No Matter What (69 page)

“Casey, if I tell you something will you promise – and I mean promise, this is very important – will you promise not to breathe a word of it to anyone else, especially not any of the other girls.”

Casey sat forward in her seat, a look of excitement on her face at the prospect of a secret being revealed.
 
She knew Charley had been hiding something, or some
one,
but she had no idea what or who and she’d been dying to find out.

“I promise.”

“I mean it, Casey.
 
You really have to keep this to yourself.”

“I promise, Charley.
 
Cross my heart and all that.”

“Ok.”
 
Charley sat forward too, clasping her hands together in her lap.
 
“I’m seeing Vince Maine.”

Casey couldn’t stop the look of surprise from spreading across her face, her eyes widening at this sudden revelation.
 
“Vince Maine?
 
You’re seeing the boss?”

“Sssh!
 
Keep it down will you?
 
Yes.
 
Actually, it’s more than seeing him.
 
I think I’m in love with him, Casey.”

Casey’s hand flew to her mouth to stop herself from screeching out loud.
 
“Oh my God!
 
Oh ... my ... God!
 
Charley!
 
I knew you were hiding something but, you and Vince Maine?
 
How long?”

“Just a few weeks, but he’s amazing, Casey.
 
He’s just amazing!”

“Oh my God!
 
I can’t believe it ... but, didn’t you guys know each other before?”

“We didn’t really
know
each other; we’d just met once or twice, through
India
. And that’s why you can’t say anything, Casey.
 
You can’t say anything because
India
doesn’t know I’m here in the hotel, or that I’m even in Vegas.”

“But I thought you wanted to see her?”

Charley nodded, looking down at the floor.
 
“I do.
 
I need to talk to her.
 
I need to get rid of the last of my demons, Casey, to get everything out in the open and finally put the past to rest.”
 
She looked up at her friend.
 
“I’m not just seeing Vince because of that though, really, I’m not.
 
He isn’t just a route to
India
, you have to believe that.
 
We were seeing each other before I had any idea she would be filming here but now I know that she is, and now that I have Vince on my side, well, I really need to try and make things right with her.”

“She doesn’t blame you, Charley, I’m sure of that.
 
From what you’ve told me, she doesn’t seem that kind of person.”

“I’m sure she doesn’t blame me either, Casey but … but she doesn’t speak to me either and I miss that.
 
I really miss that.”
 
She pushed a hand through her hair and sat back.
 
“Oh, I’m not kidding myself that we’ll ever be best friends again, but if we could just talk ... it would mean so much to me.”

Casey took Charley’s hand and gave it a squeeze.
 
“Vince Maine ... you lucky bitch!
 
I am
so
jealous!”

Charley couldn’t help but smile.
 
“I can’t believe it myself sometimes.
 
But you can’t even let
him
know that you know, Casey, not yet.
 
It’s complicated, but if that’s the way it has to be for now I can live with it because I’m not going to lose this chance I have with him.
 
There’s too much at stake.”

Casey squeezed her hand again.
 
“My lips are sealed, honey.
 
But now I
do
know, I want the whole story, tonight, after the show.
 
We’ll go to our favourite diner, order our favourite dinner and you can tell me everything.
 
Deal?”

Charley smiled, feeling, at least, as though a small weight had been lifted from her shoulders.
 
“Deal.”

The rest would work itself out.
 
She was sure of that.
 
The rest would fall into place.
 
Eventually.

CHAPTER 35

“Girls’ night in is it?” Kenny smiled, as
India
opened the door of the villa dressed in pink pyjama bottoms and a white t-shirt, her hair in curlers.

“Bobby’s doing my hair.
 
Come in will you, these villas may be classed as private but you’ll be amazed at the lengths the paparazzi will go to to get a picture, and I’m not sure this is a particularly good look for me.”

Kenny looked at her, still smiling.
 
“Oh, I don’t know ... sorry,
Bobby’s
doing your hair?”

She closed the door behind them.
 
“You’re not familiar with the girls’ night in, are you?”

“No, apparently not.”

He followed her into the living room where the TV was tuned to VH1 and cushions were scattered all over the floor, along with various items of make-up, hair products and a huge pile of photographs of
India
.
 
Kenny picked one up and looked at it.
 
She was beautiful in person but in photographs she was just stunning.

India
took it off him and put it back on the pile.
 
“I may look like I’m having fun but there’s no such thing as a night off.
 
I’m signing these for a charity auction at Terry’s old school.”

Kenny didn’t miss the look that quickly passed across
India
’s face at the mention of her brother.
 
She’d kept close contact with the school he’d worked at since his death and she did a lot of work with them, particularly in keeping the soccer team up and running.
 
She felt she owed that to Terry, and it made her feel as though a part of him would always be with her, which was something she badly needed because she missed him every day.
 
Every single day.

“So, where’s Vidal Sassoon then?” Kenny asked, digging his hands deep into his pockets.

“He’s mixing cocktails in the kitchen.
 
Do you want one?”

“No.
 
Thanks.
 
I don’t want to gatecrash your evening.”

“Bobby won’t mind,”
India
smiled.
 
“In fact, he’d probably love it.”

Kenny laughed, helping
India
pick up some empty glasses from the floor. “Yeah, well, I might have to disappoint him then.
 
I’ve got other plans.”

“Oh.
 
Ok.”
 
India
surprised herself at the disappointment she’d felt when he’d said that.
 
“Anything interesting?”

“Nothing exciting ...
India
, look at me will you?
 
Can I talk to you?”

She didn’t look at him, she couldn’t because she’d suddenly felt the mood change and it unsettled her.
 
“Is something wrong, Kenny?”

“I’m your best friend,
India
.
 
For ten years I’ve been your best friend, the closest person to you out of anyone here.
 
Even Michael.
 
But since we got to Vegas I feel like I’m losing you.”

He hadn’t meant to say that out loud but he’d been feeling it.
 
It was true.
 
He did feel like he was losing her; to Michael, to Bobby, even to Reece and he was scared of her getting too far away from him.

“Are you here for a reason?”
 
She still wasn’t looking at him.

“I just wanted to see you,
India
.
 
You’re my friend and I just wanted to see you.”

She sat down on the arm of the sofa, finally looking at him.
 
“You’ve been seeing me all day.”

“On set.
 
I’ve been seeing you on a movie set.
 
I want us to hang out, to do stuff together, to go out and have some fun, like we used to do.”

“I thought you said you had plans.”

He pushed a hand through his hair, sighing.
 
“I don’t have plans, I never have plans, you know that.
 
Come on, let’s go grab a beer somewhere.”

She hesitated for a second, wondering if it would be such a bad thing to go out with Kenny for a couple of hours.
 
She could do with getting out of the villa and she was in Vegas, after all.
 
Shouldn’t she make the most of it?

“
India
?”

She looked up at him again.
 
“Well, I can’t go out looking like this can I?”

Kenny smiled.
 
“You look ok to me.”

She smiled back.
 
Decision made.
 
“Give me ten minutes.
 
Go and see Bobby and make sure he’s got a cocktail waiting for me when I get back downstairs.”

***

Michael was working from as early as 4 or
5am
in the morning until well after
midnight
most days.
 
He wanted to; it was taking his mind off
India
.
 
If he kept occupied he didn’t think about what was going on over there in Vegas, if he was busy he didn’t have time to worry.

The movie was going well.
 
Everything was going fine, and working with Reece was ok.
 
It was good.
 
They knew the way the other one worked and that helped, although their relationship had changed somewhat over the years.
 
They weren’t just fellow actors now, they were also family.

He’d spent the past few hours sitting in the screening room, going through the days rushes and he was pleased with how it had gone today.
 
It had been a long day and he probably should go home but the thought of an empty house didn’t make the prospect that appealing.
 
There wasn’t much else he could do around here, though, he’d stretched it out for long enough as it was.

“Are you still here?”

Michael turned around to see Layla Boyd standing in the doorway of the screening room.
 
Layla Boyd was a young, blonde and very pretty-in-an-obvious-kind-of-way twenty-three year old actress that had been cast in a supporting role in this movie.
 

Michael hadn’t been particularly keen on her himself, preferring someone else altogether for the part but he’d been persuaded to give her a chance.
 
The fact her father owned the casting agency involved with this movie had also had something to do with it, something else which hadn’t pleased Michael.
 
He preferred roles to be given out based on merit, not nepotism.
 
This was only Layla’s second movie and she’d yet to bag a leading role, maybe because she wasn’t anything special.
 
She was ok, but she certainly didn’t have any of the talent
India
had had at her age, but the actors she was working with were managing to bring out something in her that might mean she had a future in
Hollywood
.
 
She was ambitious, he’d give her that much.

Michael looked away and gathered his things together, picking up his cell ‘phone and putting it in his pocket, checking to see if he had any messages first.

“Yes, I’m still here.”
 
He looked at Layla.
 
“Obviously.”
 
He walked towards her, heading for the exit.
 
He really had no interest in talking to her.
 
He wasn’t in the mood.
 
“But I’m on my way home now.”

She stood aside to let him through, smiling at him in a way Michael didn’t really appreciate.

“It’s still early,” she smiled.
 
“Why don’t you join me for a drink?
 
I know a little bar round the corner from here, it’s nice and quiet.
 
We wouldn’t be disturbed.”

Was she coming onto him?
 
Michael didn’t know whether to be appalled or laugh.
 
“I’ve got things to do, Layla.
 
Now, if you’ll excuse me.”

“Come on, Michael.”

Since when did she start calling him Michael?
  
He’d only known her five minutes and he hadn’t actually spoken to her outside of director mode, until now.

“Layla, I said I’m busy.
 
Now, if you don’t mind I’d like to go home.
 
And call my wife.”