Page 12 of Daydreamer
“Oh! Felix, dear. Lucy didn’t say you were there.”
“I think I surprised her. I was just leaving and heard her on the phone to you.”
“How much did you hear?”
“Enough.”
“She’s unhappy.”
“I know.”
Hetty sighed, and I felt the weight of her disappointment all the way from Little Buckingham. “Maybe it was too much to ask of you. I think that?—”
“Lucy’s coming to a party with me tonight,” I declared, watching Lucy as her eyes went even wider than before.
“Oh!” Hetty sounded delighted. “A party. That sounds wonderful. Just what Lucy needs. A nice party.”
“She’ll meet people there. Network. It’ll do her the power of good.”
“Er… Felix, love,” Hetty’s tone was slightly more hesitant now. “I’m not sure you really understand. Networking is not… well, I don’t think…”
“It’sexactlywhat she needs,” I said. “Getting out there and amongst it. She’ll have a great time.”
“Right, okay,” Hetty sounded a little happier now. “Agreat timeis good. She needsthat. I knew you’d be able to sort things out for her. You always were such a good boy.”
I felt Hetty’s praise wash over me just like I was ten years old again. It reinforced my determination to see this plan through.
“You can rely on me,” I said.
“Wonderful, dear. Off you kids go then. Have a lovely time! And Felix, don’t forget your mum’s birthday next month. You know she’ll be disappointed if you’re not there again.”
“Hmm,” I muttered, non-committedly. My mother’s birthday dinners were tortuous and there was no way in hell I would ever be in the same room as my father. The last five yearsI’d convinced Mum to come and visit me in London for a fancy meal out. That way, I didn’t have to seehim. Hetty sighed.
“She does care about you, love,” she said softly, and I cleared my throat. “I know your father?—”
“Great to speak to you, Hetty. I’ll be in touch.” There was a pause, and when Hetty spoke again her voice was soft.
“Okay, love. You kids have a nice time now.” At thirty-three and CEO of a major financial company, it was a long while since I’d been called a kid.
I held Lucy’s phone out to her, and it took a few seconds before she managed to reach for it with her glove-clad hand. Her face, which had drained of colour when she first caught sight of me, was now glowing red.
“Wow,” she muttered, slipping her phone into her puffa’s pocket. “Thatwas mortifying.”
“Why are you sitting in all those clothes?”
Lucy’s face glowed even brighter, which I wouldn’t have thought possible. “I feel the cold. I told you that.”
I frowned, realising that this wasn’t a new phenomenon. Memories flashed through my mind: Lucy wrapped in various blankets in the warm Mayweather house despite how cosy the cottage was; Lucy permanently plastered against the boiling Aga like a kitten; Lucy wearing the most ridiculous winter coats even on relatively warm days.
“You’re cold here?”
She shrugged. “It was okay when I could wear my jumpers and stuff, but silk shirts, skirts and thin tights are freezing.” I felt an arrow of guilt at that. Lucy had been freezing her arse off in the office for a whole week atmyinstruction. She still had a slight limp as well, and that was from wearing the heelsIhad insisted on. I came around the desk to look at her feet now. They were stuffed into her massive fluffy, pink and purple slippers, her heels abandoned on the floor next to her. “Er… thanks for putting Mum off the scent there with the party thing. It'll get her off my back for a while if she thinks I’m getting out there.”
“I wouldn’t lie to Hetty,” I said, crossing my arms over my chest as I stared down at Lucy. “Youaregoing to come to a party with me.”
Lucy’s eyes went wide, and her mouth dropped open. “Tonight?”
“Yes.” I shrugged. “Why not?”
