‘No. I want more than that.’ He cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his neck. ‘I was hoping you felt the same.’
‘I’m not breaking our rules, Alex,’ she said firmly, trying to ignore the heartbreaking way his shoulders sagged. ‘I’d ratherwe remained friends. This was all just for show. No one was meant to get hurt.’Me. I don’t wantmeto get hurt.‘None of this is real. I think you’ve forgotten that.’
He sucked in a breath as if she’d really punched him in the gut this time. As he tilted his head up at the ceiling his lips thinned, and he spoke without emotion: ‘You’re right. I’m sorry.’
Ellie couldn’t bear it any longer. ‘I’m going to get ready for bed.’ When she left the bathroom a short time later, the bedroom was empty.
For the first time since their arrival, Alex slept on the sofa.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Alex didn’t sleep well that night, and it wasn’t just because he’d crammed his long limbs onto the too-short couch. He’d been thinking over and over about Ellie’s jealous reaction to the gym picture. If she really didn’t feel anything for him, then why had she been so upset?
Unable to stand staring at the ceiling a moment longer, he dressed in the same clothes as the night before, shoved on his glasses and went downstairs, stopping at one of the many bathrooms along the way to freshen up, as he didn’t want to disturb Ellie, who was still asleep.
The staff were hurrying around already, preparing for the big day, and after grabbing a coffee he went out onto the porch to sit on his favourite swing.
His father was there, sitting on one of the deckchairs with his paper and a coffee.
‘Hey, Dad,’ he said, sitting on the swing and lightly rocking it with his foot. Eddie and his team were grappling with a gazebo frame on the lawn. ‘Eddie needs a pay rise.’
‘Probably,’ said his father, lowering the corner of his paper thoughtfully. ‘The florist and wedding planner got in a car accident chasing down the missing flowers. So it’s all hands on deck.’
Alex’s coffee cup stopped halfway to his mouth. ‘What?’
His father barrelled on as if he were actually a sea captain: ‘Good news is, they found the flowers.’
‘And they’re okay?’
‘Not sure yet, they weren’t stored properly.’
‘I meant the florist and the wedding planner.’
‘Oh, yeah, they’re both fine. Well, reasonably fine. Joseph, the wedding planner, is on his way here with a fractured wrist. But the florist hit her head and has to stay in hospital under supervision until she gets the all-clear – so won’t be able to make it at all.’
‘Jeez!’ Alex finally sipped his coffee. He needed it.
There was a moment of silence as they imagined the chaos and panic that was probably already happening upstairs.
‘Ellie’s a lovely young woman,’ said his dad conversationally, before going back to reading his paper.
Alex stayed silent for a moment, unsure if his father expected a reply. He’d never once complimented any of his girlfriends in the past. Not even Savannah, who he obviously liked a lot. ‘Yeah, she’s great.’Shame she wants nothing to do with me after this.
His father lowered his paper ever so slightly. ‘Your mom and I were thinking. Maybe we should come to London. If you do another play there, or if there’s still time before the end of your current run. We’d like to see it.’
He almost choked on his second sip of coffee. It was the first time his parents had offered to support him in one of his own endeavours. A welcome surprise, but it still shocked the hell out of him. ‘Are you sure? Sales have been slow. It wasn’t as much of a success at the start as it should have been.’
‘They picked up though, didn’t they? Last time I checked, you were sold out every weekend until the end of the run.’
Alex’s heart doubled in size as he realised his father had been keeping an eye on his production sales – it meant he cared. ‘I was hoping the theatre might offer me a resident director position, but they haven’t yet.’
His father lowered his paper further. ‘Then approach another theatre, or a film company based in the UK. Sometimes you have to make your own opportunities. Especially when you’ve got a good reason to stay.’
Alex nodded, unable to speak, choked up by his father’s insight and support. Hedidhave a good reason to stay in London. But did Ellie have a good reason to be with him?
His father wasn’t done. ‘And do us a favour… Help Tony with his speech? It sounds like a trailer for one of his action films. Give him some proper stories to add to it.’
Alex chuckled. ‘Sure.’
