Clicking the link, she scrolled through what were basically pages of posing photos of them all at various events. The site wasn’t very well organised, and it seemed almost deliberate that a visitor would have to work their way through loads of these before they finally found contact details, which Lara did after about five minutes of searching. It really hadn’t taken her so long to find it because she kept pausing at the ones where Theo was front and centre. That wasn’t it at all, because she’d been distracted enough today by one posing git, without getting distracted by another.
Refusing to allow herself to look again, she started to compose a message briefly explaining (reminding them) who she was and asking about their availability for the date. It was a bit close to eating humble pie for her liking, but it was business and she did what she had to do – as she would always do – putting personal feelings aside.
Once she’d written the enquiry she clicked send before switching the computer off for the night and locking the summer house up. There was plenty of work still to be done, but what was urgent she could take home easily enough to do there later.
As she went through the garden back to the main house her eyes raked the undergrowth for a sign of Fluffy. She’d been busy all afternoon so if he’d been back since he’d wandered off earlier then she probably wouldn’t have seen him, but she could never settle if she didn’t know he was OK. She half-thought about walking to Theo’s house to see if she could spot him on the streets around there, but that meant running the risk of actually bumping into Theo himself and she really wasn’t in the mood for that, despite the fact that the direct communication would be useful in helping to book the band for Fiona’s wedding. For now, however, she decided she’d go and get some food and give her wayward cat some time to come back of his own accord before she went searching. As for Theo’s band, she’d emailed them and if any of them had an ounce of professionalism (doubtful, but a girl could hope) then she’d get a prompt reply via the magic of the internet soon enough.
Over a salad of cold chicken and couscous, Lara went through the details of Fiona’s wedding day. Though she tried to concentrate, her attention wandered often, back to her phone and the message Lucien had sent earlier that day. She hadn’t replied, of course, and she’d been too busy directly afterwards to give it all that much thought, but now that the day was almost done and Betsy had gone home she sat alone in her quiet house and questions began to creep into her head. Mainly: why now and what should she do about it?
Nothing, was the most sensible answer, but doing nothing wasn’t in her nature. As a child, if she’d ever had a scab she’d have to pick it, and if she ever found a loose thread on her clothes she’d have to pull it, and if she ever got a loose tooth she’d always find a way to bother and bother it until it fell out. She was no different as an adult, except that the things that nagged her now weren’t physical but mental and emotional. Lucien had messaged her and she ought to have been able to leave it at that, to ignore it – but she couldn’t.
She opened the text and read down the message thread again. Then she closed it, pushed the phone firmly away and went back to her meal. She couldn’t be that kid who picked at scabs, not this time. This time she had to leave well alone, because nothing would heal if she kept worrying at it.
Only one solitary morsel of food had gone into her mouth before she reached for her phone again. Her finger hovered once more over the message to open it. But then, with an irritated sigh, she forced herself to open her inbox and read her emails instead. It was a job that needed to be done and it would focus her mind on something more useful.
Checking down the list, she noticed one from the website of Jazzy Chas and the Anglo-Sax-ons and opened it up.
Thanks for your enquiry but we’re unavailable on that evening.
Lara frowned. That was it – the whole message. No ‘Dear Lara’, no ‘Yours sincerely’, no ‘Best wishes’, no nothing. Well, there were certainly no charm-school graduates amongst the members of Jazzy Chas – not that Lara hadn’t already seen that perfectly clearly first-hand, of course. Still, it was annoying and it gave her another headache. Fiona wouldn’t be happy that she couldn’t have her band, and although she ought to have half-expected it at such short notice, she wouldn’t feel it was a bit her fault.
Lara let out a long sigh and pushed her plate away. Better to call Fiona now and let her know so they could figure out an alternative as soon as possible.
‘Hello,’ Fiona said as she picked up. ‘Not calling to tell me you’re not taking me on after all, are you? I was hoping that third time would be the charm.’
Lara opened her mouth to reply, a vague frown creasing her forehead, but then she stalled. Third time would be the charm? Did that mean Fiona had been dropped by other wedding planners before she’d engaged Lara’s services? If that was the case, just how much of a Bridezilla was she? It was tempting to ask but perhaps better not to. Lara was sure she’d find out soon enough and at least the wedding was close; if Fiona proved to be as big a pain as Lara was beginning to suspect she was, at least Lara would only have to suffer it for a few weeks.
‘No,’ Lara said. ‘I’m sorry to call so late but I just needed to let you know about something.’
‘What’s that?’
‘The band you wanted to play at the evening reception… I’m afraid they’re not available. Do you want me to see if I can find someone a bit like them? I’m sure there must be—’
‘You mean Jazzy Chas?’
‘Yes. That’s who you wanted, isn’t it?’
‘That’s funny. Are you sure they’re not available?’
‘Yes. Sorry.’
‘Only I spoke to Chloe who spoke to Gez, who spoke to his friend, who called… I want to say Chas? Is that really his name? Like the band? Anyway, he said they’d do it.’
‘What?’
‘He said they’d do the wedding for us.’
‘Are you sure?’
‘Oh yes. It’s a good job I asked, isn’t it? I mean, if we’d relied on you then we would have had to settle for someone else, wouldn’t we?’
‘But they emailed me to say they weren’t free. They definitely know it’s the eleventh, don’t they?’
‘Of course they do.’
‘Sorry, I don’t mean to push this but you’re absolutely sure they’re clear on the date? It’s just strange, you know, that they should tell you yes and me no for the same date.’
‘Maybe they didn’t realise it was the same reception.’
‘Maybe. When did you speak to Chloe?’
‘About half an hour ago, I’d say.’
Lara checked the time on the email. It had been sent over an hour ago. Did that mean they’d said no to her only to contradict that by saying yes to Fiona herself? Or had there been a huge mix-up? In which case, Lara needed to get it sorted before it got out of hand. To make matters absolutely clear and confirm whether they were getting the band that night or not, she needed to speak directly to someone from the band. But as they’d all refused to give her their phone numbers when she’d last met them at Chloe’s wedding, and as she only had what seemed to be a very unreliable email contact, the only other course of action was to try and speak to someone on the social grapevine that Fiona had used to contact them.
But then, she thought, going cold, did that mean going through Lucien? He was the friend who’d connected Gez and Chas, after all, though Lara had since realised when she’d mulled it over that it must either have been a very distant friendship or a very recent one, because Lara had never come across Chas in all the time she’d been seeing Lucien and had never heard him mentioned. It seemed likely that he was more of a casual acquaintance; Lucien had always been better at cultivating those than real friendships.
Lara puzzled it for a moment before deciding that nothing that risked contact with Lucien was a viable option. But, maybe there was one more alternative. It would mean swallowing a hefty, choking slice of pride, but she could go and see Theo…
<
br /> She knew where he lived, after all, and maybe she’d discover Fluffy’s whereabouts in the process.
‘So that’s settled?’ Fiona said into the silence. ‘No need to do anything else? We’ve got the band so I can leave everything else to you?’
‘Um… sure,’ Lara said non-committally. ‘Leave it with me.’ She didn’t want to say it was all settled for certain in case it wasn’t, but she was feeling pressed by Fiona, who clearly thought she’d done a pretty good night’s work.
‘Fantastic!’ Fiona said. ‘Speak soon!’ And before Lara could reply she’d ended the call.
‘Fine…’ Lara sighed as she watched the screen go black. Then she glanced up at the clock. It was a Monday evening so, with a bit of luck, no gigs for Theo and she’d catch him in. Abandoning her chicken salad, she grabbed her keys and phone and headed out to see him.
The evening was still warm, the streets bathed in the last mellow sunlight of the day, and the walk was pleasant enough, but Lara’s mind was racing. She half-wondered whether she might have been more relaxed had she put on her trainers and leggings and jogged there, but she supposed that might not have looked very businesslike, even if it had helped to empty her mind and calm her thoughts.
As she turned the corner of Theo’s street, she saw Selina, leaning on her front gate as she chatted idly to an older neighbour, a petite lady with huge spectacles and a shock of white hair. They both had a mug in their hands, though it must have been a bring-your-own party, as they were both on their own side of the low fence that split the two properties. She looked deep in conversation, and Lara wondered whether she ought to say hello or leave her to get on with it, but it seemed rude to pass without acknowledging her. Selina saved her the bother of ruminating further by noticing Lara and waving cheerfully.
‘Here she is! Looking for your cat?’ Selina asked, sipping from a mug.
‘I’m certainly keeping an eye out for him,’ Lara said, smiling as she walked over to them. It looked as if Selina was drinking an innocent tea or coffee, but Lara detected the whiff of something stronger lacing it. ‘Although that’s not necessarily what I’ve come for. Have you seen him?’
‘Nope, can’t say I have, but I haven’t been home long. So what brings you along this way without your running gear if you haven’t come to find your cat?’
‘Well… I need to see someone,’ Lara said. ‘It’s kind of urgent.’
‘Urgent, eh?’ the neighbour said with a chuckle. ‘I wish I could say something was urgent. Since I retired I’ve got too much time on my hands and nothing is urgent at all. I have to say I miss having urgent things to do.’
Lara gave a patient smile, though she was itching to get on, and Selina made a sympathetic face to her neighbour. Then she turned back to Lara.
‘So, who is it you need to see?’
‘Um…’ Lara began but, for some inexplicable reason, she suddenly felt very coy about telling Selina who she had come to see.
A brief silence followed while Lara thought about what kind of answer she could invent and why the hell she’d even want to invent an answer at all. She had absolutely no reason to, so this sudden irrational desire to cover up made no sense. Her reticence only made things worse, though, because Selina and her neighbour exchanged a look as Lara’s gaze involuntarily darted along the street to Theo’s house.
‘I need to see someone about a work-related thing,’ Lara said in a vain attempt to head off whatever gossip was possibly already forming in the minds of the two women.
‘Oh,’ Selina said again, though she was grinning now.
‘I wanted to book Theo’s band for a wedding,’ Lara said in a very deliberate voice now, deciding that honesty was perhaps the best policy after all.
‘Right,’ Selina said. She tipped her mug towards her mouth before seeming to realise that she’d already drunk the contents a moment before and looking vaguely disappointed by the fact.
‘So… it was nice chatting to you but I really ought to…’ Lara hooked a thumb in the direction of her destination.
‘Don’t let us stop you,’ Selina said.
‘OK,’ Lara replied as she started to walk. ‘Enjoy the rest of your evening.’
‘We will,’ Selina called after her. ‘Don’t be a stranger!’
Lara turned to wave and found both women with folded arms, watching her go. As she once again faced her direction of travel, she was fairly certain that they were still watching her. At least, she had the distinct and irrational feeling of eyes on her back. Perhaps not so irrational, given what she knew of Selina and her love of gossip, which was almost as great as Lara’s mum’s – at least, there’d been plenty enough times when she’d tried to engage Lara in local gossip for Lara to guess this. Lara could quite imagine that Selina would be over there like a shot later to grill Theo on the visit, and that half the neighbourhood would know she’d been at Theo’s house by tomorrow morning.
Outside Theo’s house, she paused. The curtains were closed – though it was early evening and what kind of person would want to shut this glorious golden hour out? Did that mean he was asleep? She’d sort of assumed that, as he played with a band, he didn’t have any other job, but perhaps he did. Perhaps he was a shift worker like Selina? He might not thank her for waking him if he was trying to grab a nap before a twilight shift. But then, wouldn’t Selina have said something if that was the case? Lara had a feeling she would probably know. Despite the uncertainty, Lara steeled herself and knocked anyway.
She waited. And waited. She was just about to knock again when Theo finally opened the door. He looked deliciously rumpled, the dark waves of his hair mussed up and the hem of his denim shirt misaligned, as if he’d done the buttons up in a hurry and missed one out. Lara thought, as she gave him a quick once-over, that her hunch might have been right after all – if he hadn’t just been sleeping then he certainly let himself go once he was home.
‘Well,’ he said with a lazy grin, ‘if it isn’t Hong Kong Phooey. What can I do for you? I haven’t got our cat, if that’s what you’ve come for.’
Lara ignored the jibe. ‘It’s strictly business tonight,’ she said.
‘Oh?’
‘I don’t suppose you have access to the band’s calendar, do you?’
‘The band’s calendar… You mean the one hanging up in Chas’s kitchen?’
‘You don’t all have… Never mind. It’s just that I tried to book you earlier today for a wedding. I emailed the address on your website and someone replied to say—’
‘That we weren’t available.’
‘That was you?’
Theo nodded, folding his arms across his chest and yawning as he leaned on the door frame.
‘Why did you say you weren’t available?’ Lara asked, bristling at the arrogance of his body language. Did he think this was funny? The way he made his living might be come day, go day for him, but Lara was in it for the long haul. Her business was her life, and she wanted to run it for the rest of her life – and she wasn’t going to be able to do that if she had to rely on no-good slackers like him.
‘Because we’re not,’ he said.
‘Are you sure?’
‘Pretty sure.’
‘But my client spoke to Chas and he said you were.’
‘Right.’ Theo shrugged. ‘Well, if your client spoke to Chas then why are you here?’
‘Because I need to check.’
‘She’s checked with Chas, right? So there’s no issue, is there?’
‘So… are you going to play at the reception or not?’
‘I couldn’t say…’ Theo ran a hand through his hair and ruffled it some more. Lara narrowed her eyes. Was he deliberately trying to look sexy? ‘You’ll have to ask Chas,’ he continued. ‘As he seems to be the go-to guy.’
‘I can’t ask Chas because I don’t know how to contact him. I’m asking you now because you were the one who sent me an email saying no to the booking.’
‘That’s true; I did.’
&
nbsp; ‘Why?’
‘Because it had come from you.’
Lara’s mouth fell open. Of all the responses she’d expected, that wasn’t one of them. ‘I don’t…’
‘It’s quite simple,’ he said. ‘You’re rude.’
And with that, he began to close the door. Lara launched herself at it, sticking her foot between the door and the frame. The wood hit her hard and she might have broken a bone had he not pulled back looking slightly less cocky than he had a moment before. Though she was so angry right now that she wouldn’t have felt a thing even if she had.
‘Oh no you don’t!’ she hissed.
‘Come on; let me close my door.’
‘No. Not till you explain what the hell is going on!’
‘To you? Why should I? You’re rude. You’re possibly the rudest woman I’ve ever met and, trust me, I’ve met some stinkers.’
‘You’re the rude one!’
‘Yeah? Well, we could discuss all day who’s rude and who’s rudest and I’m sure it would be lots of fun, but I’ve got other things to do.’
‘What? Like go back to sleep in the middle of the day like a weird jazz vampire?’
‘Well, I’ve got to feed my cat for a start…’
‘You said he wasn’t here!’ Lara squeaked.
‘Because you’d have tried to take him away with you.’
Lara paused. She’d never wanted to hit someone as much as she did right now. She could smack him one, right in the middle of that handsome face. Let the police come, let him press charges – it would be worth it just to wipe that smug, arrogant grin away.
‘Is this…’ she began, puzzle pieces suddenly slotting into place. ‘Is this all about Fluffy?’
‘Satchmo,’ he corrected.
‘Whatever. This is about my cat?’
‘My cat.’
‘Our cat. The cat. Whatever. Is that what this is about though?’
The grin was gone as he weighed her up. ‘Isn’t it for you?’
‘No!’
The Break Up: The perfect heartwarming romantic comedy Page 14