‘Nonsense, you’re the director. Richie says once the show’s up and running you don’t need to stay, and you’re not acting in it either. So, you’ll hardly be exhausted.’
Typical – his mother only ever saw the strain of a project on actors like herself. Never thought of how it might affect any of the other hardworking people behind the scenes.
‘Well, I’m not making any promises, not until the reviews for tonight’s performance come in.’ Reminding himself of the reviews made him bad-tempered, because everything hetouched lately seemed to turn to shit. The press were determined to paint him as the villain in his own miserable story.
‘Very well. Just let me know so I can arrange the jet—’
‘I’ve got to go.’
‘Okay, we’ll speak again soon?’ She paused. Her next statement was gently coaxing. ‘Love you…’
‘Love you too, Mom,’ Alex sighed, then quickly hit the red button and put away his phone.
The curvy brunette was instructing her friend on how best to pose in front of the iconic blossom tree. It was the main reason why he’d picked this venue, listed as the best rooftop bar in London, for the opening night party. When he was feeling ridiculously romantic, he liked to think of himself as an old tree finding roots in a new setting. Not that he was old, he was only thirty, but these days he felt ancient. The pressure of the last few months with his family and the play had been suffocating and lonely. But these two women giggling over something as silly as gate-crashing a party for a photo in front of a tree significantly cheered him up.
‘Not like that, Hannah. Put your hand on your hip and stick your bum out. Yeah, just like that. You can use it on your new Aussie dating profile.’
Hannah blushed, but tried her best to hold the pose. ‘I thought you said Tinder was a waste of time? That it was all dick pics and time-wasters.’
Ellie bent at the hips slightly, trying to get the best angle while she backed up towards his table. Alex’s throat dried as he watched her beautiful ass wiggle towards him.
‘Oh, it is. But aren’t there more men in Australia than women? It’ll be like a party in a sausage factory. I wonder what dating apps are called in Australia. Is there a down-under-the-covers app? Fair-Dinkum.com?’
The blonde sparrow threw back her head with a laugh, her blue eyes sparkling and her face shining with a sudden inner confidence. A startling change from the shy woman she’d been moments earlier. Ellie was quick to take her photo, and then gazed in triumph at the image on her phone. He needed a friend like that, someone who brought out the best in him.
‘Would you like me to take a picture of you both?’ he asked, trying his best to untangle himself from the low sofa – not his usual suave manner of entering a conversation. A quick glance around reassured him that the rest of the cast and crew were still happily chatting in their little bubbles. No one noticed as he made his way towards the two women.
The way Ellie’s scarlet lips spread with delight made him grateful he’d asked. In fact, it made him grateful to be alive.
Huh… that’s a nice change.
As he moved to her side, her perfume drifted towards him, rich and musky, dark chocolate spiced with cinnamon. He breathed it in deeply, allowing her scent to wrap around him like silk. He’d not been with anyone since the break-up, and it felt good to admire someone else. Especially someone so very different from his ex.
‘Yes please, that’s so sweet of you.’ She handed him her phone and their fingers fumbled against each other, causing her to giggle. The sound rippled through him on a wave of heat that quickly vanished when she bounced over to her friend.
He took a few photos and then offered the phone back to her. After she’d checked them over, she gifted him with another megawatt smile.
‘Thanks so much.’ She paused, rolling the phone in her hand thoughtfully. ‘Do I know you from somewhere?’
Oh man, she didn’t want him to answer that, did she?
‘Oh, I’m pretty famous. You may have seen me in a couple of films and TV shows. Or advertising this play that I justproduced and directed and whose party you’re currently gate-crashing.’ He’d sound like a complete asshole. And he’d been accused of that enough times to last him a lifetime.‘Err…’
‘You been to the Royal Hospital lately? That’s where we work. Well, where I work – Hannah’s escaped.’
He practically melted with relief. Could he pretend to be someone else for a short while? Imagine what his life could be like, if he wasn’t the most pitiful member of a famous acting dynasty.
‘Dad’s just texted. He’s about twenty minutes away,’ said Hannah, and Ellie turned away, taking her warmth with her.
‘One for the road?’ she asked hopefully.
‘And queue at that bar again?’
They both grimaced. ‘We should probably head down,’ said Ellie glumly.
They turned to walk away and Alex’s chest tightened. He felt unwilling to let her leave. He stepped forward and indicated the little drinks stand set up a few metres away. ‘Why don’t you get a drink from the stand?’
They glanced at each other as if uncertain.
