EIGHT
Will
The dust bunnies hiding out on my skirting boards and on the tops of my bookshelves don’t know what hit them after I spend most of the next twenty-four hours cleaning to prepare for Bella. Just when I think the place is spotless, I find another smudged light switch, or a garbage bin that hasn’t been taken out.
When the doorbell rings, I have a moment of panic. I’m still in my old shirt and shorts, and I haven’t even started dinner. I check the clock, but it’s only 5:00 pm. Of course, it’s Jane and Harry come to help me set everything up.
“Oh, my god!” Jane looks around in amazement as soon as she steps through the door. “What have you done? The place looks great.”
“I just cleaned a bit.”
“Yeah, you can say that again.” Harry laughs.
I guess I could take better care of the place. Today made me realize there’s a lot I’ve let slip lately. “OK, you can tell me what a slob I am later. But first you have to help me. I did something very stupid.”
“What?” They both stare at me.
“I—” At that moment, the doorbell rings again. “Fuck! Is that Brian? Please tell me that’s Brian.”
“Not Brian. He messaged just now to say he’s running late. Is it Candy?”
“No.” I moan. “She isn’t arriving until seven. Shit.”
“Then who—”
“Stall!” I shove my friends at the door and dash up the stairs. Then I think better of it and rush down again, finding Harry and Jane standing in the doorway just staring at Bella.
After a long pause, Bella lifts the bottle of wine in her hand.
“Hi.” Her tone is tentative. “Did I come to the right place? I brought wine.”
“Bella Owens.” Jane gasps.
Internally, I cringe.
Bella just smiles. “That’s right. Where’s...?” She catches sight of me, her blue eyes flicking up to my position in the doorway.
“Hi.” My god. My chest squeezes, my mouth goes dry, and my tongue refuses to work properly. It’s remarkably unfair I have this kind of reaction every time I see her. “I see you’ve met Jane and Harry.”
Bella gives them a wave.
“Bella Owens,” Jane says again meekly.
“I’m sorry to come early like this. I thought maybe you could tell me if I got the right present.”
“It’s fine. Better than fine. Give me five minutes. Less than five minutes. I’ll be down in a moment.” I scurry up the stairs, praying my friends don’t scare her off in the time it takes me to shower and make myself presentable. At least Ian isn’t up yet.
I stuff my arms into the first good shirt I lay my hands on in my closet and wrestle with my hair. Eventually, I give up and let the fringe flop forward onto my forehead. Then I dash down the stairs to find them all in the kitchen. I’m relieved they’ve opened the wine and are sitting around the two tables I squashed together under one long tablecloth for the occasion.
Bella looks around and smiles at me, and the warmth of her smile might be enough to power a nuclear generator. It’s enough to almost bowl me off my feet.
“Hi,” I say again awkwardly. “I’m so glad you’ve come.”
“Bella was just telling us you’ve apparently started your own magazine,” Harry says, giving me a wicked grin. “She says you’re quite the journalist.”
I groan, accepting the glass he hands me and taking a long sip. “I do not plan on repeating that harrowing experience any time soon. I made a total ass of myself.”
Bella chuckles. “I’ve had worse.”
“I’d call that a resounding success, Will,” Harry says. “That’s better than your last three girlfriends said about you.”
God, why did I think this would be a good idea? I drop my face into my palm as Bella laughs.
“Please, don’t listen to a word they say,” I tell her. “Neither of them can be trusted if any opportunity to humiliate me arises. They can never resist.”
“It’s true.” Jane laughs. “But Will you’re such an easy target.”
“It was pretty funny listening to him ask questions about a film he hasn’t seen,” Bella says. “Did you know he actually asked Sophia Lonsdale if it was her first movie?”
“What?” I look around at the three laughing faces. “She looks about ten!”
Harry snorts. “She is ten, you doofus. I can’t believe you don’t know the most famous child actress since Shirley Temple.”
We’re all laughing now, and the easy way Bella has slipped into our banter isn’t lost on me.
“Right, you twats. If you’ve all had quite enough fun at my expense, it’s time to get to work. This birthday dinner won’t cook itself.”
Harry leaps to his feet and starts rifling through the fridge. “What are we having?”
“Beef Wellington and mash, and baby carrots. Did you get the cream?”
Jane smiles. “As directed.” She tops up Bella’s wine glass and then her own.
“Don’t drink all the wine!” Harry says.
Jane rolls her eyes. “I’d just like to put it out there that I’m not drunk yet, even though I sound like it.”
I’d forgotten new people sometimes react to the slight slur in Jane’s speech badly.
Bella laughs. “At least you have an excuse! Everyone will know when I get drunk.” She smiles at Jane. “Do you mind if I ask, is it cerebral palsy?”
Jane nods. “That’s right. I’m glad you asked, actually. Most people just silently wonder and I can always tell. It looks like they’re about to strain something.”
Harry and Jane get to work peeling carrots and potatoes, and Bella stands to join us. “What can I do?”
I give her a skeptical look. “Can you be trusted with this stuff? I mean you are a highly famous actress who probably hasn’t cooked a meal in your life.”
A smirk plays at the corners of Bella’s lips. “I’ll have you know I played a famous chef in a film last year. I did a lot of research for that role.”
“Ah. Well, then. Could you dice this bacon and mushroom, chef?”
She grins, takes the chopping board I hand her, and selects a sharp knife from the block. “Of course, my research ended in a lot of burnt food and one or two bandages, but there were no hospital visits, I promise!”
I relax after a moment when I see her cutting the food slowly and meticulously, but safely.
By the time it’s almost seven, the beef is in the oven and the potatoes are ready to be boiled.
The front door opens and Brian calls out. “Heya! Sorry I was late. Work’s been a bitch lately and oh...hello?” Brian strides into the kitchen “Will, did you bring company?”
Brian’s rounded face is flushed and sets down a bottle of wine on the table. He grins at Bella. “Hi. So lovely to meet you.” He pauses. “You know what? Come to think of it, you look familiar. Have we already met?” He moves into the room, giving Jane a kiss on the cheek and Harry a firm handshake.
Bella chuckles. “No I don’t think so.”
“I know. I know. We go to the same gym. That’s it, isn’t it? Fitness Fanatics?”
She laughs. “Nope.”
Brian waves it off. “Well it’s lovely to meet you. I’m Brian.”
“Bella.”
When they shake hands, it clearly still doesn’t click. Jane, Harry, and I merely watch on, waiting for the penny to drop.
“So what do you do, Bella? I’m an insurance broker myself. Boring as shit.”
“I’m an actor,” she tells him with a wry smile.
“Oh, really? Good for you. That’s a hard industry, though. I mean getting a proper break. Do you earn decent money?”
“Oh, I do well enough.”
“Good for you. Good for you.”
I decide to rescue him from himself. “Brian. Could you set the table?”
He looks around. “Huh? Oh sure. Sure. Sorry. What an oaf. I should be helping out.”
He gets up and goes to get the cutlery.
The door opens again. This time, my little sister, Candy, calls out in her familiar cheerful voice. “Hiya! I hope you’re ready for the birthday girl!” She comes storming into the kitchen, twirls, and comes to a stop. Then, she nearly falls down when her gaze finds Bella.
Her mouth drops open. Her eyes widen. Then an ear piercing shriek bursts from her and she rushes over. “Bella Owens! Bella Owens. Oh, my god, I love you! Not in the creepy stalker way, but in the I’m totally convinced that we were just meant to be friends way. I can’t believe you’re here at my birthday dinner. Am I dreaming? Somebody pinch me.”
I’m ready to step in, but Bella laughs. “I’m really here. Your brother was kind enough to invite me. Happy birthday, Candy.” She hands Candy a gift she’d left on the table wrapped in pink paper. “This is for you.”
Candy looks as if she’s about to burst into tears. Her large round eyes well up and her lower lip trembles for a second. “Should I open it?”
“Of course.”
She rips the paper and pulls out a tiny pink bag with a round gold handle and hideous gems all over the outside. It looks like something you might get for a four year old, but Candy makes a muffled squeak. “Oh, my god. Is this a real Jimmy Choo? Can I hug you? I promise I’ll stop after that. But I just really want to be able to say I’ve hugged Bella Owens.”
Silence.
If I had any doubts about whether or not I should have invited Bella, they disappear when she opens her arms and leans in for the hug. The expression on her face is disbelieving, but flattered, and the two embrace. “I’m glad you like it,” Bella says.
My sister finally releases Bella and steps back, pretending to fan her face. “OK, well my life’s ambition has been accomplished. I’m officially best friends with Bella Owens. And you, Will. You’re officially the best brother ever!” She turns to me with her eyes bright and her smile wide.
“Come here.” I bring her in for another hug and give her a tight squeeze. “Happy birthday, Candy.”
“Happy birthday!” everyone choruses.
Over Bella’s head, I see Brian’s face has turned beet red. “Bella Owens?” he mouths. “ The Bella Owens?”
I shrug.
“Fuck!” he whispers.
“Let’s eat!” I declare.
“Is now a bad time to tell you I’m a vegetarian?” Bella asks.