Fuelled by pink fizz confidence, they wound through the crowd with surprising efficiency, Ellie holding up the menus and barking, ‘Excuse me,’ until they were in front of the pearly gates, guarded not by angels but two stocky guys with designer stubble.
‘I’ve got a late arrival,’ she said with an air of authority she didn’t feel, and was secretly pleased when he didn’t look too closely at her NHS name badge, and instead was distracted by her cleavage.
Thank you, favourite corset dress!
He opened the door for them and they walked straight into heaven.
Chapter Two
A pair of shapely legs sauntered past Alex, attached to hips with enough sway to make him sit up and take notice. She was one of the waitresses, a stack of messy menus in her arms, and he wondered how he hadn’t spotted her until now.
The woman was tall with a well-rounded hourglass figure, a sexy Marilyn Monroe wiggle to her walk. A long strand of her chestnut hair swung down from her messy bun pierced with two flimsy chopsticks. It swung from side to side as she walked, begging for someone to give it a playful tug. He shook his head, amused by his runaway thoughts.
She was leading another woman he didn’t recognise, a tiny sparrow in comparison, with mousy-blonde hair and nervous blue eyes. Maybe she was one of the backstage crew? A pang of guilt twisted in his gut. He’d sworn to himself that he would be the kind of director that knew everyone by name, and yet it was opening night and he had no idea who this person was.
On the other end of his mobile, his mum was still speaking, reminding him of his greatest and most humiliating failure.
‘…Savannah and Liam are arriving on the Thursday before, with the rest of the wedding party coming on the Friday. But you still haven’t said when you’re coming. You will let me know, won’t you?’
Distracted, he answered without thinking, ‘Do I have to go?’
‘Oh, sweetheart. You can’t let all of this affect you – it will only add more fuel to the fire.’
He rolled his eyes at his mother’s tone. How did she manage to make him sound both pitiful and a pain in her ass?
I guess it was that acting range that won her two Oscars.
She battled on, ignoring his silence. ‘I know it’s difficult. But at the end of the day, it’s your brother’s wedding. Youhaveto be there, despite how things began.’
What a fucking joke. ‘Things’ began with the biggest Hollywood scandal of a decade, and, like an uncontrollable wildfire, he’d been unable to escape its flames even after moving to London. His mother was crazy if she thought a quick wedding would erase the past.
He took a deep breath to compose himself. ‘It might be easier, for everyone, if I didn’t come.’
‘Nonsense. The more you avoid them, the more awkward it becomes – and then people make up stories…’
His mother went into her usual speech about the importance of King family solidarity, and Alex switched off, staring blindly ahead, allowing her words to wash over and through him. There had been a time when he’d believed firmly in family loyalty, that, no matter what lies the press printed, his parents and brother would always have his back. But even that had been a lie; he couldn’t rely on any of them. They had chosen Liam – the golden child – over him, and it burned Alex to the core that he wasn’t even allowed to be upset about it.
Movement to the side of him caught his eye. The waitress looked over her shoulder and grinned. Not a polite and professional gesture, but a genuine smile of pure delight and joy, as if she’d just won the lottery.
Damn, she was cute. Full red lips, high cheekbones and smoky brown eyes that lit up her face like fireworks. His body jolted with a sudden arousal he’d not felt in years.
It was a welcome distraction. Even though the party had been his idea, the constant charm he’d had to force was exhausting. So much so that he’d even welcomed a call from his mother as an excuse to escape it… which he now regretted.
The waitress tossed the menus onto the table in front of him without looking at where they fell. She grabbed the little sparrow in a bouncing hug. ‘Oh my God, we did it! I can’t believe we got away with it.’ She laughed, and the corners of his mouth twitched as he realised they were gate-crashers. Usually, fans were quick to seek him out and he was just as quick to call security. But if the women had been after him they wouldn’t have passed him without a second glance.
‘Ellie, shh,’ said her friend, darting a concerned look in his direction for the first time. He ducked his head, pretending to be engrossed in his call.
Ellie.He wondered what it was short for. Elizabeth? Eleanor? Eliza? From the twang of her cockney accent, Eliza suited her.
‘Are you listening, Alex?’ asked his mother curtly.
Oh. ‘Yes?’
‘Good, so you’ll come on the Sunday, in plenty of time for the rehearsal dinner.’
Wait…How had he agreed to that? The rehearsal dinner was five days before the wedding; he could end up spending nearly an entire week with his family and the hideously happy couple in one of the most romantic locations on the planet. He didn’t think he could survive it.
‘I might need to stay in London.’
