by Mandy Baggot
‘What?’
‘You like animals, Seth, you did that short artsy film where you spent the entire nine minutes in a closet with a monitor lizard.’
‘It was sedated!’
‘Lemurs,’ Trent blurted out. ‘I’ve got you lemurs. They’re gonna set up a Christmas scene, you’re all gonna be wearing cute little Santa hats, you and the other celebs, not the lemurs, and Katherine Langford might be coming. You know, she played Hannah Baker in 13 Reasons Why.’
‘Might be?’
‘It’s either gonna be her or the chick who plays Judy Robinson in the reboot of Lost in Space.’ Trent nodded as if completely satisfied. ‘I know, right. Win-win.’
‘Trent …’
‘Second thing. Lose the glasses.’ Trent plucked them from Seth’s face and put them in the pocket of his pants.
‘Hey! Give them back! You know I can’t see now, right?’
‘What’s with the glasses anyhow?’
‘I’ve been giving my eyes a break, and I haven’t had a minute to pick up my contacts from the optometrist.’
‘Make time,’ Trent ordered. ‘Before the lemurs.’ He picked up his beer glass. ‘Now, where shall we go eat tonight? I’m thinking how about where the rich and famous go. Tarantino’s Korean joint?’
‘I guess we have already paid the rent this month,’ Seth said.
‘We’ve paid the rent this month.’ He slapped a hand to Seth’s shoulder again. ‘And the city’s alive with Christmas spirit. Let’s get out in it. Did you find a pot for the Christmas tree?’
‘My mom is gonna find something.’
From inside the pocket of his pants Seth’s phone began to vibrate. Trent immediately held his hand out.
‘I don’t get to answer my calls now?’
‘Is it business?’ Trent inquired.
He checked the display. It was Andrew.
‘Andrew,’ Seth informed his friend.
Trent plucked the phone from Seth’s hand. ‘Seth Hunt’s phone, Trent Davenport here … Andrew! Wow, it’s good to hear from you, man. Tell me, how long has it been? Because I’d say weeks …’
Seth watched Trent prowl towards the door of the bar, looking for a quieter space to take the call. Maybe more of what Trent had planned was just what he needed.
Ten
A week later … East Village, NYC
Lara stepped out of the yellow taxi and looked up into the first light of a morning sky. The ground underneath her Dr Martens was crunchy and crisp, a mix of light snowfall combining with frost. The air was freezing, and her bomber jacket was in her case, but right now she didn’t care. She sniffed hard, breathing in New York City – the real New York City – not the stale scent of the airport terminal where immigration had kept them for what felt like hours, scanning their hands and eyeballs. She could smell the river, a slight dampness, steam and griddled meat … At that last thought her stomach turned, reminding her she hadn’t eaten since the meal on the flight … and a tube of Pringles Aldo had insisted she take in her rucksack.
Aldo had looked so forlorn when she’d told him she was going to New York. He’d asked her if she was going to be back for that Sunday’s dinner, like she was just driving ten miles into Salisbury. Her dad’s reaction had been slightly different. Gerry had come up with a list of twenty things not to do in New York, including not standing in the middle of the sidewalk, not dressing like a tourist and not taking a taxi. That was one black mark already. But, after his initial worry had passed, he had thrust her Christmas bonus at her – in dollars – and demanded she take lots of photos. Then, right at the last moment, just before Susie’s dad arrived to take them to Heathrow, Lara had almost bailed. Travel was something she craved and feared in equal measure. She’d had her passport since she was supposed to drive Tina to France with a delivery, but when the day arrived she’d feigned sickness. Travelling via Google had given her expectations. She didn’t want to be disappointed. Also, there was the flipside. What if her research expectations were met. Appleshaw had been everything for so long. What if she got into the wider world and didn’t want to come back? Like her mum …
‘Oh, Lara! Look at this place!’ Susie exclaimed, climbing out of the cab and expertly putting a chic fur hat on her head. ‘It’s like an advert for the most Christmassy Christmas ever!’
Lara swallowed. Susie was right. The decorations here put Appleshaw’s to shame. There were glowing, coloured lights hanging from restaurant canopies – Italian and Japanese she could see across the street – decorated fir trees outside hotels and bars and ambient lighting coming from windows of three- and four-storey townhouses, the city seeming to come awake. It was just like in the movies. And Lara was in the very thick of it. She should be feeling thrilled, but instead she felt like little balls of apprehension were blocking every receptor.
Susie put an arm around her friend and pulled her close. ‘I know what you’re thinking.’
‘What time they roll the food trucks out around here?’ Lara responded with half a smile.
‘Has he done it yet?’ Susie asked, her voice a little flat.
Lara immediately knew what she was referring to. When she had told Dan she was going to New York, he had told her that if she thought the crowds at the Appleshaw summer fete were something else, then NYC was going to be overwhelming for her. And before she could reply, say that they had found a cute little (cheap) apartment to rent in East Village, that David was going to show them around a little when he wasn’t working, that apparently one of the best places to buy jeans was the Brooklyn Denim Company, Dan had said he was going to change his relationship status on Facebook. She had been floored. Still was.
‘I haven’t checked,’ Lara answered.
‘Do you want me to?’
‘No.’ Lara shook her head. ‘I’ll do it later.’
Susie nudged her with her elbow. ‘While we’re posting photos of you and Seth Hunt at the zoo.’
Lara still wasn’t quite sure how she had gone from ordinary, hard-working village girl to being in the Big Apple, on the verge of being dumped by Dan, having been invited to Central Park Zoo that afternoon to meet someone she had watched season after season on her TV in her barnpartment. And she still had no idea why Seth Hunt was communicating with her. Over the past week he had chatted to her about Christmas and parties and told her he was a Gemini … and then, when she said she was coming to New York, he had invited her to the zoo. And she was equally unsure what photos of her with a hot actor were really going to do to help her relationship with Dan … if she still had a relationship with Dan. Just what was he going to change his relationship status to? Single? It’s complicated? Nothing at all? She wasn’t sure which one of those was worse.
‘Hey, I’m still right here and your luggage is on the sidewalk.’ It was the cab driver and Susie turned around with a squeak, apologising and dipping a hand into her bag for her purse.
Lara gazed up at the building in front of her. It was five windows high, the first row at street level, the second a little higher, those ones arched, the paint around them white. On the ledges were planters, a little snow on their edges, filled with snowmen in varying poses – one brandishing a candy cane, one smoking a pipe, one wearing a red hat – all with glowing bellies. She hoped their apartment wasn’t at basement level. She hoped she got to look after the snowmen. Aldo would have liked the snowmen. Straight away, a little guilt invaded her consciousness. She had never been so far away from her family. Now she was halfway across the world.
Lara yawned. ‘Maybe we should go to bed for a bit.’ She could do with a sleep as she hadn’t done much of it on the plane. And hopefully she could nap right through the time of this zoo thing. In the cold light of day, the whole thing seemed rather pathetic.
‘You’re not serious!’ Susie grabbed the handle of her four-wheeled suitcase. ‘We’re in New York!’ She pushed Lara’s case towards her, a little snow getting caught in the wheels. ‘The city that never sleeps … where we can ditch our va
gabond shoes and … buy several other better pairs in Saks.’
‘I know but—’
‘No buts,’ Susie said firmly. ‘We came here to remind ourselves we are strong, independent women who can jump on a plane and grab an opportunity as it comes at us, like a well-aimed snowball.’
‘You came here to sleep with David,’ Lara responded.
‘And to remind him that I am a strong, independent, hot woman he’d better not forget while he’s over here surrounded by all the temptations of the city.’
‘So, we don’t need to go to the zoo today then,’ Lara stated.
‘Oh, Lara, why not? This is Seth Hunt! Dr Mike! Who asked you to come to his personal appearance for charity.’
All Lara could think about was how long it would be before Dan was moving into the golf club, and how many bedrooms this lodge in Scotland had. Why hadn’t she asked that very question? Perhaps she could google it later.
‘Well, I want to meet him. Maybe I’ll tell him I’m Lara,’ Susie suggested. ‘Seeing as your profile photo is slightly more truck than you.’
‘And how will that help you with David and explaining the “temptations of the city”?’
‘Good point,’ Susie said, walking towards the steps to the entrance. ‘So, you need to help me out and be you.’
Be me. She drew in a breath of the freezing air and wished her long-sleeved Panic! At the Disco sweater was just a little thicker. She knew exactly who Lara Weeks was in her safe, cosy south of England village, with Dan, her dad and Aldo. She wasn’t sure who she was on her own in big city New York.
‘Come on,’ Susie said, running up the steps, case wheels banging against each and every one. ‘Let’s check out our place, dump our luggage and find an authentic place for bagels!’
Bagels. Proper New York bagels, fresh from the oven, not just pictures on Pinterest. Lara’s insides applauded and messaged her boots to get walking. ‘We should have pumpernickel,’ she called after Susie. ‘I’ve always wanted to try pumpernickel.’
Eleven
Central Park Zoo, NYC
‘Look happy,’ Trent whispered to Seth while maintaining a perfectly fixed blissed-out expression on his own face.
‘This is me looking happy,’ Seth answered, waving at the crowd gathered ahead of him. They had been waiting in the freezing cold for over thirty minutes while a speech was given about the importance of the Stand for Wildlife campaign. It was a great cause. He had looked it up, despite Trent telling him he needn’t bother. Central Park Zoo was doing everything it could to advance wildlife conservation and promote the study of zoology. He just wasn’t too sure about holding a lemur …
‘Seth, you are an A-game actor. If that’s you looking happy then you need to work on your motivation.’
He smiled harder. When had smiling become a problem? When had ignoring a phone call from his mom been a thing too? Last night, Kossy had called him and the second he saw her photo on his cell-phone screen, he knew he wasn’t going to answer and he didn’t really know why. All she had done was tell him what he had asked and yet, now he knew, he was more confused than ever. What happened next? Did he act on the vague information he had and try to find his birth mother? Was that what he really wanted? Maybe Kossy had found something out. Perhaps that had been the reason for her call. They hadn’t spoken since their lunch last week. He really should have picked up. He should call her back.
‘Wait for your cue,’ Trent hissed. ‘Remember what we talked about. You have to get on the stage first. Grab the best position in the centre, make for the smallest, cutest lemur with the biggest eyes.’
‘You sound insane.’ As much as he loved animals, to Seth the lemurs looked like a cross between a racoon and a large, angry-looking squirrel.
‘And stay away from the Santa Claus,’ Trent continued. ‘The rumour is he’s exactly like that gnarly character he played in Basement One.’
‘Is there anything I can do?’ Seth queried.
‘Yes,’ Trent answered. ‘Smile more.’
‘… so, everybody, let’s hear it, let’s all show our appreciation for the talented, famous faces, lending their support to our Stand for Wildlife campaign this Christmas.’
‘Oh my God, Lara, there he is!’
They had eaten bagels at Tompkins Square Bagels – the Grav Deluxe which consisted of gravlax (cured salmon) with sundried tomatoes, capers, onions and avocado on pumpernickel – then Susie had forged on to Fifth Avenue for a first look at those shops she craved. Kate Spade had been today’s main attraction, Susie comparing bags like her decision was as important as the Brexit negotiations. Lara had never been a bag person. Everything she needed was on Tina’s dashboard or in her coat. She didn’t understand why anyone would want to pay hundreds of dollars for one. She’d said this out loud when Susie was weighing up whether to plump for a tote or a satchel and it had earned her a rather disgusted snort from a woman next to them. Susie had decided not to buy in the end. Apparently, there were hundreds of handbag stores in New York. The gorgeous Christmas decorations had been worth seeing though, icicle lights dripping down from the ceiling, giant red baubles made into seats …
Now here they were at Central Park Zoo and it was as if someone had lifted up a toy safari park and placed it right in the middle of this wintry metropolis. Low-rise animal enclosures and open spaces were surrounded by towering glass and concrete skyscrapers. It was a little like something Aldo might have made from Lego when he was younger. They had already photographed the famous clock and listened to one of its festive tunes – two monkeys looking cheeky by the bell – and now they were standing around the sea lion enclosure, between leafless trees and snow-covered wooden benches, surveying the people standing on a winterscape stage scene. There was someone dressed as Father Christmas, two elves dancing, a sleigh full of gifts and, making his way onto the stage, was the man she had been in correspondence with. Seth Hunt.
‘He’s tall,’ Lara remarked. ‘Taller than I thought he would be.’
‘He’s hotter than I thought he would be,’ Susie said with a sigh.
‘Even in the elf hat,’ Lara agreed.
‘Especially in the elf hat.’
She desperately wanted to hear him talk. As Dr Mike he had the most wonderfully velvet tones, a voice both sexy and trustworthy. But that was his role. In reality, he might squeak like Mickey Mouse. She moved herself forward a little, inching closer, until the woman in the crowd ahead of her looked round like Lara might be about to pick her pocket. Pickpockets had been on her dad’s list of things to avoid in New York … and Brownsville. Maybe she did need a handbag.
‘Hey, everybody, it’s so good to be here with you today supporting this fantastic cause, Stand for Wildlife. Please, if you can, give a little towards ensuring these animals continue to be expertly cared for here and at our other great parks.’
Velvet. Sincere. Gorgeous. But, of course, just a means to an end, for her to take photos with. To remind Dan that she was a strong, self-reliant woman, his strong, self-reliant woman, who was now grabbing life by the baubles.
‘We need to get closer,’ Susie said, pushing through the crowd. ‘Did he say where you should meet him?’
‘No,’ Lara said. ‘I don’t know. I didn’t take the invitation that seriously. And people say things they don’t really mean all the time.’ Like Dan, when he said he loved me … She swallowed. ‘I expect he started off being kind – or drunk like we were that night – and then he didn’t know how to get out of it when we responded saying we were going to be in New York, and so he picked this very public place knowing there would be no real chance I’d get anywhere near him.’ She swallowed again. ‘That’s what I would have done.’ Although they had discussed star signs and he had made her laugh out loud …
Suddenly Lara felt a twinge of disappointment. This was definitely down to the jet lag. Her mind wasn’t in a sane place. She was surrounded by Christmas, a time she loved, a season she usually spent nesting in her barnpartment, readying
it and herself for two weeks of traditional food, drink and family. Instead she was at a zoo. In New York.
‘I don’t believe anyone with a voice as chocolatey as that is going to deliberately mislead anyone.’ Susie sniffed. ‘It’s an impossibility that Dr Mike could ever do such a thing.’
‘But Dr Mike isn’t real,’ Lara reminded her, running a hand through her hair.
‘Come on,’ Susie urged. ‘I want to meet him even if you’re claiming not to be bothered.’ She shifted left with a loud ‘excuse me’ as she nudged other spectators.
‘Susie,’ Lara called. ‘Susie, wait!’
Twelve
Seth was wearing a bright green-and-gold embroidered elf hat with a bell on the end that tinkled every time he even so much as breathed. And now there were lemurs being brought into the mix, and he had to keep smiling when he didn’t feel like smiling. Add in the fact he was also freezing his ass off because Trent wouldn’t let him layer up in a coat and, if Seth didn’t get a strong coffee very soon, there was a real danger that his new agent might be given notice before the day was out.
Hoping for some sort of sign this was all going to be over very soon, he looked over to Trent who was standing offstage. Instead he was met with more animation than an episode of Dance Moms. Trent had his fingers inside his mouth, pulling the skin wide, leaping up and down and doing crazy eyes. If Seth hadn’t been caught in the middle of all this he would have fallen apart laughing. He interpreted the actions as meaning he obviously still wasn’t looking happy enough.
‘Hey there, which one would you like to hold? We have Cyrus here on the left or we have little Jax.’
Seth observed the two lemurs in the arms of one of the zoo employees. They were both staring at him like he was food. Up close they were built like miniature kangaroos, all large limbs and a furry striped tail that looked like it could go boa constrictor at any minute, wrap around his neck and suffocate him to death. At least he wouldn’t die cold.