Page 26 of Love like the (Real) Reel Thing
Jess had been a bit taken aback by Robert’s reaction when she’d turned down his offer to take her to a movie in Kilshanley that Friday, explaining that she and Emily had planned their own movie night at her place.
“I’ve been really looking forward to seeing you again,” he’d said. “And I thought you’d enjoy getting out of Linford for an evening. You sure you can’t just tell Emily that you’ll get together some other time after work?”
“Um, no.” Jess had laughed. “She asked me first, Robert.”
“My fault for not getting in there sooner.” He’d given a wry smile. “Don’t worry about it, we’ll do it some other time.”
Privately, Jess was delighted that Emily had asked her over – she was looking forward to a girls’ night in. She missed Kate, despite the fact that Kate’s focus now seemed equally split between her upcoming wedding and Adam’s return to the Dublin office. She also missed her tribe of cousins, most of whom had grown up with her and Zoe.
As she walked to the new apartments on the outskirts of the village, she let her mind wander over the week since herarrival. Ivy Cottage now looked and felt a lot better. After airing it thoroughly, she had filled the tiny fridge with cold drinks, yoghurts, some stir-fry vegetables, and ready-to-eat meals. But like the rest of the staff at Linford, Jess preferred to eat in the hotel’s big basement kitchen, where Chef Marco prepared a daily buffet-style breakfast and lunch.
She’d also eaten with Robert in The Tin Whistle during the week and, although she’d done her best to keep things light, she’d got the impression that he was subtly pressing for more.
She had no idea how she felt about that. Reasonably, she knew she couldn’t expect a single guy who’d been asking her out at every opportunity to be happy being friends. And she didn’t want that either, did she? So what did she want? Friends with flirting rights? Friends with benefits? A six week, no-regrets fling? She sighed. For the moment, maybe it was better not to define them at all.
She crossed Linford’s main street – which opened out into a pretty village green at one end – and found herself on the outskirts of Linford Wood. The village was quiet and, beyond the trees, she could hear the quiet rush of the River Rathon which flowed through the castle grounds, and on through the villages of Linford, Kilshanley and all the way to Ballygobbin, where she and Simon had been due to marry.
A sharp memory of Adam and her walking along Ballygobbin’s stretch of the river the previous year came to mind. Shit, why couldn’t she stop thinking about Adam?Because you miss him.It didn’t matter. Adam had been a mistake, a blip in her life, a sort of speedbump on the road. Except that if it hadn’t been for him, she might be married to Simon now. Which would have been an even bigger mistake.
Annoyed with herself, Jess picked up her pace, determined not to think about Adam this evening. She wouldn’t think aboutRobert either. She was only here for a few weeks, so the chances of them becoming serious were low. Minus figures, in fact.
As she emerged onto a busy road, she stopped and gazed around, trying to find her bearings. Where was she? Was that … Jess blinked. On the far side of the road was a LIDL. And beside it, three modern, six-storey apartment blocks, built in a mixture of stone and redbrick and arranged around a pretty, well-planted communal area.
Jess smiled to herself as she crossed the road. She doubted Emily ever had to do her grocery shopping at Ted’s.
“Jess!” Emily squealed as she flung open the door of her apartment and pulled Jess inside. “You brought wine – two bottles! Omigod, that’s so sweet! I’m so glad you’re here before the pizzas – it’s so stressy trying to keep them hot.”
Jess handed her the wine and she took it across the open-plan area to the little kitchen, where she plonked it on the counter.
“So, what do you think?” She made an expansive gesture.
Jess looked around the bright, colourful space. The kitchen and living area were open plan and had a decent-sized balcony, and there was a single door off the living area which she guessed was the bedroom.
“I’ve got a gorgeous ensuite bathroom,” Emily was saying, “and there’s also a guest loo just as you come in the door.”
Jess figured it was about the same size as Ivy Cottage – the cottage was probably even a bit bigger – but its modern design made it feel large and airy.
“It’s perfect, Emily.” She pointed to the throws and cushions, in a variety of patterns and shades of pink scattered around the living area. “Did you add those yourself?”
Emily beamed. “I did! Like, it came just furnished with the basics – the candles and dried flowers are my own too. Okay, we’re gonna get comfy and have pizza and wine. Oh, and I got snacks.”
The doorbell rang again.
“Ooh, good timing, hang on!”
As Emily took delivery of two huge pizzas, Jess took a closer look at the living area, which consisted of a long, L-shaped sofa, a wall-mounted flat-screen TV and a low coffee table, every inch of which was covered with bowls of crisps, dips and sugary snacks. She took a deep breath. She’d probably walk some of it off on her way home. If she took the scenic route.
Emily opened the wine and they sat and began to eat.
“So, what did you think about the first week of filming?” Emily asked a while later.
She had just helped herself to her fourth slice of pizza as Jess was still chewing on her second. The girl clearly had the same metabolism as Zoe, Jess thought – she could eat anything without putting on a single kilo.
Jess considered the question. “I’m not sure. I mean, I’m mainly working from Ian’s office behind reception, so I’m a bit removed from a lot that’s happening.” She shrugged. “I see snippets of filming, and I’ve bumped into some of the cast and crew. They seem pretty cool. What else? Hair, makeup and costume is all set up in one of the cottages.”
Emily looked so unimpressed that Jess giggled. “To be honest, I’m not sure I’m going to be needed at all,” she said.
Emily sighed. “Can I just say and, like, totally no disrespect here but you’d make a useless spy.”
