No Matter What (19 page)

She looked at him again.
 
He was so kind to her, she liked him.
 
He was becoming a good friend.

“Is it Kenny?” Michael asked, mentally crossing his fingers, hoping Kenny Ross was at last starting to show his true colours.

India
pushed a hand through her hair and sat back, sighing.
 
“It’s something so stupid, so meaningless really, but sometimes ... sometimes he just gets to me, Michael.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

She shook her head.
 
“No.
 
It’s not even worth me worrying about, not really.
 
I’ll get over it, it’s nothing.”
 
She looked at him and smiled what she hoped was a reassuring smile.
 
“Really.
 
It’s nothing.
 
I’m fine.”

“Are you sure?” he smiled, tentatively moving his hand closer to hers until they touched, ever so slightly.
 
He bit the bullet and wrapped his fingers around hers, giving them a small squeeze.
 
A friendly gesture, but one he hoped might trigger something.

She looked at him again, smiling the smile that Michael had fallen in love with the second he’d seen her.
 
And as much as he wanted her to be happy, he still hoped that whatever it was that was happening between her and Kenny would prove to be much more than nothing.
 
He hoped that Kenny Ross had finally laid the path for him to walk on and take
India
as his own, because he’d make her happy.
 
He’d make sure she was nothing
but
happy.

“I’m here.
 
If you ever need to talk, or you just want someone to listen ... I’m here,
India
.”

She leaned into him, resting her head on his shoulder, suddenly just wanting a hug, wanting to feel close to someone.
 
That morning’s conversation with Kenny had really thrown her, and the mixed feelings of confusion and anger she was still experiencing were giving her a headache.

Michael read the signs and slipped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her into him, hugging her gently.
 
“How about lunch?” he smiled, tilting her face up to look at him.

She smiled back. “Yeah.
 
I think I’d like that.”

“Good.”
 
He gave her shoulders one last squeeze and reluctantly stood up.
 
As much as he would have loved to sit there holding her all day he had a movie to direct, produce and star in and duty called.
 
“I’ll see you later then?”

She nodded, and as he walked back onto set he felt happier than he had done in years.
 
It felt as though everything was starting to fall into place and he couldn’t hide his smile.

India watched him walk away, pulling her knees up to her chest, resting her chin on them as she watched everything go on around her.
 
Her life was good, how could she say it wasn’t?
 
From
Newcastle-upon-Tyne
to
Hollywood
in just over two short years, but it wasn’t without its complications, the biggest one of all being Kenny.
 
She had no idea why he’d suddenly felt the need to come out with all this information now, but the more she thought about it the more she was beginning to understand his reluctance to say anything at all.
 
Kenny’s image was that of the free spirited, wild rocker, the guy who lived life one day at a time but there was obviously this part of him that knew he couldn’t be that person forever.
 
Everyone had to have an escape.
 
The beach was hers, and it was obviously his too, so he could have told her.
 
Out of anyone, he could have told
her
.
 

She heaved herself up off the steps and went back inside her trailer.
 
She needed a drink of water before she went back on set.
 
Lunch with Michael would be nice, and she was looking forward to it.
 
Making this movie with him was turning into a really great time, he was a wonderful actor to work with and she was learning so much from him.
 
But he was also becoming a great friend and she was grateful for that.
 
To have people like him and Reece in her life made her feel very lucky.
 
But then, having Kenny in her life too, for all his complications, was also an amazing thing, and she couldn’t stay mad at him.
 
He knew he’d been stupid, she’d seen that in his face.
 
Maybe tonight they could talk about it, maybe she could get him to really open up to her and start to actually make a go of this relationship.
 
Something they probably should have done
before
they’d got married but it was too late to dwell on that one now.

She smiled to herself, suddenly feeling better about everything.
 
And if this was the worst thing that could happen to them then she really didn’t think they had much to worry about.
 
They were going to be just fine.

***

A few hours surfing had helped to blow away the cobwebs and Kenny was now in a party mood.
 
A day on his own had taken him back to the times when he’d do this on a frequent basis, just up and leave with his surfboard and take off to wherever the jeep took him for a day of doing whatever he liked without anyone else to worry about.

He loved
India
, of course he did, but he was having too good a time to stop it just yet.
 
He wanted to re-live those wild days again, kick back and hang out with the guys, throw a party, go crazy for the night.
 
And now he’d learned not to be quite so protective of his home that’s exactly what he was doing.
 

He’d put the word out, loaded the jeep with as much alcohol as he could on his way back home, and now the place was full of the sound of rock music, people spilling out onto the decking, the sounds of a party in full swing filling the air and Kenny was loving it.
 
He’d drunk quite a bit but he’d needed it, it was chilling him out, getting him in the mood to enjoy this party to the limit.
 

“Hey, Charley!” he smiled, recognising
India
’s friend immediately as she walked though the door, arm in arm with a couple of very pretty young girls.
 
He guessed they were girls she worked with.
 
He hadn’t invited her personally but she obviously knew a couple of the guys he hung out with.
 
Besides, this was open house now; she was as welcome as anyone, even though he was fully aware that she was working for the notorious Jimmy Cash now.
 
He’d even seen a couple of her films and, although it took a lot to shock him, he was surprised she’d turned to hard-core porn.
 
She’d been doing ok before and he could only assume she was in it for the money.
 
Why else did a lot of these girls go down that road?

Charley smiled at him.
 
Kenny Ross, as gorgeous as ever, and right there in front of her.
 
It had taken her all of a few seconds to agree to come to this party when she’d heard it was happening, despite being very much Jimmy Cash’s girl.
 
But he was in Vegas, and what the eye didn’t see, the boyfriend needn’t worry about.
 
Not when Charley was staring a possible opportunity right in the face.

“Hi, Kenny.”
 
She looked around the room.
 
“
India
not around?”

Kenny pushed his hair back off his face.
 
“She’s filming.”
 
A lie, of course.
 
India
had no idea this was going on and he tried to pretend that stab of guilt hadn’t happened.

Charley couldn’t stop the smile from spreading across her face.
 
A possible opportunity had just turned into a definite chance.
 
“Ok.
 
Well, I guess we’ll just have to have fun without her then?”

Kenny smiled back.
 
“Yeah.
 
I suppose we will.
 
Do you want a drink?”

He hadn’t even noticed her two friends disappear but they had, and they were now standing alone.

“I’d love a drink.
 
Anything you’ve got.”

This was like a dream come true for Charley.
 
Here she was with Kenny Ross,
India
nowhere to be seen, and Jimmy in Vegas.
 
She got the impression, from Kenny’s body language when she’d asked him where
India
was, that something had gone on between them, a row or something, she didn’t know, she didn’t care.
 
All she cared about was that she had him alone.
 
And she’d waited a long time for this.
 
The opportunity was finally here and she wasn’t going to waste it.

***

India
was upset he wasn’t at her place when she got home.
 
She’d really hoped, expected even, for him to be there, just like he always had been lately.
 
She’d thought he’d want to talk about things as much as she did but then, maybe she’d been right.
 
Maybe she didn’t really know him at all.
 

Lunch with Michael had been lovely, a chance to escape and talk about things other than Kenny and their wedding because it was all starting to get to India slightly.
 
This was the first real test of living her life in the public eye and she was starting to find it hard and tiring.
 
But it was inevitable, so she dealt with it and did what was required but that didn’t mean it couldn’t be wearing.

So, to just hang out with Michael and escape all of that, even for just an hour, had been extremely welcome.
 
And he’d been wonderful.
 
He’d made her laugh, told her stories from his past and she’d listened and watched him talk with animated enthusiasm.
 
He was an amazing man with so much to say and she could have sat there with him all afternoon.
 
But now she was home she was ready to see Kenny, ready to get back to normal, and he wasn’t there.

She’d run herself a long, hot bath, had a glass of wine and watched some TV but still no Kenny.
 
She’d even thought about calling Michael for another chat to take her mind off things but she didn’t think he’d want to listen to her moaning all evening.
 
She was sure he had far more important things to do, and she didn’t want to call Reece because a lecture of
‘I told you so’s’
wasn’t what she wanted to hear.

As the night wore on she thought about having an early night, hoping that Kenny would see sense and come home, that he’d be there when she woke up, and it was then that the obvious hit her.
 
He probably
was
home.
 
His own home.
 
Why hadn’t she realised that before?
 
He’d told her where his house was, she knew the address, and maybe that’s where he was right now, licking his wounds and feeling sorry for himself.

She thought about ringing Reece again.
 
He’d always been good at giving her advice, leading her in the right direction; maybe he’d be able to do the same here.
 
But then she remembered Terry was staying with him and if he got wind that she and Kenny had fallen out he’d be over in a shot to lecture her about how it had all been such a bad idea in the first place and that this was probably for the best.
 
She loved the fact that her brother was over in
L.A.
and they could finally spend some time together – even if she
was
a bit concerned about what was going on with him back in
England
– but he’d never really clicked with Kenny.
 
Call it a protective big brother thing but she got the impression Terry just wasn’t all that keen on her husband.
 
He didn’t think he was good for her but he was wrong.
 
She needed Kenny.
 
What she didn’t need were lectures on how to run her life so she forgot about ‘phoning anyone, pulled her boots on, grabbed the keys to her bike, and went to get her husband.

***

Kenny was drunk, really drunk, but he didn’t care.
 
He was having one hell of a wild night and he was loving it!
 
The girls Charley had brought with her were crazy but sexy as hell, in an obvious kind of way, but that’s what Kenny needed tonight.
 
They were dressed like hookers, dancing like strippers and had been all over him like a rash, but he was into every second, all thoughts of
India
now out of his mind.