That evening, Jonathan went straight from work to the pub. There he stayed, drinking steadily, until Vern had discreetly alerted Matthew to Jonathan’s inebriated state. Matthew was not habitually a pub drinker but walked across to The Stationmaster to see what was going on with his brother. Mindful of the other drinkers, Jonathan told Matthew in a gruff undertone to mind his own business and leave him alone. He then got another pint in.
So now, here he was, reeling from drink, ego bruised and heart feeling decidedly more sore than it had that morning. But why? Caroline had obviously moved on. Why couldn’t he? He was not by nature a brooder, but his pride had definitely been injured by happening upon the scene at the restaurant this morning, and the argument didn’t make him feel any better. Caroline, of course, was entitled to sleep with whomever she wanted, whenever she wanted. They’d had two one night stands and a lot of banter; she’d said no strings on both occasions and he was king of the commitment-free romp. So why was he still dwelling on it? Motioning to the bartender to fill up his pint, he pulled out his phone and considered texting one of his former dates again. As he looked up from his phone, he saw probably the last person on earth he wanted to see standing next to him at the bar.
‘Can I have a pint of Amstel please, Vern?’ Gino asked as the landlord ambled over. He gave Jonathan a friendly smile, which was not returned.
‘Coming up,’ Vern replied. ‘Emma’ll be home soon, if you want to pop in and see her.’
Gino nodded. ‘Might do. Got a few things to discuss with her.’
Jonathan snorted, then muttered something loudly enough for Gino to glance back at him. ‘Sorry,’ he said. ‘I didn’t quite catch that.’
Jonathan raised his gaze from his pint to the young chef in front of him. ‘I would have thought you’d have been worn out,’ he said. ‘After your, er, heavy night.’
Gino looked blank. ‘You mean tonight? It was Emma’s night on at The Cider Kitchen, so I’m not sure how busy it was.’
Jonathan shook his head, which was spinning slightly from the lager. ‘I meant last night. Taking your responsibilities to the place a little too seriously, aren’t you, spending the entire night there. With the manager.’
A flash of irritation crossed Gino’s features before he remembered who he was talking to. ‘I don’t know what you mean.’
‘Must have been very cosy up there all night, just you and Caroline.’
Gino’s hand clenched slightly around his pint glass but he didn’t reply.
‘Don’t be coy,’ Jonathan said softly. ‘I saw you coming out of there first thing this morning. Hugs on the doorstep; very friendly, I thought.’
Playing for time, Gino took a sip of his pint. ‘I’m not sure I like what you’re implying, Mr Carter.’
‘Then let me spell it out for you,’ Jonathan spoke a little more loudly. ‘Did you or did you not spend the night at Caroline’s place?’
Gino put his pint back on the bar with a thump. ‘Because you’re my boss,’ he said softly, ‘I’m going to assume that you don’t mean any offence. Because I’m your employee, I’m not going to tell you that it’s none of your fucking business where I spend my nights. After all, I value my job.’
‘Oh, spare me,’ Jonathan sneered. ‘I’m a big boy. I can cope.’
Gino looked squarely at Jonathan. From the look on his face, it probably wasn’t a good idea to bait him. He drew a breath. ‘You’ve got it wrong, whatever it is you’re thinking. And you don’t need to know that, because you don’t, as far as I know, have any claim on Caroline other than a professional one. So, I’m telling you this out of respect for that arrangement. But you do also know Caroline’s not my type, right? I did spend the night with her, but not in the way that you seem to be thinking.’
Jonathan paused, pint glass halfway to his lips. ‘Could have fooled me.’
‘Honestly,’ Gino said, taking a sip of his pint. ‘She’s about as far from my type as it’s possible to be.’
‘She’s beautiful and female,’ Jonathan snapped. ‘I don’t see what your problem is.’
Gino shook his head. ‘I don’t have a problem,’ he said gently. ‘But you do, if you think there’s anything between Caroline and me. So you don’t need to worry about us working late together. I love her, but as my boss and a friend. Nothing else. And if you really want to know why…’ he looked Jonathan straight in the eye, ‘it’s because she’s entirely the wrong sex for me. I’m not into women.’
Jonathan’s stomach clenched, and he almost choked on his beer. ‘Why are you telling me this?’ he asked when he finally had a clear mouth, and a moderately clearer head.
Gino regarded him coolly. ‘Chefs notice things,’ he said. ‘Attention to detail is what makes us so good at what we do. You two have clearly got some serious issues to sort out, and it’s going to make life at the restaurant very tricky for everyone unless you do.’ He shook his head. ‘You’ve every right to bollock me for being cheeky if you want, but that’s how it looks from the outside.’
Jonathan regarded the young chef for a moment. ‘So…’ he said eventually, ‘nothing’s happened between you and Caroline, then?’
‘Frankly, I’d be more likely to shag you. I’ve always been attracted to older men.’
Jonathan’s frown turned into a grin. ‘It’s strange,’ he said. ‘And don’t take this the wrong way, but I’d never have guessed.’
‘What, because I’m not humming Lady Gaga songs and constantly working on my abs?’ Gino shot back. ‘After all, there’s really no need to go shouting about who I prefer to sleep with from the rooftops, don’t you think?’
‘You’re right,’ Jonathan, sensing there was more humour than irritation in Gino’s response, kept smiling. ‘So why were you hugging Caroline on the doorstep?’
‘Didn’t she tell you? Someone killed her cat, Scrumpy, and left her body outside the restaurant. I just happened to have forgotten my phone and when I went back for it I found them both on the doorstep.’ Gino shook his head. ‘I couldn’t leave Caroline after that; she was in a bad way, so I crashed on the sofa to make sure whoever had done it didn’t decide to come back. My boyfriend wasn’t too chuffed to be stood up that night but what else could I do?’
‘Why didn’t she tell me?’ Jonathan asked, only too late realising he’d said it out loud.
‘You know what she’s like,’ Gino said. ‘She jumps on the defensive the whole time.’
Jonathan shook his head. ‘I didn’t even give her the chance to explain. I just assumed she’d moved on.’
‘And that’s why you two really need to clear the air,’ Gino said.
Jonathan smiled at the young chef. ‘I appreciate your honesty, Gino. You’re a bloody good chef and The Cider Kitchen would be mad to lose you, or Emma. And,’ he paused, a twinkle in his eye, ‘I’m also flattered. But I’m afraid if Caroline’s not your type, she might just be mine.’
‘You don’t say,’ Gino rolled his eyes. ‘Emma and I have been saying that from the day the place opened.’
‘Why do I feel like I’m being completely out manoeuvred again?’ Jonathan grumbled.
‘If you want my advice,’ Gino said, with all the authority of his twenty-two years, ‘you’ll get over there tonight and clear the air with Caroline. She’s in a bad place over that cat of hers, and I think she’d appreciate it.’
‘You’re right,’ Jonathan said. He finished his pint. ‘And thank you for being so honest with me. You’ve got a wise head on your shoulders.’ He grimaced. ‘Sorry. That sounds ridiculously patronising, doesn’t it?’
‘Don’t worry about it,’ Gino said. ‘Growing up gay in a small village, with that Matt Lucas character all over the television… you tend to learn a lot about human nature very fast.’ He stood up from the table. ‘I’d better get going, too. I owe my boyfriend a bit of time after leaving him in the lurch last night.’
‘I’ll see you at the restaurant,’ Jonathan said, sobered up by the conversation. As he walked out of the pub, he saw Gino waving goodbye to Vern before he disappeared out of the pub. Gino was definitely an asset The Cider Kitchen needed to hang on to. He hoped it wasn’t too late to level with Caroline.