‘Yes, that looks good.’
‘And we could add some more layers,’ he said, combing through her hair with his fingers. ‘Give it a bit more movement.’
Lesley nodded. ‘Whatever you think. But I don’t want too much off. My boyfriend likes it long.’
‘Well, he’s not the boss of you, is he?’ Adam said indignantly.
‘No, but ... I like it long too.’
‘Don’t worry. We won’t take much off the overall length, just add some layers and zizz you up a bit. Trust me, you’ll love it. And so will he.’
‘Okay, then,’ Lesley said nervously, not sure what Adam’s idea of ‘zizzing up’ might entail.
‘Right, let’s get you washed.’
‘So are you here on holiday?’ Adam asked, cranking up the pedal on her chair so Lesley’s feet were lifted off the ground. She was back at his station, her newly washed and conditioned hair in snaky wet tendrils around her shoulders.
‘Yes, I’m staying in Nice with my boyfriend and his family.’
‘Very nice. And how do you know Rafe Bradshaw?’ Adam asked.
‘He’s my boyfriend’s cousin.’
‘Really?’ Adam drawled, widening his eyes enthusiastically. ‘Lucky you! So is he staying with you too?’
‘Yes.’
‘So close and yet so far,’ Adam shook his head. ‘I don’t think I’d be able to contain myself. He’s gorgeous, isn’t he?’
Lesley shrugged. ‘I fancy my boyfriend more,’ she said loyally.
‘Good for you!’
‘So how long have you been in St Tropez?’ Lesley asked him.
‘Almost two years now. Best thing I ever did.’
‘And before that were you in London?’
‘Mmm,’ Adam murmured, concentrating as he snipped into the ends of Lesley’s hair.
‘You’re not from London originally, though, are you?’
Adam shook his head, looking at her in the mirror. ‘Barnsley. In Yorkshire.’
‘I lived in London for a while,’ she said in what she hoped was a casual conversational tone. ‘Were you there long?’
‘Fifteen years. I moved there as soon as I left school. I couldn’t wait to get out of Barnsley. There, all done,’ he said, whipping the towel away from around Lesley’s neck with a flourish. He ran his fingers through it, fluffing it out. ‘I’ll finish off the fringe when I’ve dried it.’
‘You’re finished already?’ Lesley asked in dismay.
‘We’ve kept the length, like you wanted,’ he said, pulling strands of her wet hair down on either side.
Lesley regarded herself in the mirror, turning her head this way and that, as if assessing the cut. ‘I thought it’d look like more.’
‘Would you like me to take a bit more off? Maybe add a few more layers?’
‘Yes, please.’
‘You’re sure your boyfriend won’t mind?’ Adam asked with a playful wink at her in the mirror.
‘Men aren’t the best judge of hair anyway, are they? He probably won’t even notice I’ve had it done.’
‘You’re right there.’ Adam tucked the towel back into the neckline of Lesley’s gown and she bent her head obediently as he started cutting again.
‘Which branch of Vidal Sassoon were you in?’ she asked.
‘Chelsea.’
‘With my friend’s double, right … Joanna?’ Lesley screwed her face up as if not sure what he’d called Stella.
‘Joanna, yes. Well, for a while. She left long before me.’
‘It’s weird how two totally unrelated people can look so alike, isn’t it?’ she mused.
‘I wouldn’t say it’s that unusual. They say everyone has a doppelgänger.’
‘Or maybe your friend and Stella are long-lost twins!’ she said as if the idea had just occurred to her. ‘I saw a video on YouTube about two women that that had happened to – identical twins who’d been raised apart. They didn’t find each other until they were in their thirties, and then it was by pure chance.’
She thought the idea of being instrumental in reuniting two long-lost twins might make Adam more forthcoming and she could get him to tell her more about Joanna.
‘Oh, I don’t think that’s likely. Like I said, it was a long time ago. I was just mistaken.’ He stood back, whipping away the towel from around Lesley’s shoulders again. ‘What do you think? Enough?’
‘Yes, that’s perfect. Thank you.’
Adam busied himself pulling a hairdryer from a drawer, and lining up an array of combs, brushes and sprays. There was no point trying to talk over the roar of the hairdryer as he styled her hair. Anyway, she couldn’t think of any more questions she could ask without sounding suspicious.
Adam finished fluffing Lesley’s hair. ‘Well, what do we think?’
Lesley grinned at him in the mirror. ‘Brilliant! I love it.’
‘Happy now that you let me have my way with you?’ He looked very pleased with himself.
‘Very happy,’ Lesley said. ‘It was totally worth it.’
The long-lost twins angle was a good idea,’ Al said later when she joined him at a nearby café for coffee and a debrief.
‘If he’d taken the bait. Oh well, it was a long shot anyway. And the way he dismissed it so easily convinced me of one thing: this Joanna and Stella are one and the same person, and he knows it.’
‘Well, at least you’ve got more to go on now.’
‘Yeah, I know where she used to work, and have an idea of when. So it wasn’t a total waste of time.’
‘And your hair looks great. Am I allowed to say that?’
‘Well, just this once.’ Lesley smiled. She was really pleased with it and felt rather fabulous.
‘It’s very swishy.’
‘Thanks. But save the rest of your gushing for the party tonight.’
31
‘That’s a great haircut,’ Stella said as she brushed highlighter across Lesley’s cheeks. ‘It really suits the shape of your face.’
‘Thanks.’ Stella had offered to do her make-up for the party, and Lesley had jumped at the chance to have an intimate girly moment with her. ‘Pity it’s never going to look like this again after today,’ Lesley said, admiring her hair in the dressing-table mirror. It was so glossy and shiny. ‘I can never get it this smooth and silky. It’ll be straight back to its normal frizz the first time I wash it.’
‘I could do it for you,’ Stella said with a shrug. ‘I’m good at hair.’
‘You are. Yours always looks amazing.’
‘Well, I trained as a hairdresser originally.’
‘When was that?’
‘Oh, ages ago, right after I left school.’ She picked up an eye-shadow palette from the dressing table and leaned in again. ‘I didn’t stick with it for long, but I can still turn my hand to a blow-dry.’
Lesley didn’t think she was going to get very far with this line of questioning, but she had to make the most of the opportunity to gain Stella’s confidence and get her to open up. She decided to try another tack.
‘So, how come you’ve got your own room?’ she asked as Stella swept mascara over her lashes. ‘Are you afraid Peter’s family will be shocked if they find out you two are doing it before you’re married?’
Stella laughed. ‘No. The fact is, we’re not doing it.’
‘You’re kidding. Come on, you can tell me. I won’t judge you.’
‘We’re really not. We’d only been on a few dates before Peter’s heart attack. And he’s had to be careful since, so ...’
‘You mean you’ve never slept with him? That sucks.’
‘I think it’s kind of romantic, saving it for after the wedding.’
She was forced to stay silent as Stella tilted her chin and applied lip liner. It may be a romantic idea to wait until they were married, but if Stella wanted to bonk Peter to death, it was also a clever strategic move. After all that build-up, it probably wouldn’t take much to get him dangerously over-excited.
‘There,’ Stella said, with a final dab of lip gloss. She stood back and nodded to the mirror. ‘What do you think?’
‘Wow, you’re a genius! You’ve actually made me look half human.’
‘Shut up, you’re gorgeous.’
Lesley looked wonderingly at her reflection in the mirror. Stella had done an amazing job – not surprisingly, since it was her actual profession – and she couldn’t believe how glamorous and chic she looked. ‘If I am, it’s thanks to you. I can’t believe you managed to do something with this mug.’
Stella pursed her lips. ‘Stop that. You have fantastic bone structure, and I know top models who’d kill for your skin. I only added a little polish.’
‘Well ... I admit I haven’t scrubbed up too badly,’ Lesley said, which was as close as she could come to accepting a compliment graciously.
Stella shook her head, smiling. ‘I suppose that’ll have to do.’
The Simpsons’ house was a short walk from the Bradshaws’ place, so when they were all ready, they strolled down the hill together in the early evening sunshine.
When they stepped out onto the Simpsons’ large terrace, the party was already in full swing, the garden buzzing with conversation and the tinkle of glasses. Coloured lanterns were strung in the trees, and waiters moved among the guests bearing trays of champagne and canapés. Lesley was glad she’d made an effort as she took in the glitzy well-heeled crowd standing around in groups or sitting at long tables, drinking and talking, while music played softly in the background.
Al and his cousins were soon surrounded by friends, showering them with hugs and kisses.
‘Lesley, you look stunning! Love the hair.’
Emma grabbed her and Stella as soon as they arrived and bore them off to join the ‘girls’ on a group of sofas, treating them like they were already old friends. Al raised his eyebrows and mouthed an ‘okay?’ at her questioningly as Emma dragged her away, and she gave him a thumbs-up. Jill was already sitting on the sofa, sharing a bottle of champagne with another girl who was introduced as Claire.
When they discovered Stella was a make-up artist and had worked in the movies, they were all agog, quizzing her about what actors she’d worked with and what they were like, avid for gossip about diva behaviour, on-set ructions and off-piste affairs. But Stella somehow managed to deflect all their queries in a friendly, good-natured way, while at the same time remaining tight-lipped and not betraying any insider secrets. It was quite impressive. Lesley knew she’d never have been able to withstand questioning like that and would be gagging to divulge any juicy gossip she had. She’d admire Stella’s restraint if it wasn’t making her job harder for her.
‘So, tell us all about you and Al,’ Emma said, and they all turned their attention to Lesley. ‘Where did you two meet?’
‘Oh, um ... it was at a singles thing, actually,’ Lesley said.
‘Good for you! And Al,’ Jill said. ‘It’s good to have someone new around. Our friendship group is very incestuous. It’s nice to have fresh blood.’
‘Yeah, I was surprised to see Cassie and Jean-Claude at the hike yesterday,’ Lesley said. ‘You know, after what they did to Al.’
‘Oh, we all go back years,’ Jill said with a wave of her hand. ‘It’s all water under the bridge. Emma had a fling with Jean-Claude one year, didn’t you?’ she said to her friend.
‘Well, so did you.’ Emma laughed.
‘Yeah. We’ve all had a go on Jean-Claude, haven’t we?’ Jill giggled.
‘Oh.’ Lesley wondered had they all had a ‘go on’ Al too.
‘Not Al, though,’ Emma said quickly, as if she knew what Lesley was thinking. ‘None of us have ever been with him. Apart from Cassie, of course.’
‘Can’t say the same for Scott, though,’ Jill said.
‘Scott’s had a go on Jean-Claude?’ Lesley asked, wide-eyed.
‘Oh!’ Emma hooted. ‘No, I mean we’ve all been with Scott at one time or another. He spreads his net even wider than JC.’
‘He’s just broken up with his boyfriend, apparently,’ Claire said, looking across the garden at Scott. ‘Maybe he’d go for a girl next time. I wouldn’t mind a little summer fling.’
‘He’s already got someone new,’ Lesley said. ‘He met a guy at the beach the other day.’
‘Ha, you’re too late!’ Emma said to Claire, laughing. ‘You have to get in quick with Scott. He never stays on the market long.’ She poured the remainder of a bottle of champagne into her glass and popped open another. She refilled Lesley’s glass, but Stella refused a top-up, saying she was going to find Peter.
‘Wow, she should get a job in MI6,’ Claire said when she was out of earshot. ‘Talk about tight-lipped. Name, rank and serial number only!’
‘She’s just a very private person,’ Lesley said defensively as they all laughed.
‘Well, she seems like a lovely girl,’ Emma said. ‘She’s got to be after Peter’s money, though, hasn’t she?’
‘I don’t know,’ Claire mused. ‘I like older men. And Peter’s still got something.’
‘Well, I don’t envy her,’ Emma said. ‘Mum says Peter’s never got over Jane.’
‘It must be weird for her with Jane still around.’ Claire’s eyes drifted to Jane and Peter chatting together on the terrace. ‘Jane’s so cool, isn’t she? I really admire the way she and Peter are still friends, even though he dumped her for a younger model. It’s so evolved. I’d like to be like that when I’m old.’
As Lesley looked around the garden, she saw Al standing under a tree with Cassie. He was leaning on the trunk as he talked to her, a drink in his other hand, and they seemed to be having an intense conversation.
‘I’m going to go and find my boyfriend,’ she said, getting up and taking her leave of the girls.
Curious, she crossed the garden circuitously, edging closer to Al and Cassie, but making sure they didn’t see her. She moved behind them, staying out of their line of sight, until she was almost close enough to reach out and touch Al’s sleeve, but hidden from view by the trunk of the large tree.
Cassie was touching Al’s arm now ‘… made a mistake,’ she was saying in a low voice. ‘I mean, come on, it’s Jean-Claude!’ She gave a little huff of laughter. ‘No one’s supposed to end up with him.’
‘Does he know?’
Lesley wished she could see Al’s face.
Cassie shook her head. ‘No. I’m going to talk to him tonight. I know he’s going to be devastated.’
Huh! Ego much, Lesley thought.
‘I knew it was wrong practically from the start.’ Cassie sighed. ‘What can I say? It was a moment of madness. Look, I know I don’t deserve it, but do you think you can forgive me?’ She touched Al’s arm again, looking at him earnestly. ‘I mean we were always friends, weren’t we, apart from anything else?’
‘Yeah, you’re forgiven.’
‘You’re the best, Al.’ She smiled happily at him. ‘You do still love me, don’t you? Even if I do act like the most enormous dick at times?’
‘You know I’ll always love you.’
Lesley’s stomach lurched. What the hell did Al think he was playing at, lurking behind a tree with Cassie, telling her he still loved her? He was supposed to be her boyfriend. Well, she wasn’t going to hang around to watch them mooning over each other any longer. Fuming, she wheeled around, and stormed off in the direction of the house, almost immediately crashing into a solid warm body.
‘Oops! Sorry!’
‘No harm done.’ Scott grinned at her. ‘What were you doing skulking around behind that tree? Come and dance.’ He jerked his head towards the terrace by the pool. As darkness fell, the music had been pumped up, and fairy lights twinkled in the trees.
Then Scott’s gaze drifted towards Al and Cassie. ‘Don’t worry about those two,’ he said. ‘There’s no way Al would go back there after her cheating on him with JC.’
Lesley wasn’t so sure. Cassie obviously regretted Jean-Claude, and it sounded like Al was
all too eager to forgive her. She’d definitely been asking him for a second chance. She glanced back towards the tree to see Al pulling Cassie into a hug. Right! Two could play at that game, she thought, as she let Scott take her hand and lead her towards the crush of bodies on the terrace.
Lesley loved dancing, and she quickly shook off her annoyance with Al, giving it her all as she jumped up and down on the terrace, laughing and fist-pumping with Scott and her new friends.
Screw Al! If he wanted to let his cheating ex-girlfriend walk all over him and get away with it, that was his problem. There was no reason for her to get upset about it. It wasn’t as if he was really her boyfriend. She was here to do a job, and she’d stick to the script even if he didn’t.
When the music slowed, she collapsed on a sofa with Scott, breathless but invigorated, and reached for the bottle of champagne. She really should have eaten more. She felt quite light-headed as she poured them both a glass.
‘That was fun.’ Must pace myself, she thought, taking a big gulp. She collapsed back against the seat, fanning herself with her hand. ‘Wow, it’s hot.’
‘You’re hot,’ Scott said, his eyes raking over her. ‘Your hair is gorgeous.’ He reached out to push a stray strand off her face.
‘Thanks.’ She swung her head from side to side, loving the silky feel of it, each strand seeming to move separately. She was beginning to sympathise with hair-flickers.
‘So, where’s your new boyfriend tonight?’ Lesley asked him.
‘He couldn’t come. So I can focus my undivided attention on you.’
‘Lucky me!’ Scott was looking at her in a way that made her feel like she was the hottest woman alive. He was totally doing his smouldering thing, and she was enjoying every nerve-tingling second of it. Flirting was fun, even if it wasn’t going anywhere. Because she knew there was no way Scott would hit on her for real – though it would serve Al right if he did.
‘So, alone at last,’ Scott said, edging closer until his thigh was nudging against hers. ‘Wanna make out?’ He fluttered his eyelashes.
For Love or Money: A laugh out loud, heartwarming romantic comedy Page 22