Lucky Seven

by Elle M Thomas

 

  “Oh God, we’re on smiley faces now.” Tasha laughed as she replied to Lizzie, unsure why she would be going anywhere or even where she’d be going over to.

 

 

  Tasha frowned. She was many things, but none of them family. It suddenly occurred to her that as it was late morning Lizzie probably shouldn’t be in a position to be texting freely.

 

  She had messages queueing now, but needed to get rid of Lizzie, in the nicest way before she returned her full attention to Jim.

 

  Tasha laughed at the sad face now but quickly responded in what she would hope would come across as firm, but not bossy. The last thing she needed was to be in some way held responsible for Lizzie using her phone when she shouldn’t be, but she also didn’t want to alienate her either.

 

  When there was no reply from Lizzie, Tasha initially felt relieved, although with hindsight she thought she was probably snitching to Jim if she thought Tasha was being a bitch, but right now she couldn’t become unduly concerned by that.

  Chapter 15

  Tasha was still lying in bed when another message from Gerry arrived which was possibly more of a concern as it was still the early hours in London and there were three more from Jim. She sighed and opened Gerry’s first, hoping it wasn’t going to add further drama or tears to her day.

 

  This was madness, she and Gerry were done and he’d been the one to end it. He really couldn’t keep doing this to her. He had broken them not her and yet it was still her who was being made to feel guilty for his apparent unhappiness. She thought for several seconds before replying, hoping to sort things once and for all.

 

  She hit send and couldn’t deny her tears for a lost love. A past love. She then forwarded the message to Jim, with the opening:

 

  She then checked through his messages, three of them.

 

 

 

 

  Tasha phone vibrated in her hand and she smiled to see it was Jim.

  “Hey, baby. I needed to hear your voice, to check you were really okay.” He sounded a little cautious and waited for her to respond so he might gauge her mood.

  “I’m better, thank you. Did you get my message about Lizzie?”

  “I did and Lizzie has forwarded the messages from you. We will come back to Lizzie. I think you were quite clear in the points you made to Gerry.” Tasha was certain she could detect his smile from the other end of the line. “I am very glad you believe I am better and of course you are coming tonight, if you want to. I want you to,” he added, making Tasha grin.

  “Okay. I’d like that, thank you.”

  “Baby, I have a few things I need to wrap up here so I’ll call you later if you’re sure you’re okay?”

  “Of course.” She actually was okay, in spite of her earlier meltdown.

  Tasha snuggled back down under the covers and feeling a little lighter and with nothing else to do, she fell asleep. Her sleep was fleeting and slightly unsettled with thoughts of Gerry, her family and Jim filtering through into her dreams, if that’s what they were. Waking, Tasha saw it was lunchtime and the growl of her belly seemed to confirm that. Her inability to eat was possibly something else Jim hadn’t thought of.

 

  Tasha stared down and wondered just how she was going to explain it, so she went with simple honesty.

 

 

  The burn of yet more tears stung as Tasha considered his concern and offer, but there was no way she was going to give her father access to Jim or his money.

 

  She smiled a wry smile. If that didn’t scare off Mr Hollywood, fuck all would.

 

  Tasha let out a long and loud sigh as she considered his reaction if she continued with her open honesty. If he was going to bolt she would rather he did it now, a few days into this rather than when she was any more invested in whatever it was they were doing than she already was.

 
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  With her phone plugged in, listening to music while she text him, Tasha didn’t hear the door open behind her. She was still lying in bed feeling strangely relaxed and somehow unburdened by the skeletons she was pulling out of the closet and revealing to Jim.

  He considered sneaking up on her, but was unsure if she’d fallen asleep or whether he’d make her jump and after how badly he’d misjudged his joke or whatever he believed his actions were that morning he didn’t want to fuck up again.

  Tasha sighed deeply and decided her earlier thoughts, the thoughts that compared Jim and his controlling nature to her father and Liam’s abusive personalities were wrong. He was as far removed from them as anyone could be and she now felt guiltier than ever that she’d allowed her thoughts to compare them. She needed to reply to Jim and was just about to do so when another text came through.

 

  She unplugged her earphones and turned to see Jim standing in front of her at the bedside and was more pleased to see him than she’d imagined she might be.

  “You should be at work.” She wagged her finger before lunging towards him, desperate to feel the safety of his arms around her.

  “No. I should be here, honey.” He sat down next to her and kissed her on the nose. “Do you want a drink or lunch, or clothes?” A small, slightly unsure grin curled his lips.

  “Tea would be nice and if you could possibly unlock the wardrobe I will dress.”

  “Okay, real tea it is,” he teased before he opened the wardrobe and left her alone.

  Dressed in a pair of shorts and a vest top Tasha was just tying her hair up in a ponytail when Jim reappeared with a cup of tea.

  “Sorry, apparently I did it wrong, so Sandra made it the right way.”

  Tasha laughed. “There is an art to it, and we are very fussy about our tea.”

  “I get it now.” She watched his back disappear as he entered the wardrobe to get changed. When he reappeared Jim was dressed in black jeans and a white t-shirt. He eyed Tasha warily as she sat on the sofa watching TV where he joined her. “Are you okay? Really?”

  He sounded worried, nervous, maybe both. Tasha smiled in an attempt to ease any worries Jim might have.

  “Yes, I think I am. I’m glad I told you, but I could probably have said it better.”

  Jim shook his head. “I don’t think there was a right or wrong way to say what you said. I’m glad you trusted me enough to tell me.”

  “I am sorry I blurted it out in the demented crazy lady way though. It’s weird, isn’t it? I have friends I’ve known for years and apart from what they’ve seen first-hand I haven’t told them anything and then there’s you who I’ve known all of five days—” She shocked herself slightly.

  “Then I’m very honoured, thank you.” He put an arm around her shoulders and landed a single kiss to her temple.

  Suddenly, overexposed and uncomfortable at being the focus of attention, Tasha wanted to discuss someone or something that didn’t involve her past or her screwed up family. “So, Lizzie. Does she think I’m a complete bitch now?”

  Jim laughed. “No, of course not. She text me to ask if I was bringing you along tonight, but I was talking to you, so I didn’t answer. She got tired of waiting and text you instead. After you told her off for using her phone she forwarded the message to her friend, Danielle, or so she thought. She is next to Daddy in her phone so what she actually did was to forward it to me, so snitched on herself really.” He laughed again.

  “Oh no. Poor Lizzie.”

  “No, not poor Lizzie. She shouldn’t have been using her phone. We have discussed it and agreed if she is caught using it in school again she will only get it at weekends,” said Jim with a frown.

  “She would die without it,” cried Tasha, sounding over dramatic making Jim laugh.

  “That is exactly what she said. You really are down with the kids, honey. But she doesn’t blame you. In fact, she thinks she may like history now. So, thank you again for not letting Lizzie take advantage.”

  “Maybe having Pippa helps, but I do like Lizzie. She reminds me of you.” Tasha found she was gazing up at Jim and the atmosphere and tension between them was thickening.

  “Hmmm, lunch, then I do actually need to do some work. You do whatever you want for the afternoon, baby. Take my car if you want to.”

  She frowned at the thought of driving his very expensive car then frowned more at the idea that he was reluctant to embrace the sizzle of the rising electricity she was sure could be heard. Was it because of all she’d told him that had changed his feelings towards her?

  “What? You don’t like my car?” He sounded almost offended.

  “No, but I would hate to damage it. I am not used to big, expensive cars and I’m not even sure I’m legally able to. Plus, everything will be backwards.”

  “Backwards?” His lips curled into an amused smirk.

  “Yes, you drive on the wrong side and the steering wheel is on the wrong side and the gears are all wrong, if it even has gears.”

  “No, we have it the right way round,” Jim countered with mock offence.

  “I’m going to have to pull rank. My country is older than yours so we got it right, end of.” She was already heading for the stairs. “Lunch?”

  “You really are infuriating, baby.” His words were serious. He meant it, but couldn’t deny how much he liked it. He liked it, a lot. He liked her, more than a lot.

  Chapter 16

  Jim was in his office, so Tasha, in an attempt to be useful and to occupy her time began clearing away the things from lunch in the kitchen when Sandra appeared.

  “I’ll do that.”

  “It’s fine, I’m used to clearing up after myself.” Tasha hoped her reply wasn’t going to piss the other woman off further by somehow stepping on her toes.

  Sandra shrugged. “Are you better? Jim said you were feeling unwell this morning.”

  Unsure whether she somehow suspected she’d never been unwell, her eyes full of mistrust once more, Tasha aimed for simplicity in her reply. “Yes, much better thank you.” She needed to let Sandra come around in her own time. To realise she wasn’t a gold digger or opportunist. However, she continued anyway, “Sandra, do you have a problem with me?”

  “No, should I have?” Sandra’s reply was as curt as Tasha’s had been blunt.

  “No, but it appears you do.”

  “Okay, if you insist on doing this, it’s like this...”

  Tasha braced herself physically for what felt like was going to be a full on assault.

  “You are young and beautiful and you appear to make Jim happy. All of which is great, but an unknown foreign actress bagging or at least bedding the head of a respected studio in Hollywood makes me suspicious.”

  “I understand your suspicions.” Sandra looked slightly taken aback by Tasha conceding this point. “But it isn’t like that. Jim has offered me work. I’ve declined it.”

  “Hmmm.” Clearly, she wasn’t entirely convinced. “I just don’t want to see him taken advantage of and between him and Mike raving about you, you just seem a bit too good to be true. Even Lizzie is a fan and that’s unheard of.”

  Tasha laughed. “Oh, Sandra. I am flawed in many ways and I have many skeletons in my closet, but I’m only here because I like Jim. Really, really like him. Nothing else.”

  “He likes you too.” She seemed to muse, maybe preparing to say something else, but quickly her expressi
on flattened. “Sorry if I have offended you or over stepped the mark. Mike told me to keep my mouth shut.”

  Tasha felt sorry for her now as she suddenly looked regretful at speaking out at all. “I’m often told to keep my mouth shut, but I rarely do. Why change the habit of a lifetime? I think it’s nice that you care enough not to keep shtum, but you haven’t offended me. I like your directness, although I’m sure not everyone’s appreciative of it.”

  “I have broken the hearts of many a waitress when they insist on telling me they’re not really a waitress, they’re an actress. I do point out to them while they’re serving me coffee and being paid to do so they are most definitely a waitress.”

  Tasha winced as she imagined the scene.

  “I think it’s often put down to my English eccentricity. Mike said you’re from Walthamstow.”

  “Yes, and you I believe?”

  “Yeah and I don’t miss it at all. Mike gets all misty eyed with thoughts of home, but not me. I love it over here and the more distance between me and my wonderful family the better, well, some of them.” Sandra sounded bitter, possibly offering a small insight into why she’d left her family and country behind. Something Tasha could definitely relate to, especially when she considered the mess that undoubtedly awaited her.

  She’d been sat at the side of the pool for about half an hour when Tasha heard Sandra bringing someone through. Looking up she saw a young, dark, attractive man who started doing something with the pool. She assumed this was Juan. He smiled at her and as he glanced down at her chest and legs she felt slightly self-conscious in the bikini she suddenly regretted wearing.