by A. E. Radley
Hugo dropped the controller to the floor. “I’m gonna speak to her.”
“You don’t believe me?” Alexia asked.
“Nope.”
Holly laughed. “Is it that unusual that she’d let you do this?”
Hugo nodded his head seriously. “Yeah. Like, alien abduction unusual. I’ll be back in a minute. Don’t touch the game.”
“I wouldn’t dare, I’m beating you,” Holly said with a smirk. It hadn’t taken her long to discover that she was good at video games.
“For now.” Hugo grinned. He left the games room in search of his mother.
“You’re going to be in big trouble if you’re lying,” Holly nudged Alexia softly.
“I’m not lying,” Alexia said. “Mom’s in a weird mood. I asked if she wanted to come up and play, but she said she didn’t want to get in the way.”
“I hope you told her she wouldn’t be in the way,” Holly pressed.
Alexia nodded quickly. “I did. But that’s when she said we were having pizza and the smell makes her sick.”
Holly wasn’t so sure that was the truth of the matter, but she also didn’t want to discuss it with Victoria’s eight-year-old daughter.
“Mom really missed you when you were gone, she didn’t say anything, but it was obvious to me,” Alexia said.
“I bet she had a lot of work to do without a good second assistant,” Holly agreed.
“It was more than that. Mom liked you. You made her happy.”
Holly laughed heartily. “I doubt that. Maybe I made her life easier and that made her happy.”
Alexia shook her head. “No, that wasn’t it. I hope you stay.”
“Stay?” Holly asked.
“Yeah, stay with us. For a while at least. Mom might be grumpy sometimes, but that’s just how she is when she’s nervous. She probably doesn’t want you seeing that she’s nice. Because you were her assistant and she had to be strict and stuff.”
Holly thought that Alexia’s childlike analysis was fairly spot on.
“Well, I know that your mom is nice,” Holly admitted. “I know she hides it.”
“Were you friends?”
“Well, no… no. But I knew. I worked closely with her, so I knew her well.” Holly cringed at how that sounded. Especially knowing the secrets that lurked in her journals.
“Maybe you can be friends now?”
“Maybe,” Holly agreed. If friends draw erotic pictures of each other, she thought.
“Why are you blushing?” Alexia asked, her head cocked to the side in curiosity.
Holly felt her cheeks heating up. The slight blush was becoming a full-on fire now that Alexia had pointed it out. She didn’t know what to say. Her blush was getting more and more out of control, and her brain wasn’t providing her with any words.
“You like her!” Alexia whispered, her mouth and eyes opening in shock.
Holly put down her game controller and leaned towards Alexia and shushed her.
“You do, you like Mom!” Alexia said a little louder as her excitement grew.
“Alexia, please, you have to be quiet. You know what your mom’s like, she’ll get embarrassed and then she’ll get mad.”
Alexia nodded. She turned to look at the open door onto the upstairs landing. She quickly jumped over the back of the sofa and slammed the door closed. She rushed back and stood in front of Holly, clapping her hands with excitement.
“So, she doesn’t know?”
Holly debated denying everything, but she suspected that Alexia wouldn’t believe her. She seemed to be as detail-oriented as her mother, she’d seen right through her. Denial would simply stoke Alexia’s curiosity. Admission would help to bond them, and therefore help her keep control over the situation.
“No, and I’d prefer if she didn’t,” Holly said firmly.
Alexia frowned. “Why not? If she doesn’t know, then you’ll never be together. You want to be together, don’t you?”
Holly let out a frustrated sigh. She took Alexia’s arms and gestured for the girl to take the seat beside her.
“Sometimes, it’s hard for adults to be honest with each other. Especially with stuff like this. Your mom, she doesn’t exactly wear her heart on her sleeve. And she gets embarrassed easily, and then she gets angry. I don’t want her to feel uncomfortable in her own house. Do you see what I mean? I think it’s best to keep things quiet. Does that make sense?”
Alexia nodded. “Yeah, I understand. You’re a coward.”
Holly blinked. Suddenly she remembered that this was Victoria Hastings daughter in front of her.
“No, well… I…”
“No, you’re a coward,” Alexia repeated. “You obviously have feelings for Mom, but you don’t want to say anything in case it goes wrong.”
Holly opened her mouth to refute the claim but found she couldn’t. Alexia was right.
“I won’t say anything, don’t worry,” Alexia promised. “If you want to be sad all your life, then that’s up to you.”
“Low blow,” Holly mumbled.
“But I could help you, if you wanted,” Alexia pressed.
Holly narrowed her eyes. This girl was already a master manipulator and negotiator. Victoria would be proud.
“Help me how?”
“I could give you advice. I won’t say anything because then Mom would really be mad. But I could tell you what to say, or what to do. I know her favourite food, chocolates, flowers.”
“You’d do that?”
“Of course! You did make Mom happy before, even if you don’t think so. After you left, she got really sad for a long time.”
Holly’s heart clenched at the thought of her disappearance upsetting Victoria. The last thing she wanted to do was hurt her again. She tried to look as stern and serious as possible as she turned to look at Alexia.
“Alexia, look… I… I do like your mom. A lot. And maybe she likes me. But I need you to know that sometimes things just don’t work out. I don’t want you to think that this will, because it might not. And me and your mom…” Holly let out a sigh. “It’s practically impossible. We’re from different worlds, there’s the age gap, you guys, my illness. I’m just saying, don’t be upset if nothing happens, okay?”
Alexia nodded. “Holly, my mom and dad got divorced when I was six, it’s fine. I’m not a baby.”
Holly grinned to herself. “Gotcha.”
“So, Mom totally won’t make the first move. And she won’t notice unless your moves are, like, really obvious.”
Holly wasn’t sure if taking dating advice from an eight-year-old was the best idea, but she didn’t have any of her own. And if anyone was going to have advice on wooing Victoria Hastings, it was the girl on front of her.
“Okay. Hit me,” Holly said.
Alexia gave her an appraising look. “Maybe you should be writing this down?” she suggested.
33
Victoria closed her eyes and leaned her head against the leather headrest of the limousine. Monday had been a relief. As usual, it was full of incompetence and she’d been tempted to fire two associate editors, but at least she had been out of the house.
She just didn’t know whether she was coming or going at the moment. One minute she was miserable that Holly had remembered the dog and not her, but then she spent hours working with Holly by her side and she felt whole again. But soon after, the girl was locked away in the games room with the children, trying to escape from her once again.
It was obvious what was happening. Holly was caught in a precarious position between feeling gratitude for Victoria rescuing her from France and coming to the realisation that Victoria was the devil in heels. Holly must not want to upset her, especially considering she held power of attorney over her, was responsible for her medical attention, her food, her shelter. Of course Holly was trying to keep the peace.
Now it was up to Victoria to do the same.
It didn’t help that her ludicrous dreams were keeping her awake night after night.
Looking Holly in the eye was becoming a challenge. Luckily, she had the excuse of work. She was perfectly happy to lock herself away in her study and give Holly the run on the house. It meant she didn’t have any fodder for new dreams. And it gave Holly a break from the charm offensive she’d been on to try to convince Victoria that everything was fine and well.
The car pulled up to the kerb, and her heart started to sink. Being depressed at arriving home wasn’t a new feeling for her. In the past, it had been thanks to her ex-husband. Now it was a charming, beautiful, and caring young woman whose life she had destroyed. This too shall pass, she reminded herself.
Her driver opened the door, and she stepped out.
“Thank you, Charles.”
“Good night, Miss Hastings.”
She walked up the short flight of steps and unlocked the door.
Hugo stood in the hallway with a bottle of water in his hand and a shocked expression on his face.
She closed the door behind her. “Something wrong, sweetheart?”
He looked at his watch. “It’s five thirty.”
“Yes?” She hung her coat in the closet.
“You’re never home this early.”
“It’s not the first time I’ve been home on time,” she pointed out.
“First time this year,” he argued.
She was about to deny it when she realised that she wasn’t sure. She often worked late, and one week turned into another and suddenly months had flown by. He did look positively stunned to see her there. Maybe it had been that long.
“Well, I’m here now. How are you? How was school?”
“What do you care?” He started to walk towards the stairs.
“Now hold on,” Victoria called after him. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
He stood on the first step and turned to face her. It was only now that she realised he looked upset. His cheeks glowed, and she wondered if he had been crying.
“You haven’t asked me how school was for…” He paused and laughed. “I can’t even remember when.”
“That’s simply not true.” Now she was sure he was wrong. She made sure to keep up to date with her children’s schooling. No matter the cost to her own work schedule, she was at every parent-teacher meeting.
“School was fine.” He turned on his heel to go up the stairs.
“Hugo, don’t turn your back on me.”
“I don’t feel well. I’m going to sleep, I’ll eat dinner later.” He continued up the stairs and then up the next flight before slamming his bedroom door shut.
She clenched and unclenched her fists. She wanted to march up the stairs and demand to know where her sweet boy had gone. He never spoke to her like that. But she knew that it was no use chasing after him. He needed to cool down and come to her. The realisation didn’t make it any easier.
She heard giggling and leaned over the bannister. Holly and Alexia were down in the guestroom. She stood up straight and pinched the bridge of her nose.
Something bumped into her, and she turned around to see Izzy looking at her with big, sad eyes. Admittedly she had been ignoring the beast since the initial incident with Holly.
“Yes, yes, I see you,” she mumbled.
Izzy whimpered.
“And I’m sorry.” She reached a hand down and scratched at the dog’s ear. “I’m sorry.”
“Mom? Is that you?” Alexia called from downstairs.
“Yes, sweetheart,” she called back.
Alexia launched herself up the stairs and pulled her into a hug. “You’re home early.”
She closed her eyes and held onto her daughter tightly. This was the greeting she had expected, though maybe not deserved.
“Holly and I are going to cook dinner,” Alexia said.
She opened her eyes and saw Holly smiling at her.
“I see, and what feast are we having?”
“Pizza,” Holly said with a mischievous grin.
“Oh, really?” Victoria narrowed her eyes at the blatant teasing.
“Tuna steaks and couscous,” Alexia said.
Victoria felt her stomach rumble at the thought of her favourite meal.
“A little bird tells me you like it,” Holly said. The girl leaned on the bannister rail and winked at her.
“Um. Yes… I do.” She turned to Alexia. “What’s wrong with your brother?”
Alexia shrugged. “I don’t know, he’s been moody since we got home.”
“Did something happen at school?”
“I don’t know, he doesn’t talk to me.”
“Nor me, it seems,” Victoria said.
“I’m sure he’ll come around. We’ll make him some food, hopefully that will cheer him up,” Holly said.
“Maybe so.” She glanced up the stairs, still wondering if she should go after her son.
Alexia took her arm. “Come on, Mom. Come and sit in the kitchen with us.”
She found herself dragged into the kitchen and deposited on a stool at the breakfast bar.
“Isn’t it cool that Holly knows how to cook your favourite meal?”
“It is,” Victoria agreed.
She looked at Holly who was making eye contact with her. She didn’t know if she was imagining it, but it looked like Holly was wearing extra makeup. She was also wearing the low-cut, Donna Karan cowl-neck cashmere top that Victoria had asked to have put in her wardrobe. She always thought the cut would suit the girl. She was right. Now she was struggling to ensure she didn’t look. Her overactive imagination didn’t need to add that to the repertoire.
“Want to be my sous chef?” Holly asked. “Or do you want to watch?”
It sounded awfully suggestive, and Victoria’s eyes flicked to Alexia who was putting on an apron.
“I… have some emails to answer.” She got her phone out of her handbag. It wasn’t a lie. Leaving early did mean a backlog of work would have accumulated.
As she checked her phone she could feel eyes resting heavily on her. It was going to be a long evening.
* * *
Holly sat on the sofa in the games room and stared blankly at the television. She normally loved Groundhog Day and would laugh all the way through it. This time the jokes seemed stale and overthought. She turned to watch Alexia who sat in the middle spot of the sofa. The young girl laughed and laughed, tugging on either Holly’s or her brother’s arms to ensure they were catching every second of her favourite film.
“Yeah, I heard it,” Hugo muttered at Alexia’s latest insistent pull on his arm.
Like Holly, he wasn’t enjoying himself. He flopped on the other end of the sofa, his long legs resting on the coffee table. He’d had his phone in his hand and had been glumly scrolling through it since Holly and Alexia came into the room. He hadn’t joined them for dinner, but Victoria had prepared a plate that Alexia had taken up to him.
Holly let out a sigh and turned her head back to the television. She wished relationships were as predictable as they were on film. Alexia had sworn faithfully that Victoria liked her. And yet, over dinner preparation and dinner itself, Victoria steadfastly ignored her. Holly upped the ante a few times with some risqué comments and some blatant flirting. Victoria had looked confused before turning her attention to something else.
In the end, Holly had stopped trying. She feared Victoria would decide she was suffering some latent effects from her accident and would have her admitted to the hospital at once.
After dinner, Victoria had disappeared into her study. Holly was convinced she was avoiding her. Alexia suggested it was more likely she was avoiding Hugo. Now Holly suspected she was avoiding them both.
The movie was paused, and Alexia jumped to her feet. “I’m going to ask Mom if I can have popcorn!”
“Careful,” Hugo warned. “Don’t take advantage just because she’s in a mood.”
“She’s not in a mood, you’re in a mood,” Alexia argued. “And I’m not taking advantage.”
She skipped happily out of the room, seemingly unawa
re that she was the only person in the house not utterly miserable.
“She’s taking advantage,” Hugo muttered.
“She’s getting a taste for the high life,” Holly replied. “Pizza yesterday, popcorn today.”
“There will be a sugar ban by the end of the week,” he said solemnly.
“Probably,” Holly agreed. She pulled her leg up and tucked it underneath her. She looked at him. “What’s up?”
“Nothing,” he mumbled.
“Sure. You just look like someone cancelled your birthday for no reason.”
“It’s stupid.” He focused his attention on his phone, but she could tell he wasn’t looking at anything specific.
“It’s a girl,” she surmised. “Or a guy?”
“Girl,” he corrected. “But it’s stupid.”
“I bet it isn’t.” She reached forward and snagged a satsuma from the coffee table fruit bowl. “There’s a reason why the vast majority of TV is about relationships, because they cause the most trouble in the world. That and war. You’re not starting a war, are you?”
He smirked. “No.”
“Good, I think your mother would have something to say.”
“Don’t tell her anything, I don’t want to bother her,” Hugo said.
“I don’t think she’d consider anything that’s upsetting you as a bother to her. But, I promise that anything you tell me will stay between us,” she said.
Hugo sighed and lowered his phone to his lap.
“There’s this girl, Kristine. Her best friend Penny told me that she’s interested in me—”
“Kristine or Penny?” Holly asked.
“Penny told me that Kristine is interested in me,” he amended. “So, I wrote her a note, but Jimmy Spicer got hold of it and read it out in class. Now everyone thinks I’m an idiot and Kristine won’t even look at me.”
Feeling like an idiot and being ignored by the object of your desire were both phenomena Holly could relate to.