Page 58 of The Last Saturday In July
‘If you’ve any ideas, Mam, feel free to share them.’
Carmel sighed. ‘All you can do is promise the poor man that you’ll be more attentive to his needs in future.’ She ignored Zoe’s snort of laughter. ‘With a career like his, he needs your support.’
Attentive to his needs? Her mother made it sound like Stepford Wife meets BDSM sub.
Carmel gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. ‘Simon will come round. Try to be there for him a bit more.’
‘Hot sex.’ Zoe smirked. ‘That’ll sort him.’
The girl cutting Jess’s hair struggled not to laugh, as Carmel pretended not to hear.
Jess strongly doubted that sex was going to solve this. She just had to figure out what would.
Jess felt a bit more optimistic by the time her hair was finished. Her hairdresser had trimmed the ends and given her a feathered fringe and a tiny bit of layering around her face, and the overall look was lighter, more sophisticated.
By the time she headed back to the office, she’d decided to tackle the forgotten dinner, the same way she’d tackle a work problem – with a combination of creative thinking and practical solutions. Which meant there was no point trying to make it up to Simon at home, if things were still tricky for him in the office.
She passed Emily’s desk and gave her a wave.
Emily put down the phone. ‘Omigod, I love your hair! Okay, I don’t want to ruin your day, but are you up to speed on Chelsea and Brandi’s fight?’
‘Yep.’ Jess stopped for a moment. ‘Maybe it’s just a publicity stunt?’
Emily’s eyes widened. ‘You do know they can’t stand the sight of each other.’ She did a quick search on her phone and passed it to Jess. ‘TMZ posted that a few minutes ago.’
Jess read the short piece:Although the theme of Chelsea Deneuve and Leo Dinardia’s wedding is a closely guarded secret, TMZ has learned from sources close to Chelsea that the bride to be is likely to be heavily influenced by her love of fairy tales. We can only think of one fairy tale that would fit a grand ballroom in a 400-year-old castle.
Jess wrinkled her nose. ‘It’s pretty vague, they could be guessing.’
Emily looked unconvinced. ‘I wouldn’t put it past Brandi to leak stuff. You know Chelsea and Brandi’s mother was a model?’ When Jess said nothing, she hurried on. ‘Basically, she wanted Chelsea to be exactly like her – only, after she and Chelsea’s dad got divorced, Chelsea took her dad’s side. She hated her mam, so she quit her dance classes and those weird kids’ beauty pageants her mam had her in. Then, when Chelsea was eight, Brandi was born, and she became the favourite kid who did everything their mother wanted. Sad, right?’
So Chelsea was the poor little rich girl, Jess thought, as she headed back upstairs. It explained why she was so dependent on Angel. She needed a guiding figure in her life, even if it meant paying somebody to fill the role.
Back in her office, she sat down and thought about Simon.
Maybe his boss, what was his name – Liam – would enjoy a luxury weekend break.
Taking a book of Charleston Hotels vouchers from her drawer, Jess carefully filled one in:Entitles bearer to two nights Bed & Breakfast and two evening meals for two people, in Linford Castle.She signed it and, on a separate note, wrote:Dear Liam, so sorry I couldn’t be there for Simon’s business dinner. I had a family emergency, and Simon didn’t get my message in time! I hope you and your wife enjoy a lovely break at Linford. Yours sincerely, Jess Bradley.
She slid the voucher and note into an envelope, checked the website of Simon’s firm for Liam’s last name, and addressed it to his office. She wasn’t naive enough to think it would make up for the ruined business dinner, but it was an important gesture. One problem solved.
Chapter 23
‘LAST dance class before the wedding, we’ll be experts after tonight!’ Jess attempted to lighten the atmosphere in the car that Friday evening, as she and Simon drove to Ranelagh.
Simon indicated and turned carefully off the main road.
‘Simon, I really am sorry about the dinner.’ She decided not to add that he should listen to his messages.
‘I know.’ Simon’s tone was even. ‘Did you sort those extra guests, by the way?’
Jess thought about the pointless phone call with Laura from Burlington House. ‘All sorted.’
‘I’m glad, thank you.’
They lapsed into silence. Jess was grateful it was their last class. She dreaded the weekly torture and they definitely hadn’t got any better at waltzes or foxtrots, or whatever it was they were supposed to be learning. How did they make it look so easy onCelebrity ComeDancing?Jess figured that even if she and Simon spent all day every day for a week learning one dance, they’d still mess it up. She could imagine Úna’s face at the wedding, as she watched them make a show of themselves. Hopefully, Kate and David would make this evening a bit more fun.
‘Maybe we could go for a drink with Kate and Davidafterwards?’
