CHAPTER 33
@AfricBrooks: Psyched that @SpencerTorres and I back with each other. We got together during our first movie Why Don’t We Do This? Can’t keep secrets forever. #AnIrishInheritance
Jess picked up Emily at her apartment early that Wednesday morning and helped her carry a small suitcase and a large, plastic art folder to the car.
“What’s all this?” she asked.
“All my jewellery is in the case,” Emily said. “And my new posters are all in the folder. I got Afric’s permission to blow up a screenshot of her from her story, showing off my ring!”
She’d underestimated Emily, Jess thought. The girl was a genius! “I didn’t know you were so talented.”
“Neither did I,” Emily said modestly. “I just needed something to do when I first moved down here. I didn’t think I’d be so good at jewellery design and crafting. I started with copper – most people do. But silver is such a cool look.”
Jess shifted gear and overtook a large truck that had pulled over to the hard shoulder to let her pass.
“It must have taken you ages to build up a big enough collection to do this, though.”
“Not really, I had a lot of time on my hands after work.” Emily turned to look out of the window.
Jess wondered whether to say anything else. But she knew what Emily meant, she didn’t have to spell it out.
“I want to buy a few pairs of earrings from you,” she said casually.
Emily laughed. “Aw, Jess, that’s so sweet but, like, don’t feel you have to.”
“I want to,” Jess insisted. “I’ll buy some for me and I know Kate and Zoe would love them too.”
“Mate’s rate, then. And before you say anything about the money, it’s my stuff and I can sell it for what I want.”
Jess shook her head but, instead of arguing, she switched on the radio, flicking around until she found a local station.
“Dermot told me my jewellery was cool and he wants to buy something,” Emily said after a while.
Jess glanced over. “That’s nice.”
“I guess.” Emily shrugged. “He still hasn’t made a move and the other day he told me I’m the same age as his younger sister.”
“How old is he?”
“Uh, seven years older than me?”
Jess rolled her eyes. “My dad is five years older than my mam. And Robert’s actually a year younger than me.”
“Do you think you guys could be serious?” Emily asked.
Jess pondered the question. “I’m not sure. Oh, hang on, we’re here.”
She drove up the main street of Kilshanley, and beyond to where a man in a hi-vis vest waved them towards a school carpark.
She parked and switched off the engine. “Come on, let’s get your stuff out of the boot and we’ll go find the market.”
They set out all the jewellery, posters and business cards for Linford Knot Designs, which was the name Emily had decided upon, and Jess hung out for a couple of hours at the stall, as a number of people were drawn in by the poster of Afric and sales were brisk.
She waited for a lull before taking a wander around.
“I think it’s going really well,” Emily said after Jess brought her back a coffee from the nearby coffee van. “I didn’t expect to make that many sales, to be honest – even with the poster. I’m kinda hungry, though, it’s nearly lunchtime!”
“Leave it to me, I’ll get us some rolls,” Jess offered. “Meat or veggie?”
Emily thought for a moment. “Chicken fillet? And a bag of Tayto.”
“Coming right up.”
Jess wandered off through the market again.
There was one truck doing sandwiches and rolls but the queue was long.
She walked up through the town and spotted a small deli on the opposite end of the street.
There were a few other people in the shop, and she chose some readymade rolls, a couple of packets of crisps and two bottles of water and stepped into the queue behind two women.
“… trying out for one of the main roles this year …” one of the women was saying.
It was hard not to listen, she reasoned, especially when they were speaking loudly enough for the whole shop to hear.
“It was the same last year in that comedy. Wait ’til you see, there’ll have to be women playing the men’s parts – there’s never enough fellahs.”
“Not enough talented ones, anyway.”
“We still talking about the play?”
The two women burst out laughing and Jess hid a grin. Emily had mentioned that she’d taken tap-dancing classes when she was younger. And if she was good enough to land a small part in a Hollywood movie, she might love an amateur theatre group – they were an ideal way to meet new people.
When she reached the top of the queue, she paid for everything and waited while the teenager behind the counter bagged it.
“Does Kilshanley have a local theatre group?” she asked.
“Yeah.” He looked bored. “If you want to audition, check out the community centre. On the left, three doors up. Just opposite the cinema.”
“Thanks.”
She turned left and saw it immediately – a squat, redbrick structure on the corner that seemed to back onto the small church in the middle of the town.
She tried the back door, but it was locked.
Walking around the side of the building, she spotted a simple, hand-made poster in the window.
Across the top, in large black print lettering, was Shakespeare’s MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING.
Underneath, in smaller lettering were the details of auditions for a couple of the main roles, and a request for backstage helpers.
Jess’s eyes drifted to the bottom of the poster, where there were two contact names and telephone numbers.
She looked a bit closer – Robert was one of the names.
Taking out her phone, she scrolled through her contacts – the phone numbers were the same.
Had Robert mentioned that he was involved in amateur theatre?
It wasn’t exactly the kind of thing she’d forget. Slowly, she turned and walked back.
Emily waved as she approached. “I made three more sales when you were gone! Like, I can’t even –” She stopped, looking at Jess’s face. “Uh, what’s happened?”
Jess smiled brightly. “Nothing, long queue. Here you go.” She handed Emily her lunch. “You know, we could see a movie when we’re finished here. There’s a cinema really close by.”
Emily pulled a face. “I know, it has one screen. But, yeah, they might have – wait, are you sure you don’t want to go back and spend the evening with Robert?”
“I’m positive! I’d much rather hang out with you, Emily.”
“Aw, that’s so sweet of you, Jess.” Emily unwrapped her roll and took a bite.
Jess started on her own lunch. The truth was, she did want to hang out with Emily. Partly because she needed to think about herself and Robert. They might have already slept together, but on an emotional level there was no harm in slowing things down a bit.
And after seeing his contact details on that poster, it was clear that Robert had a whole part of his life that he hadn’t even thought to share.
Which wasn’t exactly a red flag. Not compared with the parts of her life she was planning to keep to herself.
Anyway, it wasn’t exactly a secret, was it? She could have spotted his name and number on that poster at any time.
She tried to ignore the niggling feeling that being part of an amateur theatre group fell firmly into the Hobbies and Interests category. Which meant it would have been normal to mention it. Unless he’d forgotten.
Yep, that had to be it.