Page 46 of Broken Beyond Repair
You’re welcome.
She had thought her assistant’s attitude might be cumbersome this morning; instead, she was acting like nothing had happened the previous night. Beatrice didn’t feel like she was able to do the same. Inside she was dying of embarrassment and would be avoiding Sydney as much as possible.
As she poured her coffee, she recalled how childish she’d been, telling Sydney she couldn’t go out. Why had she reacted like that? Why had she blown up at Sydney when she’d done nothing except care for her and ask for a night off? Fucking Peter. He was why she’d been in a bad mood, and she’d taken her anger out on Sydney and her own liver.
By midday she was starting to feel human again and capable of work rather than staring blankly at the television. The warm sunshine coming through her balcony doors called her outside with the script for the following day’s audition. She’d read it a hundred times that week already, being a believer that failing to prepare was preparing to fail. She still didn’t feel she’d fully grasped the character’s persona.
A splash from the pool pulled her towards the railing to check it was her assistant and not a gang of roving youths trespassing. Sydney was lapping the pool in her black bikini, swimming like a fish, with perfect form, style, and grace. It was hypnotic to watch. Sydney stopped and rose up the steps, her bikini bottom snapping as she rearranged it. The woman was phenomenal. Her slender body was perfectly proportioned except for her large feet, which no doubt helped her swim like an otter, and complemented her enormous ears.
Beatrice tore her eyes away; she shouldn’t be ogling her assistant.
You’re only appreciating the female form, a voice told her.
You know that’s not what I was doing, she snapped back at it. She closed her eyes as she recalled telling Sydney she was beautiful as she helped her to bed. How could she have been so careless?
Biting her lip, Beatrice quietly hobbled over to her sun lounger, fearful of being spotted once again. Her upper arms strained as they took the weight when she lowered herself onto it. Her upper body was certainly getting a workout.
She folded back the first few pages of the script, trying different voices and expressions only for her concentration to wander. Her thoughts constantly pulled her back to Sydney, the first assistant she’d ever desired to know more about. Where did she come from? Who were her family?
The sound of Sydney’s voice drifted up to the balcony.
“Hey, Sam, it’s me… Yeah good, thanks, it was great to catch up.”
Sydney fell silent for a moment before starting up again with greater enthusiasm.
“That’s fantastic! Thanks again for doing this. Yes, I’ll see if I can get away this week.”
Where was her assistant hoping to go now?
“It won’t be tomorrow, though; I’ve got to take her to London.”
The use of the wordherpained Beatrice more than she thought it could.
“Okay, I’ll let you know. Bye.”
A deafening silence hung in the air when all Beatrice wanted was to hear more of Sydney’s voice; to know she was close by.
Realising she wasn’t about to look at it any time soon, she placed her script on her lap. She had to admit it pleased her that the two of them were alone again at Highwood. She had missed Sydney being around the last week; most of all, she missed her energy. The few times they’d spent together over the last few days they’d been discussing work, eating dinner with Alex, or more recently at cross words.
Beatrice was beginning to feel the truth of it. She didn’t want Sydney to be anywhere else or with anyone else; she liked to have the woman by her side. She was jealous of the attention she gave to her son, the person on the phone, and whomever she’d been out with. Had she been out on a date? Spent the night with a man before returning to deal with her drunk employer? Beatrice’s eyes closed with embarrassment, and then her heart sank at the thought of Sydney being intimate with someone else.
Could she really be developing those types of feelings for her assistant? The type of feelings that left you a jealous ball of queasiness. The woman’s efficiency and competency would be massive turn-ons for anyone, wouldn’t they?
She shook her head in disbelief. It must be admiration for a job well done, something she didn’t recognise because she hadn’t seen it before. She was still angry with Sydney after everything she had said the night before. An apology for which she felt should be forthcoming. To drag her father into it with no idea what he’d put her through was despicable. Her conflicting thoughts about her assistant were becoming too much, and Beatrice decided to give into the siren song of a much-needed nap.
CHAPTER18
For all its grace and glory, a Rolls-Royce was not an enjoyable ride from West Sussex into London. The relentless traffic, buses, and width restrictions, combined with the vague, light steering and barge-like dimensions of the car, made for a stressful drive. There was also the matter of the distraction that sat in the back seat. Sydney had adjusted her rear-view mirror so she couldn’t see Beatrice.
She’d lost her breath when she’d stepped into Beatrice’s bedroom that morning to find her dressed in a black pencil skirt and white silk blouse. She’d not seen her in business attire before; it was a look that suited her. Her prominent cheekbones were enhanced by expertly applied make-up, and her eyes accentuated with a black liner. With her hair drawn up into a messy yet perfectly styled bun, it was a look that took ten years off her.
Beatrice had barely spoken to her since they’d had words. Food requests came by text message, and each time they were delivered, Sydney found she had retreated to the bathroom. She was unsure if the woman was deliberately hiding. With the delivery of her evening meal, though, Beatrice sat on the sofa in her bedroom. The only acknowledgement Sydney received was a reminder that they would be going to London for the audition, followed by lunch with her agent, and that she wished to be woken at seven thirty. A light thank-you was issued as Sydney left the room. As light as it was, it still brought a smile to her face.
She wasn’t sure if the actress was embarrassed at being called out over her behaviour or if she was furious at her for what she’d said — perhaps a mixture of both. Whatever it was, she was sulking about it. If Beatrice was waiting for some form of apology, she’d be waiting forever. Sydney hadn’t said anything that was untrue.
Her only slight regret was the way she had gone about airing her issues. It was done now, though; there was no do-over. It was up to Beatrice to decide whether to ignore her or punish her, and it appeared she’d chosen to do a bit of both. On the bright side, with fewer demands from Beatrice, she’d been able to catch up on a lot of work and speak to Sam, who was ready for Gertie. Now that she and Beatrice were at odds, it was going to prove even more difficult to ask for time off, considering her last request to leave the property had landed them in this mess.
The silent treatment of the previous day continued during their journey into London. Beatrice wasn’t the type for excessive conversation, yet Sydney found herself missing the little they had shared all the same. Their conversations covering the adult years of the autobiography had dried up over the last few days what with her making the final changes. Once they were complete, unless Beatrice needed help with her childhood, she would be back to occupying her time with housework and cooking.
