Damn man.
He stopped short when he realised she wasn’t alone. ‘Oh, hi, Megan. What are you doing here?’
‘Baking a cake,’ she said, her voice laced with sarcasm. ‘What does it look like I’m doing?’
‘Right. Well, sorry to interrupt, but I need to speak to Lily.’
‘Go ahead.’ Megan fluttered her eyelashes. ‘Don’t mind me.’
Will came over, his face scrunched into a frown. Nothing new there, then.
‘Why weren’t you at the project meeting?’
Lily returned his frown. ‘What project meeting?’
‘The one I called yesterday. I sent you a text.’
Oh, hell. She’d been so preoccupied working on the designs she’d forgotten to switch off the ‘do not disturb’ function on her phone.
Bracing herself for yet another bollocking, Lily turned to Will, intending to apologise for messing up again, when she caught Megan’s eye.
Right, yes, be more assertive. Don’t succumb to bullying.
‘Did you?’ she said, aiming for an air of nonchalance as she resumed pinning. ‘Sorry, I didn’t get it.’
‘What do you mean, you didn’t get it? Don’t you check your phone?’
‘Evidently not.’ She moved to the other sleeve, using Megan as a physical barrier. So much for being brave.
Will followed her, unwilling to be avoided. ‘All departments were required to attend.’
‘And I would’ve done, if I’d known it was happening.’ She tugged on the dress sleeve, pulling it straight. ‘Twenty-four hours isn’t exactly a lot of notice. Lift your arms for me, please.’ She hoped the shake in her voice wasn’t detectable. ‘Thank you.’
‘My pleasure.’ Megan gave her a discreet wink.
‘Everyone else was there.’ Will appeared next to her. ‘And meetings at short notice are common on a project like this. I would’ve thought you’d be aware of that. I mean, you have done this before, right?’
For the first time, he’d posed a query about her work experience as a question, rather than stating a fact.
Her cheeks grew hot. Had he also sussed she was lying?
She glanced at Megan, who silently urged her to keep going.
Turning to Will, Lily forced herself to hold his gaze. He stared back, waiting for an answer. His eyes dipped to her mouth, and his expression softened before his frown reappeared and his gaze reverted to her eyes. He looked conflicted. And annoyed. And tormented.
She knew the feeling.
Her exchanges with Will always left her exhausted and flustered. Lily struggled to think clearly and make rational decisions around him. It was infuriating and distracting and made her want him and hate him in equal measures. Which wasn’t conducive to stress-free living.
Then she became aware of Megan watching them, of her amused expression darting between them.
Clearing her throat, Lily refocused on adjusting the sleeve length. ‘I apologise for missing the meeting. In future, I’ll check my phone more regularly.’ There, how was that? Polite, professional, and assertive. ‘What did I miss?’
‘We need an update on the budget, and the director wants to see the designs for the remaining costumes.’
‘No problem. I’ll ensure that’s done.’ Thank goodness she’d finished the mock-ups for the other designs yesterday. She moved in front of Megan, but Will blocked her path. She looked at him. ‘Excuse me, you’re in my way.’
He moved reluctantly. ‘And he’s amended the timescales for filming. He needs your approval.’
She dropped to her knees to start to pin the hem. ‘Send them to me and I’ll check them.’
‘Assuming you check your phone this time.’
She lifted her gaze. ‘Now I know to expect last-minute demands on my time, even on the weekend, I will.’
He opened his mouth to respond, then stopped, and instead simply glared down at her. ‘Good.’
They both held the stare, neither one wanting to back down… until Megan coughed and broke the moment.
Will stepped away. ‘And he wants the gown for Queen Elizabeth to be blue.’
What did he just say? ‘Excuse me?’
‘He feels it will give a better contrast to the backdrop at St. George’s Chapel.’
Anger bubbled inside her.
She stood up, her hands balling into fists as she turned to him. She had no need to ‘fake’ being assertive on this occasion, her indignation was genuine. ‘I don’t care what he feels about the backdrop, the dress is red,’ she said, pointing to Megan’s beautifully tailored dress.
‘Can’t you change it?’ Will said, not even glancing at the dress.
‘No, I cannot.’
‘But—’
‘Will.’ She raised her hand. ‘It’s taken me nearly two weeks to make this dress. Working long days, with late nights and early starts. Filming starts on Thursday. I still have a neck ruffle and breeches to make for Henry’s costume. It’s impossible to make another bespoke royal gown in four days. So no, I cannot change it.’ She hoped the warning note in her voice hadn’t gone unnoticed.
‘What am I going to say to the director?’
‘That he’s getting a red dress for the scene. Whether he likes it or not. And if he doesn’t like it, then I’d suggest he changes the setting.’ She turned to Megan, who mouthed, ‘Go, girl,’ and gave her a thumbs-up.
Lily might be inexperienced and naive when it came to costume designing. And most of the mistakes she’d made she was guilty of. But changing the colour of a bespoke designer gown with less than a week’s notice was not okay. Or reasonable. Or fair. There was no way was she going to let anyone get away with that.
Even Darth Vader wouldn’t have expected that kind of turnaround on a garment.
There was a long pause, before Will spoke. ‘Fine. I’ll let him know.’
‘Good. You do that.’
Will turned for the door, then paused, as if somehow needing to regain the upper hand. ‘And I want those budget and design updates by Monday.’
‘You’ll have them.’
‘And I’m still waiting on those reference details.’
Her hands went to her hips. ‘I’m aware of that.’
Megan looked intrigued. ‘Reference details? Why would you need a reference for Lily?’
Will barely glanced at her. ‘References are required for all new contractors.’
Megan flashed him a smile. ‘Darling, you should’ve asked me. I’ve heard nothing but good things about this woman. She’s a legend in the industry. I’m surprised you’ve not come across her before.’
Will frowned. ‘Funny, because I can’t find a single person who’s heard of her.’
‘Then you’re asking the wrong people.’ Megan’s acting prowess was coming into fruition. ‘Besides, look at the quality of this gown. I mean, seriously. Do you really need further endorsement of her talents?’
Will rubbed the back of his neck. ‘There’s no denying she’s talented, but I still need an independent reference. It’s protocol.’
‘Sounds more like red tape to me.’ Megan gave him an amused look.
Lily figured it was time to jump in. Megan coming to her rescue was lovely, but she needed to sort out her own mess. ‘I’ll text you the reference details this afternoon.’ She tried for an assertive tone, hoping that Taye wouldn’t let her down. ‘Anything else?’
He hesitated. ‘No.’
‘Good. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have alterations to be getting on with.’
‘Bye, Will, darling,’ Megan called after him as he headed out the door, as she gave him a little wave.
The door slammed shut behind him.
Lily turned to Megan. ‘Thanks for helping out, but you didn’t have to lie for me. I don’t want you getting in trouble.’
‘What’s he going to do, fire me? I don’t think so.’ Megan laughed.
Oh, to be that confident.
‘Maybe not, but tarnishing my reputation is one thing, a
sking you to risk yours is unforgivable.’
‘No one asked me to do anything.’ Megan rested her hands on Lily’s shoulders. ‘And tell me, didn’t it feel good standing up to him?’
Lily gave a hesitant nod. ‘I admit it felt good. I’ve just got to keep it up now.’
‘You do.’ Megan winked at her. ‘And not just from a work perspective.’
‘Meaning?’
‘Watching you two spar is very interesting,’ she said, smiling knowingly. ‘Very interesting indeed.’
Interesting wasn’t the word Lily would use. Annoying. Infuriating. Unreasonable. Even downright exasperating, would be better descriptions.
Where was the carefree smiling man she’d met on holiday? The man who was funny and kind and had taken her on romantic dinners and moonlit walks? It was hard to reconcile this grumpy version of Will with the man she’d fallen in love with.
Love, huh? What a mistake that had been.
Well, at least now she knew what he was really like. Whatever they’d once shared, it was well and truly dead in the water. Over. Finished. Kaput.
And she was fine with that.
Happy about it, even.
Not bothered in the slightest.
She glanced at the door, rubbing away a sudden pang of longing in her chest. ‘I don’t know what you mean. We don’t even like each other.’
Megan pursed her lips. ‘Since when has that been a factor? Some of my best relationships have been with men I’ve constantly argued with. Nothing like a good fight to instigate great sex.’
Lily’s blush must have been obvious.
Megan nudged her. ‘Don’t worry, darling. I know only too well what it’s like to fall for the wrong guy.’ She sighed. ‘The heart wants what the heart wants. Right?’
‘Well, my heart does not want Will Taylor.’
Megan turned to admire herself in the mirror. ‘Whatever you say, darling.’
Chapter Fifteen
Wednesday, 7 July
Will checked his watch. It was 3:15 p.m. He needed to leave to pick up Poppy from school. It was parents’ evening and he couldn’t be late. Poppy hadn’t been happy with him when he’d missed the last one. But how could he leave now when they were trying to film inside St. George’s Chapel and no one had thought to cancel choir practice?
The director’s temper was already at breaking point, even before the arrival of thirty-two choristers dressed in red and white trailing robes filing into the chapel ready to sing the ‘Hallelujah’ chorus… or whatever it was they sung.
A heated discussion had followed, whereby the film’s director had tried to evict the choir from the building, and the choir master had refused to budge, arguing that they had a recital this coming Saturday and urgently needed to practise.
Will had tried to resolve the dispute, first by mediation, and when that didn’t work, by phoning his contact at the castle who dealt with the chapel’s hire. When that failed to resolve the issue, he’d resorted to negotiating a compromise, persuading the choir to use the section next to the grand organ, and the director to relocate filming to the private prayer room. After much deliberation, complaining, and disgruntled noises from both parties, an agreement was reached.
It meant the big procession scene involving all the extras couldn’t be filmed. Hordes of them were lined up outside, dressed in their Tudor finery, waiting to fill the vast line of pews in the chapel and celebrate the arrival of King Henry VIII. Cancelling such a big scene wasn’t ideal, but at least the day wouldn’t be completely wasted. And it meant Will wouldn’t be late for parents’ evening and disappoint his daughter, who’d made him promise he would, ‘definitely be there’.
But just when he’d assumed things were sorted, the director decided to use the prayer room for preliminary footage of Queen Elizabeth I, so as not to waste the opportunity.
Changing the schedule last minute caused several ramifications. Mainly, there was frantic rushing about by the styling team to get Megan’s hair and make up done, there was a delay in Will being able to leave Windsor to pick up his daughter, and multiple failed attempts to get hold of the wardrobe team to advise them that the Queen Elizabeth I ceremonial gown was needed a day earlier than planned.
More specifically, Lily. Who wouldn’t be happy. Or be able to cope with a sudden change in timings. Judging by past scenarios, she’d get upset, flustered, and try to make herself invisible, which was not what he wanted from his costume designer. What he really needed her to do was rise to the challenge and get the bloody thing done. That’s what a good designer would do. They needed to be decisive, confident and able to reassure the entire crew that they had a handle on things. Unfortunately, Lily didn’t reassure anyone. Least of all him.
‘Where is the bloody costume designer!’ the director bellowed across the chapel, causing a slight echo as his voice drifted up to the rafters. ‘Queen Elizabeth has no dress!’
‘I’m on it,’ Will shouted, unearthing his phone.
He tried ringing Lily, but her phone was engaged.
Blast it.
He checked the time. 3:45 p.m.
He backed from the prayer room and headed down the long centre aisle, deafened by the choir belting out a hymn he didn’t recognise.
Balancing his phone between his shoulder and ear, he exited the chapel and rang his sister. ‘Gemma? I’ve got a problem,’ he said, the moment she answered. ‘The filming schedule has changed. Can you pick up Poppy from school for me?’
He heard a disgruntled grunt. ‘I’m supposed to be working, Will.’
‘I know, and I’m really sorry. I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t an emergency.’
‘The third emergency this month,’ she unhelpfully pointed out. ‘This is getting to be a habit. I’m surprised you didn’t lumber Zac again.’
He would have done, but Zac was tied up with Megan. ‘He’s needed on set.’
‘Right, but my work can be interrupted? These accounts won’t balance themselves.’
‘I’m sorry, Gemma.’ He headed towards the gate. A few of the extras were still milling about on the lush lawns, causing quite a stir with the castle tourists. ‘I’d ask Mum, but she’s starting her new art class this afternoon. She’s already helped me out once this week.’
‘You need to make better childcare arrangements.’
‘I know, and I will.’
‘You can’t keep expecting everyone to drop everything and bail you out.’
He bit back an expletive. It didn’t happen that often. Only when he was tied up with a project. And it wasn’t like he didn’t try to manage things himself, but life kept conspiring against him. ‘I know.’
‘We have commitments too, Will.’
He stopped to draw breath. ‘I know.’
‘And it’s not fair on Poppy either. Not being your priority won’t help improve her self-confidence.’
He fought back his agitation. Of course Poppy was his priority. But he had to work. What did she expect him to do? Stay at home all day?
He tried to calm his breathing. Losing his rag wouldn’t help solve his problems. Although it might help vent a few of his frustrations.
‘It’s not that we don’t want to help out,’ Gemma said, her voice softening. ‘But you need to get proper childcare arrangements in place.’
‘You’re right. And I will. But can you help me out this one last time?’
Another sigh. ‘Fine. I’ll pick up Poppy and then work from home tonight to get the accounts finished.’
If her intention was to make him feel bad then she’d succeeded. ‘Thanks, Gemma. I’ll pick her up later for parents’ evening.’
‘Don’t be late. You missed the last one because of work.’
Like he needed reminding. ‘I won’t be late. See you later.’
He ended the call and resumed jogging down Castle Hill. Why was everything so hard? Was it unreasonable to want a meaningful career? Was he expected to work nine-to-five in an office, just so he could be a ‘reliable’ dad?
Even then, he’d still need to arrange an after-school pick-up. It wasn’t like he could work part-time, it wouldn’t bring in enough income. And Poppy hated the idea of after-school clubs or staying at a friend’s house. She just wanted to be in her own home, with her own toys and pets, and hang out with her dad. But that was an impossibility. So what the hell was he supposed to do?
He tried Lily again. Still engaged.
He phoned Poppy instead as he headed into the busy town centre. It was a sunny day, the sunlight playing tricks with his eyes as it flickered through the castle turrets behind. He should have worn sunglasses.
‘Where are you?’ she said, picking up on the first ring, sounding breathy and upset.
‘I’m sorry, sweetheart. Something came up at work. Aunty Gemma’s on her way to pick you up.’
He heard a faint sniff. ‘Mrs Beattie isn’t happy. The other children have gone home and it’s parents’ evening tonight.’
‘I know, and I’m sorry. But I’ll make it up to you, I promise.’
‘How?’
His daughter never passed up the opportunity to negotiate. ‘McDonalds at the weekend?’
‘Ohhhkaaay.’ She sounded mildly appeased.
He smiled. ‘How was school?’
‘We had a rehearsal for the end-of-year play.’
He’d almost forgotten about that, Poppy hadn’t mentioned it for a while. ‘How’s it going?’ He crossed the road, blocking one ear with his hand so he could hear his daughter above the traffic noise. The pavements were packed full of tourists.
‘All right, I think. Mrs Beattie said I’d done well to learn my lines, but I need to be louder. I’m too quiet.’
He could imagine. She hadn’t been keen to take part in the play, but the school wanted all of Year 6 to participate. It would be their last activity with the primary school before heading off to ‘big school’. ‘Keep practising, I’m sure you’ll get there. I’m looking forward to seeing the show.’
‘Mrs Beattie said to remind you I need a costume.’
He slowed as he entered the old railway station. A costume? ‘Right.’ This was news to him… or was it? He had a faint recollection of them discussing what kind of hat woodland animals might wear to a tea party. ‘Remind me again who you’re playing?’
Someone Like You: Escape with this perfect uplifting romance Page 19
