Hi yourself! Yes, 10am at Raphael’s if that’s all right with you. I thought I’d take you out to lunch if you fancy it. See you soon! xx
‘Gabriel and Raphael are both absolutely fine,’ I announce. ‘I think we can assume there was nothing wrong with the chicken.’
‘It certainly looks that way,’ Lily agrees. ‘Poor Amy though.’
‘Sounds entirely self-inflicted to me,’ Robert observes drily.
‘I’m sorry to hear that,’ Gabriel says when I relate the story to him later, deliberately leaving out the part where Amy blamed his mother for poisoning her. ‘You didn’t have any problems like that after the Food Shack though, did you?’
‘No, I was fine.’
‘Hmm. Maybe she’s not as tolerant of spice as she made out. Anyway, I hope she feels better soon. Now, I’m afraid I have a favour to ask you.’
‘What is it?’
‘My manager, Harvey, is arriving on a flight from London this afternoon. I assumed he would be getting a taxi to his hoteland I’d meet him in the morning, but I woke this morning to a text telling me what time his flight was landing, so I think it’s safe to assume that he’s expecting me to collect him.’
‘Oh, OK.’ I’m trying to sound like I’m fine with that, but I’m really not. I feel like another chunk of precious time has just been stolen. Gabriel has obviously picked up on it too, because his tone is conciliatory when he speaks again.
‘It’s not ideal,’ he says. ‘I was hoping we’d have the whole day just for the two of us. But I’m sure he’ll be tired after the flight, so I expect he’ll want to go straight to his hotel. Then we can carry on as normal.’
When he puts it like that, it doesn’t sound too bad, and maybe this is a good thing, I tell myself. If Gabriel and I are going to carry on seeing each other once we’re back in the UK, I’m probably going to have to get on with his manager, so the sooner I meet him, the better. But, on the other hand, I’m still not wild about the way this Harvey guy seems to be able to ride roughshod over Gabriel’s life. First, the concert, and now this demand to meet him at the airport. This is supposed to be Gabriel’s downtime, after all.
‘Here he comes,’ Gabriel says, indicating a short, rotund man who has just come through the doors into the arrivals hall. His face is red, but I can’t work out whether that’s his natural hue or from the exertion of pulling the enormous suitcase that’s trailing behind him. I’m feeling considerably more mellow, partly because of the excellent seafood lunch Gabriel’s just treated me to at a restaurant in Montego Bay, and partly because I’ve given myself a stern mental talking to. Of course Harvey would want to see a friendly face at the airport, and it would have horrifiedConstance if she’d found out we’d made him take a taxi. I plaster a smile on my face, determined to show this man the kind of Jamaican hospitality that would make her proud. It’s only for as long as it takes to get him to his hotel, and then I’ll have Gabriel to myself again.
‘Gabriel, there you are!’ Harvey exclaims when he reaches us. If he’s noticed me, he’s not showing it.
‘Welcome to Jamaica, Harvey,’ Gabriel says warmly. ‘How was the flight?’
‘Fucking awful,’ Harvey complains. ‘There was a baby in the row behind me that I swear cried the whole way. Who the hell brings a baby into business class?’
‘People who can afford it?’ I offer, hoping to inject a bit of humour.
Harvey turns and looks at me, running his gaze up and down my body as if assessing me. From the expression on his face, he doesn’t like what he sees.
‘Who are you?’ he asks.
‘Harvey, this is Tori,’ Gabriel says. ‘Tori, this is my manager, Harvey.’
‘Delighted, I’m sure,’ Harvey says dismissively before turning back to Gabriel and continuing his monologue. ‘I made a point of demanding to see the captain after we’d landed, and I left him in no doubt as to my views on the matter. The whole reason people pay the premium to travel in the front of the plane, I explained to him, is to get away from the hoi polloi. Children shouldn’t be allowed anywhere near the business class section until they’re old enough to know how to behave. I’ll be writing to the airline to claim compensation.’
‘That does sound very trying,’ Gabriel says soothingly as I try not to let my horror at Harvey’s entitled attitude leak onto my face. ‘The good news is that it’s only a short drive to yourhotel, and then you’ll be able to relax and freshen up in complete peace.’
‘Hotel?’ From Harvey’s tone, you’d think Gabriel had just suggested he stick his head down the nearest toilet. ‘We haven’t got time for that.’ He glances at his watch. ‘We’re supposed to be meeting the conductor of the Philharmonic Orchestra at the venue in just an hour to go over the programme, before drinks and dinner with some of the sponsors. I hope you haven’t got plans for the rest of the day, because you’ll have to cancel them if you do.’
‘What?’ I ask, unable to conceal my horror now.
‘I’m sorry, what was your name again?’ Harvey asks disdainfully.
‘Tori,’ I tell him coolly. I think I already dislike Harvey even more than Amy, which is impressive, given that I only met him a minute or so ago.
‘Well, Tori. I suggest you run along, because Gabriel and I have a lot of work to do.’
I’m unable to stop my mouth from dropping open. I can’t believe how rude this guy is. I look to Gabriel for support, but I’m not reassured by his expression at all.
‘I’m really sorry, Tori,’ he begins. ‘I genuinely didn’t know that all this had been arranged?—’
‘How could you not have known that this would be arranged?’ Harvey cuts in incredulously. ‘I’m not here for the good of my health, you know. In fact, I reckon that bloody baby has probably shortened my life by several years. Playtime is over, Gabriel, so set the lady to one side and prepare to get back to work. It’s taken a lot to put this together, but it’s the perfect opportunity to get you back in the saddle before we hit Carnegie Hall.’ He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a fat black wallet, from which he extracts a number of bank notes.
