CHAPTER FOURTEEN
IT HAD TAKEN a couple of hours’ work before the space was ready, but the transformation was complete. There was enough time for soup and sandwiches at noon, before the first cars started to arrive.
He recognised some of the people. Hayley was there with Alice, and Sam broke free from his mother’s hand, tugging at Leo’s jacket to tell him that today they were going to climb. Carys’s father hovered by the doorway and Howard marched up to him, shaking his hand and taking him and Carys on a guided tour of all the facilities that the barn had to offer. Alex was busy, making sure she spoke to everyone and that the helpers were all in place before anyone started to climb.
At three o’clock refreshments were served, and Alex brought him coffee. ‘Enjoying yourself?’
‘You need an answer to that?’
She grinned up at him. ‘Nah. I saw you at the wall with Sam. He doesn’t give up, does he?’
‘Incorrigible. Like someone else I know.’
‘Can’t think who you mean.’ She looked around to make sure they weren’t being overheard. ‘The last of the trustees called me just now, so I can finish the paperwork on Alice’s grant in the morning. I’ve asked her mother if I can pop in for a chat tomorrow, before the radio show.’
‘That’s great. Thanks.’ Leo knew what Alex was asking.
‘I don’t suppose you want to change your mind and come along with me?’
‘No. I don’t suppose I do. This is your forte. I prefer to stay at arm’s length.’
She shot him an incredulous look. ‘How can you say that? You connect with people all the time, as a doctor and on the radio.’
‘That’s different.’
Alex flushed pink. That was generally a sign that she wasn’t going to accept his stonewalling tactics. ‘So it’s okay to commit emotionally to people you don’t know, but not to people you do...’ She pressed her lips together. Perhaps she’d said more than she meant to.
He should walk away. Before they got onto why he couldn’t commit to her. Because he had a feeling that this was where this was leading. ‘Hey. Do me a favour, will you?’
‘Of course.’
‘Give me a break?’
She laughed suddenly, shaking her head. Maybe she was as relieved as he was to just steer away from a question that ultimately didn’t have any answer. ‘Yeah. Always.’
‘Thanks.’
‘Anyway, I think someone’s got a job for you.’ She pointed over to the most difficult climbing wall and he saw Sam standing at the bottom of it, gazing fixedly in his direction.
‘He has got to be kidding...’
‘I don’t think he is. Go and use that charm of yours to talk him out of it.’
* * *
The last words that Leo said on-air to her were the ones that mattered the most to him. The ones he really meant. There had been so many callers that they’d been almost overwhelmed and hardly had time for anything else. But he made sure there was time for this.
‘This last month has been both inspiring and life-changing for me. It’s been an honour to make that journey with you, Alex.’
‘Thanks, Leo. I’ve really enjoyed it.’
‘We must do this again, soon.’ He held her gaze, trying to show her that this wasn’t just a hollow courtesy.
‘I’d love to.’ He thought he saw the glint of a tear in her eye, and he turned to a commercial before anyone noticed the lump in his throat.
She watched him silently as he took off his headphones and switched off the sound link to the control room. Then she puffed out a breath.
‘So this is it...’
‘I never say anything I don’t mean on the radio.’
‘Too many witnesses?’
Leo shook his head. ‘Nah. It’s just too important to me.’
She gave him a hesitant smile. ‘You could...call me. I promise I’ll get back to you this time.’
That was all he wanted to hear. ‘I know where you live now. If you don’t get back to me I will find you.’
* * *
‘That’s it.’ Rhona put the last of the thank you letters into an envelope and added it to the pile. ‘How are you doing with the cheques?’
‘They’re all ready for the bank.’ It had taken all morning and half the afternoon to deal with all the letters and cheques that had been received in the post since last week. Alex was grateful for every word, every penny, but it presented a whole new set of challenges for the charity.
‘Growing pains...’ Rhona rested her chin on her hand, staring across the desks.
‘Yeah. It’s going to be a lot of work, spending all this money wisely.’ Alex traced the tip of her pencil across her writing pad.
‘I blame Leo. And you, of course.’
‘Thanks. Nice to know I’m the architect of my own difficulties.’ She stared at the complex doodle in front of her. Boxes in boxes in boxes. That was how she’d felt for the last week. She’d known that Leo wouldn’t be in touch until after the weekend; he’d been busy filming for a TV special. And today he’d be at his surgery and then the radio station for his Monday evening show. Maybe she could start hoping for a call tomorrow evening.
‘We’ll work it out.’ Alex added a couple of optimistic curlicues to the doodle and then jumped as a loud rap sounded on the door and it swung open.
Leo. The tip of Alex’s pencil broke, lead spinning across the desk. Instead of breezing in, the way he normally did, he was standing stock-still in the doorway. And he was smiling.
‘Anyone for cake?’ He had a box from the cake shop around the corner balanced on top of three takeaway cups in a cardboard holder.
‘Leo! Don’t be ridiculous—of course we want cake.’ Rhona pulled him into the office, slamming the door behind him to prevent any possibility of escape.
He grinned, and Alex’s heart lurched dangerously. Had he somehow become more handsome in the last week, or had she really missed him that much?
‘Sit down.’ Rhona pushed a chair up for him and grabbed the box from his hand, opening it. ‘Ah, Leo. You know the way to a woman’s heart...’
He chuckled, putting a cardboard cup down in front of her and a second on Rhona’s desk, keeping the smaller cup for himself.
‘Espresso?’ It was all Alex could think of to say. Still she couldn’t stop staring at him, but that was okay because his gaze had never left her face.
‘Yeah. I need to stay awake. I’ve been busy.’
He probably had been. But busy was Leo’s excuse for everything. All the same, he was here, and all the reasons why she shouldn’t miss him were crushed under the weight of his smile.
‘I’m just off to the bank. Don’t eat my cake...’ Rhona snatched up the pile of cheques from Alex’s desk.
‘It’s my turn.’ Alex shot her an apologetic look. She supposed that she and Leo had made Rhona feel as if she was the third person who made up a crowd. ‘I’ll go later.’
‘I don’t mind. You and Leo stay here...’
‘Actually...’ Leo put a stop to the discussion. ‘I have something I wanted to discuss with you both. What are you doing on Saturday?’
* * *
Alex looked at her watch. Twelve thirty, and the barn was already filling up. They’d decided to use the larger area because of the number of people coming today, and she had taken the previous day off work to help clear the space. Early this morning, a group of men had turned up with a van and erected a stage, messed around with amplifiers and microphones until everything was exactly to their liking and then left again. And now nothing seemed to be happening.
‘Where is he? Suppose they don’t turn up?’ she whispered frantically to Rhona.
‘You said it yourself—Leo’s never early. We’ve got another half an hour.’
She pulled out her phone and looked at it. Nothing. And it was impossible that Leo didn’t have his phone with him. He’d call if there was a problem.
‘You just want to see him,’ Rhona observed sagely.
‘No...’ Yes, actually. ‘At the moment I’d just like to see someone on that stage...’
Suddenly the door at the far end of the barn, next to the stage, opened. Her father ushered Leo through it and Alex’s heart thumped in her chest. Then a young man walked through the door, climbing up onto the stage.
Bobby Carusoe. The name was passed around the scattered audience like a brush fire. Six number one hits in a row. The young star who had taken both America and Europe by storm and who was in the UK for six weeks between tours. Every teenage girl’s dream.
Every head turned towards him, mouths gaping open. Bobby picked up a microphone and addressed the stunned crowd.
‘Is everyone here yet?’
‘No...’ Rhona shouted at the top of her voice, from where she and Alex were standing at the back. ‘It’s supposed to start at one o’clock...’
‘Then there’s time to meet everyone.’ A communal gasp went up. ‘But first I’d like you all to meet a good friend of mine.’
‘Friend?’ Alex hissed at Rhona, ‘What’s he done now? Leo didn’t say anything about a friend.’
‘Oh, my giddy aunt...’ Rhona nodded towards the stage, where Leo was helping a young woman in high heels and a shimmering dress up the steps. She ran towards Bobby, smiling up at him when he put his arm around her shoulder. ‘It’s Aleesha.’
Bobby and Aleesha waved and everyone waved back. Then Aleesha put her finger to her lips, and everyone fell silent.
‘Bobby and I have a new album, due to come out next week. And we thought you might like to be the first to hear some of the songs.’
A deafening ‘Yes!’ sounded through the barn, and Alex nudged Rhona in the ribs.
‘I didn’t know that. What on earth are they going to sing together?’ Bobby was known for his soulful love songs, but Aleesha’s style was more upbeat. It didn’t seem as if they had an awful lot in common.
‘Who cares? They’re here, aren’t they?’
Bobby jumped down from the stage and lifted his arms to swing Aleesha down next to him. Alex moved forward, afraid that there might be a crush around them, but Leo was there with another man and the carefully calculated child to helper ratio meant that everyone kept relatively calm. Bobby and Aleesha split up, obviously intent on getting to speak to everyone, however briefly.
Alex was trembling. She’d been unsure about Leo’s idea at first, knowing that it might be difficult to control a barn full of teenagers in the presence of a pop idol. But they’d talked it through and Leo had answered all of her questions. Bobby’s people would be instructed to stay back, and treat the kids with care and respect, and there would be enough adults there to make sure that there was no risk of injury to anyone. And he’d been right. Although everyone was excited, the event was well under control.
Leo was making his way over to her, stopping briefly to exchange a few words with some of the teenagers and their parents. The thought that Bobby and Aleesha were here, in her dad’s barn, and that they were going to sing, paled into insignificance. Leo was here, and he was making straight for her.
‘You made it.’ She smiled up at him.
‘Always do.’ He grinned back.
‘What are they going to sing? I can’t imagine that they’d find anything that they both liked, let alone could sing together.’
‘The new album’s all oldies. Some rock and roll, a few ballads, done in their own way. It’s interesting.’
‘You’ve heard it?’
‘They played it in the car on the way down.’
‘How did you swing this, Leo? Bobby and Aleesha?’
‘I told you. Friend of a friend. And, anyway, they’re pretty much inseparable.’
‘They’re...going out?’
Leo nodded. ‘Yep. For about a year now, only it’s been a big secret. This album’s a big risk for both of them; not only are they trying out some different kinds of music but they’re going to go public with the fans. How many more people are you expecting?’
‘Well, we’ve got forty kids and the same number of parents and helpers now. I reckon about another twenty of each.’
Leo nodded. ‘Sounds good.’ His fingers brushed the back of her hand. Then again, lingering a little longer this time. She took his arm, smiling up at him.
* * *
‘Anyone remember this?’ Bobby sang a couple of chords and Aleesha nodded and joined in.
‘I do...’ Alex’s father shouted from the side of the stage.
‘Help us out with the words, then.’ Aleesha grinned down at him, and he laughed.
The two of them were just perfect. Keeping everyone under control so that parents and helpers were able to stand back and enjoy the performance too. The chemistry between them was obvious, and they talked with the audience almost as much as they sang.
‘Dad loves this one. He used to sing it to us when we were kids.’
Her father was singing now and Aleesha walked over to him, bending down to share her microphone for a couple of bars. Bobby’s hand went to his heart in an exaggerated expression of loss and then he beckoned Aleesha back and she strutted across the stage, into his arms.
‘Never mind, Howard...’ one of the helpers shouted above the music, and her father laughed uproariously.
‘Glad you did this?’ Leo leaned towards her.
‘Yes. It was a risk, but... Yes, I’m so glad we did it.’ She moved a little closer to him and felt his arm light around her shoulder. Then tighter, more possessive. That was another risk, but one that suddenly seemed worth taking.
* * *
Bobby and Aleesha stayed for three hours, far beyond what anyone expected, singing, talking to everyone and posing for photographs. Alex tried to think of words to thank them enough and failed, but they both seemed to get the message. Then they were whisked away in a convoy of three black SUVs.
It was the tidiest concert crowd that Alex had ever seen. Bags were filled with rubbish and taken away. Chairs were folded and stacked neatly and the floor was swept. Alice’s mother even attempted to clean the sound stage before Leo bounded up the steps and coaxed her away from the electrical equipment.
‘Home?’ Leo murmured the word as Alex waved the last of the cars off.
‘Yes. Which one?’
He chuckled. ‘Any one you like. Lady’s privilege.’
She had her overnight things with her, after staying with her parents last night, and they could go anywhere. ‘The country, maybe?’
‘Give me your car keys. I’ll programme your satnav.’
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
SHE LOST LEO behind a large truck, blocking the road through one of the villages. It was dark by the time she swung off the road and onto the track which led to his house, and Alex manoeuvred onto the hardstanding and found the switch for the lights.
He’d dropped his front door key in her hand before climbing into his own car, and all she had to do was follow the trail of lights. Alex hauled her bag out of the boot, carrying it across the bridge and dumping it in the front hall.
She could see headlights, coming towards her along the track. It could only be Leo, and he must see the lights on the bridge ahead of him by now. Pulling the front door to behind her, she walked down the steps and onto the bridge.
His car swung onto the hardstanding next to hers and the headlights almost blinded her. When he switched them off the darkness seemed deeper, and then he came striding out of the gloom towards her.
‘Is this a metaphor?’ His hands rested lightly on her waist, his lips just an inch away from hers.
‘Now you mention it... Maybe.’ It had just seemed appropriate to meet him here. Suspended above the water, each reaching out for the other, unsure whether this was anything but a brief moment in the darkness. But, however brief, it was worth any amount of risk.
‘I haven’t been with anyone in a while.’ He seemed to want her to know that what the papers said about him wasn’t true and that this was something special. Leo was finally allowing someone to touch him.
Alex reached up, tracing her fingers across the side of his face. ‘I’d be happy to help you out with anything you’re unsure of...’
Leo grinned. ‘I said it’s been a while. I still know what to do.’
Then he kissed her, his lips warm and very tender. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him close. Something wild broke through the last vestiges of doubt and then there was only Leo, his body hard against hers in the cold evening air.
He pulled the zip of her jacket in a movement that was urgent, almost wild. His hand found her breast and, even though there were layers of clothing between them, she imagined she could feel his touch. Alex heard her own whimper of longing, smothered by his kiss.
‘I want you now...’ She nipped at the lobe of his ear and felt his body jolt, like an engine being jerked from first gear straight into overdrive.
‘I want you every place and every way.’ He backed against the stone parapet, lifting her against him. For one delicious moment she thought that this place and this way was going to be the start of it all, however unlikely and impractical. Wrapping one arm around his neck, she found the fastening of his jeans with her other hand.
‘Forget the metaphor, Alex. It’s far too cold. And uncomfortable.’
‘I don’t want comfort. I don’t want pretty words.’ She wanted him. Not his practised charm, which would leave her smiling but unchanged. She wanted that raw edge, the one that would respond only to need and be satisfied only with taking everything.
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