Jack frowned. ‘Are you two, like, dating?’
‘No, of course not. We just meet up for coffee and a catch-up at the weekend.’
‘Does Oliver know it’s not a date?’
Bridie heard Oliver’s voice again – closer this time. ‘Bridie?’
She turned around and saw his head pop around the door to the foyers He spotted her, that ready smile spreading across his lips.
‘Sorry, I forgot about meeting you at the café,’ Bridie apologised.
‘That’s all right. I guessed you’d have the theatre on your mind. I thought you’d be here. That’s why I decided to pop along when you didn’t answer your phone, see if you needed a … hand.’ His smile vanished immediately when Jack moved out of the shadows.
Jack said, ‘Hi, Oliver.’
Oliver stepped into the auditorium. ‘What’s he doing here?’
‘She asked me to come meet her here.’
Bridie bristled. Jack wasn’t helping.
‘Oh, right. I see.’ Oliver fixed his gaze on Bridie. ‘You don’t need me anymore, do you? Little wonder you didn’t ask me to meet you here. I’m not the one who can give you what you want – the money to do up your theatre.’ Oliver walked out and slammed the door behind him.
‘Oliver!’ Bridie called after him.
Jack said, ‘Well! This brings back memories.’
Bridie glared at Jack and was about to leave the stage and run up the aisle after Oliver when Jack grabbed her hand. ‘Let him go.’
‘No!’
‘You always did before, when he got in a huff.’
‘Let go of me!’
‘Suit yourself.’
Bridie left the stage and ran up the aisle. Rushing through the foyer, she burst out of the theatre’s double doors, running straight into the middle of the promenade. She looked right,then left, but there was no sign of him. ‘Where’d he go?’ she said in alarm as her eyes darted straight in front of her to the sea wall.
‘Oh, no!’ she exclaimed, darting forward and looking over the edge into the freezing water below. Her heart was thudding in her chest. ‘Oh, my god.’
‘What are you doing?’ Oliver asked.
She turned to find him standing right beside her, looking into the water below.
Bridie flung her arms around him. ‘Where were you? I looked down the promenade and couldn’t see you anywhere!’
‘I was just outside the entrance door, standing to one side looking at the poster when you darted out of the door.’ He stopped and peered over the edge. ‘You didn’t think …?’
‘No, no of course not.’ Bridie grabbed his arm and led him back to the theatre away from the sea wall defences.
Oliver showed her where he was standing. ‘I was looking at the old poster. I’m surprised it’s survived in that cracked display case all these years. Never really stopped to take a closer look before. Do you know, even when you were younger, you looked remarkably like that actress, what’s her name?’
Bridie sighed. ‘Isobel Raine.’ She wanted to change the subject. ‘Look, never mind that. Will you come back inside?’
‘Why? You’ve got what you want – Jack to invest in your theatre. You don’t need me.’
‘But I do!’ Bridie said genuinely.
