’re the new member of the band, after all, and Sol will be keen to meet you. Work’s work…’
Steph tried to muster a smile, but it hurt. ‘And so it begins.’
‘But if you’re talking to Rob, ask him to come and eat with us tonight.’ Faye smiled. ‘That way you’ll at least have a chance to talk to him. And so will I.’
Steph collected the dog from the kitchen where he had been shadowing Donatella, and the two of them went for a walk in the woods surrounding the villa. When she reached a suitably deserted spot, she perched on a log and called Rob. He answered almost immediately and from the background noise she could tell he was in the car.
‘Hi, Rob, it’s me… Steph. Are you okay to talk?’
‘Hi, Steph, yes of course. I’m on the autostrada near Genoa and the traffic’s crawling along. I should hopefully still be home for nine. I’m really looking forward to seeing you.’
Steph took a deep breath. ‘I’m afraid that’s why I’m ringing.’ She went on to tell him how his father and the others had offered her a place in the band and that the record company’s big boss was descending on them that evening. ‘I’d much rather be with you, but I suppose I really have to be here to meet this guy and his “people”. You do understand, don’t you?’
‘Of course I understand and I’m delighted you’re going to be in the band. Maybe we can meet up tomorrow. I’m home for a full week now before I go off to Prague.’
‘Your mum told me to ask you to come up to the villa for dinner tonight. At least that way we get to see you. Denver and Willow have left, so it’s a far better atmosphere now, although Solomon Phoenix and his team will be there too. It looks as though I might be leaving for London at some point this weekend and I’d really love to see as much of you as possible before I go. Please come.’
‘I’ll be there. Will you tell Mum and Donatella, please?’
Solomon Phoenix and his ‘people’ comprised one large man in his sixties and two immaculately turned-out men in their thirties. These two were introduced as Zach and Vic but there was no explanation of their different roles. Steph was feeling very nervous by the time they arrived, not least as Rob had not yet returned. When Keith introduced her to Sol, she saw the big man’s eyes light up.
‘Steph, hi. It’s great to see a woman in the band. Hey, Keith, good choice. The fans are gonna love you, Steph.’
‘You wait till you hear her play, Sol. She’s amazing!’ Keith was looking and sounding far more animated than usual, and Steph exchanged glances with Ben. He had told her earlier to expect Keith to morph into a much more driven being when the big man arrived, and it looked like he was dead right. ‘It’s like having Vince back with us.’
‘That’s great but Vince, God bless him, never looked like Steph, did he, guys?’ This was addressed to the two men in suits, who both nodded in unison.
