by Jill Mansell
‘He wants us to work exclusively with him on a new screenplay…’
‘Wow, fantastic!’
‘…And he’s also produced a sitcom that’s breaking all records in its first series in the States. The Afternooners. It’s set to be bigger and better than Friends.’ The words were tumbling out now. ‘And Mac wants us to join the writing team. Me and Kaye! It’s just unbelievable. I could hardly breathe when Stephen told me… to think he has that much faith in us…’ Joe stopped walking and gripped her hands, his silver-rimmed glasses speckled with rain.
‘That’s great.’ Ellie reached up and wiped them clean, so he could see. ‘It’ll mean going back out there for a bit.’
‘More than that.’ Joe’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed. ‘It means going out there for a while. Six months, minimum. A couple of years, preferably. It’s just not something we can do from over here. We have to move to LA.’ His hands were trembling. ‘Ellie, he’s made us an offer we can’t refuse. It’s the chance of a lifetime. There’s no way we can turn it down.’
He was searching her face for a reaction. Ellie hugged him. ‘Of course you can’t! Move to LA and work with Mac Zeller? It’s amazing. And you deserve it.’
Joe pulled back, his own expression unreadable. ‘Seriously?’
‘God, yes!’ Why wouldn’t she mean it?
‘OK, here’s the thing. I was kind of hoping you might be a bit more upset, so that I could say, “And I want you to come with me.”’
‘Oh.’
His crooked smile flickered like a lightbulb struggling not to go out. ‘Well? How would you feel about that?’
Fifty yards away, in his first-floor living room, Zack watched from the window as Ellie and Joe stood and faced each other, oblivious to the increasing rain. He’d have a better view if he flung the window wide open and leaned out, or if he happened to have a handy periscope, like the ones he’d bought his nephews last Christmas so they could spy round corners.
But that wasn’t really on. He couldn’t hear what they were saying, but Ellie had just hugged Joe and he was now stroking her cheek. She was smiling up at him. Zack turned away, slightly despising himself. As he did so, his phone rang in his pocket.
Taking it out, he saw the caller’s name. Meg.
***
Back at Nevis Street, Ellie took off her wet jacket and put the kettle on, prevaricating while she worked out what to say.
But Joe wasn’t stupid. He already knew.
‘So you’re not tempted?’
She turned to look at him. ‘I can’t, sorry, no.’
‘That’s a real shame. I have to go,’ said Joe. ‘You do understand that, don’t you?’
Ellie nodded. ‘I do.’
‘I’ll really miss you.’
‘I’ll miss you too.’
‘But not as much.’ The lopsided smile was back. ‘Otherwise you’d come along.’
OK, here goes. ‘Joe, the last few weeks have been brilliant. We’ve had a fantastic time.’
He spoke with rueful resignation. ‘That means you really aren’t going to change your mind.’
‘You wouldn’t want me to. Listen, can we be honest with each other? Marks out of ten for how you feel about me.’ Ellie held up her hands. ‘And don’t say ten. You have to be completely honest.’
Joe raked his fingers through his damp hair. ‘Nine. OK, not nine. Eight and a half. But that’s good, that’s really good.’
‘Thank you. Now it’s my turn.’ Ellie had been going to say eight. To be kind she said, ‘You’re an eight and a half too.’
‘They sound like pretty high marks to me.’
‘They are. But not high enough. If you’re planning to live with someone, it has to be tens all the way.’
His eyebrows went up. ‘You told me not to say ten.’
‘Because it wouldn’t have been true.’ Ellie reached for his hands. ‘But you’ve given me my confidence back, and that’s the best present in the world. Thanks to you, I know I can feel normal again, do all the stuff that normal people do, have sex and enjoy it.’
Joe said gravely, ‘It’s a special talent of mine. I’ve always been excellent at sex.’
Everything was going to be OK. She felt herself relax. ‘You’re great in bed. And out of it.’
‘In an eight and a half out of ten kind of way.’
Ellie broke into a grin. ‘When you meet your perfect ten out of ten woman, I want you to phone me up and say, “Now I get it, now I understand. Ellie, I’m sorry. You were right and I was wrong.”’
‘Come here, you.’ Joe pulled her into a hug. ‘It’s OK, I already know you’re right. I’m just going to miss you, that’s all. We’ve had a good time, haven’t we?’
‘The best.’ She planted a fond kiss on his mouth. ‘Thank you. For everything.’
His face softened. ‘Trust me, it’s been a pleasure.’
‘For me too.’ It had stopped raining. Ellie said, ‘Come on, we have to go out and celebrate. My treat. You’re going to Hollywood!’
‘You’re feeling normal again.’
‘We’ve had a fantastic fling,’ she agreed happily.
‘And some fantastic sex,’ Joe modestly reminded her.
Ellie smiled and kissed him again. It had been good. Inside her own head, though, it hadn’t always been Joe she’d been having the fantastic sex with.
But she wouldn’t tell him that. There was no need for him to ever know.
Chapter 46
Yasmin finished cleaning the old polish off Roo’s toenails and began massaging her feet with exfoliating scrub. ‘Go on then, tell me more!’
Roo smiled; Yasmin loved hearing about the bizarre goings-on in the charity shop. ‘OK, yesterday this girl came in. Early twenties. Skinny, huge boobs, blond extensions, big blue eyes. She gave us two huge bags of clothes. Really good stuff, all size eight. Said she hoped we’d get a good price for everything.’
Yasmin looked up expectantly. ‘And?’
‘So first thing this morning she came back. Except this time she wasn’t smiling. Mad as a box of maggots. I waved to her and she said, “Has that bitch been in here?” Then all of a sudden she saw one of her dresses and went berserk, started screaming and swearing and trying to rip it off the mannequin…’
‘Why?’ Yasmin sat back, mystified.
‘Yesterday morning she had a massive fight with her sister,’ said Roo. ‘Her identical twin sister.’
‘Oh…’ Yasmin started to laugh. ‘That’s brilliant! We had a pair of twins here last year; they were retired schoolteachers but they still argued about what color they were going to have their nails painted. One of them wanted pearlized pink and the other had her heart set on glossy plum, but—’
‘Yaz?’ Jackie, one of the other beauticians currently manning reception, was peering out of the window. ‘Sorry to interrupt, but he’s back again. He’s on his way over.’
Roo’s blood ran cold; there was something about the urgency in Jackie’s voice that gave it away. And Yasmin had frozen too. It couldn’t be him, surely not… and if it was, what could she do?
‘He’s got flowers!’ Jackie hastily backed away from the window. ‘OK, here he comes…’
Roo heard the door swing open behind her. Yasmin scrambled to her feet. Oh God, oh God, this was a nightmare, Roo’s heart was galloping out of control, her head was spinning, she felt sick…
Then everything went dark and for a surreal split second Roo thought she’d passed out. Except, hang on, that couldn’t be right, her brain was still going. The next moment she felt the soft folds of the towel being patted into place over her face and head, for all the world as if she’d just had a nice relaxing steam facial.
Which she hadn’t.
Which kind of implied…
Except how could it?
‘Niall, this is silly.’ Still winding the ends of the towel behind Roo’s head, ensuring that none of her hair was visible, Yasmin said, ‘I’ve told you before, you can’t just tu
rn up here. I’m busy.’
The galloping in Roo’s chest was so thunderous it felt as if horses were about to burst out. She was lying back in a reclining chair with her jeans rolled to her knees, her feet slathered in gritty gunk, and her whole head wrapped in a dark blue towel. Less than six feet away from Niall. She could smell his aftershave. Sense his desperation. Hear the tremor in his voice.
‘…but you won’t let me into your mother’s house and you refuse to come home, so what else can I do? Yaz, I’m sorry.’ He was gabbling now. ‘I’ve told you a thousand times. I made a mistake and I’m going to spend the rest of my life regretting it. But you’re the one I love. You and Ben. We’re a family and we should be together… here, at least take these, they’re your favorite.’
From beneath the swathes of soft towel Roo heard the crackle of tissue paper and florist’s cellophane.
‘Just leave them on the desk, Niall.’ Yasmin sounded as uninterested as if he were the FedEx man dropping off a delivery. ‘I’m not going to let you do this in front of my client. It’s unprofessional. Plus, you’re making an idiot of yourself.’
‘Yaz, don’t you understand? I don’t care! I want you to forgive me.’ Niall’s voice cracked with emotion. ‘I want to win you back, and I don’t think anyone would begrudge me a couple of minutes to try.’ A hand came to rest on her shoulder and Roo, aghast, pressed herself back into the reclining chair so hard the plastic covering squeaked. ‘Would you?’
Rational thought was still a struggle but she was stingingly aware that this was Yasmin’s situation. This was her workplace, she was the one in control. And she was the one who had covered Roo’s face with a towel.
Did this mean… oh God… that she knew?
Either way it wasn’t her place to sit up and reveal her identity by whisking the towel off her face, Scooby-Doo style.
Which was probably a good thing anyway.
Instead, Roo shook her head and heard herself adopt a kind of strangled Cockney growl. ‘Nah, s’alright.’ Heavens, she sounded like Dame Edna with bronchitis.
‘Look, we’re a family.’ The hand left her shoulder; Niall was addressing Yasmin again. ‘I miss you so much. I miss Ben. I’ll do anything you want.’ He was pleading now. ‘I’m never going to see Vivica again and I swear that’s the truth. Baby, it was one mistake, that’s all. Just give me another chance, please.’
‘OK, three things.’ Yasmin remained calm. ‘I don’t like it when you call me baby. I never have.’
Ouch. Niall sounded as if he was shaking his head. ‘Sorry, sorry.’
‘Plus, I don’t want to give you another chance.’
‘But—’
‘And the third thing is,’ Yasmin continued as if he hadn’t interrupted, ‘you’re still lying to me now. One mistake, you said. But that’s just not true, is it? Vivica isn’t the only woman you’ve had an affair with.’
Ohmygod. The buzzing in Roo’s ears was like a jumbo jet. This was why Yasmin had covered her face with a towel, so that she could be the one to perform the triumphant unveiling. A part of Roo had to admire her. It would be a magnificent moment, the coup de grace to signal the death of their marriage. All they needed now was a drum roll…
‘I swear there hasn’t been anyone else.’ Niall was adamant.
Roo bit her lip.
‘Yes there has, Niall. You know there has.’
‘Baby—um, Yaz, honest to God, I’m telling the truth!’
OK, here it comes, here it comes. Roo’s nails dug into her palms. Here comes the big reveal…
‘Are you? OK, fine, have it your way. But our marriage is still over,’ said Yasmin. ‘And I have work to do here. So now that you’ve had your little say, could you go and leave us in peace?’
Hey? What? What about me?
There was a long silence. Finally, Roo heard Niall’s exhalation of defeat. Then footsteps as he made his way out of the salon. The door opened, then closed.
Everyone waited.
At last Jackie announced, ‘He’s back in his car. Driving off. Gone.’
And the towel was lifted away from Roo’s face.
Yasmin gazed down at her. ‘Oops.’
Roo’s mouth was as dry as the Sahara. She unstuck her tongue. ‘How did you know?’
‘OK,’ Jackie broke in. ‘For a start, you’re Daisy Deeva.’
‘What?’ Roo’s head whipped round; Jackie was standing behind the reception desk with her arms crossed beneath her jacked-up bosom. ‘You mean all of you know about this?’
‘Of course we do.’ Jackie’s tone was cool. She glanced out of the window again. ‘Yaz, Mrs Simpson’s here for her appointment. She’s just paying the taxi.’
‘Right.’ Yasmin indicated Roo’s unpainted toes. ‘Shall we clean you up and give these a miss for today? After this next appointment it’s my lunch break. How about if you wait in the café up the road and I’ll join you in twenty minutes?’
She was giving nothing away. Roo swallowed and said, ‘Right.’ What other choice did she have?
***
It wasn’t twenty minutes. More like forty. It felt like forty hours. Roo couldn’t stop shaking. Her stomach was all churned up. Was she sitting in the wrong café? How could she possibly have known?
Finally the door opened and Yasmin came in. She chatted to the waitress at the counter, ordered herself a latte, then made her way over to the table in the corner where Roo was sitting.
‘I’m so sorry,’ Roo blurted out. ‘Really I am. I hate myself. And I know it should never have happened in the first place, but it’s all over now, I promise.’
‘I know it is,’ said Yasmin.
Roo’s palms were damp; she surreptitiously wiped them on her jeans. ‘How did you find out?’
‘OK, from the beginning? Over the years I’ve got to know my husband pretty well. And I know he’s a good liar. Apart from one thing. The lying might be good, but he can’t control his neck.’ Yasmin patted her own neck. ‘Maybe you noticed it yourself. It goes kind of blotchy. Dead giveaway. Anyhow, the first time you came into the salon we thought you were Daisy Deeva but you said you weren’t. So that night I was telling Niall about you and the weirdest thing happened. His neck went blotchy!’
For heaven’s sake, was she serious? ‘That was it? Just his neck?’
‘Well, I wasn’t sure. But you’d lied,’ Yasmin pointed out. ‘So that made two things to be suspicious about. Then there was the evening we were out and we bumped into your friend Ellie. It did seem slightly strange that she couldn’t remember the name of her own child.’
Roo licked her lips, she still had no idea where this was heading. ‘So then you knew.’
‘Well, the neck thing happened again. Worse this time. It was pretty obvious that Niall was wondering what the hell was going on!’
‘It was all over by then. I’d finished with him.’
‘OK.’ Yasmin nodded, mentally piecing events together. ‘So was he also seeing Vivica then?’
‘Yes.’
‘And that’s why you stopped seeing him?’
Roo flushed and nodded, awash with shame.
‘Out of interest, did Niall tell you where I worked?’
‘No. I found a list of things you’d asked him to buy. Written on salon paper.’
‘Ah. That makes more sense.’ Yasmin leaned forward and took a sip of her latte.
‘Why didn’t you tell me you knew?’
‘Honestly? I’ve no idea. I was just so curious. You kept coming back to the salon. And you seemed really nice, which was confusing. I had no idea what you were up to. None of us could work out what was going on. But I didn’t want to confront you, because then you’d disappear.’ The corners of Yasmin’s mouth lifted. ‘And this might sound mercenary, but you’re the best tipper I ever had.’
Roo was busy pleating the edges of the blue and white tablecloth. ‘You must hate me so much.’
‘You’d think so, wouldn’t you? That’s the weird thing, though. I don’t. I neve
r have.’
‘The first time we came, it was to find out what you were like.’
‘To see if I was as awful as Niall said I was, you mean? Nagging, moaning, bad-tempered, and always shattered? I can imagine what he told you. And sometimes it was true.’ Wryly, Yasmin went on, ‘Having to work and look after a baby and run a household while your husband does bugger all can have that effect.’
‘I’m sorry.’
‘So you keep saying.’
‘I should have chucked him the moment I found out he was married. I’m a bad person.’ Roo’s eyes filled with tears. ‘I’m doing my best to make up for it, I promise.’
‘Oh God, please don’t cry! I didn’t mean to upset you.’ Yasmin hastily shoved a paper napkin at her. ‘Listen, you heard me when Niall came in today. I don’t want him back! I’m better off without him. If he’s still seeing Vivica now, you can bet he’ll be chasing some other piece of skirt by Christmas. I don’t think one woman will ever be enough. He’ll always be on the hunt for the next adrenaline rush.’
The paper napkin was scratchy. Roo blotted the tears and willed herself to get a grip. ‘I think you’re right. But I’m still sorry. And I’ll never ever do it again.’
‘How did you find out about Vivica?’
‘I read a text from her on his phone while he was in the bathroom.’
Yasmin shook her head and tut-tutted. ‘Basic schoolboy error. He won’t be doing that again in a hurry.’
‘I thought you were going to whisk the towel off my face when he was in the salon.’
‘It did occur to me. But then Niall would just blame you for wrecking his marriage. No’—Yasmin smiled briefly—‘I prefer it this way. It’s like a bit of one-upmanship on my part. And I want you to carry on coming to the salon.’ She checked her watch. ‘In fact, we could head back there if you want. I can give you that pedicure.’
Roo checked her watch. One fifteen. ‘I can’t. I have to start my shift at two.’
‘This is what we haven’t been able to work out.’ Yasmin looked puzzled. ‘You’re Daisy Deeva. Why are you working in a charity shop?’
‘I told you. I’m trying to become a better person. I’m making up for all the bad things I’ve done.’