All That Glitters (35 page)

‘It really is all over now,’ Chastity said a few months later as they sat in a mint-green hospital waiting room. ‘Danny’s out and happy, I’m thinking about moving in with Adam, and I can’t believe we’ve finally got a real office for
YourHappyEverAfter.com
! With staff!’

Ella grinned. ‘I know,’ she said happily as she stretched her Lucky Brand denim-clad legs in front of her. ‘And how amazing was that email we got from Fairytale Productions this morning?’

Chastity shook her head, checked there were no nurses prowling the waiting room, and then pulled her iPhone out of her bag so she could look at the email again. ‘It’s just, I don’t know, extraordinary. I can’t quite believe that a TV production company wants to turn
YourHappyEverAfter.com
into a TV show, and that Channel Four is really into the idea,’ she said, as she reread the email for the hundredth time that day.

‘But it makes sense, when you think about it,’ Ella explained. ‘The site’s all about helping women improve their lives without the aid of men – and there’s nothing like that on TV.’

‘And how do you feel about their idea of us presenting it?’ Chastity asked. ‘It means admitting to the general public that we’re behind the site.’

Ella bit her lip. ‘You know what? I think I’m cool with it. No, I’m more than cool with it – it really excites me. Not only will we be consultants on the programme but we’ll also be its public face. It sounds brilliant.’

‘I bet you never thought you’d be on TV again,’ Chastity remarked, and Ella shook her head.

‘I really thought Johnny Cooper had ruined that for me, but despite only presenting
A Week in Wonderland
briefly it gave me the opportunity to show I can do it. It’s just a dream come true, isn’t it?’

‘It really is,’ Chastity said. ‘And it’s definitely a happy ending. Hey, did you ever find out what happened to Johnny?’

Ella shook her head. ‘The last I heard he was thinking about reinventing himself as an actor – well, he is good at it, I suppose – but I don’t know if that rumour’s true or not. Only time will tell, I suppose.’

‘I hope he disappears off the planet,’ Chastity mumbled, but Ella was more pragmatic about him.

‘I don’t really mind what he does, so long as he stays away from me.’ Ella took a sip of her vending machine coffee and grimaced. ‘I know Johnny’s a complete bastard, but he kind of did Danny and I a favour by making me fall in love with him. If I hadn’t left my marriage Danny probably never would have come out . . . so there’s that to be grateful for.’

Ella also thought about how Johnny had opened her eyes to love again, and how she was no longer scared of falling for someone or being in a relationship. He may have been out to ruin her life, but Ella had managed to find some good from it, and for that she was thankful.

Just then a figure appeared in front of them. It was Jay, and he was crying tears of joy.

‘It’s a girl!’ he announced, and despite herself, Ella welled up too.

‘Oh my God,’ she managed to say through her sobs. ‘That’s amazing. Can we see them?’

Jay nodded, and he led Ella and Chastity towards the room where Stacey was holding her brand new daughter. She looked absolutely exhausted, but Ella had never seen her so happy.

‘I did it,’ Stacey said simply, as they all stared at the tiny baby, whose face was scrunched up under her tuft of golden-red hair.

‘She’s beautiful,’ Chastity whispered, and Ella nodded in agreement. She found she could barely speak.

‘Ella, it goes without saying that we’d like you to be her godmother, but . . .’ Stacey trailed off and looked at Jay, who grinned back at her.

‘We wanted you to be the first to know that we’re going to name her after you, too.’

Ella could barely contain herself. ‘Really?’ she said unbelievingly. ‘You’re going to name your baby after me?’

Stacey nodded and began to rock the tiny baby in her arms as it began to stir. ‘We’re not going to call her Ella exactly – we thought that would be too confusing – but we thought Gabriella, or Gaby for short, would be the perfect dedication to you. If you’re okay with it?’

‘I’m more than okay with it,’ Ella said. She was practically speechless. ‘I’m honoured.’

‘Well, you shouldn’t be,’ Stacey said bossily. ‘You’re not only the best step-sister and best friend I could have, you’re also one of the most inspirational women I’ve ever known. Most people would have cracked under the year you had, but you didn’t just get through it, you conquered it.’

She reached over for Ella and put her spare hand into hers, and Ella squeezed it back in response. They all gazed at Gaby, who was snuffling into Stacey’s chest, and each of them felt that her birth represented new beginnings for all of them.

It was one of the best days of Ella’s life.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Ella surveyed the empty flat and felt a bit sad. Chastity had finally moved all her things into the small house in Chelsea she was renting with Adam, and without her junk – her designer shoes littering the living room, her make-up on every counter, and her bits and pieces everywhere – the flat felt a bit lonely. Ella felt lonely. She’d told Chastity that she was delighted for her and Adam; and it was true, she was. Even though she’d see her every day in their little office in Soho, she’d still miss her. Ella hadn’t realised just how much she’d come to rely on Chastity’s company. It was definitely the end of an era.

‘What do you think you’ll do now?’ Chastity had said the night before as they’d packed her things into boxes. ‘Will you stay here? We could always rent it out if you wanted to move somewhere else.’

Ella had shrugged. ‘I’d like to stay here for the time being, but maybe I’ll get a flatmate. I don’t know. I need to see what it’s like to live alone.’ She’d never lived alone before and she had to admit that a part of her was looking forward to seeing what it was like.

‘You could always ask Nash to move in,’ Chastity said innocently, but there was a flash of knowing in her eyes. ‘He’s round here often enough and I bet he’d like to live rent-free for a bit.’

Ella had shaken her head. She’d not seen much of Nash recently; she’d been so busy setting up their new office, and having meetings with Fairytale Productions about the TV show. But she knew it wasn’t a good idea. Not when she had feelings for him. It would be unbearable, especially if he brought dates home.

‘Nah,’ Ella had said as off-handedly as she could. ‘He wouldn’t want to anyway. I think he’s happy where he is.’

Chastity had smiled. ‘Well, it was just an idea,’ she’d said, and she’d let the matter drop. Ella knew her feelings for Nash were obvious to her friend, but to her credit Chastity had never brought it up.

But that was yesterday, and today Ella was sitting on her sofa in complete silence, wondering if living alone was the right thing to do. She was just trying to reorganise the room a bit, to make it feel a bit less empty, when her intercom rang. Ella glanced at the video screen and her heart soared. It was Nash.

‘I’ve got some news,’ Nash said, as he took his coat off and walked into the living room. Ella trailed behind him, wondering how it was possible she could fancy this man so much, and how he clearly had no idea. ‘I think you need to sit down.’

Ella did as she was told, and as she gazed into Nash’s brown eyes, she knew instantly that what Nash said next wasn’t going to be pleasant.

‘I’ve just got off the phone to Aaron,’ Nash began, and he reached for Ella’s hands. She felt herself crumble under his touch. ‘And I’m afraid, well . . .’ His voice trailed off, and Ella felt fear run through her body.

‘Oh God,’ Ella gasped, and her eyes instantly filled with tears. If anything had happened to Danny she didn’t know how she could bear it. Nash seemed to read her mind, and he pulled her closer to him.

‘Aaron says that the police got in touch with him and it looks like Sancho’s gone.’

Ella sat bolt upright. ‘What?’ she exclaimed. ‘What do you mean?’

‘It sounds as if Sancho knew he wouldn’t be able to cope in jail, and, well, it looks like he’s run off abroad somewhere.’

Ella let out a little moan of relief – it wasn’t Danny; it was nothing to do with Danny, thank God – but Nash misinterpreted it and pressed her body against his warm chest. Ella could feel his muscles under the cotton of his plaid shirt, and as much as she didn’t want to, she pulled herself away.

‘I thought you were going to tell me something terrible had happened to Danny!’ she admonished. ‘I thought . . . I thought . . .’ An image of Justin Fashanu flashed through her mind, and she felt dizzy and sick with relief.

Nash’s eyes widened. ‘No!’ he said furiously. ‘Danny’s fine! Well, he’s not fine – he’s in shock about Sancho – but nothing’s happened to him. He’s okay.’

Ella took a few deep breaths and steadied herself. ‘So Sancho’s gone for good?’ she asked, and Nash nodded in confirmation.

‘It seems he got a fake passport.’

‘Did he leave a note?’ she asked, and Nash paused.

‘He did. He left one for Danny. Apparently he apologised in it.’

Ella nodded. She wasn’t sure what she was feeling right now, whether pleased, sad, or just confused – but she knew she didn’t feel herself. She pulled her legs up to her chest and hugged them tight.

‘Poor Johnny,’ she said quietly, and Nash stared at her.

‘Johnny?’ he asked, and Ella blinked.

‘As much as I hate Johnny it was always a source of comfort that he still had Sancho,’ she tried to explain. ‘I mean, Johnny lost everything – and he deserved to, don’t get me wrong – but I always wondered if he’d be okay, and if he had people looking out for him. I hoped that Sancho would have been there for him, but now he won’t be.’

Nash stared out of the penthouse window at the view of London. It was a bright, crisp day, and he could see for miles.

‘You’re not ever going to be over Johnny, are you?’ he muttered, and it sounded more like a statement than a question.

‘I’ve been over him for months,’ Ella said slowly, and when Nash didn’t react, she pulled at his arm. ‘Nash, seriously, I’m over him.’

Nash shook his head. ‘Sometimes I thought you were – especially when you seemed so happy – but other times you’d have a far-away look in your eyes, and I knew you were thinking of him. Of Johnny fucking Cooper.’ Nash sounded almost angry, and suddenly it all made sense.

‘I wasn’t thinking of Johnny—’ Ella began, but Nash didn’t seem to want to hear it. He seemed disappointed. Hugely, bitterly disappointed.

‘I’m going to go,’ he announced, and he stood up and got his coat. ‘I wasn’t sure how you’d react to this news – I don’t know how to react to it myself – but I can see that you don’t need me here. You don’t need me here at all.’

Ella wanted to cry. ‘I do need you here,’ she began, but Nash just let out a little laugh.

‘You don’t need me, or want me; you just want a security blanket,’ he said gruffly, and before Ella could say anything more, or protest, he’d walked out of her front door and into the streets of Crystal Palace.

Ella could have screamed with frustration.

‘You’ve got to help me,’ Ella said the next day as she and Chastity sat in their office. They’d had a meeting with their editorial director – whom they’d poached from
Cerise
magazine – about the content for the next week and they had a couple of hours before they had to interview for an SEO manager.

Chastity looked up from her screen and into Ella’s worried violet eyes.

‘What do you mean?’ she asked, and Ella bit her lip. How could she explain it? She opted for the simplest explanation.

‘I’m in love with Nash,’ she said eventually, and when Chastity didn’t react she added, ‘and I have been for months.’

Chastity smiled. ‘I know,’ she said. ‘I thought it was kind of obvious.’

Ella narrowed her eyes. ‘You knew? I thought you did, but why didn’t you say anything?’

‘Because it was none of my business. And besides, I knew that you’d talk to me about it when you were ready.’

Ella rested her chin in her hand. ‘The problem is Nash thinks I’m still in love with Johnny Cooper. And no matter what I say he doesn’t seem to believe me.’

‘You’re not, are you?’

Ella laughed. ‘No!’ she exclaimed. ‘Not even a little bit. But how can I get Nash to listen to me? How can I make him understand?’

Chastity considered this for a moment. ‘I suppose you can only make him listen if he’s willing to,’ she said slowly, ‘and I think he’s a bit like you too – in that he’s scared of getting hurt.’

‘I’d never hurt him,’ Ella said quietly. ‘I love him.’

‘Then that’s what you’ve got to convince him of,’ Chastity said sensibly. ‘Don’t talk to him about how you’re not in love with Johnny any more – talk to him about how much you love him, and how you want to spend the rest of your life with him.’

Ella nodded. ‘Do you think it will work?’ she asked, and Chastity shrugged.

‘It has to, wouldn’t you say?’

Ella finished lighting the candles she’d scattered all over the living room, and then turned the lights down low. Each tea light was in a pink or purple glass pot, and the effect against the stark white walls was dazzling. It looked so beautiful. She could smell the joint of beef slowly roasting in the oven – she was determined not to burn this one – and she’d made sure the champagne was cold. Everything had to be perfect.

Nash buzzed the intercom, and it took all of Ella’s strength not to remember how he’d been with her the last time he was here. It had only been a week ago that he’d come to break the news of Sancho’s escape, but it felt like it had only been yesterday. She’d been so busy, and so preoccupied with planning this night to perfection, that the week had flown by. But now it was here she was petrified. This was it: her one moment to convince Nash of her feelings for him, and to show him she was ready to give him her heart.

She hoped he was ready to receive it.

‘Something smells uncharacteristically good,’ Nash said as he walked into the hallway. Ella wanted to jump on him there and then, but she knew it wouldn’t do any good. She had to tread carefully.

‘I’m trying to cook us some beef again,’ she said lightly. ‘To make up for how things were left last week.’