Page 61 of A Summer of New Beginnings
‘Well, there’s something to be proud of,’ Shelley whisperedagain.
‘So, what is it thatyoudo now, Zara?’ Stephanie asked as she glanced round the room, clearly not interested in the answer.
‘I’m a journalist with a travel magazine.’
‘Mmm hmm,’ Stephanie mumbled.
Before Zara could speak Shelley interrupted, ‘Yes, she travels all round the world visiting luxury hotels and writing articles inThe Bohemianfor—’
Stephanie was suddenly all ears. ‘Ooh!You mean aproperjournalist? Not some crappy rag? Oooh, you should come and do an article on Pasión del Castillo!’ She patted her hair. ‘We run a very luxurious establishment. Perfect for your magazine, what was it again –The Behemoth?’ She grinned maniacally.
Zara and Shelley exchanged amused glances. ‘The Bohemian.I’ll mention your hotel to my editor. Although we’re incredibly busy doingcruises and the hotels around the Red Sea just now.’
Stephanie turned on the charm. ‘Yes, but you’d do an article about a dear friend’s luxury hotel, wouldn’t you?’
Clearly at the end of her bullshit tether, Shelley butted in again. ‘Stephanie, you hatedbothof us at school. In fact, I distinctly remember it beingyouwho started the whole “Jelly Bean and Granny Bailey” thing.’
Stephanie’scheeks were probably flushed bright pink, but it was hard to tell under the oak-coloured-fence stain. ‘Oh, I don’t think that was me, love. I think it was David Bilton. Yeah, I rememberhimsaying it first. You probably just overheard me telling people how mean it was that they called you those names.’
Shelley had had a fair bit to drink by this point and she evidently wasn’t in the mood forsuch bollocks. She turned to Zara and exclaimed, ‘Did she really just do that? She did, didn’t she? She just chucked her childhood sweetheart under the bus!’ Then her focus was returned to the vision of orange before them. ‘Stephanie, there’s as much chance of you being inThe Bohemianas there is of Meghan and Prince Harry staying at your hotel. Come on, Zee. Let’s go get another drink.’
Asthey walked away Zara was racked with guilt. ‘That was a bit harsh, wasn’t it?’
‘Pfft! You should have heard her earlier. She was being a total bitch about the glasses you used to wear and even worse about your clothes until I told her you were still my best friend and that you were here this evening.’
‘Oh. Charming.’
Shelley gasped. ‘Oh, God, I think Marco has well and truly pulled.’
Zaraturned in the direction Shelley was looking to find Marco snogging Toby Hunt just outside the fire doors.
‘I remember having a massive crush on Toby. We had History together. He was so good-looking and shy,’ Shelley said dreamily.
‘Not so shy any more!’ Zara said and they giggled.
As they wandered towards the bar she recognised more faces and overheard conversations in which cars, jobs andfamilies were mentioned. Everywhere she turned was the one-upmanship-slash-pissing contests both Lachy and Noah had commented on prior to the event. She couldn’t be bothered any more. She was ready to leave.
‘Oh, hi! Zara, isn’t it?’ a tall, handsome man asked as Shelley wandered off towards the bar.
She scrunched her brow. ‘Yes, but I’m so sorry, I don’t remember—’
He held out his hand. ‘Yeah,I do look different now. I’m Patrick O’Shea. We had English together. I was rather overweight and a bit geeky. You were one of the only kids who acknowledged me back then. I’m glad I’ve bumped into you. Gives me a chance to say thank you for making school less shitty.’
She shook his hand as the original Patrick – nicknamed Fat-rick by the delightful Stephanie Watsons of the school – sprang tomind. ‘Oh, my word! Itisyou. You look incredible. How are you? What have you been up to?’
He shrugged and a genuinely warm smile spread across his slender, sculpted face. ‘Well, I actually moved away quite a while ago. I own a couple of bike-hire shops in Inverness with my partner, Sophie. I say partner, but we’re getting married later this year.’
She inhaled sharply. ‘Oh, God, you’rekidding? It’s not Highland Trax, is it? Like the one on Church Street in Inverness?’
He frowned but his smile remained in place. ‘It is. How do you know?’
She groaned and covered her eyes. Peeping through her fingers, she admitted, ‘I don’t believe this. I’ve just returned from doing the North Coast 500 and the bike my magazine hired was from your shop.’
His eyes widened and he laughed. ‘Oh, my word!You’re not the journalist fromThe Bohemianwho had a run-in with a tractor, are you?’
She cringed and nodded. ‘I’msosorry but, yes, that was me.’
‘Oh, shit! Are you okay though? You didn’t sustain any permanent damage, did you?’
