Could It Be I'm Falling in Love? (44 page)

The uplit mansion swung into view. Everyone fell silent as they took in its grandeur once more. Terence was the first to recover. ‘Holly, did you bring your notepad? Because, if Austin’s going to say sorry, I definitely want it in the minutes. I want to be able to reread it, word for word, over breakfast.’

‘Terence!’ Sue scolded him gently. ‘I hope you’re going to be gracious.’

‘Anyway, I don’t know what
you’re
so grumpy about,’ Holly grumbled. ‘He wasn’t even that horrible to you. He called me a virgin!’

Chelle stopped dead in her tracks. ‘Ain’t you?’

‘I couldn’t care less what he says about
me,’
insisted Terence. ‘But he was damned rude about Sue, and it’s not right!’

‘I didn’t mind,’ Sue said mildly. ‘Maybe I needed to hear what he said.’

‘Nobody
needed
to hear what he said!’

‘Oh, let’s just get this over and done with, shall we?’ interrupted Cressida. ‘And then we can retire to the pub.’

‘The pub?’ Woody laughed in surprise. ‘Congratulations, Cressida; you’ve just re-entered normal life.’

Everyone laughed except Roxy. She wasn’t in the mood for laughing. She hadn’t been in the mood for
anything
since the flapjacks and Woody’s doorstep. She walked at the back of the group, looking for signs from Woody and Chelle. So far, they’d been totally discreet. If they’d been at it like rabbits an hour earlier, there was no way of telling; they’d exchanged no secretive glances and were walking several metres apart.

As the group reached the door of the mansion, Carmen stepped out to greet them. Despite herself, Roxy couldn’t help but marvel. Carmen was even more stunning than before.

‘Hi, everybodee!’ She warmly embraced them. ‘Zank you so much for coming. Eet is probably more than ee deserves.’

‘She said it …’ Terence mumbled.

Roxy saw Chelle check out Carmen for the first time – eyeing her up and down with a mix of jealousy and awe. With her orange skin, unnatural highlights and plastic chest, Chelle was a freak show next to Carmen’s organic beauty. Roxy suddenly felt relieved she’d worn her jeans.

‘Thanks for inviting us,’ Woody smiled.

‘Come een; come een.’ She gestured them indoors excitedly. ‘Os-tin is waiting. We ‘ave sangria, but I ‘ear that you, Sue, like tee; so we ‘ave sangria and tee – all kinds.’

‘Oh, lovely.’ Sue smiled at her kindness. ‘I’d love a cup of Assam, please.’

Roxy glumly trailed them in. They followed Carmen through a vast, cavernous hallway and into an immaculate, supersized kitchen.

‘Jesus Christ!’ Terence stopped dead. ‘What the hell is
that?’
Everyone looked at where he was pointing. Roxy blinked in disbelief. There was a strip of deep water starting at the breakfast bar and running through the middle of the kitchen.

‘Sweemming pool,’ Carmen replied nonchalantly, as if it was the most ordinary thing in the world to have a swimming lane snaking through your kitchen. ‘Eet goes threw every room in the ‘ouse. Os-tin wanted it. Zee workmen took forever.’

Chelle made a noise like somebody choking.

‘O.M.G. – that’s just
awesome!’
she cried.

‘But where does it go?’ Simon puzzled.

Carmen shrugged. ‘Evereewhere.’

‘Of course,’ Terence deadpanned. ‘Why walk to the kitchen when you could swim?’

‘Oh, Os-tin never swims.’ Carmen flicked her hair with a laugh. ‘Ee said ee would, but ee never. Ee uses it for toy boats and submareens. And for sometimes sailing ees dinner into ze living room.’

Cressida wasn’t impressed. ‘It sounds a bit Willy Wonka to me.’

‘Who’s he?’ asked Chelle. ‘An interior designer?’

Carmen followed the swimming lane and led them into an enormous living room. White leather sofas sat alongside the swimming pool and bubble chairs were suspended in each corner. There were illuminated red neon side tables, original film posters on the wall and an enormous, roaring fire with a red perspex mantelpiece.

‘Oh my God, is that …?’ Simon trailed off in awe.

‘His BAFTAs!’ squealed Holly.

‘How many’s he got?’ Simon marvelled, swivelling his head as he tried to count them all.

‘Eight,’ Carmen replied.

‘Eight!’ exclaimed Cressida. ‘Goodness, that
is
impressive. And isn’t that …’ She pointed over to another perspex shelf with its very own spotlight.

Simon gasped. ‘His
Oscar!’

‘Austin won an Oscar?’ Even Terence was impressed.

‘Only Best Actor in a Supporting Role,’ Austin offered modestly. Everyone turned in surprise. The room was so large they hadn’t realised he was in it. ‘Not the big one.’

Everyone regarded him open-mouthed. Cressida was the first to break the silence. ‘You’ve had a bath!’

It was true; Austin looked neater and cleaner than they’d ever seen him. His shirt was ironed, his hair was brushed; even his beard had been trimmed into submission.

‘Tsk! Os-tin!’ Carmen scolded. ‘Ee es very bad,’ she told the group. ‘I stay in LA to fineesh my studies and eet all goes to pot! Ee knows ee should not drink so much. Ee forgets to make bath when ee ees drunk.’

Terence sniggered.

‘Anyway, sangria ees ere on ze table,’ Carmen continued lightly. ‘I go make ze tee.’ And she left them all in silence.

‘Would anyone like to sit down?’ Austin asked stiffly.

‘Thought you’d never ask,’ Cressida grumbled.

Everyone made for a sofa. Roxy frowned as Chelle dropped her bottom next to Woody. She grumpily tried to lever herself into one of the swinging bubble chairs, but every time she reversed her bottom in, the chair swung maddeningly away. She didn’t want Woody seeing her being beaten by a chair, so she decided to lean against it instead. But the chair still kept swinging and although Roxy tried to look comfortable, she wondered which of her muscles would pull first.

There was another tense pause. Woody was the only member of the group without his arms crossed. In fact, he seemed more relaxed than he’d been in ages. ‘So, Carmen’s back?’ He broke the ice.

‘Thank God,’ Austin replied.

‘She staying?’

‘I think so. If she’s passed her exam, she can practise anywhere.’

‘What’s she been studying?’ Holly asked.

Austin looked at her for a moment before replying. ‘Physiotherapy.’

‘Useful,’ she offered politely.

‘Sorry,’ blurted Chelle, ‘but have I missed something? Is that foreign lady actually your
girlfriend?’

‘My better half.’ He grinned sheepishly.

‘But I thought she was your maid!’ Chelle seemed angry. ‘You said you was single!’

‘I said a lot of stuff that was rubbish. Carmen told me what state I was in the other night. And Woody came round this morning to tell me I’m a knob.’

‘You came to see him?’ Terence asked Woody in shock.

Woody shrugged. ‘I thought he should know he was an idiot. Besides, we had stuff we needed to get straight.’

‘About Petra?’ Holly suddenly piped up.

Roxy wobbled against the bubble chair in surprise.
Petra Klitova? Why would Woody and Austin be talking about her?

The two men shared a glance, and then Austin turned to Simon. ‘Sorry about your car. I hear I gave it a spray job.’

‘It’s OK.’

‘No, it’s not.’ Austin took something from his pocket and passed it to him. ‘I got this, to say sorry. No hard feelings?’

Simon looked at his hand. A key card rested in his palm.

‘Is this …?’ He stopped in surprise.

‘I upgraded you. Imported from Germany this morning.’

‘You bought me a
new car?’

‘Yeah, well, vom smells last for ages.’

‘But you didn’t need … I mean, this is crazy!’ he protested. But he looked so pleased he could burst.

Carmen slipped back into the room with a tea tray.

Terence tightened his arms across his chest. ‘You can’t just buy us off, you know!’ he warned Austin. ‘It takes more than a flash car to say sorry.’

‘I know,’ Austin agreed. ‘And I
really am
sorry … about all of it. I just wondered if I could … you know … start again? I’m not normally such an ignorant bastard. I’d been on a bender since my last film wrapped. You know what it’s like – that end-of-term thing. The only thing was, the film wrapped five months ago but I just kept on drinking. Daft really; real vodka-on-the-cornflakes stuff.’

‘But you weren’t drunk
all
the time!’ Holly frowned. ‘Sometimes you were sober and horrible.’

‘I can drink a lot before I seem pissed. And, as for being horrible … Hollywood doesn’t exactly exercise your “nice” muscle. I was a complete arsehole on set and everyone pretended it was fine.’

‘Ee says that ee ‘ates ‘ollywood, but I don’t think eet ees true,’ piped up Carmen. ‘I think ee likes being an arsehole.’

Austin shook his head. ‘I’ve had enough of acting. I’m through.’

‘I am not so sure.’ Carmen smiled.

Austin turned to Sue. ‘Sue, can you forgive me? You probably won’t believe me, but I really
did
fancy you when I was
little. I don’t know why I was such a cock. Hormonal flashback, I reckon.’

Sue’s cheeks went pink. ‘Really, Austin, it’s fine.’

‘Is there anything I can do to make it up to you?’

‘There’s no need. You were telling the truth.’

‘I was talking bollocks. I was totally out of line.’

‘Yes,’ Terence interrupted with anger. ‘Yes, you were!’

Austin turned to him. ‘Terence …’ He was careful to use his right name. ‘Cressida, Woodster, Roxy, Holly –
all of you
 … I’m sorry. But Carmen’s back now; she’ll keep me in line.’

‘You need to learn to keep yourself een line, Meester Jones!’ Carmen scolded him. ‘I am not your mother. I do not want boyfriend like baby. You want mee to stay, you must deserve mee to stay.’

‘Girl power!’ Roxy half-heartedly punched the air, and nearly slid off the front of the bubble chair. As she righted herself, her eye fell on Chelle. Chelle was sitting arms-crossed and stony-faced – pouting like a teenager who’d just been grounded. And then Roxy saw it: the tell-tale sign she’d been looking for. Woody turned to Chelle, smiled sadly, and mouthed the words, ‘You OK?’

‘So, what d’you reckon?’ Austin was asking contritely. ‘Can I come to the next meeting? Start again?’

But Roxy heard nothing. Her heart had smashed on the floor.

‘Hey, Rox; wait up!’

Roxy could hear Woody’s voice in the darkness behind her.
She hadn’t hung around. Austin had said his bit, the group had forgiven him and everyone was chatting idly. Chelle had scarpered first, stiff-backed with a face like thunder, a concerned-looking Holly in her wake. If it was a deliberate ploy to put the group off the scent, it was working. Woody had done a brilliant job of pretending not to notice Chelle leave, and the others hadn’t even seen the change that had happened between them. But Roxy had, and she’d had enough. She was sick of the evening, sick of the group and sick with herself. And being so close to Woody was confusing. She didn’t know whether to ache with longing or slap his two-timing face.

She speeded up, but he strode after her regardless.

‘I came to see you the other night,’ he told her.

‘Yeah?’ she muttered with venom. ‘Looking for another idiot to shag?’

‘What? No! Rox, look – what’s up?’

‘You know full well what’s up.’ She fixed her eyes on Austin’s iron gates and kept marching. She wasn’t turning round to look at him – no way.

‘Are you upset about Austin and Carmen?’

‘Upset about Austin …? Are you nuts?’

‘I thought you and him had a thing.’

‘Oh, rock off!’ Roxy thundered, disgusted. ‘Austin flirts like breathing. I’m not a complete bloody amateur, you know!’

Furiously, she tried to walk faster. Why wouldn’t Woody just leave her alone? She didn’t want to talk to him and she definitely didn’t want him being kind. She knew her anger
was fragile. One little smile from him and it could all tumble apart. That’s why she needed to get home, and fast.

‘So, what is it? Are you pissed that everyone forgave him?’

‘No!’

‘So, what then? I’m confused.’

‘Confused?’ Roxy spat the word out. ‘Well, isn’t that just typical of a man?’

‘Eh?’

‘“I’m not bad; I’m confused.”’

‘Roxy, I don’t have a clue what you’re on about.’

‘You!
’ Roxy shouted incredulously. ‘I’m on about
you!
I can’t believe I actually fell for all that shit about you being reformed … all the shagabout, Woodeniser crap being behind you!’

‘It is! I am!’

‘You make me sick!’ Roxy was almost running now – the wave of her anger was so strong. ‘All that pious group-hug, caring rubbish – when, beneath it all, you’re just a randy vagina miner!’

‘A randy
what?’
Woody laughed in surprise.

‘You heard me! You should be ashamed of yourself, cheating on Jennifer.’

‘On Jennifer?’

Even through her rage, Roxy could tell he was surprised.

‘With
who, exactly?’
he asked.

‘Don’t be cute with me.’ She wasn’t going to fall for his innocent act again.

‘I’m not! Cheating on Jennifer with who?’

‘You
know
who!’

‘No, I don’t. And actually, Rox, there’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you about Jennifer—’

‘What? Don’t tell me! She
doesn’t understand you
 …? You’re
only staying with her to be kind
 …? You
haven’t had sex in years
…? Well, button it, Woody; I don’t care! And to think I thought you were special!’

Suddenly Woody stopped walking. ‘You think I’m special?’

‘Grrrrraaarggghhh!’ she threw up her arms in fury.
‘How
could you have been
so stupid
, Rox?’ she shouted up at the stars. And she powered through Austin’s gates and away.