Ten minutes later, Richie sat next to Ben at one of his own restaurant tables, drinking a rather fine wine that he didn’t remember ordering for his cellar, and hoping Ben would keep his arm linked with Richie’s for just a little while longer.
And that was a true measure of his complete collapse, wasn’t it?
Within seconds of Craig’s arrival, the two friends had converged on him, Craig assessing the situation even more quickly than Ben. Richie was pushed down on to a chair, Ben reached for a bottle and three wine glasses, and Craig vanished out into the kitchen. He’d rolled his sleeves up first. Richie wondered why, because Craig had never been much of a cook. He watched the fierce set of his friend’s shoulders as he strode into the kitchen, already starting to shout at the sulky staff. Th
