Chapter 6
6
‘You look fabulous. I love that dress. The colour is great on you.’
‘You look lovely, too – very Naomi Watts in King Kong .’ Nora had decided against the black halterneck in the end and gone for old-time glamour, too, and it suited her.
‘Thanks. It’s silly, isn’t it? But I think I’m more nervous going on this second date than I was on the first.’
‘You should be nervous because I’ll murder you if this friend of his turns out to be a big hairy gorilla.’
‘At least you’ll get a column out of it.’
There was no time for further discussion as Nora’s intercom buzzed, signalling Ewan and his mystery mate had arrived.
The two women looked at each other and giggled before Nora announced, ‘God, I feel like I’m sixteen and off to my school ball!’
They tottered down the stairs of Nora’s Georgian two-storey manor house. Its bricks were laid firmly in the heart of fashionable Rathmines, where she paid a premium rent to live in the house’s converted second-storey apartment. On the quiet street outside, Ewan Reid – looking as swarthy and gorgeous as he did on the big screen – was lounging alongside a tall, blonde, handsome stranger and a sleek grey convertible.
Thank God the roof was on, was Jess’s first thought, or her artfully tousled auburn curls would have been an artfully tousled bloody fright by the time they got to wherever they were going. Not to mention it would be bloody freezing. Her second thought as the stranger stepped forward, introducing himself as Nick before homing in to drop a kiss on her cheek, was that he wasn’t bad, not bad at all. Nora might just get to live, after all.
Juan’s was buzzing, Jess noticed, glancing round the popular Spanish restaurant’s bar as she enjoyed her pre-dinner drink. She was only halfway through her Singapore Sling—she’d thought it sounded suitably sophisticated for the company she was keeping, even if sangria would have been more in keeping with the restaurant’s theme – when a waiter appeared in front of her.
He was a dead ringer for Manuel from Faulty Towers , and she had to bite back a laugh when he introduced himself as Miguel in a dodgy Spanish accent. It was her first taste of a proper celebrity lifestyle, as in his next breath, he began bowing and scraping to the great Ewan Reid before whisking them away from the minions who kept coming up to ask for his autograph.
Actually, she mused as Miguel held her seat out for her at their table, which overlooked lively Harcourt Street below, the whole being-famous thing – while having obvious perks like fabulous seats in fabulous restaurants – was also kind of annoying. No sooner did Ewan attempt to start up a conversation than some stranger would butt in, asking for an autograph. People seemed to think that because his face was familiar, it gave them the right to be pushy – especially the women. Still, underneath Nora’s fluffy blonde exterior and white silk sheath dress lurked a woman with the strength of King Kong, so if things were to get serious between her and Ewan, his female fans would have to watch out.
No, fame certainly wasn’t something she hankered after, she thought as Miguel made a show of flapping the crisp white linen napkin before draping it across her lap. At least with writing she got to retain a certain amount of anonymity because while people often looked twice at her, they didn’t usually twig that they recognised her from the passport-sized photo featured alongside her column. Though Nora would beg to differ; she maintained that the reason people looked twice at Jess was more to do with what she deemed her friend’s bizarre choice of clothing.
Once the others were seated, she turned her attention from the window back to Nick, who was telling her he did something or other in property and that he’d known Ewan since school. The convertible was his, so whatever it was he did, he obviously did well, she concluded, feeling slightly ashamed of how easily impressed she was.
He smiled across at her, and she couldn’t help but notice that as well as driving a fancy car, his eyes were impossibly blue against the tan of his skin. Very Pierce Brosnan in his younger days but with blonde hair cut into a much better style. Oh my gosh , she thought, grinning inanely back at him and admiring the pearliness of his perfect teeth, my mother would absolutely love you ! Would he mind if she whipped her phone out and took a photo as proof that she was on a date with a man who so far appeared to have no underlying issues and was obviously successful?
At that moment, she received a sharp kick to the ankle and bit her lip to stop herself from crying out. Bloody Nora , she swore silently but nevertheless took her friend’s hint and wiped the sappy look off her face.
‘So tell me about you, Jessica.’ Nick leaned forward, toying with his empty wine glass as they waited for Miguel to come back with the bottle of red they’d all agreed on. ‘Although, I have to say that having laughed out loud at your column many times, I can’t help but feel like I already know you.’
Jess preened ever so slightly; he’d just scored some major brownie points because she loved it when a man took the time to ask about her instead of banging on about his achievements all night. ‘Ah, well, don’t believe all that you read.’
‘I’ll vouch for that.’ Ewan joined in the conversation. ‘My agent showed me an article in some woman’s magazine the other week that strongly implied I might be the one to heal Demi’s broken heart. All I bloody did was shake her hand when I was introduced to her at Cannes. The woman terrifies me. I was still in short pants when she did Ghost , for Chrissakes!’
They all laughed, and after Ewan had sampled and approved the wine, much to Miguel’s obvious relief, an animated conversation about the media ensued.
Jess had just finished relaying her tale of how her column came to fruition thanks to Shane Moriarty from Bad Boyz milking his new-found fame when Miguel magically popped up again. This time, he had his pad and pencil in hand, ready to take their order. They opened their menus, but Nick announced that the paella was absolutely fantastic, so they were promptly snapped shut, and it was agreed they would all share in a plate of Spain’s national dish.
‘Teez a good choice, Meester Reid,’ Miguel gushed before giving a little bow and scurrying off toward the kitchen to click his fingers and tell the chef to snap to it.
That was another thing Jessa was noticing about the power of celebrity: it was as though Ewan were the only person seated at the table the way Miguel addressed everything to him. The rest of their little group was all but invisible.
As Nora and Ewan embarked on a conversation about paragliding, Nick refilled Jess’s wine glass. ‘So what made you leave New Zealand? It’s a stunning country.’
‘Have you been?’ She was surprised; most Irish only got as far as Australia, arriving at Sydney Airport with their passports and a dream that life from hereon in was going to be like one big scene from Home and Away . Not many jumped the ditch to New Zealand. Mind you, Nick didn’t look like the kind of man who’d watch Home and Away or Neighbours .
‘To Auckland on business, yes, but I managed to get up to the Bay of Islands for a few days R their eyes locked, and the jolt of excitement that ricocheted through her literally made her catch her breath. It was either that or the wine had gone down the wrong way. Either way, the moment was ruined as she began coughing and spluttering, sending a spray of red wine across the table. Nora, thinking she was choking, leaped out of her seat and began walloping her on the back, which only made her cough harder.
It was then that Miguel appeared and excitedly told Nora to stand aside as he announced loudly and proudly, ‘I will perform the hymen manoeuvre.’
Thanks be to God he didn’t get a chance to perform anything on her! Jess thought, because after a sip of the glass of water Nick was holding to her lips, the coughing subsided. By the time the steaming pan of rice and seafood appeared to take centre stage at their table, she’d managed to regain her composure – well, almost.
By the time the third bottle of wine was opened, she, too, could see the funny side of Miguel and his ‘hymen’ manoeuvre, and she found herself relaxing and enjoying Nick’s and Ewan’s company, though she did wish Nora would stop going on like she was the stuntwoman out of The Matrix .
From there on in, the evening passed in a jovial wine-addled blur, and before they knew it, they were the last patrons in the restaurant. It was time to go, but not before they’d given Miguel a generous tip.
As they made their way down the stairs and out the doors to the car park, Nick made one last joke about Miguel’s Spanish accent, but as she laughed, the darkness in front of her was suddenly split by blinding flashes of light. She felt her mouth form a startled ‘Oh!’ as Nick took her by the elbow and herded her over to the car.
‘Who’s the mystery blonde, Ewan? Does Tessa know you’ve called it quits?’ several different voices called.
‘Fecking paparazzi!’ Ewan growled as he and Nora ducked inside the little car just as Nick began revving the engine. They exited the car park in a blaze of burning rubber.
‘It’s OK, Nick, man; slow down – nobody’s following us,’ Ewan urged a moment later. ‘I’m sorry about that, ladies. The fecking pap get everywhere.’ He’d turned around in his seat, but he only had eyes for Nora as he added, ‘And Tessa and I broke up amicably aeons ago.’
He was referring to his stunning Suburban Man co-star, Tessa Adamson. Jess felt Nora relax next to her as she reached over and stroked his arm. Her eyes, in the darkened interior, were still glittering from the adrenaline rush of what had just happened, and Jess had to concur that it had been rather exciting. She could see how the novelty would soon wear off if it happened every time you went anywhere, though. Imagine being photographed doing something as mundane as going to the corner shop for your morning paper or just collecting your post? A mental picture of herself in the elephant suit with pink slippers gracing the cover of the Woman’s Friend sprang to mind and she shuddered, pushing it aside.
Nick proved to be the perfect gentleman when they pulled up outside Riverside Apartments five minutes later. He got out of the car and, after opening her door, helped her out before walking her to the main doors. While she fished around in her purse for her keys, he told her that he’d really enjoyed the evening. ‘I’d like to do it again sometime.’ He looked at her expectantly.
‘So would I.’ She blushed, all too aware that Nora would be sitting in the car with her face pressed up to the window, phone at the ready to text Brianna should there be snogging.
‘So it’s OK if I get your number off Nora and give you a call?’
‘Yes, I’d like that.’
‘Great.’ Nick leaned in, and she felt his lips airbrush hers before he stepped back, waiting for her to head inside.
It was all she could do not to drag him in behind her.