‘I promise. Now come on, tell me your secret.’
‘Okay, but you can’t tell anybody, okay? It could cause a shitstorm.’
‘Promise. What’s so secret?’
‘I’m still in love with Matt. He still loves me, he doesn’t want to marry Becky. And we’ve been sleeping together again’
Kasey looked at her and smiled.
‘You’ll have to do better than that for a secret, Harry. I knew it was Matt you’d slept with the moment you walked through that door. He’s the only person who can put that smile back on your face.’
Chapter Sixteen
Benidorm: June
‘Anybody up for karaoke?’ Gina suggested. ‘There’s a bar up the road that does it. Very British, it’ll suit Terry when the others re-join us.’
‘What’s it called?’ Caitlen replied, ‘I’ll text Rhett, he looked like he was still capable of answering his phone.’
‘It’s Curly’s Tavern. All the Brits know it, they’ll find it easily enough.’
The moment Wes had started to play Harriet’s song on the stage, they’d decided to move on. Maybe he was being friendly, maybe not. He hadn’t asked any of the men about their favourite song.
‘Will Kasey get back from the hospital tonight or is he stuck with Porter?’
Harriet checked her phone for messages, but there was nothing.
‘Emmy’s going to be in the dog house,’ Naomi said, ‘She just abandoned Porter. I reckon they’ll be having words about that when Porter gets back. Once Emmy has sobered up, of course!’
‘I’m not sure if I’ve ever seen her like that before,’ Harriet replied. ‘She likes her drink, but she’s really letting her hair down. Terry doesn’t help, they seem to bring out the worst in each other.’
Caitlen said nothing, but quietly clocked the comment. Her phone vibrated. She noticed that she was still set on UK time. She resolved to get a newer phone with her new cash, she’d thought it was supposed to adjust to Spanish time automatically.
‘At least Rhett is reliable Naomi, they’ll meet up with us there. Apparently Emmy and Terry have overstayed their welcome at the heavy metal bar, they’re both doing some pole dancing on the podiums at the moment. Can you imagine Terry pole dancing? I hope it’s anchored into the ground properly, the whole building will come down!’
They exited Erin’s Bar with Wes still strumming away on the stage. Gina guided them along the street. There were raucous sounds coming from all directions, with couples, groups and individuals in various states of inebriation walking up and down the road.
‘You should try the Old Town tomorrow,’ Gina laughed ‘It’s a bit more sedate if you like things that way. This is crazy Benidorm ... it’s fun though.’
Curly’s Tavern was in full swing. There didn’t appear to be a time when Benidorm wasn’t in full swing.
‘Kasey just texted me,’ Harriet announced, just as a tsunami of amplified music and beer odours washed over them. ‘He’s heading for the Old Town to find a gay bar, he’ll meet us back at the apartments. He’s dropped Porter off at the apartments, they’ve patched him up. Nothing too serious, just some superficial burns. He’ll recover, apparently.’
The music track ended, giving them sufficient respite to get some drinks at the bar. Reluctantly Caitlen lined up another three bitters for Terry, Emmy and Rhett. There would be some bad heads the next day, they were all old enough to know better.
‘Ladies and gentlemen, it’s karaoke time!’
There was a big cheer in the bar.
‘Told you,’ Gina said, ‘This is fun. Have you ever done karaoke ladies?’
Naomi, Caitlen, Harriet and Becky looked at each other.
‘Never!’ they all agreed.
‘You haven’t lived,’ Gina smiled. ‘How about we do a Spice Girls number just to warm you up? There are five of us. “Wannabe”?’
‘You’ll have to remind me about the zig-a-zig line, it’s been a while!’ Naomi laughed.
‘They put the words on the screen. All we have to do is to decide which Spice Girl we’re going to be.’
There was lots of laughter and, for the first time since they’d been in Spain, Caitlen began to get a feel of the fun they might have out there. This was why she’d invited everybody out for the trip. And Gina was proving to be an excellent guide.
As an old guy got up onto the stage and began singing, Gina wrote their names on the list.
‘We’re in between Neil Diamond and Britney Spears,’ she laughed when she got back to the main group. ‘Sounds like the one-night stand from hell!’
They’d divided out their Spice Girl names. It wasn’t lost on Matt that Becky had ended up with Scary Spice. Harriet got Baby Spice, Gina was Sporty Spice, Caitlen was Posh Spice by virtue of her newfound cash windfall and Naomi got Ginger Spice. As it turned out, things couldn’t have been divided up more fairly, Naomi was even able to oblige on hair colour.
‘I’m auburn, not ginger!’ she protested.
‘Yeah, but there isn’t an Auburn Spice,’ Caitlen had teased.
There was much amusement about the roles and the laughter grew to fever pitch as they shared their embarrassing Spice Girls memories.
Terry walked into the bar with Emmy and Rhett just as the Neil Diamond sound-a-like stepped up onto the stage to start performing ‘Love on the Rocks’.
‘Jesus, Emmy, you look pissed!’ Caitlen said, concerned about the amount of alcohol her friend had consumed. ‘Not everybody has a beer gut to store it in Terry, take it easy with her, okay?’
‘I’m fine,’ Emmy reassured them, her speech slurred but still intelligible. ‘I’ll have a couple of soft drinks now, I’ll be okay in no time.’
‘That leaves a spare pint for me!’ Terry said, downing one of the bitters that Caitlen had bought. She didn’t know where he put it.
‘Rubbish!’ Terry shouted at the man on stage. ‘Get him off!’
‘Keep your voice down, Terry!’ Matt urged. ‘You’ll cause a riot.’
There had been some backward glances from the crowd, it was clearly not the done thing to berate the acts, even if they were tone-deaf.
‘Neil Diamond should sue this guy,’ Terry said, a little quieter this time around. ‘It sounds like he just sat on a cat.’
‘Hey mate, keep it down!’
A guy twice Terry’s size and with sleeve tattoos running up and down his muscular arms looked annoyed.
‘Terry, best keep it down eh, we don’t want any trouble.’
It was Rhett who was appealing to him now. Rhett knew that Terry had dealt with his fair share of arseholes during his time in the police. The guy’s size was unlikely to deter Terry if it came to that. But Rhett was not so pissed that he couldn’t see who was to blame. Terry needed to pipe down.
Although the rendition of Neil Diamond’s hit was unlikely to be a chart-topper, its melodic nature did, at least, permit a few minutes of conversation without having to shout over the noise from the PA system.
Caitlen was drawn by Matt’s gaze. Becky seemed to have perked up. Being a part of the group that was going to have a go at karaoke had lifted her spirits and she was happily laughing with Naomi. Matt was pleased for the break. But he was now watching some guy chatting up Harriet at the bar. He could feel the rage and frustration rising in him as the man gave her his patter and she laughed out loud at his jokes. Caitlen hadn’t clocked that before. Was Matt still in love with Harry? That could make life difficult.
It was all over soon enough as the Neil Diamond song came to an end and the DJ announced that it was the turn of the ‘Old Spice Girls’ to perform ‘Wannabe’. A polite clapping turned into an enthusiastic welcome as the inebriated audience realised that they were being treated to the sight of five, non-pensioner women who, by and large, were in pretty good shape. They were certainly enough to give Neil Diamond look-a-like, seventy-year-old Len Davies from Leeds, a run for his money.
The opening bars began on the soundtrack, Gina led the way with the immortal op
ening words and before the first minute was up, the five women had put their hearts and souls into the performance. Nobody minded that the various spices didn’t seem to know who should be singing and when, neither that only one of them appeared to be able to dance in time with the music. It looked like a badly-rehearsed pop group made up of disobedient cats. But the entertainment value of Gina dancing like a pro – and the stunning sight of her in that dress – seemed to distract the crowd from the mayhem going on among the other members of the rapidly assembled pop group to her side.
Over at the bar were the three men, Matt, Rhett and Terry, with Emmy at his side, now sipping from a glass of orange juice.
The five Old Spice Girls were so caught up in their debut stage performance that, had they glanced over towards the bar, they would have seen some very telling body language that might possibly have predicted how things were going to play out over that short break in Benidorm.
As the crowd got with the flow of the choruses, Wes arrived, guitar in hand, fresh from his stint on stage at Erin’s Bar. Caitlen had, at least, thought to tell him where they were moving onto, but he was pissed with them. He’d gone through all the trouble of dedicating a couple of songs to the ladies, only to watch them walk out halfway through his David Gray number. And now here they were fooling around on stage. He’d been hoping for their support.
At the bar, Emmy was slipping her hands up Terry’s T-shirt and stroking his back. They were speaking earnestly, engrossed in each other and their conversation.
Matt was ignoring Wes’s moaning to Rhett, who was patiently listening and attempting to smooth things over. He wished Wes no ill will but he couldn’t help feeling that none of them owed the guy anything and they were free to do as they pleased.
Matt looked from the stage – specifically between Becky and Harriet – and then to the man just along the bar from him. The one who’d been chatting up Harriet. He was riveted to her on the small stage, clearly waiting for his moment to intercept her once again as soon as they’d finished performing their number.
Matt looked between the Old Spice Girls and cursed that he’d got caught with Scary Spice. He wanted to switch band members. He wanted to be with Baby Spice. But he wasn’t the only man in that crowd who was determined to go home with Harriet that night.
Chapter Seventeen
Benidorm: June
There was a huge round of applause as the backing track faded and the amateur dramatics members of the Spice Girls looked at each other on the stage and wondered what to do next.
Gina bowed and waved and the others followed suit.
‘More!’ came the calls.
‘Get yer tits out!’ came the inevitable cry from a stag group.
The five women took a final, semi-coordinated bow and left the stage.
‘The Old Spice Girls, ladies and gentlemen!’ the DJ announced. ‘Weren’t they amazing?’
There was another cheer, and the DJ moved on to introducing the next singer.
‘Put your hands together for Britney Spears!’
The crowd had been suitably warmed up now, and gave an enthusiastic reception to the woman who was now stepping up onto the stage. She was well over sixty, but had the confidence of a regular karaoke performer.
‘Jesus Christ, Britney Spears isn’t wearing very well!’ Rhett announced, as the music started up again and the woman began to move on stage like she truly believed she was still the same age as Britney.
‘You were great ladies!’ he continued, ‘I didn’t know you could sing like that darling!’
Naomi was beaming at him.
‘To be honest with you, neither did I!’
‘Gina, you’re amazing, where did you learn to dance like that?’ Caitlen asked.
‘Oh, thanks. Down the coast in Alicante, I joined a class there when I first moved out. I thought we did well for a debut performance.’
Harriet had been intercepted by the man at the bar and was sipping the cocktail he’d bought her. Matt watched while trying to get the gist of what Becky was saying to him.
‘That was brilliant, Matt, you’ve got to try it! How about I put you and me down for “You’re The One That I Want”?’
‘Yes, yes, whatever you want.’
She rushed off to write their names on the karaoke list. Harriet’s new friend had popped off to the gents so Matt grasped his opportunity.
‘You know he’s got his eyes on you, don’t you? He could have slipped anything into that drink of yours. It’s not just teenagers who have to watch out for date rape drugs, you know.’
‘Look Matt, I’m a free agent right now, okay? How do you think it makes me feel knowing that you’ll be spending the night in the same bed with Becky? You know I want us to be an item. But I can’t hang around forever. You need to end it with her or settle in for the long term. You have to make your mind up, Matt.’
‘And what, I have to look on while this guy hits on you?’
‘He’s not hitting on me, he’s just a good laugh. I have no intention of sleeping with him, okay? It’s just a night out, we’re probably going to a quieter bar when we’ve finished this drink. It’s just a bit of company Matt, you don’t have to go all psycho on me. But I can’t stand here all night watching Becky pawing at you. I’ve got feelings invested in this too, you know.’
‘I’ll do it, I promise. I just have to pick the right time. She’s difficult, you know she is. Just give me some more time ...’
‘You alright mate?’
Harriet’s companion was back.
He’d immediately singled out Matt as a cock-blocker and had every intention of dispatching him fast.
‘It’s okay, he’s a friend,’ Harriet said. ‘Matt’s fiancée is over there, she was just on stage.’
The use of the word fiancée immediately reassured him, but Matt was in no mood for a macho face-off. Besides, he would always lose. The only way a man like Matt could ever win a fight is by sneaking up behind. He knew it too, and wasn’t so stupid as to lock horns with this man. He returned to the main group, but could not stop monitoring their progress.
‘So, anybody up for a re-run?’ Gina asked. ‘How about we put together a Boyzone or Take That group with the guys?’
‘I’ve done enough singing for one night,’ said Wes, eager to draw them back to his own performance. Gina wasn’t taking the bait, but Naomi and Rhett were fast with the compliments.
‘You were great up there, man. Sorry we couldn’t stay, but you sounded awesome!’
‘I hope you heard your dedications ladies?’ he asked, seeing that Harriet couldn’t hear him anyway. He looked at Gina, but she didn’t bite.
Becky came back.
‘We’re on after Elvis,’ she beamed. ‘I put us down for “You’re The One That I Want”, hope that’s okay?’
Matt cursed that she’d actually gone ahead with it, she seemed to be on a roll now. She was very up and down like that, at least she was on an up tonight.
‘Where the hell is Terry?’ Caitlen asked. ‘And Emmy? Did anybody see where they got to?’
There were blank looks all round.
‘They probably went back to that heavy metal bar, that’s much more their kind of thing.’
Elvis got up on the stage and began to sing ‘It’s Now Or Never’.
‘We’re up next!’ Becky said to Matt, excitedly taking his hand. ‘Make sure you cheer us when we go on, won’t you?’
There was general excitement as Caitlen moved to one side to text Terry to find out where he’d gone. They’d only got the one key card for the apartment. She cursed how tight the apartment reception desk had been with the key cards, considering how they’d had to divide the rooms up after the booking error. If they went their separate ways later, she’d have trouble getting into her own digs. The ones she’d paid for with her money.
Elvis was mercifully brief, and Becky had Matt ready to jump back on the stage. He looked as if it was the last place he wanted to be.
‘A big hand f
or Mike from Redhill!’ the DJ said.
‘And now, make some noise for Matt and Becky from Newcastle. These two love birds have only just got engaged, so let’s make them feel welcome!’
There was a loud cheer and the opening bars of the song began.
Matt was first up. He looked like John Travolta on poppers. He nervously spoke the open words of the song. His lacklustre delivery inspired an almost inaudible groan among the audience. That changed when Becky began to sing. At least there was something nice to look at in the form of Olivia Newton-John.
Harriet finished her drink and turned to speak briefly to Naomi. She then headed towards the door with her male companion.
Matt hadn’t taken his eyes off her from the moment he’d stepped onto the low stage. He watched the body language. Whatever Harriet had told him, the man was intent on one thing. Would Harriet be able to resist?
Becky sang on but it was coming to the chorus, and it was clear to her that something was up. Her words ground to a halt at the beginning of her first line, leaving the crowd half-singing along, half looking at each other in bemusement.
‘Harriet, stop. I’m in love with you. I love you. Please don’t go.’
‘He wants to be singing KC and the Sunshine Band!’ some drunken man from the audience shouted, before a hush descended on the full bar. Matt’s words were amplified over the sound system.
‘I’m ending it with Becky. I’m doing what you asked. Don’t walk out of that door, please.’
Sensing a moment, the DJ faded out the musical soundtrack.
Even the stag party had settled down and were watching the entertainment play out on the stage. It had said nothing about this in the TripAdvisor reviews.
By the bar, Caitlen looked at Naomi in horror.
‘What? What’s going on?’ Wes asked.
‘Can’t you see?’ Gina scolded, impatient with him. ‘Matt’s in love with Harriet.’
‘I knew I should have started with Damien Rice,’ he sulked.
‘Seriously Wes?’ Gina replied, tersely. ‘Is that all you can think about right now? You’re a needy little shit aren’t you? And you’re using Caitlen too ...’
Two Years After ; Friends Who Lie ; No More Secrets Page 25
