Faking It

by Winters, Jade

  “No, not that book! The one you were hiding from me – ‘Good Girls Go to Heaven’.”

  “But, er, but how, who?”

  “I gave it to her,” Josh said grinning.

  Danni groaned inwardly. “So what did you think? Is it as bad as everyone seems to think,” she asked, not really wanting to hear the answer.

  “Are you kidding me? I absolutely loved it,” Brooke gushed.

  “You did? But all the rejection letters.”

  Brooke settled onto the space next to her. “They’re idiots. They wouldn’t know talent if it ran them over!”

  Danni winced. “Ouch!”

  “Oops sorry. Bad choice of words.” Brooke laughed. “But anyway, I took the liberty of sending it to a friend of mine who works in fiction at another publishing house. Thought it was well worth a punt. I do have an eye for a good thing you know. Well the good news is my friend just texted me to say they’re interested in publishing it.”

  “What! Are you serious?”

  “I’ve never been more serious in my life.” Brooke fished out her mobile phone from her pocket and showed Danni the message.

  Danni’s eyes scanned the small screen, her heart pounding inside her chest. “I can’t believe it. Oh my God, this is amazing. I can’t thank you both enough.” She looked up at Josh, her vision fuzzy with tears. “You are such a sneaky little weasel! Thank you. Thank you so much, Joshie.”

  “Well, someone has to make sure you’re talent is shared with the world,” he said winking. “Anyway, you two love birds, I’m off to meet my dad. You know, have some father-son time.”

  The pain in her ribcage prevented her from jumping up and hugging the life out of him for all the things he’d done for her. She could not have asked for a better friend. Instead, she reached out for his hand, squeezing it as he placed it in hers. She blinked away the tears. “Okay. Tell him I said hi, and thanks for the lovely flowers and card.”

  He bent down and planted a kiss firmly on her bruised forehead. “Will do.”

  Seconds later the front door slammed shut. Brooke rested her hand on Danni’s leg. “Are you up for a bit of celebrating?”

  Danni arched her brows. “Depends what we’re celebrating.”

  “How about the fact that you’ve achieved your dream of becoming a published author, oh and just that other small matter of surviving a car accident!”

  “In that case yes. Be gentle with me though!” She laughed, reaching for the buttons on Brooke’s shirt.

  Brook gently swiped her hand away. “Oi. I was thinking more along the lines of chocolate chip muffins, as many lattes as your heart desires and ...” she reached down into her bag and produced a DVD, “... season one and two of Orange is the New Black.”

  Danni’s eyes widened as a smile broke out on her face. “You truly are a girl after my own heart!”

  Chapter Fifty-Four

  The charred smoky aroma of meat sizzling on charcoal wafted through the restaurant as the party of five reclined on plush leather seats around a circular glass table. A waiter quickly refilled their empty glasses with champagne.

  When Roy got wind of the fact that Danni’s mum had come to stay with her, he had insisted they all share a family meal. Danni was more than happy to oblige, she loved a good old nosh-up! Everything seemed to have fallen into place for Danni and Josh. Since Josh had come out to his dad, their once strained relationship had gone from strength to strength. Josh finally had peace of mind and Danni had two publishing deals, three broken ribs and the woman of her dreams.

  Danni listened in as Brooke, Roy and her mother debated the merits of self-help books and the effect they had on people’s lives. She was surprised to realise that her mum knew so much about the authors Brooke and Roy were commenting on. She had always thought she was only into James Patterson-type books.

  “Well, looks like your mum likes her future daughter-in-law,” Josh teased as he took a sip of his drink.

  Danni playfully nudged him. “Marriage is jumping the gun a bit, Josh. I’m just getting used to sharing my bed with someone else.”

  Josh arched an eyebrow. “You could have fooled me. You two look like you were made for each other.”

  She let out a long breath. “I know it sounds a bit corny but that’s exactly how it feels. It’s like she’s the final piece to my puzzle.”

  “Which just leaves me now, all alone with no love to call my own,” he said pretending to wipe a tear from his eye.

  Danni looked at him in disbelief. “Oh stop it, Josh! If you wanted a relationship you could have one in an instant. You’ve got loads of men throwing themselves at your feet.”

  Josh smiled. “Yeah I know. But it’s not the same, is it? Not when you’re really in to someone and they feel the same way about you.”

  Danni felt for Brooke’s leg under the table and rested her hand upon it. “S’pose. It will happen when you least expect it, Josh. Just like it happened to me.”

  Josh nodded as Roy clinked on his glass. All eyes turned to him.

  Standing abruptly, he addressed the table and declared “I would like to make a toast! To Danni’s success and most importantly, to family. It’s been especially wonderful to meet Danni’s mum, Cynthia. Though we may not all be related by blood, being here with you all tonight, it sure feels that way.”

  “To family,” they all said in union as Roy sat down again.

  Danni shot Josh a look, and he grinned.

  “It seems our parents are getting very well. I’ve never seen my dad so engrossed in a conversation with someone. He’s hardly spoken to anyone else,” he whispered.

  Danni glanced over at Roy as he sipped his pina colada, then roared with laughter as her mum made a remark. Hmmm, maybe she had been wrong about him all along. She’d never had a fully functioning gaydar.

  A short waiter with a pencil thin moustache and a mop of thick black hair came over to take their order.

  “And for you madam?” The waiter asked Danni, peering down at her expectantly with beady brown eyes.

  Danni looked up at him. “I’ll have the steak please.”

  “And how would you like it cooked?” he asked, his ballpoint pen poised over his little writing pad.

  Danni glanced at Roy, who was busily scanning the menu, before looking back at the waiter. She spoke in a whisper. “Cremated!”

  His face remained expressionless. “Very good, madam,” he said before moving around the table for more orders.

  “Your mum’s lovely,” Brooke said turning to Danni.

  “I know. It runs in the family.”

  Brooke smiled as her mouth hovered near Danni’s ear. “Oh, I knew that already. Though I might need a few more nights of passion to be sure.”

  Danni’s cheeks flushed as she giggled. “Oi, saucy. We’re in public.”

  Josh leaned onto Danni’s arm. “Oh God, not again. I don’t know if I’m going to be able to stomach all this lovey-dovey stuff from you two for much longer.”

  Danni turned to face Brooke, her mouth softening into a wide smile. “Well you’d better get used to it, because I’m in it for the long run.”

  “Me too.” Brooke smiled.

  Epilogue

  One year later.

  At an elegant mews house in Islington N1, a wire-haired terrier barked as another reveller arrived at the gathering, bottle in hand.

  “He’s rather friendly isn’t he?” Rodger Holt remarked as he hobbled into the lounge room with “Sparky” enthusiastically wrapped around his left leg.

  Danni turned away from the guest she was talking to, her mouth agape.

  “Sparky, get off! Naughty boy,” she scolded as she desperately attempted to pull the dog’s gyrating body from the man’s limb.

  “It’s okay, I know how excited dogs get when there are lots of people around.”

  Danni blushed, finally managing to free Roger’s leg from the amorous dog hug. She apologised, “Sorry, Roger. Josh has spoilt this dog rotten.” She patted her pet as he
attempted to grab a sandwich from her plate.

  “Only because he needs a male role model,” Josh interrupted. “Poor thing, living in a house full of women. Don’t worry, I’ve taught him how to put the loo seat down!” Josh laughed, sliding up to Danni’s side and planting a kiss on her flushed cheeks. He looked dashingly handsome in jeans and an open neck shirt.

  “Ha ha. If I ever have a son, please remind me not to let you ever babysit,” Danni said touching his face affectionately.

  “We’ll see.”

  With that, the room was suddenly plunged into darkness, as a hush fell over the once lively crowd.

  “Three cheers for Danni!” someone shouted enthusiastically as the door flung wide open. Cheers erupted at the sight of an elegant Brooke in the doorway, carrying a majestic three tier muffin cake. As if on cue, the room burst into song.

  “For she’s a jolly good fellow… for she’s a jolly good fellow!”

  Brooke laughed as she joined the inebriated group in what was a pretty tuneless, but thoroughly heart-warming rendition. Roy took the cake and placed it on the large antique dining table, leaving Brooke to stand proudly at Danni’s side.

  “Congratulations, darling,” Brooke gushed, turning her face to Danni’s and dropping a quick kiss on her lips.

  “Thank you. Thank you everyone!” Danni shouted triumphantly, tears brimming in her eyes as she looked around at her wonderfully cheerful guests.

  How had all this happened?

  “Unlocking The Door to Love” had reached number one in the “Holistic Self-Help” charts, she’d been interviewed in The Guardian; and best of all, she had somehow managed not to spend every penny of her earnings! Result! There was so much to take in, not just the book but her life as it now was, with the four-bedroom house in Islington she had always dreamt of, the woman she loved and a cheeky little dog, who did strangely enough know how to put the toilet seat down.

  So, okay, she wasn’t known as the female Oscar Wilde quite yet, and Brooke had done little to advance her knowledge of muffin making, but it was pretty perfect from where she was standing.

  “So, my love,” Danni whispered to a rather jolly Brooke, “this must be how it feels to go from faking it to making it. All we need now is for you to train as a pastry chef!”

  Who said dreams don’t come true?

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