Chapter 32
Bristol
It was the end of November. Jamie had spent the month calling in favours from pretty much everyone he knew, as had the rest of Leon’s friends. Companies and celebrities from all over had contributed to the online auction he’d organised, which had already been running for the last six days.
Tonight, at ten o’clock, the final bids would be placed, the auction would come to an end and he would be able to announce the total amount raised for the cancer charity they’d chosen to support in Leon’s name.
To celebrate the success of the event – because it had already wildly exceeded all estimates – he was hosting a thank-you gathering here at the apartment for those who’d worked so hard to promote it, as the final hours and minutes counted down.
A group of Leon’s colleagues were on their way, along with many of Jamie’s rugby friends, several of whom had auctioned themselves off to the highest bidders.
Disa had been at her magical best, persuading local business owners to donate far bigger prizes than they’d planned to offer.
Leon’s fellow pilots at the flying club were auctioning helicopter rides, and various celebrities had stepped up, offering money-can’t-buy experiences that had attracted mind-boggling bids.
The doorbell rang, heralding the arrival of the first guests, and Jamie experienced the usual flashback to the happy years he and Leon had lived here together, when each time a visitor pressed the bell, Leon would exclaim in world-weary fashion, ‘Just tell my fans to leave me alone.’
He still missed his friend every day. What he wouldn’t give to hear him saying it one more time.
Checking the video doorbell, he saw Hattie, Kayla, Guy, Molly and Fen crowding around the doorstep.
Fen, who he knew missed Leon every bit as much as he did.
And the others, who might only have known him briefly during their time in Venice, but who’d formed a tight bond and worked hard together to help make this fundraiser a success.
And now, jumping out of a taxi behind them, here came Sadie, who’d also achieved a miracle when she’d recently interviewed a pair of married Hollywood A-listers and charmed them into donating a week’s stay in their glorious waterfront palazzo on the banks of Lake Como.
It had been good of her to make the effort, following the gradual petering-out of their relationship.
Having picked up on his lack of enthusiasm, Sadie had been the one to suggest that from now on they should just be friends, and he’d been delighted to agree that this was the right decision, especially since he was off to Australia next week.
But for now, it was an evening for celebrating their collective achievements. Jamie pressed the button to unlock the door, and moments later heard the first clatter of footsteps on the stairs.
Leon might be missing, but everyone else would be here because of him. It was still going to be a good night.
Molly gazed around the spacious living room, now noisy and crowded as the final hour of the online auction approached.
Guy had taken over as MC and was standing in front of the window, with its iconic view of the lit-up Clifton Suspension Bridge.
With his laptop on the table before him and a cordless microphone in his hand, he was updating the room as each new online bid was placed, to whoops and cheers from everyone gathered in the apartment, as well as occasional comedy groans when their own bids were exceeded.
She was glad she was here, and it was lovely to see everyone, but her secret wish had been that Jamie Hamilton might do a double-take when he clapped eyes on her again, come to his senses at last and realise that she was the one for him.
Except it hadn’t happened. True, he had greeted her warmly with open arms and a kiss on each cheek, but this was how he’d greeted every female upon their arrival.
Plus, an unexpected rain shower earlier had made her fringe go curly in not-a-good way, which had left her feeling less attractive than she’d hoped.
Finally, because disappointments always came in threes, within ten minutes of getting here and while helping herself to a canapé, she’d been accidentally bumped from behind so a dollop of curried mayonnaise landed with a splat on the front of her brand-new white top.
‘I’m so sorry, someone knocked into me,’ Sadie Ingalls had trilled when Molly swung round in dismay, and if this had happened in a romcom it would have been because Jamie’s girlfriend saw her as a threat and was determined to banjax the chances of her luring him away.
Except the truth was, it had been an accident and why would his girlfriend be bothered anyway?
Sadie was glamorous, stylish, famous . . . on a whole other level.
In the grand scheme of things, it wasn’t important, Molly knew that, but in all honesty, the evening wasn’t going as well as she’d hoped, and it was also really annoying when her fringe did this ridiculous—
‘If it isn’t my long-lost twin,’ a voice announced over to her left.
Since the comment appeared to be aimed at her, she said, ‘Sorry?’ Surely Disa hadn’t unearthed yet another long-lost relative for her to meet?
He regarded her with amusement, wild auburn hair falling into light blue eyes, a face full of freckles and crooked incisors visible as his grin widened.
‘You and me. Twins.’ He waited for her to get it, then pointed to his lime-green polo shirt. Molly’s gaze slid down to the tomato-orange stain above the waistband of his jeans.
‘Oh, right. I thought you were making fun of my hair. Which usually looks a lot better than this.’ She shook her head and twanged one of the curls that had turned into a corkscrew over her left eyebrow.
He looked offended. ‘Are you suggesting we both have terrible hair? Bit brutal. I think mine’s superb.’
‘Mine can be pretty good too.’ He wasn’t her type, but right now she didn’t have anyone else to talk to. ‘It just drives me mad when the rain sends it out of control and makes it go frizzy.’
‘Frizzy. I love that word. So back to the thing we have in common.’ He indicated the stain on his polo shirt again. ‘This was one of those chicken parcels. When I bit into it, I didn’t know it was full of red pepper puree.’
‘At least you spilled it down yourself. Mine happened because someone knocked into me.’
‘Who? Want me to have a stern word with them?’
‘It was Sadie Ingalls.’
His lip curled. ‘That monster? God, that’s so typical of her. She’ll have done it on purpose.’
Molly gaped. ‘Really?’
‘No, of course not.’ He laughed at the expression on her face. ‘I’ve never met her. But everyone says she’s nice. Anyway, hi. Handy.’
It was noisy in the room. He was holding his hand out towards her. Blinking, Molly said, ‘What?’
‘I’m introducing myself to you.’ Gravely he added, ‘It’s an old-fashioned system but it has its uses.
Saves that embarrassing moment years down the line when you have to admit you’ve never known my name.
Andy McLennan. Andrew if we’re being formal, or if you’re my mum telling me off.
’ There was that grin again. ‘Now it’s your turn. ’
‘To tell you off?’ Molly wagged a finger at him. ‘Andrew, I can’t believe you didn’t take more care of that shirt of yours. If you’d used a napkin this would never have happened.’
He looked impressed. ‘You sound exactly like her.’
‘Now go and tidy your room.’
‘Name,’ he prompted.
‘Molly Piper. Molly to my friends.’
‘At last. Hello, Molly. And you live . . . where?’
‘Venice.’
‘Whoa.’
‘But I’m moving back to the UK.’
‘Phew, and there I was about to cross you off my list of top fantasy future girlfriends.’ His eyes glinted with mischief as he mimed restoring her name to the list and giving it a giant tick.
A sparkly sensation began spreading across Molly’s skin, across her shoulders and down her spine; he was quick and funny, and she was enjoying sparring with him. Leaning forward as if to check the list, she said, ‘Have you spelled my name right?’
He showed her the imaginary chart. ‘M-O-L-I, isn’t that it? And will you be living in Bristol?’
‘Gloucester. Why?’
‘Just checking you’re within my radius. You’re in luck. I can manage Gloucester.’
She was feeling giddy, glad she’d come along now after a dodgy start. The initial certainty that he wasn’t her type was unravelling at top speed. ‘Won’t your wife mind?’
‘Not if we don’t tell her.’ Andy waited, then said, ‘I’m not married. I think I may have been waiting my whole life to meet you.’
It was a joke, but what if there was a tiny bit of truth in there too? The sparkly sensation wasn’t subsiding. ‘How did you know Leon?’
‘We worked for the same company. I know, financial services, I’m that riveting.
But he was such a laugh and fun to work with.
We were friends for years. Still miss the guy.
That’s why we’re all here, isn’t it? To remember him and raise money in his memory.
’ He pointed at her. ‘Tell you what, if you agree to come out on a date with me, I’ll add fifty pounds to the pot. ’
‘Is that all?’
‘Fine. One hundred pounds.’
‘I’ve never been so insulted in my life.’ But it was hard to keep a straight face when fifty pence would have been enough. She would have paid him.
‘Two hundred pounds,’ said Andy, ‘and that’s my final offer.’
‘Done.’ Molly seized his hand and shook it. ‘You have yourself a bargain.’
They gazed at each other as if neither of them could bear to tear their eyes away, two people surrounded by conversation and laughter as the rest of the world, unaware of what was happening, continued around them.
‘Look at you two,’ Fen exclaimed, coming up behind them. She turned to Andy. ‘It did the trick, then?’
Molly said, ‘What did the trick? The two hundred pounds?’
‘He didn’t know how to strike up a conversation with you. Then he saw the stain on your top and decided to get one to match.’ Fen frowned. ‘What two hundred pounds?’