Second chances in teneri.., p.11
Second Chances in Tenerife, page 11
Her peace was disturbed by a phone ringing but it wasn’t her mobile; it sounded like a house phone.
‘Hello?’ she answered, but the person on the other end of the line was silent. ‘Hello? Is there anyone there…? Listen, if you don’t say something, I’m putting the phone down.’
‘Who are you and where is Miguel?’ a voice asked sharply.
‘I’m a friend of Miguel’s and staying here with him for a couple of weeks. Who am I speaking to? He’s not here at the moment but I can give him a message if you’d like.’
‘Just tell him his brother called and ask him to call me back, it’s urgent – not life threatening, but I do need to speak to him about something important. Tell him it’s family business.’ And with that, the caller hung up.
Karen texted Miguel with the message and he replied with a thank you.
Looking back at her outfit options, she decided on the green dress, which was not too showy and not too plain, with her swim costume underneath to avoid any embarrassing undressing situations on the beach. Bag packed, she was ready for the off and trying to play down her excitement, reminding herself it was just a day out with a friend.
Oh no it isn’t, you’re going on a date!
Álvaro was on time and as he got out of the car he complimented her, saying how lovely she looked and how he should have put more effort into his own appearance as now he felt unworthy. Karen told him he looked very smart, which caused Álvaro to blush and go all quiet. To fill the silence, she quickly asked him what he had planned for the day.
‘Where are we off to?’
‘I thought we would go towards Puerto de Santiago. Along that road there are a few lovely beaches to stop at, if that’s okay? And tonight we’re having dinner at my friend’s restaurant. Remember the night when we unexpectedly had the big tour group? I thought we could have dinner in the restaurant that had to close and send them to us. I know we’ll be made very welcome and the food is really good – the owner cooks the best paella on the island.’
‘That all sounds lovely to me!’
‘How did you get on with Jill and the garden yesterday?’
She filled him in on everything that had happened and had him laughing when she recounted telling Amanda that she was a customer in the restaurant the night she walked out because of her desperate need for a phone charger.
‘Was she embarrassed or apologetic? I doubt it, though actually I should thank her. If she had stayed, I wouldn’t have got to meet you properly, Karen.’
‘Yes, she was sorry for her actions and I thanked her for the same reason. As badly as she acted, it meant we got to spend time getting to know one another.’
They shared a glance and smiled. That little conversation had set them up for the day – or as Karen said in her head, the date – and for the next half an hour there was no chat, just companionable silence and smiles as they caught each other’s eye. Eventually, Álvaro pulled off the main road and headed along a coastal road. There were little pull-ins with a few cars parked in some and he said they could stop at one of them to enjoy the view but there wouldn’t be anywhere to get a drink or some lunch.
‘Maybe we should continue on then?’ Karen suggested. ‘What do you think?’
‘I think we should keep going. Further on there’s a bay with a couple of beach bars and as it’s not the weekend I have my fingers crossed that they shouldn’t be too busy.’
‘Sounds great!’
****
Álvaro was right, there weren’t many people around and after parking they stopped at one of the beach bars for a to-go coffee before continuing on to find a spot on the beach. By this time it was mid-day and it was hot, but thankfully Karen noticed some sun loungers with umbrellas further along the shore. As they moved towards them, Álvaro’s phone rang and he stepped away to take the call. He was back within a few seconds though, apologising and saying it was only Miguel, nothing urgent. Karen guessed that it might have something to do with Sergio’s call earlier that morning but she wasn’t going to mention that unless Álvaro brought it up. It wasn’t her business.
They walked to the furthest sun lounger and settled in. Karen had been dreading this part – having Álvaro see her in a swimsuit – but surprisingly, when it came to it, she found she wasn’t bothered and felt very relaxed about the whole situation. After a couple of minutes chatting, Álvaro fell asleep. She didn’t want to wake him so she let him be and it was over an hour and a half before he woke up, full of apologies.
‘I’m so sorry, how rude of me. I invite you out for the day and then fall asleep! That’s so bad. If it happens again, Karen, you must promise to wake me.’
‘It’s honestly not a problem. You work hard, long hours and it’s your day off to relax.’
‘That’s kind of you to say but it isn’t an excuse. Do you want to go in the sea? I can’t promise it will be that warm, but after a couple of minutes adjusting to the temperature it’ll be fine.’
Karen reluctantly agreed, a bit worried about what she might look like later when they went for a meal, but oh well. She was on holiday and here to have fun. What did it matter how her hair looked when they went into the restaurant?
****
‘I’m so glad you suggested that, Álvaro!’ she said as they emerged from the surf a while later. ‘Like you said, after a few seconds I had adjusted to the temperature. Now to dry off in this beautiful sunshine.’
‘If you like, I could walk up to the beach café and get us a drink or an ice cream, maybe a beer? I think I’ll have a small beer.’
‘I’ll have the same and you can surprise me with the ice cream.’ She was curious to see if he could guess which one she would like, but what she didn’t tell him was that there were very few ice creams she didn’t like, so he couldn’t really go wrong with whatever he bought. Once he had gone, she tried to sort herself out. Her hair didn’t seem to be too tangled and if she gave it a good brush before it dried everything would be okay.
‘Here you are, one small beer and one vanilla ice cream. I hope that’s okay? I thought if you didn’t like vanilla, you probably wouldn’t really like ice cream.’
‘Thank you, that’s perfect. Oh, the beer is lovely and cold,’ she said, taking a grateful sip.
Once they had eaten the ice cream, they chatted about the beach and Tenerife. Karen couldn’t help but notice that they were both avoiding talking about themselves. Álvaro asked how she was getting on staying with Miguel, saying no doubt she was enduring late nights and lots of wine, and Karen agreed, but made clear that she was enjoying it.
‘Miguel is very funny and has me laughing all the time.’
‘Yes, Miguel’s the funny brother, Sergio the wild one, and I’m the boring one.’
‘That’s rubbish! Tell me about Sergio. You said he’s wild but what do you mean by that?’
‘Perhaps “wild” isn’t the right word. He’s very talented and has an eye for detail and the unusual – very different to Miguel, who is into his fashion and the glitz and glamour of the in-crowd. Sergio is creative and arty, but sadly it’s only now that he’s been able to get into his art. Just like me and Miguel, the minute he was old enough, he was thrown into the family restaurant by my father and grandfather. It was just what was expected, there wasn’t a choice as that’s what children did. And then, of course, once our parents died, he had to continue to help keep the business going. But now he has no interest. He just wants to sell the place and split the money three ways, but that’s not going to happen because he needs both me and Miguel to agree to it. It’s … complicated. But enough of that. Are you ready to make a move? That ice cream and the beer has given me an appetite.’
They headed back across the beach to the car. Álvaro said they didn’t need to drive that far and though the town they were going to was full of hotels and very busy, his friend’s restaurant was tucked away in one on the quiet side streets in the old part of town. Karen was so content and happy. They’d had a lovely time so far and she felt as if she had caught some sun, though she couldn’t tell if her face was red as she had stupidly put her beach bag with her mirror in the boot of the car. As they approached the edge of the town, Karen could see all the tall hotels in front of her. It reminded her of where she’d stayed the last time she was here.
‘I think it’s best if we park here and walk the rest of the way as the parking nearer to the restaurant will be a nightmare. It will be an opportunity for you to see a bit of the town as you’ve not been here before. Is that okay with you?’ Álvaro asked.
That was fine with Karen and she instantly thought a shop window to look in would be perfect to check her reflection and make sure her face wasn’t too red and her dress wasn’t too creased.
After a few minutes’ walk, they had left all the big high rise hotels behind and were now wandering through the little streets. It was all very quaint and pretty, with lots of colour from window boxes and flowerpots.
‘Here we are! It’s nothing fancy, just plain old traditional Tenerife food as the owner caters for the residents more than the holiday makers. It’s all things I’ve grown up on, like albondias, which are gorgeous meatballs in a rich tomato sauce, or stunning Jamon – you would say ham – which is hung and salted, and of course Patasas bravos, which is potatoes that are cubed and shallow fried.’
‘It all sounds perfect! You know I’m not into all the razzmatazz and I’m starving so I’m really looking forward to this.’
‘I’m glad to hear that because the portions will be huge,’ he said with a smile.
Once the owner saw Álvaro, he was so excited and got a waiter to move a table around so they could have the best view out into the little street. There were lots of hugs as they were each greeted like they were long-lost relatives just returning from being away for years. When they finally sat down, a bottle of wine was brought and the glasses filled. No menus were needed, as they knew they were both having paella, and once the food was ordered Karen went off to the bathroom to check her appearance. Looking at her reflection she thought to herself how stupid she was being. This concern wasn’t a bit like her! When had she ever really been bothered about how she looked? She laughed, realising it was probably over eight years ago, when she first met Jeff and went on a date with him.
Back at the table some bread and dips had been delivered, and Karen and Álvaro agreed to take it easy as they needed to save themselves for the main meal. The owner kept coming over and chatting to Álvaro in Spanish, and as it was all quite serious Karen presumed it was restaurant business talk.
And then the paella arrived. Karen’s first thought was, when would the other people be arriving to help eat it all? It looked gorgeous and the smell was out of this world. The owner stood back as the waiter placed it on the table, saying ‘Please enjoy’ in English. They both said they certainly would and dug in.
‘I really can’t ever remember smiling so much while eating,’ Karen said after a few moments. ‘This is happy food.’
‘It’s not just the food that’s happy, Karen, the whole day has been very happy. Thank you for joining me and making it so special.’
They sat eating in peaceful silence, both savouring every mouthful. It really was the perfect end to such a lovely day and Karen knew they were both on the same page – this had been a date. But there was one question she was desperately trying to push out of her mind: where would this lead to – not today, but in the future? She was only here for three weeks and despite Álvaro’s encouragement that she should stay and work in the restaurant, the truth was that the business was failing, and if she was here living on Tenerife, she would need steady work.
‘Are you okay, Karen? You’ve gone a bit quiet.’
‘I’m fine, just very relaxed, thank you. Wait … can I hear someone singing?’
‘Yes, that’ll be someone at the bar next door. They have entertainment most nights and it’s very popular with holiday makers.’
The waiter came to check on them and they had to admit defeat. They’d really tried to devour the whole thing but the paella had beaten them soundly. They picked out the last of the prawns and then called it, declining the offer of a dessert or coffee in favour of just sitting there, content to linger and talk about the beautiful food they’d just eaten.
‘I think we might need to walk back to Kalanchoe to work it all off,’ Karen said with a laugh.
‘You make a good point,’ Álvaro agreed.
Eventually he suggested they should make a move so that the table could be used for other people wanting to come in, but when he asked the waiter for the bill the owner came over, saying it was on the house as a thank you for helping him out in that emergency. Álvaro argued, insisting the man let him pay, but eventually he gave in and thanked him.
As they stood to leave, the owner asked if Álvaro had time to look at some new equipment in the kitchen. Karen didn’t mind and said there was no need to rush as she would wait outside and maybe take a look at the singer next door. The owner gave her a hug and a kiss and thanked her for coming, saying he was so pleased she had enjoyed the meal.
As she walked outside and turned towards the bar next door, she saw it was very busy. Looking through the door she saw there was a little stage halfway up the room with a middle-aged man on a stool singing. There didn’t seem to be any empty seats and the audience were really into it, joining in for the chorus of the song.
The maître d’ bustled over to her and greeted her warmly. ‘Hi! Welcome! I think there are a few seats down the front if you would like to follow me?’
‘Oh, no, I’m fine, thank you. I’m just waiting for a friend and thought I’d take a peek. I’m really enjoying the singer though and it’s great to see it’s so busy.’
‘Yes, it’s like this most nights. A lot of the bars in town have karaoke or put tribute acts on, but we just have a couple of singers who take it in turn to perform on alterative nights and basically sing what the audience want them to sing. A lot of the customers we see are retired and they come and stay for a month or two in Tenerife at the all-inclusive hotels. After a week or two, they’ve seen all the shows their hotel puts on so after they’ve eaten, they have a stroll here and enjoy a few drinks while they listen to the music they’ve requested. As you can see, the atmosphere is great and it’s given this place a new lease on life as we were on the brink of having to close not too long ago. All we needed was to find the right singers that the public enjoyed and from there it’s just been word of mouth. You must come back one evening and see the full show. I’m sure you would enjoy it.’
‘I’m sure I would. Thank you so much,’ Karen said, an idea forming.
The woman said goodbye and went back into the bar and Karen stood there, her mind working overtime. Could this be the answer to Álvaro’s problems back in Kalanchoe? Perhaps she should say something… Or was she only thinking this would work because she wanted a future in Tenerife?
‘Are you ready to go, Karen?’ Álvaro asked as he joined her. ‘I’m sorry that took so long. Once he started talking there was no stopping him. That singer has a good voice, doesn’t he? My friend says this bar is a gold mine and it’s packed like this seven nights a week.’
As they drove back to Kalanchoe Karen couldn’t get the music bar out of her head. Could this be the answer to Álvaro’s problems? The patrons wouldn’t expect food, so that would cut down on food costs and waste, and all they would need is a singer to draw the crowds in and drinks to serve them. And if it worked? She would be able to stay in Tenerife.
More importantly, she would be able to stay with Álvaro.
Chapter 17
Karen was awake when Miguel left for work early the next morning as she had barely slept all night, thinking about what she had seen and what it could mean for Álvaro’s restaurant. She knew she had to get around to telling him her idea but her first job of the day was to text Jill and see what plans she had. Jill beat her to it though, sending a text asking how the date had gone. Karen smiled and instead of messaging back she phoned Jill to tell her all about it.
‘Any plans for today?’ she asked once she had filled Jill in on all the details.
‘I’m off with Betty, Bob, and Danny to a garden nursery on the other side of the island. I’m free tomorrow though; shall we meet up then?’
Karen said that sounded great and they ended the call.
Deciding to spend the day in Miguel’s garden, Karen first wanted to pop in to Álvaro’s restaurant to thank him again for the lovely day out. She also planned to try and bring the conversation around to the bar she’d looked into last night, though how she was going to do that she didn’t know.
****
‘Good morning, Karen, what brings you here so early?’ Álvaro asked, looking pleased to see her.
‘I brought pastries to say thank you for yesterday. I had such a lovely time.’
‘It was my pleasure and I really enjoyed it. Are you on your way to meet Jill?’
‘No, she’s away today so I’m going to have a quiet day in the garden. Miguel said he would be home early so we’ll probably grab dinner together.’
‘He might be home early but you’ll likely be in for a late night with my brother. I would suggest you both walk down and have a drink here, but that’s not really fair on him as he works here three nights a week now.’
A lorry pulled up just then and Álvaro had to go and sort out the delivery so Karen said goodbye and headed back to Miguel’s. She took a different route through the town than usual, wandering down a little road she hadn’t been on before, wondering how she was going to approach the subject of bringing music nights to the restaurant without looking as though she was interfering.
