Could she instigate another meeting? Casually tag another invitation to supper onto the end of her next email? He could say no, but if he said yes it would be good. And if he said he was busy and couldn’t make it, she’d try to accept it. Maybe an editorial meeting in town would be better? Get it back to being a purely professional relationship? They still hadn’t discussed fully the promotion he needed to do for Lucinda Penwood. Tina sighed. Meeting up with Luc socially seemed to have been the wrong thing to do. She should have let things take their own course. Not tried to force his hand when he was clearly a man who blew hot and cold.
Times like this, she really missed talking things over with Jodie. She glanced across at the kitchen clock. 7.30. With the hour’s difference it would still be evening in France. Would Jodie be free to chat if she Skyped her? Worth a try.
Tina pressed the Skype key on her laptop and sat back. She was looking forward to this video call and hoped Jodie would have time to sit and talk. It was ages since they’d had a proper chat. Recently it had all been text or email.
The ringing buzz sounded for over a minute and Tina was about to click the off button, disappointed, when Jodie answered.
‘Hi. I was beginning to think you were avoiding me,’ Tina said.
‘Sorry. I was in the bathroom being sick,’ Jodie said. ‘Think I’ve picked up a bug, which is the last thing I need this week, what with moving and everything else that’s going on.’
‘You do look a bit pale,’ Tina said, concerned. Pale was an understatement. She’d never seen Jodie look quite so rough. Not that she was going to tell her that. ‘Any chance of you going to bed and sleeping it off?’
‘Not this week. Anyway, how are things with you? Any agency news I should know about?’
‘Things are good here. Need a couple of urgent press releases – I’ll email the details to you tomorrow. Nothing else important for you to worry about until next month when we’ll need to start thinking about future publicity for Luc.’
‘That’s great. How’s Maisie?’
Tina quickly told Jodie about the latest developments in Maisie’s life, wishing Jodie had asked how Luc was instead. She had lots to tell her about him. ‘Maisie’s parents are lovely. They came to supper recently. The evening was going well until John the Obnoxious unexpectedly joined us. Thankfully, though, Maisie seems to think he’s finally got the message that they’re over and will soon be on his way back to Scotland.’
‘I’m glad taking Maisie in worked out. I was worried in case she turned out to be up to no good,’ Jodie said.
‘I, um, I’ve been breaking one of my golden rules recently,’ Tina said, taking a deep breath. ‘You know the one about not mixing with clients.’
‘Ah, I bet that’s with Luc,’ Jodie said, a big smile on her face. ‘Tell me more.’
‘We’ve had supper together here and he took me to Ronnie Scott’s, which, incidentally, was fabulous. Can’t believe we never went when you lived here. And…’ She hesitated. ‘I went to a party with him and met his sister.’
‘He’s introducing you to his family already? Is she nice?’
‘She seems lovely. She’s got some sort of high-flying job in the City but her first love is painting. She’s good too. The first thing she did when we arrived was drag me off for a woman-to-woman chat about Luc. But I got the feeling she really wanted to interrogate me as much as she was telling me about him.’
‘How d’you mean?’ Jodie asked, intrigued.
‘Well, she’d say something like – “How do you feel about spiders? Luc hates them. He adores dogs, though – do you like them? Because he’s desperate to have one again. Are you a townie through and through? Luc can’t wait to get out of the city and live in the country”.’ Tina sighed. ‘It was as if she was checking to see if I was on the same wavelength as Luc.’ Tina smiled. ‘Although she did say I must be special as I’m the first girlfriend he’s had in years that he’s actually introduced to her. But that was before she said she hoped I liked him enough to accept his past.’
‘That’s a bit of a conversation stopper,’ Jodie said. ‘Did she give you a clue about what it was?’
‘When she saw I didn’t understand what she meant, she said, “He has told you about his past, hasn’t he?” And then she clammed up when I shook my head.’
‘Luc’s never mentioned anything to you?’
Tina shook her head. ‘No. When I asked her to tell me, she shook her head and refused to say anything more. Said it had to come from Luc. So now I don’t know whether to ask him about it or wait for him to tell me. Or even if I dare ask him if he thinks of me as his girlfriend as well as his agent. He’s so damn self-contained and private. I honestly don’t know where I am with him.’
‘It’s a difficult one,’ Jodie said. ‘Maybe give it a little longer and see if he tells you. If not, and you’re worried, you’ll have to pull up your big girly pants and ask him. It’ll probably turn out to be nothing major.’
‘Hope you’re right,’ Tina said. ‘But what if…’
‘No what ifs,’ Jodie said. ‘Just take it slowly – like I did with Ben.’
Tina burst out laughing.
‘If that was taking things slowly then I’m a lost cause.’
Jodie grinned. ‘At least you’re both in London. No long-distance relationship for you.’
‘That’s true,’ Tina said. ‘How is Ben?’
‘He’s fine,’ Jodie hesitated. ‘I’m glad you rang because I need to talk to you. A man has turned up here claiming to be a relative and Ben is piling the pressure on for me to meet him.’
‘Who is it?’ Tina said. ‘Your mum didn’t have any relatives, did she?’
‘His name is Travis Saville. Says he’s my brother. Ugh, I feel sick again. I’m going to have to run in a minute but, before I forget, Annette is sending you an invite to her wedding – 25th of November. Hope you can come. Bring Luc as your plus one. I can check him out then. Gotta go. I’ll ring you later.’ And Jodie pressed the disconnect button.
Tina sat for a while thinking. Could she accept the invitation and go to France for Annette’s wedding? Would Luc like to go with her? Thoughtfully, she typed a message to Jodie – ‘Sorry you’re not well. Feel better soon. Can’t wait to hear all about this Travis Saville. Will put Annette’s wedding in the diary and think about asking Luc.’
Maybe Luc would find it easier to open up about his past if they were away together. It was all well and good for Fiona to say it was for Luc to tell her himself, but he’d shown no indication so far that he planned to do so. Right, she’d definitely arrange another meeting and turn the tables on him by asking him to be her ‘plus one’ at Annette’s wedding.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Tina dallied for days trying to convince herself contacting Luc was the right thing to do. In the end she couldn’t do it and decided that waiting until she had news about his book, which would make it imperative she contact him, was the right, the only, thing she could do. If it was too late by then to ask him about the wedding, too bad. So, answering the phone about five o’clock one weekday afternoon she was completely thrown to hear Luc’s voice.
‘I’m in the park near you. Fancy a walk? And something to eat afterwards?’
‘Love to. I’ll bring details of the promo I need you to do,’ Tina said, wanting to ask if there was a reason behind the suggestion, but deciding that treating the get-together as an agent/client meeting would be easier until she’d worked out if there was a deeper motivation to Luc’s unexpected call.
Luc was waiting for her by the park gates when she arrived ten minutes later.
‘I thought we’d do a circuit of the park and then go for an early supper at the pub. OK with you?’
Tina nodded. ‘Sounds good.’
‘So how are things with you? Busy with the agency?’
‘I’m thrilled with the way things are going. I never really expected to be so busy so quickly. How’s life with you? Finished that second manuscript
yet?’
Luc shrugged. ‘Almost. To be honest life feels like a bit of a treadmill at the moment. The last year has taken its toll, that’s for sure. Some days I just need to get out into the fresh air and think things back into their proper perspective. Today I wanted to see you,’ he added, reaching down to catch and hold her hand as they walked.
Tina glanced at him, waiting for him to say more about whatever had happened in the past year, but Luc had become lost in his own thoughts and they walked in silence for a few moments.
‘Fiona told me you longed to get a dog again and move to the country,’ Tina said, breaking the silence and hoping to retrieve the conversation. ‘Getting a dog would at least get you out walking on a regular basis if that’s what you feel you need.’
Luc smiled. ‘She did, did she? Can’t see my parents being thrilled about my getting a dog while I’m still living at home. As for moving to the country – let’s just say that’s the long-term plan. Maybe when I’m a well-known author, hey?’
Sensing Luc wanted the conversation to move to a less personal topic, Tina said, ‘Well-known authors have Twitter and Facebook pages. Have you set Lucinda Penwood’s up yet?’
Luc groaned. ‘Do I have to?’
‘Yes, in a word. And don’t forget Instagram.’ Tina sighed. ‘Set them up, make me an admin on all of them and I’ll manage the content if you want me to.’
‘What sort of content? You said no photos of me originally.’
‘That still stands. I promise you it will all be Lucinda Penwood and book-related. The cover, the title, favourite places, etc. All unisex things to grab interest before and when your book comes out.’
‘OK, I promise. Shall we make for the pub now? I’m starving.’
Luc was still holding her hand when they reached the pub. Tina went to secure a table by the fire while he went to the bar for drinks and a menu. Watching him standing talking to the barman, Tina smothered a sigh. Holding her hand for so long had to mean something, didn’t it? She sensed he thought of her as more than just his agent but was holding back from actually treating her as his girlfriend for some unknown reason he wasn’t prepared to talk about.
Once they were settled with drinks and the meals ordered, Tina took a deep breath. It was now or never. ‘Fancy coming to a wedding with me in a couple of weeks? Jodie’s ma-in-law is getting married and I’m invited, plus one, for the 25th November. And the bonus is you’d get to meet my bestie. There’s only one little problem – it’s in the South of France. We’d have to go for a long weekend and you’ve already told me weekends are difficult for you.’
She sensed rather than saw the tension invade Luc’s body while he avoided giving her a direct answer as he smiled at her.
‘I’d love to say yes. It would be good to spend some time away together and meet Jodie but I’m not sure I can make it. I’ll need to check things around that date. Make sure… make sure I can be free that particular weekend.’ He reached across the table and squeezed her hand tightly. ‘I’ll do my damnedest, though.’
‘It would be a lovely break,’ Tina said, smothering her disappointment at Luc’s clear reluctance to commit further. What kept Luc so busy at weekends?
Chapter Thirty-Six
Jodie got up the day of Ben’s birthday determined there should be some sort of celebration for him, although he insisted he wasn’t bothered.
‘You know I’m not really a party animal,’ he’d protested. ‘I was planning to work most of the day – especially as I’m taking time off to move soon.’
‘Cake and champagne tea about four o’clock then with Annette and Thierry?’
‘Sounds perfect,’ Ben said. ‘Now, are you sure you’re all right? Don’t overdo things today. And don’t spend the morning overthinking things. See you at lunchtime.’
Jodie promised she wouldn’t do too much of anything and watched him disappear into his study. Trying to stop thinking about the envelope she’d found was impossible though. It wasn’t just the shock of finding the Decree Absolute, it was the thought of what secrets all the other papers in the boxes might hold. Could she cope with going through them? Were they hiding more confidential information about her mother that would tear an even bigger hole in her life?
Jodie stifled a sigh. She’d thought she and Jacqueline were so close, a real mother-daughter relationship. Now she was almost numb with the pain she was feeling over the fact that her mother had lied to her.
Maybe she should treat the boxes as holding lost, secretive papers belonging to a stranger. Papers that had nothing to do with her but belonged to the stranger her mother had turned into.
She’d have to learn to live with the fact that her mother had lied to her about being a widow because there was no one around to tell her the truth about what had happened in the past. At that thought, Travis Saville flashed into her mind.
How much did he know, if anything, about their father’s brief life with her mother? And if he was able to tell her things, what were the chances they’d be from a one-sided, biased viewpoint? Maybe there was some memorabilia about Tom Saville that her mother had kept in the boxes.
Jodie sighed. She knew so little about her father. Travis would at least be able to tell her what he’d been like as a person. Where he’d worked; what he’d enjoyed doing; if he’d been a good father. Not that there was any real point in learning about him now he was dead. And Travis was unlikely to be able to explain why she and her mother had been abandoned.
But then a rebellious thought struck her. She didn’t have to open the boxes. She could throw them away unopened – or even burn them in the large fireplace at the new house. That way, what she didn’t know couldn’t upset her. The past could stay buried – and her memories of her early life would stay the same, with nothing to tarnish them.
Grabbing a couple of large black bags she went upstairs. Packing up to move meant there was a lot of stuff being binned. She’d just add these bags to the pile already on the landing for Ben to take downstairs and throw away.
Annette and Thierry arrived for the birthday tea before Ben emerged from his study.
‘Shall I go and fetch him?’ Thierry said. ‘I have the space technology research notes I promised him.’
Annette looked at Jodie as Thierry left them in the kitchen. ‘How are you today? You gave Ben quite a fright yesterday.’
‘So silly of me to faint for no real reason,’ Jodie said. ‘I’m fine today.’
‘There’s always a reason,’ Annette said quietly. ‘Maybe you need a checkup with the doctor?’
Jodie laughed and shook her head. ‘No, honestly, Annette, I’m fine. It’s a virus coupled with being tired trying to fit everything in. I admit to being a bit groggy when I woke up first thing but that’s probably because I’m tired with all the packing for the move on top of everything else. Once we’re settled in the new house, things will get back to normal.’
‘If you’re sure that’s all it is,’ Annette said, giving her a concerned look. ‘Nothing to do with the news about your mother?’ she added softly.
Jodie sighed. Ben had clearly been talking to her again. Before she could reply Annette spoke again.
‘I do realise how difficult this is for you, my dear. Learning unpalatable secrets about a loved one’s past is hard, as Ben found out recently, but perhaps talking to this Travis would help you to come to terms with things.’
Jodie looked at her silently. ‘I can’t take the risk he has even more upsetting things to tell me,’ she said eventually. ‘I don’t want the memory of my mother sullied any more.’ She fought back the tears that were threatening to fall as Annette looked at her concerned.
‘I don’t think anything else he has to say can upset you more than the news about your father not dying when you thought and your mother taking the secret to her grave already has,’ Annette said gently. ‘I’m sure anything else he has to tell you will be quite tame after those big bombshells.’
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Tina, sitting on the bar stool eating a late supper in the kitchen, struggled to concentrate as Maisie, perched opposite her, chatted away about her day at the boutique and how much she was looking forward to working there full-time.
It wasn’t that Tina wasn’t pleased for Maisie and glad her life was working out; it was just that she couldn’t help wishing Luc would hurry up and tell her whether he could go to France with her or not. She needed to let Jodie know one way or the other, tickets needed booking, a hire car had to be organised from Nice airport, a new outfit had to be bought. Off the top of her head those were just four of the things on her to-do list.
‘Hello, Planet Tina. Are you with me?’ Maisie’s voice broke through her thoughts.
‘What? Sorry. I was miles away. Did I miss something?’
Maisie laughed and shook her head.
‘Not really. I was wittering on, as my mum would say. I was just telling you about the boutique Christmas stock that arrived today. Some of the dresses are really beautiful.’
Tina’s first thought at the mention of Christmas was, what were Luc’s plans? She suspected he’d probably be staying at home with his parents. Would he ask her to join them?
‘How’s the agency going? Signed any hot, sexy authors recently?’
Only Lucinda Penwood, Tina wanted to say, but she had to keep the secret too, so she smiled at Maisie instead. ‘No to the sexy authors but I’m really thrilled with how it’s going. My client list is now standing at eight – seven women and Luc,’ Tina said. ‘I’m thinking two more this year would be good. Ten is a nice number for me to concentrate on and give all the attention they need. Small is beautiful and all that. I can think about expanding later. Talking of Christmas – are you going home to see your family?’
Maisie shook her head. ‘I’m working until late on Christmas Eve. I’ll go home for Hogmanay instead – Veronica has promised me a long weekend then. What are you up to for Christmas?’
A Year of Taking Chances Page 16