Page 14 of From Notting Hill with Love…Actually
“But I have my job. It’s not my fault that’s cinema-related.”
“And?”
“And what?” I asked in genuine amazement. I hadn’t expected this at all.
“And the rest.”
I looked blankly at Maddie.
“OK,” she said, “let me help you along. Felix and I were watchingTheHolidaythe other night—”
“Oh, I love that movie,” I interrupted.
“Yes, I know you do. Anyway, Felix said it’s a wonder Scarlett hasn’t tried to do that yet. He meant house-swapping.”
Actually I had thought of it when I’d seen it for the first time.
“My point being that even Felix is making comments about your movie madness now. And he hasn’t known you as long as the rest of us.”
“There’s nothing wrong in having a hobby, is there?”
“No, nothing at all, as long as that hobby doesn’t start affecting how you live your day-to-day life. The thing is, trying to live like you’re in a movie all the time, Scarlett, it’s just not possible.”
I stared at Maddie.
“Not you as well,” I said sadly. “I thought it was just David.”
“What do you mean? There’s more to this, isn’t there? That’s what you were hinting at earlier in the art gallery.”
I nodded and began to tell Maddie about David and the fight we’d had the night before.
“But all couples fight, Scarlett,” Maddie said when I’d finished. “Sometimes the making up is the best part.”
I’d always hated that saying. In all the fights I’d ever had with David, I’d never found our making up “fun.” We’d just start mumbling a couple of words to each other again after a few hours or days of silence depending how bad the argument had been. Then things gradually got back to normal bit by bit.
In fact, now I was remembering just why I hadn’t been spending so much time with Maddie lately. It wasn’t because she’d been too busy at all; it was because when we spent time together, it reminded me just how bad my and David’s relationship seemed in comparison to hers and Felix’s.
And it was obvious Maddie in her “loved up” state would not understand my current feelings toward my own fiancé. And why should she? The only reason she had for marrying was love. My own reasons were a little bit more complicated.
“Never mind, Maddie, you wouldn’t understand.”
“I am trying, Scarlett, honestly. But Icansee David’s point of view to a degree. But then again,” she said as I stared hard at her across the table, “I suppose if I had to live with Stratford’s answer to Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen, I might be in need of a bit of fantasy therapy too.”
I had to laugh. David was about as far removed from the floppy-haired interior designer as you could possibly get.
“That’s better,” Maddie said. “You don’t do enough of that these days.” She put her hand on mine and looked serious for a moment. “I’m worried about you, with everything you’ve told me here and what you said before in the art gallery. Maybe you need a break for a while?”
I smiled at her. “What, in another motor home? I don’t think so—the last one was bad enough.”
“No, I don’t mean with David. On your own. Get away from everything for a while—do some thinking.”
“And just where am I going to do that?”
I was playing along with Maddie. There was no way I’d be able to get away from work at the moment; a shipment of new machines was due to arrive with us any day. And the chances of David thinking it a good idea for me to go away on my own…well, they were non-existent.
“David would never allow me to spend money on going away on holiday on my own. You know what he’s like.”
Maddie pulled a face.
