‘It’s a waste of your return ticket. How will you pay to come back at Christmas? Oh God, your mum is going to be so pissed at me.’
‘It’s fine.’ Hannah gave an easy shrug.
‘I’ll buy your flight back.’ Ellie’s mind was whirling. She’d have to pay for it from the hush money, but, fuck it,she was still eternally grateful that Hannah was here.
‘There’s no need.’
‘I insist.’
Hannah gave her a hard look. ‘For once, just believe me when I say this – you’re worth it, and if Alex doesn’t realise that then he’s a complete fool.’
Ellie sank against her, sagging with the weight of the world’s cruel words on her shoulders. Hannah had picked her up after David, and said something similar. ‘I don’t think I can go through this again.’
Hannah rubbed her shoulder in a soothing gesture. ‘We’ll get through it together.’
‘You’ve got your new life in Australia.’
‘It can wait. You’re more important.’
‘I knew it!’ Nanna crowed, waving a glossy magazine, as she strode into the kitchen the following day. ‘Ibloody, fuckingknew it!’
‘Language, Nanna!’ gasped Mark.
‘Sometimes you need a little sauce with your chips.’
Her mum frowned. ‘Is that even a saying?’
‘Shush,’ hissed Nanna, as she triumphantly threw down the magazine like a gauntlet. ‘Look, Ellie, finally,the truth!’
‘What?’ Ellie asked in a daze, a cold mug of chamomile tea in her hands that she’d been nursing for nearly an hour.
Nanna thrust the glossy spread towards her like a winning hand at a poker table. ‘The truth,’ she repeated.
Ellie leaned forward and blinked at the magazine spread in front of her. Liam and Savannah’s wedding photos were plastered all over the pages. Savannah had said they wouldn’t publish their wedding photos to the press…More lies?
She almost pushed it away, but then she saw a picture of herself handing the remade bouquet to Savannah, and then another of Savannah hugging her. The caption said,Ellie didn’t ruin my wedding. She saved it.
She peered closer, relieved that there were at least some people willing to speak up for her despite this mess. There were quotes from Joseph, the wedding planner– ‘such a beautiful lady,’ as well as Caitlyn, Keira, Tony and Liam. Even Jessica and Robert King had praised her for being a wonderful guest and a close friend to the family. Alex was ‘unavailable for comment’ due to the fact that he was currently travelling.
LA, no doubt.
Disappointing, but what else did she expect? He was probably eager to return to his ‘normal’ life.
‘You’ve been exonerated, love,’ Nanna said softly, but her elation quickly turned to concern at Ellie’s lack of a happy reaction.
Ellie’s relief was short-lived. Her body ached, and she still felt as if she’d aged a hundred years in the last couple of days. ‘Looks like it.’
‘Your work will have to see sense after this. Look, they all repeatedly say that you didn’t drink to excess, and that the bikini bottom thing was an accident. They’re going to sue the papers and some horrible ex-agent of theirs who’s been selling stories to the press about them for years. Looks like he’ll never work again in Tinsel-town – his reputation and business is in tatters!’ Nanna cackled with delightful abandon as she continued to point out pieces from the article. ‘And here, they say that you worked hard to ensure the wedding went without a hitch.Our flowers were ruined in transit, thank heavens Ellie was here to save them.They’ve even mentioned the name of our flower shop.’
‘Let’s have a look.’ Mark grabbed the magazine and cheered. ‘Yes, Jones Floristry and Gifts.’
‘That’s nice,’ Ellie said, and her family all looked at her with concern.
‘Ellie…’
She blinked again as Nanna’s hand rested over hers, bringing her back to reality. She stared at it, the tissue-paper-thin skin covered in wrinkles and age spots and the joints slightly gnarled by arthritis and hard work. Nanna’s warmth and kindness seeped into her empty, numb bones.
‘Everything’s going to be all right, sweetheart.’
