The Perfect Hero

by Victoria Connelly

  ‘I will if you want me to.’

  Kay paused and giggled. ‘Go on then!’

  Oli reached the bottom and held his arms open wide for her.

  ‘Be careful,’ he said. ‘We don’t want you doing a Louisa Musgrove.’

  ‘Or a Beth Jenkins!’

  ‘Indeed,’ Oli said.

  Kay could feel her heart thud-thudding as she launched herself into the air, her hair flying out behind her. It only took the space of a second but, for Kay, the moment lasted a lifetime and she almost regretted the moment that Oli caught her in his arms, wishing that she could suspend time and be forever travelling through the air towards him.

  ‘Was that good enough for you?’ he asked as she finally came down to earth.

  ‘It was wonderful!’ Kay said, laughing.

  ‘You’re a lot lighter than Beth,’ he said.

  ‘Oh! Don’t let her hear you say such a thing!’

  Oli laughed. ‘You really are lovely,’ he said.

  ‘You keep saying that,’ Kay said.

  ‘Because it’s true.’

  Right at that moment, she dearly wanted to believe him and so gave in to the moment as he moved closer to her, his lips descending towards her own.

  Kay couldn’t remember the last time she’d been kissed like that and she knew that no kiss in the history of kisses – whether real or fictional – could compare to it. Kay had been thinking about it for so long that Oli couldn’t really go wrong. Not that he would go wrong, of course.

  The old stone wall of the Cobb was cold behind her but Oli was warm, the pressure of his body pushed firmly against hers. But, alas, the moment couldn’t last forever and Kay’s eyes slowly opened as his mouth left hers.

  ‘Well,’ Oli said, ‘I wasn’t expecting that.’

  ‘I hope you mean that in a good way,’ Kay said.

  ‘Oh, I do!’ he said. ‘I mean, I hadn’t banked on this happening at all.’

  ‘Oh, you must have a girl in every port,’ Kay said. ‘Isn’t that what they say about actors?’

  ‘I think that’s what they say about sailors.’

  ‘That’s right,’ Kay said with a laugh. ‘Actors have a girl in every town. They don’t like to limit themselves to seaside locations.’

  ‘You seem to have a very low opinion of actors,’ he said.

  ‘No,’ she said. ‘I’m just being realistic about what this is.’

  ‘And what is it?’ he asked.

  Kay fell silent. She didn’t like to speculate about what this was. They’d only shared a single kiss but she was already planning their honeymoon and had half of their four children named. But wasn’t that always the way with women? Wasn’t there that wonderful quote from Pride and Prejudice? ‘A lady’s imagination is very rapid; it jumps from admiration to love, from love to matrimony in a moment.’ Kay knew that it was certainly true of herself.

  ‘This,’ Oli continued when Kay didn’t answer him, ‘is a wonderful surprise.’

  Kay smiled but she couldn’t help wondering if wonderful surprises ended as soon as the film was finished shooting.

  Surely not, she thought. Not after a kiss like that.

  They walked back along the harbour and Kay felt as if she were floating as they passed the kiosks and the beach huts. A light breeze tickled her skin and her hair flew back behind her. She gazed up at the moon. She’d never be able to look at it again without thinking of this moment – this precious moment with Oli. Would he think of it too? she wondered.

  They climbed the steps up to the higher level of Marine Parade and Kay looked up at Wentworth House.

  ‘I think we’ve been spotted,’ Kay said as she saw a curtain twitch. ‘That’s Teresa’s room.’

  ‘Is it indeed?’ Oli said. ‘Then she shouldn’t be spying on people.’

  ‘She won’t mind, will she?’

  ‘Why would she mind?’ Oli asked.

  ‘I just thought – well – you always seem to be getting into trouble with her.’

  ‘What I do in my own time is my business.’

  ‘Oh, I’m business, am I?’

  He grinned. ‘Of course not,’ he said. ‘You’re pure pleasure.’ He took her hand in his and brought it to his lips and kissed it.

  They entered the bed and breakfast. It was quiet. The little lamp glowed warmly on the hallway table but there was nobody about.

  ‘Come here,’ Oli said, closing the space between them and kissing her again. ‘Kay, Kay, Kay,’ he whispered and, for a dizzying moment, Kay wondered if he was going to invite her to his room. But he didn’t. There was a part of her that couldn’t help feeling disappointed but she knew it would have been oh-so-wrong. Unprofessional – that was the word. She was sure there was some unwritten rule about bed and breakfast owners not sleeping with their guests.

  ‘Goodnight, Kay,’ he whispered at last.

  ‘Goodnight,’ she whispered back, watching him as he walked up the stairs. Her heart was still thudding and she knew no amount of hot chocolate would be able to calm her. At least she knew that she’d be likely to dream the sweetest of dreams that night.

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  ‘He’s been messing around with Kay, I’m sure of it,’ Sophie said.

  ‘Come away from the window,’ Gemma said, promptly walking over to it herself and peering out into the night. ‘Where are they?’

  As soon as the words were out, they heard the front door open downstairs.

  ‘They’ve just arrived back,’ Sophie said. ‘But I bet you anything they’ve been to the Cobb and I’m sure they were holding hands.’

  Gemma returned to the bed and picked up her knitting. ‘I don’t think it’s any of our business what they’re doing.’

  ‘Not even if it’s wrong?’

  ‘Why’s it wrong?’ Gemma asked.

  ‘Because there’s no way that relationship can work out.’

  ‘Why not? I think you’re giving Oli a really bad press. You know, he was just talking to me before—’

  ‘What about?’ Sophie interrupted, leaving the window and flinging herself down on the bed opposite Gemma.

  ‘You mustn’t say anything to anyone.’

  Sophie nodded.

  ‘But he’s thinking of giving up acting.’

  ‘Really?’

  ‘There’s someone he wants to spend more time with,’ Gemma said.

  ‘Kay? He’s giving up acting for Kay?’

  ‘Well, he didn’t mention her by name.’

  Sophie frowned. ‘But he’s only known her for a few days.’

  ‘That doesn’t matter, does it? Some people know really quickly when they fall in love.’

  ‘I suppose,’ Sophie said. ‘And it did happen for me once. We’d only known each other for six hours but I knew he was the right man for me.’

  Gemma smiled. ‘I didn’t know you were in a relationship.’

  ‘Oh, I’m not,’ Sophie said. ‘And it only lasted for three weeks but they were the most wonderful three weeks of my life.’

  There was a squeak in the floorboard on the landing.

  ‘It’s Oli,’ Sophie said, springing up off the bed and tearing across the room to the door. Gemma watched, horrified, as Sophie removed the key and peered out on to the landing. ‘He’s alone,’ she said, her voice full of disappointment.

  Gemma tutted. ‘Well, what did you expect?’

  ‘I thought they might come upstairs together,’ she said.

  Gemma returned to her knitting pattern. ‘I doubt that will happen. They wouldn’t want to risk being caught.’

  It was shortly after eleven o’clock when there was a knock on Kay’s bedroom door.

  She’d been rereading one of her favourite scenes towards the end of Persuasion when Captain Wentworth and Anne meet and ‘the evening seemed to be made up of exquisite moments’. She loved that scene and couldn’t wait to see how it would be played out in the new film version with Oli and Gemma.

  She put the book down on her bedside table a
nd swung her legs off the bed. She was wearing a white knee-length nightgown in broderie anglaise and her hair was loose and newly washed and smelled of strawberry shampoo. Since becoming the owner of a bed and breakfast, she’d thought it better to ditch her manly nightshirt and invest in something a bit more seemly to wear in case she was called on in the middle of the night and it was just as well that she had.

  It’s probably Beth wanting something for that ankle of hers, Kay thought as she opened her door. But it wasn’t Beth.

  ‘Oli?’ Kay said as she saw his handsome face. ‘Is everything okay? Do you need anything?’

  ‘Yes,’ he said, a boyish smile spreading over his face. ‘There is something I need.’

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Kay woke up to the shriek of seagulls and lay dazed for a moment, staring up at the ceiling. The light in the room was dazzling, coming straight in from the sea. She turned over in bed and faced the other pillow – the pillow that Oli had slept on last night. But he was gone now.

  ‘Mustn’t give the gossips any fuel,’ he’d said, taking her in his arms one last time and kissing her before leaving, and Kay knew he was right. She could just imagine how awkward it would be if Beth or Teresa found out. No, no. She mustn’t interrupt Oli’s work. She could wait. He’d be finished filming soon and then they could tell the whole world that they were in love.

  Getting up, she drew back the curtains and gazed across the pebbled beach out to sea. The sun was bright and the sea was almost turquoise today. How she loved seeing its ever-changing colours. It was never the same for long – one minute it could be a stormy grey and the next a perfect cerulean but Kay would always remember the exact shade it was today and that would be her favourite.

  After washing and dressing and applying a quick hint of make-up, Kay went downstairs and made a start on breakfast for the hungry actors.

  I bet you won’t be doing this for much longer. Cooking breakfast – running a B & B. It’s not the sort of life for the wife of a famous actor, is it?

  Kay shook her head. She knew she mustn’t think such thoughts. It was dangerous. It was too early in their relationship and yet she couldn’t help hoping. She couldn’t help dreaming – it was her default setting for coping with a cruel world. If she wasn’t dreaming of Mr Darcy, she was dreaming of some appalling man who would be sure to break her heart. But Oli wasn’t going to break her heart. He’d told her how lovely she was last night – over and over again.

  But he didn’t say he loved you.

  Kay stopped cracking eggs for a moment. He hadn’t said he loved her.

  ‘But I didn’t expect him to,’ she whispered.

  Didn’t you? Didn’t you really? But you told him you loved him.

  I know, she thought, and I shouldn’t have done that. ‘Men get spooked by such things.’

  ‘By what things?’ a voice behind her suddenly said.

  Kay turned around and saw Teresa. ‘Morning,’ she said, blushing at having been observed talking to herself.

  ‘Morning,’ Teresa said although the word might well have been mourning for the mood she seemed to be in.

  ‘All ready for another day’s filming?’ Kay said, doing her best to be cheerful in the face of such misery.

  Teresa shook her head. ‘We’re doing something different today. Some publicity shots along the Cobb and a few little pieces here and there for the DVD extras. Those sorts of things are expected nowadays,’ she said as if she took no pleasure in it herself. ‘But we’re done with filming now. In Dorset anyway. Got to get to Bath next.’

  ‘You’re done?’

  Teresa nodded. ‘I didn’t think we were going to be on schedule but I’m actually quite happy with the last few days’ shooting.’

  ‘Who’s happy?’ another voice said and Beth came hobbling into view. ‘You’re happy, Teresa? I never thought I’d hear you admit to such a thing,’ Beth teased.

  ‘And neither did I,’ Teresa said.

  ‘So we’re off to Bath?’ Beth asked.

  ‘First thing tomorrow – if we get today right.’

  ‘Tomorrow?’ Kay said. ‘But you’re all booked in for three more nights.’

  ‘That’s okay – you’ll still be paid,’ Teresa said.

  Kay watched as Teresa and Beth left for the dining room, unable to speak. They were leaving tomorrow. Did Oli know? Kay was just about to drop everything and run up to Oli’s room but Teresa called through.

  ‘Breakfast nearly ready, Kay?’

  ‘Yes,’ Kay replied with a frown. Was it her imagination or did Teresa sound particularly abrupt with her this morning?

  ‘I need to get out of here as soon as possible,’ Teresa added.

  ‘No problem,’ Kay shouted back and then a thought occurred to her. Perhaps Teresa really had seen her and Oli outside the B & B last night. Or – worse – what if she’d heard them together later on? Kay’s face blanched at the thought. Not only was it unprofessional of her but Teresa was well-known for keeping business and pleasure totally separate. The last thing she’d want was an on-set romance with her leading man.

  Kay sighed and decided to get back to work in the kitchen although she longed to join the cast in the dining room and hear their plans for the day ahead. Still, she did her best to eavesdrop and heard the occasional snippet.

  ‘Yes, of course we’ll need you, Beth.’

  ‘Because my ankle is so much better today. I feel I could even take Louisa’s jump again.’

  ‘Oh, no you don’t! We’ll just set you up in a nice deck-chair and you can talk about your role.’

  Kay took the pots of tea and coffee through and saw that Gemma, Sophie and Les Miserable had joined them. Sophie was looking as buoyant as ever but Gemma was looking tired – as if she’d been up half the night too. Or maybe she was looking wearisome because her mother was still in town. Kay had heard what a nightmare Kim Reilly could be. But where was Oli? There was no sign of him yet.

  ‘Kay?’ Teresa suddenly said, making the name sound like a poison-tipped arrow.

  ‘Yes?’

  ‘Eggs?’

  ‘Coming,’ Kay said.

  She dashed back through to the kitchen, quickly heating some butter in a pan.

  She was just serving breakfast in record-breaking time and receiving a curt nod of the head from Teresa when Oli entered the dining room.

  ‘Good morning!’ he said. Kay turned to see him, smiling as she took in his big blue eyes and his mass of blond hair which hadn’t been combed through since his shower.

  ‘Sort your hair out, Oli,’ Teresa barked as he sat at the table opposite her. ‘You’re on first this morning.’

  ‘And a very good morning to you too,’ he replied, making Kay smile. Honestly, how could anyone bark at dear Oli when he looked so cute? Kay cleared a couple of empty glasses away from the table, doing her best to catch Oli’s eye, but he didn’t seem to notice her as he buttered a piece of toast.

  ‘My tea’s cold,’ Les Miserable said, shoving his cup at Kay.

  ‘I’ll get some more,’ Kay said, willing Oli to look up before she left the room but he didn’t.

  The next twenty minutes flew by in a flurry of activity. Breakfast was finished and bodies tore up and down the stairs in preparation for the day ahead. Kay bustled in and out of the kitchen, trying to catch Oli but she wasn’t having much luck – until he was stood in the hallway – the last to leave.

  ‘Oli!’ she cried.

  ‘Kay. You all right?’

  ‘You didn’t talk to me at breakfast,’ she said. She hadn’t meant to sound so accusatory but her words had just tumbled out.

  ‘How could I with Teresa – with everyone – sitting there?’

  ‘I know,’ Kay said. ‘But I wanted to talk to you.’

  ‘What about?’ he asked.

  She looked at him. ‘You’re leaving.’

  ‘Yes,’ he said. ‘Teresa’s just told me. It’s brilliant, isn’t it?’

  Kay frowned. She couldn’t see any
thing brilliant about it. ‘But I thought yesterday had gone badly. You said—’

  ‘I thought it had too but evidently Teresa got what she wanted. That’s the way of the film business. You never really know what you’re going to get day to day.’

  ‘So this is your last day in Lyme?’

  ‘Looks like it,’ Oli said with a big grin. ‘And I must say, I’m looking forward to Bath.’

  Kay couldn’t help feeling wounded by his response. ‘It’s all happened so quickly.’

  He nodded. ‘We might finish the whole thing on time at this rate and heaven knows I could use a break after all this.’

  A break! Kay heard the phrase and interpreted it. ‘So you’ll be back?’

  ‘Back where?’ he asked.

  ‘Oli? Where the hell are you?’ It was Teresa’s voice and she soon appeared in the hallway. ‘We need you – now!’

  ‘My lord and master calls,’ he said. Neither Teresa nor Kay smiled. ‘Gotta go,’ he said to Kay.

  ‘But Oli . . .’

  But he didn’t stop. He just turned around and threw a quick wink in her direction before following Teresa down Marine Parade towards the Cobb.

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Adam had done his best to put Kay out of his mind. What was the point of declaring oneself to a woman when her heart belonged to another man? It was useless and he had to persuade Nana Craig that it was useless too. He and Kay were never meant to be and, the sooner he put the whole thing behind him, the better.

  So he’d busied himself with his role as producer as well as a new screenplay – a lesser-known Thomas Hardy novel that would make a beautiful adaptation and would be absolutely perfect for another Dorset-based production. And he tried not to think about Kay. He’d done pretty well too and had been sleeping soundly later that night after a solid day’s work when the phone had rung.

  It was Tony Glass, a producer friend in California who was looking for an English actress for a film he was involved in.

  ‘It’s going to be huge,’ he told the bleary-eyed Adam. ‘Think Dr Zhivago set in New England.’

  Adam had been instantly awake. It sounded like an interesting concept and he had been intrigued.