Chapter 8
Perry sat back in his armchair, turned the TV off and sighed. He listened to the sound of silence and hated it. Normally Emma would be stomping about upstairs or calling him from the kitchen that tea was ready. Now there was only the tick of the clock to keep him company. He homed in on it. Tick, tick, tick, reminding him of the long evening that lay ahead.
Time had never passed so slowly since his daughter left home. He’d even taken to popping his head into her bedroom, just to feel a bit closer to her. There were all her cuddly toys, lined up on an empty bed. The little box room had never been so neat and tidy. Spotless in fact, since she’d last slept there. Perry swallowed. So, this was what empty nest syndrome feels like, he supposed with despondency.
Deciding to pull himself together, he reached for his mobile and sent Emma a cheery text, just to let her know he was thinking of her. Truth be told he’d thought of little else.
Hi there, still OK? Hope he’s treating you well!
That was another thing which had concerned Perry, the fact his daughter was living under the same roof as a total stranger. Well, not a stranger exactly, he conceded, her employer, but still… After waiting for a reply which never came, he decided to ring Bunty – she always cheered him up.
‘Hello, you,’ she answered.
Just hearing her voice was a comfort.
‘Hi, Bunty, what are you up to?’ he asked.
‘I’ve poured myself a large gin and tonic and I’m about to put the TV on. My favourite film’s on tonight,’ she said cheerily, clearly feeling upbeat. The opposite to him. How he wished he could inject a touch of Bunty’s enthusiasm and joie de vivre into his own life.
‘ Dirty Dancing ?’ He smiled, knowing she loved that.
‘Absolutely!’ gushed Bunty, then detecting his mood asked, ‘Are you all right Perry?’
‘Yeah… it’s just…’ he stumbled, trying to find the words. To his horror his eyes began to fill.
‘Perry?’ Bunty sounded worried now.
‘I’m OK, just missing Emma,’ he managed to reply in a choked voice.
‘Oh, Perry, it’s only natural that you should miss her,’ she consoled, ‘you’re so close, it’s inevitable.’
Although Bunty was trying to comfort Perry she was in fact making him feel worse.
‘I know, why don’t you come here and join me?’ she suggested.
‘Watch Dirty Dancing ?’
‘Yes! It’ll be fun. We can even try a bit ourselves,’ she said mischievously.
‘What, dirty dancing?’ he chuckled.
‘And why not?’ Bunty retorted with mock indignance. ‘As I recall you could make some pretty hot shapes in your day,’ she teased.
‘Yeah, in my day,’ Perry replied dryly, but still couldn’t help feel brighter by her invitation.
‘Oh, come on! There’s life in the old dog yet.’ She was openly laughing now.
‘Right, you’re on,’ he said in a decisive tone.
‘Good. I’ll pour you a stiff gin then.’
‘Sounds like I’m gonna need it.’
Perry put down his phone with a smirk. Bunty really was just the tonic he needed.
She was in high spirits when he arrived at her cottage, opening the door with a drink clutched firmly in hand, a playful light sparkling in her eyes.
‘Come in, Snakey Hips,’ she giggled.
Perry shook his head. Just how many of those gins had the old girl had?
‘Quick, it’s the bit where Patrick’s teaching her to dance!’ Bunty ushered him to sit down in front of the TV. He noticed his drink was ready and waiting for him on the coffee table. He took a gulp and winced at its strength. Oh well, if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em.
Later that evening a very tired Emma was stepping into a hot bubble
bath. She was exhausted, having spent most of the day cleaning. Felix
had been in London and was stopping overnight so, having the house to
herself, she thought it a good opportunity to hoover throughout. It
would be better to do the noisy jobs when he wasn’t around. She also
didn’t fancy interrupting him when he was busy in the library.
Often she would overhear snippets of telephone or Zoom calls. From what she’d gleaned, the filming was about to commence very shortly. After having asked Felix who the leading lady was, Emma was reluctant to make any further enquires, working on a need-to-know basis only. What she had learnt was that the production team was ready and keen to start. Emma had also become aware of another caller, just the once, but one which she suspected was unwanted due to Felix’s clenched jaw when answering. His voice had become quiet and flat and he quickly ended the call. Emma wondered who it had been, but soon reminded herself it wasn’t her business.
After hoovering the whole house, which had taken hours given the surface area, Emma had mopped the marbled hall floor and kitchen slate floor. It really was tiring. Her body was used to sitting behind a desk all day, not constant physical work. Her back ached. Her muscles ached. Every part of her ached! Never had her limbs cried out to be soaked in a hot bath so badly. She lay, soaking her body and relaxing for a good half hour, then got out and slipped on a dressing gown and wrapped her wet hair into a towel. Her mass of curls would take ages to dry but she didn’t like using a hair dryer as it caused it to frizz. Padding out in slippers to her bedroom, she noticed her mobile on the bedside cabinet flashing. One missed call from Felix and a text from her dad. Felix had left a voice message.
‘Hi, Emma, I’ll be back tomorrow as planned. I’ll be bringing a guest with me, so could you make up a bedroom please?’
Hmm, thought Emma, wondering who Felix’s guest was. Then she opened her dad’s text.
Hi there, still okay? Hope he’s treating you well!
Oh, Dad! Things had been so hectic she’d hardly had a chance to think about him. She quickly replied.
I’m fine dad. How are you? Been mega busy but hope to see you soon,
yea?
She sent the text, gave her hair another rub down, then climbed into bed, desperately needing her sleep.
Robin was on his laptop searching for the right hotel in London. He
was at pains to make their upcoming trip extra special for Jasmine. Not
only was it a well-earned break for both of them, it was also their
first time away together as a couple and – most importantly – Robin
planned to go when it was Jasmine’s birthday.
He’d been thinking of what to do for her thirtieth birthday, which was looming. Jasmine’s birthday was on Bonfire Night, 5 November. She’d told Robin how most of her birthdays had been spent around a fire, watching fireworks light up the sky, so he was determined for this birthday to be different. On the quiet, he’d contacted her parents to run the idea of whisking Jasmine away on a city break. This had been met with gleeful approval.
‘Good idea, Robin. It’ll do you both the world of good,’ her mother had told him.
So all he had to do now was pick the perfect, romantic hotel and put an exciting itinerary together for them. He, personally, hadn’t ever been on the London Eye so was keen to book them a pod to themselves, with an accompanying bottle of champagne. The rest of the planning he’d discuss with Jasmine.
As for the hotel, well there was so much choice, but Robin wanted somewhere relatively quiet, not completely in the buzz of the centre. Maybe a hotel near to a park? He scanned the internet and finally saw just the right place.
Nestled in the charming borough of Richmond, ‘The Old Coach House’ offers an ideal hideaway from the hustle and bustle of Central London. Located a stone’s throw from Kew Gardens and Richmond Park, this quaint former coaching inn is an absolute haven after a busy day’s site seeing in the city.
Perfect, thought Robin, and proceeded to book it. For once he wasn’t going to consult Jack about taking time off work. Not that Jack would have minded, far from it, but usually they informed each other first before arranging a holiday. Lately though Robin had started to resent the amount of time they both poured into the business. And the latest project they’d looked at in Lancaster was definitely going to take up a colossal amount of time.
At first, when he saw the size of the warehouse, Robin felt daunted. It was far bigger than he’d expected. Jack, on the other hand, appeared excited by the prospect of renovating the huge building into apartments.
‘It’s an amazing opportunity, Rob. Just think what each apartment could fetch!’ His eyes almost flashed with pound signs.
But for Robin, it wasn’t just about the money any more. He’d found that there were more important things in life. Love, for one. Meeting Jasmine had changed him. He wasn’t the same as Jack since Jasmine had come into his life. He realised there was more to it than making a profit. The trouble was Jack didn’t see that, simply because he hadn’t yet met the right girl. But Robin had. He knew it and had done from the moment he’d clapped eyes on Jasmine. That said, he was also level-headed and knew he had a livelihood and living to make.
Feeling torn knowing how much time, effort and hard slog the project would take had left him undecided. He really did not want to jeopardise his relationship with Jasmine. His mind cast back to his ex-girlfriend and how she’d royally dumped him because of his demanding workload. But, he quickly acknowledged, Jasmine was a whole lot different to his venomous ex.
As these thoughts were being processed in his head, he had Jack in his ear, full of enthusiasm for the development.
‘This could set us up for life, mate,’ he’d said, rubbing his hands.
‘But we haven’t the full funds to buy it,’ Robin countered.
‘So? We borrow it,’ shrugged Jack, refusing to be put off. ‘We’ve a sound business, the bank won’t have a problem, especially when we outline the proposition.’
‘Hmm, I’m not sure, Jack.’ Robin was trying his best to be practical. He didn’t want to miss out on what could be a fantastic chance, yet was uncomfortable about racking up debt.
Jack was on fire for the venture but could see Robin’s hesitancy.
‘Look, Robin, just envisage yourself a year or two from now. This warehouse could fit six apartments easily. Once they’re all sold, we can sit back and take things easy for a while. We wouldn’t have to rush into another development for ages, if ever.’
Now this, Robin did like the sound of. Realising this job could potentially provide for his long-term future settled him. It was risky, of course it was, but thinking about Jasmine and the life he could provide for them both, it was a risk he was willing to take. He puffed his cheeks out.
‘OK, let’s go for it,’ he said, and they shook on it.
So, knowing what busy times lay ahead of him, Robin was determined to make his mini break with Jasmine all the more special.
Felix had had a lot to contemplate too. His mind was a quagmire. Just
when the production was making progress – after the cast was selected,
scripts handed out and a date set for the start of filming – Anika had
thrown a spanner in the works. She’d upped the ante and the nasty texts
had now been replaced with phone calls. He’d finally taken Jennifer’s
stern advice and blocked her number on his phone. Felix had honestly
thought Anika would have grown bored by now and it staggered him how she
was behaving. Did she truly not have anything better to do than keep
pestering him? The woman was gorgeous (even if a touch unhinged) and
could have anyone she wanted. So why not find someone else? It wasn’t as
if they’d been deliriously happy in the first place.
The early days had been fun, but that had soon worn off when Felix had witnessed first-hand her vile temper. The trouble was, Anika could switch in a second. One minute she was all smiles for the catwalk and camera, the next a raging diva in the dressing room. Within the industry she was renowned for her tantrums, having reduced young makeup artists to experienced designers to tears with her brand of humiliating annihilation.
At first, Felix had been flattered by the attention the great beauty was showing him. They’d met at a film premier, where he’d played a supporting role. She’d eyed him from the bar at the after-show party and summoned him over. Felix couldn’t believe she’d even noticed him. But notice him she did. In fact, Felix soon became an obsession to her and, as the months rolled on, Anika’s possessiveness was unbearable. She’d watch love scenes he’d starred in and plague him with questions.
‘Were you really acting?’ she’d asked with narrowed eyes on more than one occasion.
Felix had well and truly grown tired of her. The model took high maintenance to another level. And it wasn’t just the actresses Anika was jealous of – she’d even had a pop at Jennifer!
‘That woman demands far too much of your time,’ she’d once commented.
Felix didn’t even gratify it with an answer, just shook his head. However, when Anika had had the audacity to criticise his mother, that had been the real turning point. His relationship with his mother was extra close, having lost his dad at an early age. Staring Anika in that beautiful face that had covered many a billboard, he finally spoke his mind.
‘Nobody speaks about my mother like that. We’re over, Anika. It’s not working.’
Her eyes widened, totally shocked by his words. Nobody dumped her. She did the dumping.
‘I beg your pardon?’ she replied in a quiet, icy tone.
It didn’t intimidate him. Nor did the explosion which he predicted was about to happen.
‘You heard,’ he answered flatly. ‘I want you out of here, pronto. Your behaviour has been out of line for a long time and I’ve had enough.’
Thankfully, she hadn’t moved into his apartment, so it didn’t take long for her to collect her few possessions dotted around the place. Tears stung her eyes as she turned on him one last time.
‘You are so going to regret this,’ she spat.
He merely held out his hand.
‘Key, please,’ he said.
Anika was outraged. Throwing it at him, she slammed the door behind her.
Felix had never felt such relief. Now though, her final words were haunting him. Not that he regretted ending the relationship, the exact opposite; but her constant baiting he could do without. He wanted her gone, away from his mind, so he could concentrate fully on directing. It also worried him that she still knew his every move. How did she know about his new house? Who was feeding her the information? It was a concern that had taken root and started to grow. He only hoped blocking Anika from his phone would do the trick, but he somehow doubted it.