Chapter 8
Chapter Eight
I was about to get ready for bed when my mobile trilled in my jeans pocket.
It was Jade.
‘I’ve just seen the news,’ she gabbled into my ear. ‘Christ, unexploded bombs?! Are you alright? Where are you?’
‘I’m fine,’ I reassured her, sinking down onto the corner of the four-poster bed. It was almost nine o’clock, and the May night outside my bedroom window was slipping into darkness.
I got up and closed the long, silky curtains, clicked on the ornate bedside lamp and flopped back down again on the bed. ‘I’m staying at someone’s until all this blows over. Oops, wrong choice of word.’
Jade immediately jumped on this. ‘Someone?’
‘A guy,’ I faltered. ‘Someone I met at the cream tea. I drove us back to Scotland.’
Jade let out a shocked gasp. ‘You gave this guy a lift all the way back up to Scotland?’ She didn’t give me time to answer. ‘I hope he’s ok. He’s not a creep, is he? What’s going on? Where are you?’
I sighed. ‘Jade, if you’ll just give me a chance, I’ll explain.’
‘Ok. Sorry.’
‘Right. So, because of the bomb situation, and it all taking place by Loch Crawe, I couldn’t get back to Strath Ross, so Evan insisted I stay with him at his parents’ place in Forrest Bank until it’s sorted. That’s only about half an hour away from Strath Ross.’
‘Oh, yes?’ Her voice was loaded, teasing.
‘What’s that supposed to mean?’
‘It doesn’t mean anything.’
‘Lady Jacintha, you’re a terrible liar.’
‘Oh, please don’t call me that.’
There was a pause. ‘So come on then, Madden, what’s he like?’
‘Who?’
‘Sir Keir Starmer. Who do you think I’m talking about?! This Evan.’
My mind drifted through my closed door and across the hallway, with its heavy-framed paintings and vases of flowers, to Evan’s room.
‘He’s ok.’
There was a triumphant snort. ‘You like him.’
‘How old are you? Eight?’
She pushed on and ignored me. ‘You think he’s attractive.’
The image of Sacha, with her swishy blonde hair, grinning up from Evan’s mobile phone screen lodged itself in my head. ‘Like I said, he’s ok,’ I dismissed. ‘Anyway, how’s things with you?’
‘There she is. The Daisy Madden I know and love. Avoiding the personal questions and changing the subject. Too scared to open up.’
I prickled on the bed. ‘I’m not scared. I just don’t want to talk about Evan, that’s all.’
‘Why not?’
I knew why I didn’t want to talk about him with Jade.
I refused to answer the questions that were prodding at the corners of my mind.
It had been as though we were on the verge of another connection just now, and then Sacha had called, and that brought back all the tumbling thoughts about Leon’s deceit; the hurt, the betrayal, the way he’d seen me as a temporary distraction before he could trade me in for a better model and elevate his chances of a successful acting career at the same time.
I’d grown used to forging my own path while I was growing up, relying on myself, apart from my grandparents.
My parents were both selfish, thoughtless individuals who put themselves front and centre, and that had taught me that investing all your trust and emotion into another person just wasn’t worth the hassle.
But then, of course, Leon had come along, and I’d ignored my own advice.
That would teach me.
Nevertheless, it didn’t matter, I reassured myself. I wouldn’t get stuck in another situation where I felt out of control. Again.
‘So,’ I carried on. ‘Your brooding poetry lecturer? What’s happening there?’
Jade’s voice morphed into a more honeyed version of her usual self. ‘I’ve got a poetry workshop tomorrow. I intend to impress him with my villanelles.’
‘Sounds painful,’ I joked. ‘But if anyone can, you will.’
Jade laughed, ‘You can bet on it. So … any news on more acting jobs?’
I frowned down at the bedroom carpet. ‘Not so far.’ I hoped I sounded more optimistic than I felt. ‘But something will come up. I’ll just have to take on more hospitality gigs when I get back to London.’
‘I’m not worried about the money,’ she insisted into my ear. ‘You don’t have to concern yourself with that. Just pay me your next rent when you can.’
‘I know, and that’s so kind of you, but I’m not a freeloader.’
‘I know you’re not.’
When I let out a loud, noisy yawn, Jade wrapped up the call and blew me a kiss, and we said goodnight.
* * *
Monday morning dawned with me spread-eagled in bed, gazing up at the four-poster canopy.
I couldn’t believe that it had only been a couple of days since the Fox incident.
So much had happened.
Driving Evan up to Scotland, rescuing a lost lamb in the Lake District and then finding I couldn’t get home thanks to two unexploded German bombs from World War Two.
Not to mention the cringeworthy review from Fox, and then finding myself struggling to secure any new auditions.
Now I was sat in Evan’s parents’ sprawling mansion, having breakfast with him and his Mum and Dad and mentally willing my agent to call me with some good news.
Desperation started to take chunks out of me again. It was like my life was going backwards, not forwards.
Evan glanced over his cup at me. He took a bite of toast. He looked like he might be on the verge of saying something but was interrupted by the sudden, blond whirlwind that was Dane striding into the dining room.
He’d secured his hair back in a long, low ponytail and was dressed in a Metallica T-shirt and dark green combats. ‘Good morning, Daisy,’ he dazzled, reaching for a slice of the golden toast in the toast rack. He turned to Evan. ‘And good morning to you too, tall, dark and arms.’
Evan smirked. ‘What Christmas cracker did you find that in?’
Dane ignored him. ‘Just heard on the local news that the bomb guys are building a huge sandpit around those two tin cans.’
‘They’re hardly tin cans,’ muttered Evan.
Dane scraped out a chair and sat down next to Bennett. ‘The good news though is that it looks like our very attractive house guest won’t be leaving just yet.’ He awarded me a big, flawless grin.
I found myself grinning back. I couldn’t help it. Dane didn’t take himself too seriously, and it was nice to meet another soul from the creative industry.
Evan shot his brother a dark look but didn’t say anything.
‘How did your gig go last night?’ I asked Dane, trying to push some conversational lightness into my voice.
Dane sat back in his chair, all louche, rocker charm. ‘Great, thanks. Appreciative crowd.’ He left the inference hanging in the air. ‘Very appreciative.’
Alison rolled her eyes at her younger son.
Dane just laughed at his mother’s expression and savoured his toast. He started to butter another slice. ‘So, what are you up to today, Daisy?’
‘Studying The Stage and social media, looking for acting work.’
Dane twinkled across the table at me. ‘You won’t have to look long. You’ll get snapped up.’
The spring sunshine was competing with his hair for golden brilliance. I laughed, forgetting that I had a lump of toast in my mouth. I coughed. Coughed again. One panicked hand flew to my throat. I was struggling to breathe.
I let out a raspy gasp. Evan leapt out of his seat, as did Dane, who managed to reach me first and jerked me out of my chair.
He snaked both his golden, solid arms around my waist and jerked me upwards like a rag doll three times before the offending piece of toast flew out of my mouth and across the breakfast table.
‘Are you ok?’ he asked, staring down into my face.
‘Thanks to you, I am,’ I croaked, taking ragged breaths.
Evan was standing across the table, his expression etched with concern. When he noticed his brother still holding me, his jaw throbbed.
Alison and Bennett ordered me to sit back down and take it easy.
After a few moments of everyone asking if I was ok and me gratefully getting my breath back and sipping some water and tea, Dane glittered across the table at me. ‘Fancy joining me on a woodland walk this morning?’
Evan’s glass of fresh orange juice stilled at his mouth.
‘It’s just a short drive from here.’
I could feel Evan studying me for my reaction.
I pretended not to notice. I should get out of The Ramblings.
Put space between Evan and me. It was for the best. He had willowy, blonde journalists ringing him anyway.
And Dane had just stopped me from choking.
I returned Dane’s attention with a bright grin of my own. ‘Yes, that sounds great. Thanks.’
Evan’s stubbly, dark jaw tightened, but his gaze remained impassive.
‘Great. Ok.’ Dane drained his coffee. ‘Let’s finish up here, and then we can get going.’
* * *
We zipped back down through the high street in Dane’s white four-by-four truck, past the Highland countryside with its ribbons of pines and inviting, mossy, woodland paths.
Hillsides criss-crossed over each other beyond the trees, emerging phantom-like in rich palettes of chocolate brown, jade and emerald.
I stretched my legs in the passenger seat beside Dane. I’d fished out my walking boots and tied my hair back in a high ponytail.
I sneaked a look across at him as he focused on the road. He was attractive in a full-of-himself kind of way. At least with someone as openly flirty like him, I knew where I stood.
‘Got any siblings?’ Dane asked, as he indicated right onto a bark strewn public car park and picnic area.
‘No, I’m an only. I often think it would’ve been nice to have a brother or sister.’
Dane let out a low, dry laugh. ‘Yeah. Well…’
I thought about Dane and Evan together; their prickly barbs at one another and the simmering atmosphere. I wondered whether I should pose the question, but it was out before I could do anything about it. ‘Are you and Evan close?’
Dane sneered as he switched off his car engine. ‘Are you joking?!’
When he saw my surprised expression, he tapped the steering wheel. ‘We’re just very different.’ There was that smile again. ‘I don’t know if you’ve noticed.’
‘Yes, I have.’
We both jumped out. I reached into the back seat to collect my bag, and Dane fetched his rucksack.