Up Close and Personal (25 page)

Yasmin shrugged. ‘Yeah, Nick was special – or at least I thought he was at the time.’ Her eyes narrowed. ‘And then he showed his true colours.’

‘What happened?’

Yasmin pressed her lips together. Her relationship with her first – and
only
– love was something she rarely talked about. Even Nicole and Juliet didn’t know the full details, but the cocktails had gone to her head and Dante was so incredibly easy to talk to that she found herself opening up.

‘We’d been going out for nearly a year,’ she began. ‘Things were great. Nick told me he loved me every day. I really thought he was, you know, The One. I used to fantasize about our wedding, our house in the country, what we’d call our kids … real schoolgirl stuff. One night I’d been out with some girlfriends – nothing riotous, just a pizza and a few glasses of wine. On the way home, I was feeling kinda amorous, the way you do when you’ve been drinking, so I decided to stop off at Nick’s house unannounced. The front door was unlocked, the way it always was, so I went up to his room and opened the door. That’s when I saw them together.’

‘He was in bed with another woman?’

‘He was in bed with my
best friend
,’ Yasmin said. ‘She was supposed to come out with us that night, but she’d cried off at the last minute saying she had a migraine.’ Yasmin blinked hard. Even now, after all these years, she could still see them there, entwined on the bed, a light sheen of sweat clearly visible on her so-called boyfriend’s buttocks.

‘Jeez,’ Dante said. ‘That must’ve been horrible for you.’

‘Yeah. I ran out into the street and I vomited all that pizza straight back up.’ She stroked the stem of her cocktail glass thoughtfully. ‘Afterwards, Nick begged me to take him back. He claimed it was a one-off, but I knew he was lying.’

‘So you refused?’

Yasmin nodded.

‘What about your best friend?’

‘I stopped talking to her. Most of our mutual friends did too.’

‘And you haven’t fallen in love since?’

‘Nope.’

‘Do you think it’s because you’re afraid of getting hurt again?’

Yasmin looked up at Dante. She found herself thinking that, for a man, he was pretty perceptive. ‘No, it’s not that,’ she said. Even to her own ears, the declaration sounded false. ‘I just don’t have time for a full-on relationship, that’s all. My work comes first.’

Dante raised an eyebrow. ‘So you have casual relationships instead?’

Yasmin shrugged. ‘I guess that’s as good a description as any.’

‘And is there anyone in the frame right now?’

Yasmin laughed. ‘So many questions!’

‘Sorry, I didn’t mean to be nosey.’

‘No, it’s okay … It’s just that in my line of work
I’m
usually the one asking the questions. It feels strange to be on the receiving end, that’s all.’ She took a sip of her drink. ‘Actually there is someone … a bloke at work. We fight like cat and dog most of the time, but …’ She gave an embarrassed smile. ‘Somehow we ended up sleeping together last week.’ She put her hand over her face. ‘In the office of all places. Thank God nobody caught us.’

Dante smiled. ‘And do you actually like the guy – or was it just sex?’

‘Um, yeah, as a matter of fact, I do like him. I’m just not sure how he feels about me.’

‘Well, maybe you should find out.’

Yasmin shook her head. ‘It was a one-off.’

‘How can you be so sure?’

‘He’s got a girlfriend.’

Dante winced. ‘Ah.’

‘I’m not proud of myself,’ Yasmin said. ‘And I really hope his girlfriend never finds out – because, believe me, I know exactly how she’d feel.’

‘How do you know his relationship isn’t on the rocks – and that’s why he slept with you?’

‘Because he’s barely spoken to me since. In fact, he’s gone out of his way to avoid me at work. I think he wishes the whole thing never happened.’ She looked around the room. It was nearly midnight and the place was heaving, the decibel level so high they could barely hear each other. ‘Do you fancy going to that club I mentioned?’ she asked Dante. ‘It’ll be a lot quieter there.’

Dante glanced at his watch. Juliet would be in bed by now. ‘Sure, why not?’

At Attica, they were treated with a similar degree of deference. After entering through a discreet side entrance, a waitress escorted them to a quiet corner of the bar. Moments later, a bottle of champagne was delivered to their table, compliments of the manager. As the night wore on, Yasmin found herself warming to Dante more and more. She could see why Juliet had fallen for him. Not only was he handsome and well mannered, he also had a gentleness that was very attractive.

As they clinked champagne glasses, she touched his arm lightly. ‘I’m so glad Juliet found you,’ she said.

Dante smiled. ‘Not as glad as I am.’

‘Nic and I were quite worried about her before she went to Aspen.’

‘Why was that?’

Yasmin sipped at her champagne. She’d lost count of how much she’d had to drink – enough to make her feel quite lightheaded. ‘Let’s just say she took Gus’s death very hard. Losing a husband is bad enough, but to lose him in such horrendous circumstances …’

‘She was the one who found him, wasn’t she?’

Yasmin nodded. ‘She more or less fell apart. I think for ages afterwards she couldn’t quite believe what he’d done. Mind you, it was a shock for all of us. Gus was always so exuberant; I don’t think I’d even seen him down or depressed. Juliet said he’d been under a lot of stress at work, but that didn’t stop her blaming herself. She was asleep when it happened, you see. The paramedics said he’d probably been dead for several hours when she found him. She couldn’t understand why some sixth sense hadn’t woken her up sooner.’

Dante chewed the inside of his cheek. ‘Poor Juliet,’ he murmured.

‘For weeks afterwards, she hardly left the house,’ Yasmin went on. ‘Nic and I did everything we could to bring her out of herself, but nothing seemed to be working. Then, when Gus’s will was read, it emerged he hadn’t left her as well provided for as everyone thought. During her marriage Juliet had never had a proper job you see. Now all of a sudden she had to find a way of generating an income.’

‘And that’s when she decided to start the hotel?’

‘That’s right – and, with hindsight, it was the best thing that could have happened, because it helped take her mind
off things. Over the next few months, Nic and I noticed a distinct improvement in her, but she still wasn’t back to her old self – apart from anything else, she was exhausted. Even though she’d hired Nathan by that point, she was still running herself ragged. We were thrilled when she decided to go to Aspen. We knew the break would do her the power of good – and we were right.’

‘You must’ve been pretty shocked when you heard she’d gotten married.’

Yasmin nodded. ‘And to be honest with you we were a bit worried she was rushing into things.’

‘Do you still think that now?’

‘Now,’ Yasmin said, ‘I think we were worrying unnecessarily.’

Dante laid a hand on his heart. ‘And just in case you have any lingering doubts I’d like to assure you that my intentions towards Juliet are utterly, totally, one hundred per cent honourable.’

Yasmin smiled. ‘I don’t doubt that for a second.’

Dante looked at her. ‘If I ask you something, do you promise to give me an honest answer?’

‘Fire away.’

‘Do you think Juliet’s gotten over Gus … I mean
really
gotten over him?’

Yasmin didn’t answer straight away. ‘I don’t think the death of a loved one is something you ever get over,’ she said, trying to be diplomatic.

Dante nodded. It seemed to Yasmin that a strange melancholy had crept over him. ‘It’s just that Gus seemed like such a great guy,’ he said. ‘I sometimes worry that I can’t live up to him.’

Yasmin put her hand on his. ‘Then don’t even try. Just be yourself … That’s who Juliet fell in love with, after all.’

‘D’you reckon?’

‘Yes,’ Yasmin said firmly. She picked up the bottle of champagne and refilled their glasses. ‘Now, why don’t we change the subject? We’re supposed to be having fun, remember.’

‘Sure,’ Dante said. Even though there was still so much he wanted to ask her.

19

The golf club’s banqueting suite had undergone a breathtaking transformation. Dominating the room was a wide central boulevard, flanked on either side by papier mâché trees and gas lamps hanging from curlicued pillars. Around it a series of landmarks – the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, the white-domed Basilique du Sacré-Cœur – had been meticulously hand-painted on vast floor-to-ceiling backdrops. At the end of the boulevard, a lavish stage festooned with heavy velvet drapes had been erected. Above it, the neon-lit sails of a windmill façade revolved slowly.

Tonight, the golf club was playing host to the annual fundraiser for the Granville Lodge Home for Retired Entertainers. A longstanding highlight of Loxwood’s social calendar, the event was always hugely popular and tickets had been sold out for months. The Lodge’s thespian inmates, who currently included an Oscar nominee, two BAFTA winners and a knight, were held in great affection by the people of Loxwood, not least because they brought a touch of Hollywood glamour to the town. Each year, the home’s residents held a ballot to decide the theme of their fundraiser, and this year they had settled on the Moulin Rouge.

In the ladies’ powder room, Juliet and Yasmin were busy making last-minute adjustments to their make-up. Like all
the guests, they’d come dressed appropriately for the occasion. Juliet was an old-fashioned can-can dancer in a black ruffled skirt and a red satin bustier, which showed off her impressive décolletage to maximum effect. Fishnet stockings, high-heeled lace-up boots and a scarlet feather pinned to her blonde chignon completed the ensemble. Yasmin had plumped for an altogether more daring look, with a showgirl’s peacock-blue sequinned bra top and matching high-cut knickers, accessorized with a beaded skullcap and a pair of vintage stilettos she’d picked up on eBay.

‘I expect Dante’s looking forward to tonight, isn’t he?’ Yasmin said, as she applied a fresh slick of scarlet lipstick.

‘It’s all he’s been talking about for days.’ Juliet smiled at her friend’s reflection in the mirror. ‘Thanks again for taking him out; he had a great time.’

‘It was my pleasure. You’ve got a good bloke there. I hope you realize that.’

‘Oh, I do.’ Juliet leaned towards the mirror and turned her face to the side, checking her nose for shine. ‘It’s such a pity Connor couldn’t make it tonight. Why did he bother buying a ticket if he knew he was going to be at a medical conference in Cardiff?’

‘According to Nic, he applied to go to the conference ages ago, but it was oversubscribed,’ Yasmin explained. ‘And when one of the delegates dropped out at the last minute the organizers got back in touch and offered him the place.’

‘Oh well, at least Nicole will be able to let her hair down tonight,’ Juliet said. ‘She’s always more restrained when Connor’s around … Have you noticed?’

‘Yeah, I think she’s so busy trying to play the role of the
perfect wife and mother she forgets to have fun sometimes.’ Yasmin blotted her lips with a tissue and turned to Juliet. ‘How do I look?’

‘Stunning.’

‘Good,’ said Yasmin. ‘Then what are we waiting for?’

Inside the banqueting suite, there was a palpable air of excitement as the guests – looking like exotic birds of paradise in their fancy-dress finery – promenaded along the boulevard. Juliet and Yasmin made straight for an ornate marble fountain, where champagne gushed from the mouths of fat cherubs.

‘The organizers have really surpassed themselves this year,’ Yasmin remarked as she picked up a glass and filled it from the fountain. ‘This place looks amazing.’ Looking around, she spotted a group of traditional French street entertainers plying their trade on the boulevard. One in particular caught her eye. ‘Now
he
is hot,’ she murmured.

Juliet squinted into the distance. ‘Which one?’

‘Marcel Marceau over there,’ Yasmin replied, pointing to a mime artist in white face paint and a black Lycra catsuit that left little to the imagination. ‘Come on, let’s take a closer look.’

A few moments later, the two women had worked their way to the front of the small group of onlookers who had gathered around the mime artist.

‘Isn’t he good?’ Yasmin purred as the performer picked up an umbrella and pretended to be battling against a strong wind. ‘And so lithe too.’ She drummed her fingers on her chin, imagining the possibilities.

‘But how do you know what he looks like under all that make-up?’ Juliet whispered back.

‘Who cares when the man’s got the body of a Greek god?’ Yasmin rejoindered. ‘And check out the horn of plenty between his legs.’

Juliet started giggling. ‘You are awful, Yasmin.’

When the mime artist finished his routine, both women joined in the enthusiastic applause. Then, as the crowd started to disperse, Yasmin went over to him. ‘Bravo!’ she gushed. ‘That was wonderful.’

The man clasped his hands under his chin and batted his eyelashes in exaggerated gratitude.

‘You’re not a big talker either,’ Yasmin observed approvingly. ‘Even better.’ She ran her tongue across her top lip. ‘Are you available for private performances at all?’

The man knitted his eyebrows together, as if he were pretending to think, then nodded furiously.

‘Excellent. Do you have a business card?’

The mime artist grabbed an invisible rope and used it to haul himself over to the battered leather suitcase of props, which lay under one of the papier mâché trees. Bending down in the manner of an old man whose lumbago was playing him up, he removed a business card from the suitcase and presented it to Yasmin with a flourish.

‘Thank you,’ she said, tucking it into her sequinned bra. ‘I’ll be in touch.
Au revoir
.’ Yasmin blew him a kiss before walking back over to Juliet.

‘Sorry about that,’ she told her friend. ‘I was just congratulating that nice young man on his performance.’

Juliet snorted. ‘Is that what you call it?’

Yasmin laughed. ‘Come on, let’s go and find our table.’