‘Don’t crush her, Mom. She’s been travelling for over twelve hours.’
‘Oh, my darlings, you must be exhausted. Come, I’ll sort out some refreshments for you. We’re all in the sun room. Maggie!’ A brunette in her early forties, wearing an apron and smart uniform dress, appeared from one of the doorways. ‘Could we have some drinks brought to the sun room? Then a light dinner? Thank you.’ She turned back to them, her colourfully embroidered kaftan swirling around her gold-sandalled feet. ‘Eddie has taken your luggage to your usual room. If you two prefer, you can freshen up first before meeting everyone?’
‘What would you prefer, Ellie?’ asked Alex. His expression was tight and pale, and she could tell he was hoping she’d say unpack, because he kept looking towards the stairs.
She didn’t want to be unkind, but she knew sometimes it was better to be quick and efficient when it came to painful situations. Delaying only built up anxiety. ‘Maybe we should say a quick hello? I probably won’t be able to stay awake for very long. I’m shattered.’
His shoulders slumped, but he gave her a quick nod.
‘Great idea.’ Jessica King – she literally couldn’t think of her as anything other than the full billboard name at this moment– swept them down a corridor before Alex had a chance to respond.
They passed elegant, airy rooms until they finally reached the back of the house and the beautiful sun room, filled with lush plants, comfy seating and low, glass-topped tables. Huge bi-folding shuttered doors opened out to a gorgeous vista of the gardens. The room was a mixture of white panelling and yellow walls.
Draped on the cushions was the elegant star Ellie recognised as Savannah Lochlan. She was as luminescent and breathtaking in real life as she was in her films. Light-blonde hair fell about her narrow shoulders in choppy waves and her thighs were so slender they would most definitely not touch in those denim cut-offs she wore. She had a large, pouty mouth that dominated her face and gave her an extraordinarily beautiful smile, which dropped the second she spotted them.
Beside her sat the caramel-blond-haired version of Alex who was obviously the action-hero star Liam King. Off screen, Liam was noticeably slimmer than Alex and shorter by a couple of inches. Absently, Ellie thought he looked like the stereotypical version of Gatsby, all suave glamour and golden looks.
As Alex and Ellie entered, Liam and Savannah both sat up a little straighter. Savannah’s fingers dug into the cushions, and Liam looked at her with concern deeply etched onto his handsome features.
Ellie felt as if she were intruding on a private moment by even looking at them. Alex stared at Savannah with a blank expression, giving away nothing of his emotions – she was strangely proud of him for that, but also worried at what might be lurking beneath the surface.
A rustle of a magazine drew their attention to the other side of the room.
Alex’s father, Robert King, who was a silver-fox version of Alex, sat in an armchair in stylish white linen, a film magazine in his hands. No doubt checking up on what the bright young things were producing these days. He had a sprawling, muscular physique most men in their thirties would have been jealous of.
There were a few other people she didn’t recognise, but she presumed they were part of the wedding party. All of them looked like they’d just stepped out of a Californian surfing commercial. Her initial thought was that they were all so slim and perfect, and, while she hated herself for doing that, comparing herself to them, some habits were hard to beat. A few sly smirks passed between Savannah’s friends, and Ellie could tell they thought her pairing with Alex was odd. Which, to be fair, it was, even to Ellie.
‘You have a beautiful home, Mrs…’Don’t say her full name like some weirdo. ‘…Mrs King.’ She felt like a dirty chimney sweep in comparison to the beautiful surroundings and people around her.
‘Call me Jessica, sweetheart.’
Ellie swallowed, and turned to face the happy couple. Her nanna’s drilled-in manners demanded that she be a polite guest – even though it warred against her heart to do. ‘Thank you for inviting me to your wedding, Liam… and Savannah. I know I’m a bit last-minute, so I hope I’ve not caused any problems for you.’
They blinked at her like baby owls, before Savannah answered cautiously, ‘No… No problem at all.’ Her voice was low and husky, like a New York version of an M&S advert; this wasn’t justanysexy voice, this was anM&Ssexy voice.
‘Oh my God, I love your accent,’ drawled a dark-haired woman in head-to-toe pink over in the corner. Her voice and features were very similar to Savannah’s – a sister or cousin possibly? ‘You sound like Dick Van Dyke!’
Well, that served her right for mentally taking the piss out of Savannah’s voice. ‘Err, thanks?’
‘Dick Van Dyke wasn’t even British,’ grumbled Alex beside her, only adding to the awkwardness.
Jessica King –Jessica, for fuck’s sake – saved the day by quickly making introductions.
‘Ellie, that’s Savannah’s sister, Holly, she’s the maid of honour. These are Savannah’s other bridesmaids, Caitlyn and Keira. That’s Liam’s best man, Tony. And here’s my husband, Robert.’
‘Nice to meet you,’ he said, his voice rich and warm. Hadn’t he played God in his last film?
‘Likewise,’ replied Ellie, realising she was putting on airs and graces because she was so nervous.
‘She’s so polite.’ Holly cackled, as if manners were a quaint tradition – she’d been the Dick Van Dyke commentator earlier.
‘She’s British, remember?’ said Caitlyn, a redhead who looked like a bouncy cheerleader. Keira nodded as if that explained everything. She looked like a supermodel with her long, slender limbs, dark-brown glossy skin and gorgeously full features.
‘Ignore these fools. You’re wonderful, darling!’ Jessica King declared warmly, giving her arm a quick squeeze.
The ‘fools’ all laughed good-naturedly and Ellie relaxed. She could handle a bit of light ribbing; she was from the East End, after all.
She glanced at Alex, who was scowling, and looped her arm through his, hoping to distract him from wanting to kill his ex and/or his brother. He glanced down at her and gave her a lopsided smile that she could have bathed in all day.
