Page 45 of Never Too Late
Steph had to stop and think about this. ‘You’re saying that the fact that he hasn’t ripped my clothes off and ravished me is because he likes me too much?’
‘Don’t let’s get carried away here. I don’t think anybody ever accused him of ravishing anybody who didn’t want to be ravished, but what I’m saying is that I’m sure as sure can be – and he’s my little brother, remember, I know him well – that he’s crazy about you.’
‘Oh…’ Steph wasn’t often stumped for words, but nothing came readily to mind. Luckily, Sky was running late.
‘Anyway, we’ll talk again soon. I was due in a meeting five minutes ago, so I have to scoot, but remember what I said. I know I’m right. Now,ciao.’
Steph didn’t have time to dwell on Sky’s words any longer as she was also running late so she hurried back up the path to the villa. Less welcome news was waiting for her when she reached the terrace and helped herself to a much-needed double espresso. Solomon announced that he had booked dinner that evening in a restaurant just along the coast from here and everybody was invited. Faye whispered in Steph’s ear that the place he had chosen was one of only a handful of Michelin-starred restaurants in the region and the food, while excellent, was what Keith described disparagingly as ‘too fussy by half’. As far as Steph was concerned, the menu wasn’t the problem, it was the fact that this effectively torpedoed her chances of spending what might well be her last evening alone with Rob before she was due to leave for the UK. A few seconds later she discovered that his mind had been running along the same lines.
‘I suppose you’ll have to go for dinner with your future boss tonight.’ She turned to see that Rob had returned from his house and was at her shoulder. ‘It’s a real shame. I would have really liked to take you out one last time before you leave.’
She didn’t know whether to kiss him again or take two steps backwards, so instead she just reached out and gave his hand a little squeeze. ‘I was just thinking the same thing. I don’t suppose you can think of any way we could get out of it, can you?’ The fact that he appeared to want to spend time with her maybe supported his sister’s hypothesis, but there was no way of telling unless she could get him on his own.
He shook his head sadly. ‘I can’t, I’m afraid. You need to be there. The only good news is that it looks as though I’m roped in as well, so at least we can sit together.’ He sounded genuinely disappointed and she took heart, determined to manufacture some alone time with him.
‘We’ll definitely sit together tonight, but how about we meet up on the beach later on this afternoon at, say, five-ish for a swim and then maybe you can offer me a cup of tea at your place before we need to get ready for the big dinner?’
‘It’s a date.’ He glanced over to where the others were already starting to move back down the path towards the studio where Ethan was waiting for the second part of the performance. ‘As soon as you finish playing, I need to get off home, but I’ll be waiting for you at five. By the way, I’ve loved the new songs and Dad’s right: you really fill Vince’s shoes perfectly.’
One positive result of her outpouring of emotion down on the beach was that Steph returned to her keyboard quite unworried by the presence of the music industry execs in the audience and found herself playing fluidly and easily. In particular the piano solo in the final number of the morning went like a dream and she felt sure she couldn’t have played it better. She soon found out that Sol shared her view as he came marching across to her and caught her right hand in his and held it up like a prize fighter after a famous victory.
‘Outstanding, Steph. Just great. Not only do you play beautifully, you play like Royalty.’ He looked back over his shoulder. ‘Keith, Ben, Johnny, you couldn’t have found a better replacement for Vince. Steph’s a star.’ He turned to his son and his colleague. ‘Get the lady signed up, guys. Royalty needs her. We need her.’
By the time lunch was served on the terrace, Steph was clutching a long and intricate contract, full of legalese jargon. Keith told her he would introduce her to an expert lawyer in London to check it through before she signed on the dotted line, but all that Steph could do was to grin gormlessly and nod her head. She was still struggling to come to terms with the astronomical sums of money that looked likely to be coming her way from now on. Never in her wildest dreams had she ever believed something like this could happen to her.
With some apprehension she went to Ethan to break the news to him that she would definitely be leaving and was relieved to find him in a good mood. He accepted her immediate departure from his employment without a murmur and he even wished her well. He then went on to reveal why he was feeling so magnanimous: Sol and Keith had just told him they intended to employ him to finish the recording of the new album in London, but more importantly had offered him the position of tour manager when the big worldwide promotional push began early in the new year. By the sound of it, this would make him a lot of money, but it would, above all, elevate him to the very top of his profession. What was particularly interesting was the condition Keith had attached to the job offer.
‘He told me he’d only employ me if I promised to cut down on the booze and stay off the drugs.’
‘And you promised?’
‘I did, and I meant it.’
‘That’s great. Just make sure you keep your promise.’
‘I will.’ Suddenly remembering, he went on. ‘Wasn’t today the day you were getting the results of your biopsy?’
She nodded and gave him the good news, pleased he had remembered. He then went on to demonstrate that he hadn’t just been concentrating on his work. ‘Have you told Rob? I bet he’s happy for you. By the way, good luck with that. Long distance relationships aren’t easy.’ He sounded as if he meant it and she gave his arm a little squeeze.
‘Thanks, Ethan.’
The lunch was outstanding once more, but Steph barely tasted it and spent most of the afternoon in a sort of daze. Now that the email from the hospital had removed the sword of Damocles from above her head, she could relax as she listened to Sol and his boys outlining the company’s plans to promote the new album. This would involve making videos, issuing press releases, appearing on chat shows on both sides of the Atlantic, as well as a series of concerts in capital cities all around the world starting as early as December in London and followed by Sydney and Singapore in January. The album itself would be coming out at the beginning of December, to coincide with the inaugural concert and in time for Christmas, and Sol was already predicting mega sales. Finally, he announced that he would be taking the band members over to London the following day in his private jet. While excited at the prospect of a flight in a private plane, Steph couldn’t help a sharp stab of regret at the thought that this would take her away from Rob.
The meeting broke up at four and they all went back to the terrace for tea and cake. As soon as she decently could, Steph excused herself and hurried back to her room. After giving her mum another quick call to tell her about the deal the record company was offering, she changed into her bikini, picked up a towel and her bag and went down to the beach to find the Labrador and his master waiting for her. She dumped her bag and towel on the rock and went over to greet both of them. First she stroked the dog and then she kissed his master, just managing to restrain the impulse to go for his lips again and picking his cheek instead. Still, it felt good, not least as both of them were nearly naked and the touch of him against her bare body felt amazing.
He stepped back as before but this time he gave her an admiring look. ‘You were great today, you know. Particularly in the second half of the performance it was as if you’d developed wings and started soaring like a bird. You had a smooth fluidity of touch that even Anna Maria, my accompanist, struggles to maintain. Simply lovely.’ His eyes ran up and down her body, giving her a little thrill, but then he turned and picked up the stick his dog had dropped at his feet. He lobbed it into the water and set off after it. ‘Coming in? The water’s perfect.’
Steph would happily have stayed on the beach with him, but she followed him into the water as bidden and found it wonderfully refreshing after the stresses of the day. She swam slowly after him and his dog and joined in a game of catch involving a stick while the Labrador paddled enthusiastically back and forth between them. After ten minutes or so they returned to the beach, and she dabbed herself dry with her towel, which had warmed up wonderfully on the sun-scorched rock. She picked up her bag and followed Rob and his dog up the narrow path to his house, and as she walked in, acutely conscious that all she was wearing was a bikini, she could feel a sensation of delicious anticipation building inside her.
It turned out to be misplaced.
They had only just settled down side by side on the wicker sofa under the loggia when her phone started ringing. Silently cursing the impulse that had made her bring it, she gave Rob an apologetic shrug and pulled it out of her bag. It was Ethan.
‘Hi, Steph, you’re needed. Sol’s got a journalist and a photographer fromHello!magazine for an interview. They’ve just arrived now. You’re big news, so you need to get back here pronto.’ He lowered his voice. ‘Best make it snappy. Keith’s pacing up and down already.’
Her heart sank. First, there was a sense of trepidation at the upcoming interview along with the realisation that the photos would in all probability be seen all over the world, but even worse than this was the fact that it effectively knocked any chance of alone time with Rob on the head. Reluctantly she told Ethan she was on her way and rang off. As her eyes met Rob’s she read understanding in them.
‘Got to go?’
