The words ‘Matt Harrison’ hung in the air. Elle’s heart began to pound.
Jenny nodded at her – it really was him. Elle’s heart thumped even faster. All she could do was stare at the man on the stage in front of her – her father. Her past had hurtled into the present.
Irene nudged her. ‘What are you doing? Get yourself up on stage, girl,’ she whispered urgently, tapping Elle on her knee.
‘Elle, go!’ Noah nudged her arm.
Elle glanced up to find the whole room clapping and Sam looking in her direction. She hadn’t heard him announce the winner of the competition. She was in a state of shock, oblivious to everything that was going on around her.
Aiden stood up and gestured for Elle to follow him to the side of the stage. ‘You need to collect your prize.’
Finally, she stood up. Everyone was on their feet clapping. Irene dabbing at her eyes, proud tears running down her cheeks.
Elle took a sideward glance towards Jenny. She too was in a trancelike state, staring at Sam.
Feeling like her legs were going to buckle underneath her at any given moment, Elle took deep breaths as she walked onto the stage. Sam shook her hand and presented her with the plaque before welcoming the editor ofWomen’s Writing, who gave Elle a copy of the magazine in which Elle and her story were featured.
After a lot of handshaking, and once the room had stopped applauding, Sam cleared his throat. ‘I’d now like to read you an extract from Elle’s story.’ He smiled at Elle. ‘Is that okay with you?’
Elle managed a nod. Like a rabbit caught in headlights she was still staring at him.
He couldn’t know who she was, but there was no doubt in her mind she was standing next to her father. She could see now how striking the resemblance was between the two of them, and wondered why she hadn’t noticed it immediately. Elle had his eyes, his nose curved in the same way and his smile mirrored hers.
‘It’s okay,’ he whispered, placing his hand over the microphone. ‘Don’t be nervous. I’ve got you.’
Elle glanced at Jenny as he started reading. She was on the brink of tears, and Elle felt herself shaking. Noah was glancing anxiously between them both, having realised something was going on. He mouthed, ‘What’s wrong?’ at Elle, but of course she couldn’t answer.
Everyone else in the room was listening intently to Sam, and, aside from the odd gasp, there was complete silence as the words of her story spilled from his lips. But then his words began to slow. He’d caught Jenny’s gaze and kept looking in her direction. Elle knew he’d recognised her.
As soon as the presentation was over, Elle saw Jenny leave her seat, followed quickly by Irene. The moment Sam walked Elle off the stage they were greeted by a sea of journalists, who wanted to photograph them for numerous papers and magazines. Elle could barely breathe, never mind smile, as the cameras flashed at them.
‘Who’s that woman you’re with?’ Sam asked as soon as the photographers had moved on to the other award winners.
‘Jenny,’ replied Elle.
‘Jenny,’ he repeated. ‘Ah, my mistake.’ His eyes darted towards the back of the room, but Jenny and Irene had disappeared altogether. ‘I thought it was someone I used to know.’
Elle took a chance. ‘Her full name is Cora Jennifer Hansley.’
Sam looked towards her in shocked silence.
‘She’s my mother.’ Her voice faltered on the final word.
‘Hey, congratulations, Elle!’ Noah kissed her on the cheek. She couldn’t acknowledge him; she was focused on Sam, reading the emotions crossing his face.
‘I’m so proud of you,’ Noah carried on, oblivious to the situation he’d just stepped into. ‘For a minute on the stage I thought you were going to pass out. You looked like you’d seen a ghost!’
Elle tried to keep her emotions under control as the full meaning of the last twenty minutes hit her – she’d foundher father!
Sam strained to see over the crowd, which included many fans clutching his latest book, hoping for a photo and an autograph. They were calling his name and squealing with delight as he looked in their direction, but it was clear he didn’t even see them. It was Jenny he was searching for.
He turned back towards Elle and lowered his voice to a whisper. ‘We need to find her.’
Noah stared at Elle. ‘What’s going on?’
Her pulse quickened. ‘I’ll tell you later. I won’t be long.’ She followed Sam through the crowd, leaving Noah standing there, wondering what the hell was going on.
Ten minutes later, they’d searched everywhere. Jenny and Irene were nowhere to be found and their mobiles had been switched off.
