Nadia Knows Best (17 page)

“No,” said Jay, when they reached the car.

“Please,” Nadia begged. Despite the heat of the evening, she was shivering.

Within seconds they were roaring up Park Street.

“Look.” Jay sounded resigned. “This isn't how I expected tonight to turn out. I was looking forward to it.” With a brief sideways glance in her direction he added, “I think you were too.”

Unable to speak, Nadia nodded. There was a huge lump in her throat. Fumbling in her bag for a hankie—oh God,
mustn't cry
—she pulled out the spare pair of knickers by mistake and hastily shoved them back in.

“But you need to sort yourself out. Make up your mind what you want. I prefer my houseguests to give me their undivided attention. If I took you home with me now, you'd be thinking about him.” Jay paused. “You have a big decision to make and you can't put it off.”

He was right. Nadia's vision blurred with tears. Crying seemed a weird thing to be on the brink of doing, under the circumstances. She'd never imagined that Laurie might do anything like this. But he had, and he loved her, and he really and truly wanted her back, which meant she now found herself torn between two men, because Jay wanted her as well.

Although for how long was anybody's guess.

But she should be happy, surely? As far as dilemmas went, this had to be one of the less traumatic variety. Hardly on a par with having to decide whether to be eaten by the lion or leap into the crocodile-infested lake.

Stupid, I'm being stupid. Nadia cleared her throat, blinked hard until the lights of Park Street swam back into focus, and said, “So what do you think I should do?”

“You can't ask me.”

“I am asking you.”

“Fine.” Jay's tone was curt. “In that case, I think you should tell your ex-boyfriend he has a fucking nerve, and you can't believe he has such a low opinion of you that he thinks you'd even
consider
taking him back. I think you should tell him to fuck off back to LA and never bother you again.”

“OK, OK, I get the message.” Nadia held up her hands to stop him. Maybe asking Jay's advice had been a mistake—in all honesty, what had she expected him to say? “But I can't do that.”

“Of course you can.”

“I
can't
.”

“Only because you don't want to.”

“Look, you don't
know
Laurie.”

“I don't need to. I just wish
you
didn't know him.”

“But he's…”

“Oh, come on”—Jay was scornful—“stop defending him. Where's your pride? He dumped you once. What's to stop him doing it again?”

“Who says I'm going to take him back?” Nadia's voice rose; they were having an argument and she didn't think Jay was being fair. “I haven't said I will! He just turned up tonight.”

“He certainly did that. Perfect timing.” Jay shook his head in disgust. “OK, I've said my piece. What you decide to do now is up to you.”

“Thank you so much.”

“Don't be grumpy. You asked me what I thought and I told you.”

Maybe, thought Nadia, but it doesn't mean I have to like it.

They drove the rest of the way in chilly silence. Jay pulled up outside the house and kept the engine running.

“Sorry,” Nadia said awkwardly.

“Not your fault.” The curtness of his tone managed to indicate that actually it was.

“Right. Bye then.”

“Have fun.”

She climbed out of the car, feeling dismissed. Jay roared off. In the manner, Nadia couldn't help feeling, of someone escaping from a girl who'd told him she had an unpleasant sexually transmitted disease.

She straightened her shoulders. Right. Phew. Next.

***

“Go away,” Tilly wailed in outrage as she entered the sitting room. “You're too early. We were having
fun
.”

Oh well, soon put a stop to that.

“Too bad, Cinderella.” Nadia gave her scruffy ponytail a tug. “One of your ugly sisters has come home, and it's time you were in bed.”

Tilly and Laurie had been playing Pictionary; the carpet was littered with discarded, scribbled-on sheets of paper. Pulling a face, Tilly lightning-sketched a miserable-looking face.

“Go on.” Laurie gave her a hug. “I'll still be here tomorrow.”

“Unless Nadia chops you up into tiny pieces and buries you in the garden.”

“Keep your fingers crossed,” said Laurie with a grin. “I don't want to be plant food.”

They got on so well together, they always had. Nadia knew that Tilly would want her to carry on with Laurie exactly where they'd left off, just get back together as if the split had never happened.

As Tilly put her arms round Nadia and kissed her good night, she stage-whispered, “Isn't it great? You're so
lucky
.”

Nadia managed a brief smile. Lucky wasn't how she was feeling right now.

“We weren't expecting you back before midnight,” said Laurie when they were alone in the living room.

“I nearly didn't come back at all.”

“Come on, sit down.” He patted the sofa next to him. “But you changed your mind.”

Nadia didn't sit down. Or tell him Jay had refused to let her stay.

“Hey.” Laurie's voice softened. “I'm sorry if I messed up your date. I didn't know, did I?”

“Suppose not.” He'd phoned his father last week, Nadia reminded herself. A week ago, as far as Edward was aware, she'd been one hundred percent single.

“Tilly told me it was your boss.”

“That's right.”

“Maybe not the best idea.” Laurie pulled a face, much as Leonie had. “Could make things complicated.”

“Thanks for that.” Nadia wondered if it had occurred to Laurie that he was the one making things complicated. Incapable of sitting down, she said, “I'm having a cup of tea, d'you want one?”

But that didn't help either. Laurie followed her into the kitchen and leaned against the dresser, watching her faff about with mugs and spoons and tea bags. He was wearing a crumpled white shirt and typically battered jeans that sagged low over his hips. His hair was blonder, his tan deeper; even his eyes were greener than she remembered.

“Are you wearing colored contact lenses?” Nadia blurted out.

Laurie looked appalled. “You're not serious.
Me?
Here, check for yourself.” Moving toward her, he gazed into Nadia's eyes. “No colored contacts. No botox. No dodgy implants.” He sounded amused. “Anywhere.”

“Glad to hear it. Good to know you haven't turned into a woolly woofter.” Turning back to the tea-making, which felt as complicated as putting together a seven-course dinner and simultaneously carrying out open heart surgery, Nadia managed to spill sugar all over the worktop. Damn. “Do you still take…?”

“Oh yes.” He was grinning at her now. “I think I was the only person in Hollywood who did. You should have seen the look on people's faces. Funny how it's fine to shove cocaine up your nose, but”—he mimed horror—“to actually put
sugar
in your
tea
…”

“So they wouldn't have been too impressed with your deep-fried Mars bars,” Nadia remarked. She'd managed to get the sugar into the mugs without spilling any more of it, but was still acutely aware of how close to her Laurie was.

“One more reason to get out of there.” He shrugged. “So have you made up your mind yet?”

“About deep-fried Mars bars? Well, I couldn't eat more than three in one go, but—”

“You know what I'm talking about,” Laurie interrupted, and a shock of electricity zip-zapped down Nadia's spine. It was far easier to pretend she didn't. OK, just concentrate, stir the tea, scoop out the tea bags, drop the tea bags into the sugar bowl…

“Us,” said Laurie. “I'm sorry. I know I shouldn't pressure you. But I just wondered if you'd decided anything yet. Now that the initial shock's worn off, kind of thing.”

Worn off? Good grief, she hadn't even
begun
to get to grips yet with the initial shock. Marveling at Laurie's high opinion of her, Nadia thrust one of the mugs at him.

“If I told you to go away and leave me alone, would you do it?”

“No.” Laurie smiled and shook his head. “I'd stay and try to change your mind.” Pausing, he added, “Actually that's not true. I'm going to stay
until
you change your mind.”

“What makes you think I would?”

Laurie put down his tea, untouched—after all the trouble she'd gone through to make it.

“I just do.”

“Confident,” said Nadia.

“I wouldn't be here if I wasn't. And I don't mean that in a big-headed way,” Laurie hurriedly explained. “I have confidence in
you
. We were brilliant together, Nad. You know we were. As soon as you forgive me for being a twat, we can be brilliant again. Spoon?”

“Sorry?”

“Spoon.” Laurie indicated the one on the worktop behind her. “You left the tea bag in my mug.”

***

“I don't believe it!” exclaimed Miriam, when she and Edward arrived back at ten thirty.

You and me both, Nadia thought as Miriam flung her arms round Laurie and greeted him like… well, the proverbial long-lost grandson-in-law.

This really wasn't how she'd been expecting her Saturday night to turn out.

“Dad.” Having disentangled himself from Miriam, Laurie turned to give his father a hug. Touched, Nadia saw tears glisten in Edward's eyes.

“Well, this is a surprise.” Edward cleared his throat. “How long are you home for?” Due to pressure of work, Laurie's last few visits had been fleeting.

“I'm back for good, Dad.”

Miriam raised an inquiring eyebrow at Nadia. Nadia shrugged, feeling wrung out and shattered. When this kind of stuff happened to people in soap operas, they always seemed to handle it so much better than she was doing.

“Bit of a surprise,” Miriam said gaily, making possibly the understatement of the year. Then again, Miriam took everything in her stride.

“Back for good?” Edward frowned, sounding concerned. “Is anything wrong?”

“Something
was
wrong,” Laurie agreed. “Dad, don't worry, I'm not in any trouble. I just came to my senses.” He turned to Nadia. “As soon as this one here forgives me and takes me back, everything will be all right.”

Nadia squirmed, aware of all eyes upon her. This was what she'd dreamed of for so long.

Simply, Laurie added, “I love her.”

Oh dear, all getting rather Hollywood now. Nadia was tempted to mime sticking her fingers down her throat.

“Sorry.” Laurie broke into a grin. “Bit rubbish, like the closing lines of some terrible movie.”

“You're back in Bristol now,” Nadia reminded him.

“OK. You're my bird an' I quite fancy you, so how about it, darlin'?”

“
Much
better. Exquisitely put.” Laughing, Miriam gave him another hug. “And how does Nadia feel about this?”

Nadia was feeling like a pincushion; stick a load of pins in her and she knew she wouldn't feel them. Annoyed that they now appeared to be discussing her as if she wasn't even there, she said, “Nadia isn't making any decisions right now. In fact, Nadia's going to bed.”

“Stubborn,” whispered Miriam. “Always been stubborn. Remember when she pushed over the Christmas tree because she couldn't get the fairy to sit properly on the top? Oh well.” She squeezed Laurie's tanned arm. “If anyone can talk her round, darling, it's you.”

Nadia couldn't believe it.

“This has
nothing
to do with Christmas fairies.”

There was a flash of diamonds as Miriam, unfazed, wagged a finger at her.

“Sweetheart, admit it, you can get temperamental. You'd spent two hours decorating that tree. When you knocked it down you smashed all the baubles.”

“I remember that,” Tilly chimed in from the living-room doorway. Released from bedroom exile by Miriam and Edward's return, she added brightly, “I was six. There was glass everywhere and Nadia cried and cried.”

“
So?
” Nadia spread her arms in despair.

“Darling, I'm just saying that sometimes you do something impulsive and live to regret it.” Miriam's tone was soothing. “It's called cutting off your nose to spite your face.”

***

Nadia had a terrible night's sleep. Having gone off to bed in a bit of a huff, she'd spent the next few hours tossing and turning and listening to the noisy celebrations continuing downstairs. James, returning at midnight from his evening out with Annie, had joined in. Harpo, clearly overexcited, was happily trading insults with Laurie. The boy was back and everyone was delighted. When he and Edward finally left at around three, she'd heard Miriam saying reassuringly, “Don't worry about Nadia, she'll come round soon enough. She's missed you dreadfully, you know.”

Gritting her teeth in exasperation, Nadia had only just resisted the urge to yell out a Harpo-style epithet. If anyone else had treated her that badly, her family would have done the decent thing and united against him. But the fact that it was Laurie apparently meant all was forgiven.

Did that mean she was supposed to forgive him too?

Did she
want
to?

Doooff
, Nadia flipped over her pillow and punched it into shape. The rest of the house was silent now, and still she couldn't sleep.

Four o'clock came and went.

Then five.

What was Jay doing now?

Well, nothing at all. He'd be out for the count, obviously. Like any normal person.

Let's face it, the chances that he was lying awake fretting about
her
were an unequivocal nil.