Chapter 21
Chapter Twenty-One
M aya was still on cloud nine after that incredible night with Noah and she must have been a bit giddy because she’d finally agreed to meet Tabitha and decided that maybe she wasn’t as bad as Maya had first thought because there hadn’t been any malicious stories about Noah in the press since the garden party, so perhaps their plan had worked and she was happy with Corey? Tabitha was part of Noah’s next film and if Maya could do anything to ease the path to them getting along as colleagues, she would. Maybe they could all get along one day…
Meeting up with Noah was always like planning an M15 operation and although she understood needing privacy almost better than he did, it was a bit tiring not to be able to wander into a café for a coffee, or to stroll along with someone you fancied, holding hands and staring into each other’s eyes. If they did that, a photographer would probably jump out of the bushes pointing his camera their way - like they had after their date night at the flower restaurant, which had almost given them a coronary. Venturing out in public meant the simplest things, like the flavour of ice cream he’d chosen, becoming headline news, which seemed extraordinary, but at least the interest in his love life seemed to have eased off and the photographer had kept his promise not to print the photos of them at her door - so far. Apparently, Noah had given him an exclusive about his upcoming film instead and that had appeased him, but the photos were still out there, which worried her. Maya knew Noah loved his career and didn’t mind the press interest because it had made him a household name and he was grateful, but she saw his mask slip and how tiring it was for him occasionally.
Tabitha had insisted that they meet at a beautifully lit bar in Mayfair, London, even though she clearly thought Maya didn’t fit in with her own A-list crowd. The bar felt luxurious with dark tones of blue and smoky grey on the plush velvet seating and granite bar. There was soft music playing in the background and the hum of conversation filled the air. Maya plastered on a smile as Tabitha approached and kissed her on both cheeks, almost asphyxiating Maya with her strong perfume. Maya coughed and tried to gulp in some air into her tight airways, her eyes watering.
Tabitha was wearing sunglasses even though it was dark inside the bar and not that sunny outside either! Maya shook her head in wonder. No one was paying them the slightest bit of attention. Tabitha stood out more for wearing the sunglasses, but maybe that was her intention. Tabitha was better known for who she dated than her actual body of work as an up-and-coming actress. She’d been photographed with Noah a few times recently, but only in groups. Maya got the vibe that wasn’t Tabitha’s choice, though .
‘Thanks for inviting me out,’ said Maya, hoping to keep the topics neutral.
‘I thought it would be good if we could be friends,’ said Tabitha with her lips drawn into a tight line as if she couldn’t quite bring herself to smile. Considering Tabitha was an actress, Maya didn’t believe a word she said.
‘Um… Okay,’ replied Maya. She had enough friends thanks, but it intrigued her at what angle Tabitha would try to pretend to want to get to know her. She clearly did not know that Maya had overheard her conversation at the garden party.
‘I wanted to ask you where you got that divine ring I saw at Noah’s party,’ she ruthlessly cut straight in. Tabitha didn’t look at her while she asked this and waggled her hand in the air, trying to catch the bartender's attention, finally taking her sunglasses off. Maya groaned inwardly. She’d hoped that Tabitha would have forgotten about that by now.
‘A friend gave it to me a long time ago,’ she said simply, hoping that was the end of that line of conversation.
‘Ah,’ said Tabitha, looking her up and down again and taking in her slim fitting jeans and neutral jumper with a textured pattern, which was quite tame for Maya’s usual taste. ‘I wondered how it came into your possession.’ A light came into her eyes and she leaned in conspiratorially as the waiter brought them both a tall glass of champagne. Maya took the drink, but caught the arm of the waiter and ordered a caramel latte. She needed caffeine if this meet-up carried on this way. ‘I know that there aren’t many rings out there and I’m pretty clued up on that brand because it’s so current and it’s absolutely the hottest thing to own right now,’ Tabitha confided, eyeing Maya’s unbranded black purse that she’d left on the bar, with disdain, before Maya quickly tucked it on her lap. ‘No.1 Ethereal Lane is my absolute favourite and I know they sell out quickly. I thought I’d have heard about this piece on social media. As soon as they release images of their next product being delivered by one of their divine models, it’s absolutely everywhere, but no one can buy it because it’s already sold,’ she studied Maya and sipped her champagne, smiling sweetly and waiting for a reply. When Maya didn’t respond, she frowned and rubbed an imaginary chip on her perfect manicure. ‘Who donated it to you?’ she asked, emphasising the word donate. Her rudeness astounded Maya, but she let it go. ‘I think they must have a team of public relations specialists working with the designer by how popular they are. It wouldn’t surprise me if a brand like Prada or Gucci were behind it. The marketing is genius,’ she added, tapping her long red glossy nails on the bar and waiting for Maya to divulge her contact.
‘As I said… a friend,’ she didn’t elaborate, but loved the fact that Tabitha had just compared her tiny little company to some absolute powerhouses in the industry. ‘It is a lovely piece of jewellery.’
‘It’s divine!’ hissed Tabitha quietly, as if the ears had walls. ‘I’d happily buy it from you, you know. It’s worth a good amount of money,’ she patted Maya’s hand patronisingly. ‘You probably didn’t realise,’ she simpered. ‘I’d give you a fair price. Perhaps you could do with a little extra cash right now?’ She glanced at the purse again. That purse was vintage! Maya seethed.
Maya paused as the barman handed her a sweet smelling coffee and she blew on it to cool it down before sipping it and enjoying the sugar and caffeine hit. She needed it to get through this drivel. She tried not to laugh at Tabitha’s earnest expression, as if she was doing her the biggest favour of relieving her of a world-renowned piece of jewellery. ‘What makes you say that?’ she asked, warming her suddenly icy hands on the tall coffee glass. Tabitha giggled and glanced around conspiratorially.
‘Well… you seem to have your sights set on Noah. You know he’s quite a catch?’ When Maya tried to speak, Tabitha spoke over her. ‘You’ll need new clothes and honestly a lot of pampering,’ She eyed Maya’s soft wavy hair and un-manicured nails with a shudder and gave her a false smile. Maya pictured herself trying to create her masterpieces with huge fake nails and almost burnt her tongue on her drink. She felt her eyes water and put it back down to keep cooling. ‘Running in those types of circles can be expensive. Our friendship group is pretty tight and we don’t get newbies very often, so I’m helping you to fit in now we’re best friends.’ She took Maya’s hand in her own and then suddenly let it go, which almost knocked her off of her tall bar stool.
‘Um… I’m sorry, but it’s a sentimental gift, and it’s not for sale.'
Tabitha’s brow creased, and she put her own almost empty drink down. ‘But you work on that big old boat that sits near Noah’s house and paint little pictures, don’t you?’ She said the world old as if it meant poor Bertha was well past her best and useless, when in fact she was looking better than ever and had customers clamouring to steam up and down the river on her. Maya felt her hackles rise in indignation on Bertha ’s behalf. ‘Noah said you sell your pictures from a local café, downstream from his house.' Her brow furrowed in confusion. 'Surely selling the ring will help? We can go shopping and buy you some new clothes.’ Tabitha’s own style would have fitted perfectly into Blake and Portia’s world of glitz and glamour. She was wearing a white heavily branded blouse with an oversized collar that had a weird sheen to it and skin-tight black trousers that made Maya wince because they were a tad too tight on Tabitha's svelte frame. She had a pearl emblazoned blazer with her and a handbag that was probably worth more than the ring. It gave the overall impression to Maya that she could afford the brands but actually did not know how to put them together. Ettie would have a field day with a client like Tabitha. Maya’s own outfit was vintage Levi jeans and a gorgeously soft cream jumper that her grandmother had made, that she knew complimented her big brown eyes and sooty lashes.
‘Noah and I dated recently,’ said Tabitha gravely. ‘You know that?’
‘I do,’ said Maya firmly, finishing her coffee and picking up her champagne again, enjoying the pop of the bubbles on her tongue.
‘I think that Noah and I might get back together,’ Tabitha blurted out suddenly, trying to grab back Maya's attention as she was checking the time on her phone. ‘He’s on the rebound.’
‘That’s between you and Noah, but he and I are dating now… you know that?’ she asked Tabitha.
‘I think he’s doing that to make me jealous,’ Tabitha said cattily. ‘Sorry to have to be the one to tell you,’ she soothed afterwards. ‘Does that change things for you? It is still early days if you want to find someone more... available.’ Tabitha eyed Maya steadily, but she didn’t flinch. She’d dealt with her own share of bullies when she’d had to move home to live with her grandparents when her parents were in a different country. Kids found any way to tease her about the fact that she’d been abandoned, even though she knew her parents were coming back. It had created an unbreakable bond between her, Arthur and Romy and they’d navigated school life and their teenage years together and been each other’s best friends, but she did worry that it had scared her younger siblings out of any long term commitment. Both of their love lives were as much a mess as hers was!
Romy had ignored the name calling and Arthur had gotten into a few fights, but sensitive Maya had stuck her head in a book and isolated herself. She found that easier than trying to make friends with people who found her and her family odd. She herself found them to be completely bonkers, but she loved them and was fiercely protective of every one of them. Woe betide anyone who tried to hurt someone she loved. Maya's eyes narrowed in on Tabitha and although she didn't know if Noah was in that category yet, she certainly cared enough about him to want to help where Tabitha was concerned. But what could she do?
She stopped herself from rolling her eyes and instead took another quick peek at the time on her phone. Noah had told her about Tabitha’s obsession with his life, but it was weird to see it firsthand. Maya had had her own heart broken, so she had wanted to see for herself that she wasn’t stepping on anyone’s toes. From what she could tell, Tabitha was looking for status and not love.
‘I don’t think so,’ said Maya honestly, but Tabitha just stared at her with sympathy on her face. ‘But thanks for being such a good friend and letting me know…’
‘Oh, bless you! Well, we’ll see, shan’t we? Noah and I are pretty close and you know our next film features Dame Rosalie Alton? Newspapers hound us for stories about our lives. The press tend to put co-stars together in lots of crazy stories, so try not to worry if you see us together.’ Maya held her tongue because Tabitha had a bit part and wasn’t Noah’s co-star and most of the momentum for this new film hadn’t built so far. Maya hadn’t noticed Tabitha in any of the stories she had seen, so she hoped that wasn’t a trigger for her to misbehave. ‘Will you not reconsider about the ring?’ Tabitha asked again. ‘Re-sales can generate a lot of publicity and we could push the article to be about your art as well.’
‘You couldn’t guarantee that,’ said Maya and Tabitha, laughed, a high-pitched tinkly sound that grated on Maya's nerves. Tabitha signalled for the bill but left it on the side, which didn’t surprise Maya. She handed her credit card to the barman, and he gave her a look of sympathy. Maya guessed Tabitha and ‘friends’ were regulars there.
‘Oh, but I can! I have a friend in the press who is obsessed with me and he publishes anything I tell him to,’ she said with a warning tone and Maya’s blood ran cold. This was how she was manipulating the stories about Noah. She immediately thought of the power of a story uncovering the designer behind No.1 Ethereal Lane and knew she had to tread carefully or get burnt like Noah had. Maya intended to reveal her identity at one point, but her brand was so high profile now, that it was a bit late for her to say, ‘Hi, it’s me!’ and then explain that she pretty much ran her exclusive business from a laptop and a drew her designs from a bench on a steamboat called Bertha . At the moment, the mystery surrounding her was part of why there was so much intrigue and speculation flying around. This, in turn, brought more articles and posts and a wealth of customers buying her jewellery. Her identity, or where she worked, being exposed could bring this all crashing down around her and that wasn’t something Maya was willing to risk.
‘The ring isn’t for sale,’ said Maya carefully, finally seeing that Tabitha was actually quite a dangerous person to get on the wrong side of. ‘If I change my mind, you’ll be the first person I tell, though,’ she added quickly, and this seemed to appease Tabitha for now.
‘I really think it would be in your best interests to think about selling,’ Tabitha said through gritted teeth. ‘I’d hate it if negative press stories circulated about that big clunky steamboat Noah said your family run…’
‘My grandad’s best friend runs it,’ said Maya, pressing her nails into her palms to stop herself from jumping to Bertha ’s defence. There was no way she wanted to bring Tabitha’s wrath onto Joe and Olive when they’d just gotten back on their feet. ‘But you’re right, maybe I should rethink about how important the ring is to me,’ she added, ice dripping from her tone. No one had ever threatened her family before, but it wasn’t something she’d stand for and Tabitha would soon learn about stamping onto a snake and getting a fang in the calf, if she thought she could simply throw that grenade into the mix and walk away unscathed.
‘Why don’t you put your name down on the waiting list for a No.1 Ethereal Lane piece? I’ve heard they are worth the wait,’ she smiled, her bones feeling heavy suddenly, and all she could picture was her own comfy bed. She’d spent much more time than she’d expected speaking to Noah on the phone or in his bed. She couldn’t seem to get enough of his company, but she needed to back off a bit for her own sanity and to protect her heart. The problem was that she feared it was already too late.
‘I’ve just got on the list,’ said Tabitha as if she was a complete moron, ‘but it could be years before my name reaches the top.’
‘Ah… sorry. I know little about that,’ apologised Maya wearily, wondering why she’d been so stupid as to let Tabitha sign up. She’d thought it would stop her asking about the ring, but it seemed not .
‘Clearly,’ said Tabitha, draining the dregs of her glass and picking up her bag to leave. 'Maybe I should take a leaf out of Noah's book and buy a piece of your art from that café with the blonde server. Although I ate there the other day and got an upset stomach. I've been looking at a way to support the local community now we'll be here filming for a while, but I should let my colleagues know to steer clear of that place.'
Maya’s body froze at the veiled threat to her friend Penny’s reputation, too. 'That's so generous of you, but they are currently sold out,' said Maya with relief, purposely not saying anything about the clearly false food comment in case it let Tabitha know she cared about Riverside and its proprietor.
Tabitha tutted and pulled on her blazer. ‘If I ever decide to go for a private river tour on that steamboat, I hope the service is better than that of the café,' smiled Tabitha evilly, emphasising the word private and watching Maya like a hawk regarding its prey. Maya gulped and wondered how she knew that she'd had a private boat date with Noah. 'Noah and I might be having a break from dating, but we are dear friends now and I'm important to him and he confides in me, even if he pretends he doesn’t,' she lifted her chin in challenge and Maya frowned. 'How serious are you?' Tabitha demanded to know.
'Quite serious.'
'Hmm. Well, I’m sure Noah would be happy if you helped me to find out more about No. 1 Ethereal Lane,’ Tabitha added. ‘How do you know Blake? I saw you talking to him at the party. I bet Portia would like to know about that,' she said spitefully, watching Maya carefully again and Maya felt a trickle of sweat run down her spine.
‘I don’t know him very well.’ This was true because she hadn’t seen him for almost two years before the garden party ambush.
‘Hmm,’ said Tabitha, not sounding convinced. 'The producers of the film Noah and I are starring in have been talking about trying to get a piece of No.1 Ethereal Lane jewellery for the set to generate more press coverage for the film.’
Maya let the star of the film remark fall off target, as it couldn’t be further from the truth, but she felt her stomach sinking. ‘Um… that’s not something I would know much about.’
‘It's already a hugely anticipated project, but a collaboration like that would make it stratospheric. Think of the press coverage that a person might get by finding the designer! It could make someone like Noah’s career.'
Maya's stomach somersaulted. Noah needed nothing like that, surely? 'He’s more than famous already,' she defended.
‘You can never be too famous, darling,’ Tabitha said with a tinkling laugh as she put her hand on Maya’s arm. ‘Poor Noah is under so much pressure from our bosses to bring in the bucks. These films cost millions, and this is his biggest project yet. There’s a lot of expectation on his shoulders. He needs a smash hit.’
Maya just bit her lip and stayed silent. Tabitha was on a role now and carried on regardless. ‘I guess if they can't persuade the No. 1 Ethereal Lane designer to join us for publicity, then they could ask Blake to design them something. He's always looking for an opportunity and surrounds himself with people who help his star quality shine,' she added bitchily, amused by her own insight. ‘Maybe Noah could be the next No. 1 Ethereal lane model?’ she added with glee at her own idea. ‘That would be huge news! ’
Maya felt bile rise in the back of her throat. When would she ever break free of her ex? Noah had spoken about the ball and the fact that Dame Rosalie was auctioning the No. 1 Ethereal Lane waterfall necklace. Were they going to use that for publicity for the film somehow? She cursed under her breath and was glad when Tabitha took a call on her phone and waved to Maya that it was private and she should go.