A Perfect Cornish Summer. Phillipa Ashley
Читать онлайн книгу.
yet, please. I … Are you …’ Is he there? Chloe ached to ask the question but it was too incendiary. ‘Are you on your own?’
‘I was. But not now.’
‘Oh. I see.’
‘Why do you ask, Mum?’
Hannah wasn’t stupid. ‘No reason. I only wanted to see how you were. To see if there’s any way we can … come together. I hate – I mean I’m really sad about – the way things have gone between us.’
Chloe heard a man’s voice clearly saying ‘Hannah? Who is it?’ That had to be Jordan. Was he controlling Hannah? Threatening her? Chloe wanted to be sick.
‘I have to go, Mum. Ruby’s crying.’
‘Is she OK?’
‘Of course she’s OK. Why wouldn’t she be? I can look after her.’
Suddenly, the conversation had taken a turn for the worse. ‘Hannah. Wait. I wasn’t implying that you couldn’t …’
‘I have to go.’ There was a note of desperation in Hannah’s tone. Chloe couldn’t hear Jordan anymore, but could sense his presence from two hundred miles away.
‘OK. Hannah, I want you to know that you can call me any time or text or email me. Or your father. If you need us.’
‘Mum. I’m fine. Please, why won’t you understand that I’m fine …’ There was a child’s wail and then the male voice again. Chloe couldn’t hear what was said but Hannah muttered, ‘Yes, I’m coming!’ Then, ‘Sorry.’
The phone clicked off. Chloe stared at it in her hand before tossing it onto the sofa. She hugged herself and paced around the flat. Fine. I’m fine. For God’s sake, that phrase had to be the biggest lie on the planet. Hannah and Chloe had both said it to each other more than once when the opposite was clearly true.
Yet Hannah had at least taken the call. That had to be something and all Chloe’s instincts as a mum told her that Hannah wanted to take a step towards reconciliation … but the call had also left her no further forward. Jordan was in the house, and possibly listening in to Hannah’s side of the conversation. Maybe when her daughter had some time alone, she might call back … Plus those final comments … what did they mean?
‘Yes, I’m coming!’ That was obviously meant for Jordan. Or possibly little Ruby. And the ‘Sorry’ – that could have been directed at either of them, or at Chloe herself. Or maybe she was overthinking things. She was at a loss for what to do next, if anything at all. Instinct made her want to rush over to Bristol that minute, but common sense told her to leave things as they were, and hope Hannah reached out to her.
Chloe caught sight of herself in the mirror. Her mascara had smudged, leaving her with two spidery imprints under her eyes. She’d better go and wipe it off in the bathroom. She picked up the phone again on the off-chance Hannah had texted her. There was no message, of course, but she did notice one thing.
The time.
‘Oh shit!’
She was late for the festival meeting. In fact, it had probably already started.
Sam glanced at her watch again. Almost half an hour late. That was nothing for some people, but it was unusual for Chloe whose punctuality and organisational skills were terrifyingly good. It didn’t matter too much because Sam and the others had passed the time by looking through the new publicity material that Zennor and Ben had created. Her fingers had itched to google ‘Gabe Mathias girlfriend’, but she hadn’t dared in case someone caught her.
Ben chipped in a few times during the discussion, explaining that he’d taken the opportunity to revamp the poster design and fix a few things he wasn’t happy with in the first place. A hundred posters had been scrapped and obviously it had created extra work but he and Zennor seemed cool with that, so Sam counted her blessings.
However, time had now run out and they needed Chloe’s input so Sam began writing a text to see if she was OK. She hadn’t even finished the message when the door was flung open and the woman herself breezed in on a cloud of citrussy perfume and enthusiasm.
‘Evening. So sorry I’m late! I got a call from a client and I couldn’t get rid of him, no matter how hard I tried. Doesn’t he know I have far more important things to deal with than his international conference? I had to fly down the steps from the Crow’s Nest so apologies if I look a bit dishevelled.’
‘Hi Chloe, it’s fine,’ said Sam, relieved that her right-hand woman had turned up safe and sound.
‘You look all right to me,’ said Troy. ‘Couldn’t you tell this bloke to bog off because you were late for us?’
Chloe laughed. ‘I should have done. Thought he’d never get off the phone.’ She blew out a breath. ‘Anyway, I’m here now. What have I missed?’
‘Nothing much,’ Troy said.
Sam cringed.
‘Ben and Zennor’s new posters,’ Drew said. ‘They’re brilliant.’
‘Great.’ Chloe beamed at them.
‘They’re not bad, not that I’m an expert,’ Troy said. ‘Cuppa?’
‘Yes, please. I’m gagging for one,’ Chloe replied.
Troy got up. ‘Builder’s brew all right for you?’
Chloe’s smile slipped momentarily before reappearing. ‘Um. Yes. Fine. Thank you, Troy.’
Sam exchanged a glance with her. Chloe liked her herbal teas, but Sam knew she didn’t want to offend Troy. While he went to make the drink, Chloe dumped a box file on the table and whipped out a pale lime MacBook.
Despite her comments about being dishevelled, Sam thought her friend looked as camera-ready as ever, in printed wide-leg trousers, a vest-top and buttery leather biker jacket all of which looked like it’d been tailored to fit her petite frame. It felt like an exuberant pedigree Shi-Tzu had entered the Scrufts section of a dog show.
Sam instinctively shoved her short and unvarnished nails under the table.
‘I hear you’ve saved the day with our star chef,’ said Drew.
‘Oh, no. I had a lucky break, that’s all. You know I still can’t believe the actual Gabriel Mathias is going to headline our festival.’
‘There you go,’ said Troy, placing a steaming mug in front of her. ‘That’ll put hairs on your chest.’
‘Sounds gross,’ said Zennor, but everyone else was smiling, and even Ben had a smirk on his lips as he tapped away.
Chloe took it in good part. ‘Perhaps not too many hairs … but it’s the thought that counts. Thanks, Troy.’
‘So, how much does Gabe want?’ Troy asked. ‘Stepping in at the last minute to bail us out is sure to cost.’
Chloe brightened. ‘Ah but there’s the thing and it’s another reason why I’m so late. Before my client called, Gabe’s PA phoned me with some great news. Gabe knows we lost money because of Kris going bust, so he’s offered to do it for …’ Chloe did a jazz hands gesture. ‘Free!’
Zennor snapped to attention at this news and mouthed ‘WTF?’ at Sam.
‘Wow,’ Sam said it again. It seemed her go-to reaction for any announcement regarding Gabe. It covered so much: surprise, amazement and horror.
‘That’s very generous of him,’ said Drew, sliding a questioning glance at Sam, which she couldn’t fail to notice. Zennor pressed her lips together, as if she wasn’t