The Reluctant Celebrity

by Ellingham, Laurie

  ‘Of course they only called me an hour ago to tell me it was taking longer than they’d first anticipated. Otherwise I would have called you. I was just about to get dressed and walk up to the house in fact.’

  Jules shook her head. ‘You don’t need to pretend Terri. I can see you’re upset.’

  Terri nodded as she lifted her mug to her lips, blowing on the hot liquid before taking a sip. ‘I am,’ she agreed in a shaky voice. ‘But it has nothing to do with you Lovey and everything to do with that worthless husband of mine. I’m just sorry you’ve had to see me like this,’ she sniffed, signalling her free hand towards her tatty dressing gown.

  ‘Why what’s happened?’

  ‘It doesn’t bear talking about. I can’t believe I’m getting upset about it again,’ Terri replied with a sniff. ‘Now come on, I’ll pop my overalls on and we can head back to the house for a few more hours work.

  As Terri stood up from the sofa Jules shot forward, grabbing her hand and pulling her back down.

  ‘Anything that makes you this upset has to be worth talking about. Now come on what’s he done?’

  ‘It’s not what he’s done; it’s what I’ve done...I’m getting divorced,’ she said with a sob.

  ‘But that’s a good thing isn’t it? I mean he’s been gone for years hasn’t he?’

  Terri nodded. ‘I started divorce proceedings years ago but it took my solicitor so long to track Kev down that things just seemed to stall. I guess I wasn’t pushing that hard for it either.’

  ‘It seemed like the right thing to do at the time, but as the months went by without a word, I started to think that he didn’t want a divorce, and just maybe he was planning to come home. I guess I convinced myself that at any minute he could walk back through the door and we could go on as if nothing had happened.

  Then this morning, one week before the judge would have granted me a divorce by desertion, he sends the papers back, signed and everything. No note...no explanation.’ Terri dropped her head to hands and sobbed. ‘It’s so cruel.’

  ‘Oh Terri, I’m so sorry.’

  ‘I feel like most pathetic woman in the world for believing he’d come back.’

  ‘But how can you still want him after the way he treated you?’

  ‘Because I love him. Don’t get me wrong, I did what you did, I tried to make myself hate him and get on with my life, but somewhere along the way, I just stopped fighting it. If Kev walked back through that door right now, I wouldn’t turn him away. I’d make him do some serious begging, but in the end I’d take him back.’

  Jules reached out and put her arm around Terri as she cried into her cup. She had no idea how to respond. It seemed grotesque to her that Terri could still love her husband after what he’d done, but at the same time she understood it completely.

  ‘Who else would have me now?’ Terri whispered. ‘My boobs are half way to my belly button. My bum has so much cellulite on it that it looks like two sagging bags of peas,’ she paused for a moment before adding: ‘In September I’ll be packing my boys off to University and then I’ll be all alone.’

  ‘No you won’t. I’ll be here,’ Jules replied, tightening her grip around her friend. ‘And so will Rich and Sally, and Stan, and Ben, and everyone else. You will not be alone, I promise you. And as for no one wanting you – don’t be daft. There must be a ton of rich widowers or divorcees dying to meet someone as fun and attractive as you. ’

  ‘You are sweet Lovey,’ Terri sniffed, lifting her head up and wiping her eyes. ‘I guess you’re right. About having you all here I mean. I’m not so sure about the rich widowers though, definitely not in The Nag anyway.’

  ‘We could go for a night out together somewhere if you like?’

  Terri let out a small laugh, ‘Only if you wear those overalls. I don’t think I’d have much luck with your long legs next to my tree trunks.’

  ‘Deal,’ Jules smiled.

  ‘So you’re not planning to leave us then?’ Terri asked suddenly, lifting her head to look at Jules. ‘I thought maybe there might have been some truth in what you said to that journalist.’

  ‘If you’d have asked me yesterday I probably would have said yes, but when I saw those awful comments in The Daily this morning it made me realise how much this place means to me. I don’t want to leave, but I don’t know how I can stay now. You might have thought it was funny, but I can’t see anyone else feeling that way,’ Jules finished, rubbing a hand over her aching jaw.

  ‘Oh I’ve just had the best idea,’ Terri said, getting to her feet and turning to face. ‘You should have a party.’

  ‘What?’ Jules spluttered as hot tea dripped down her chin. ‘No one would come.’

  ‘Yes they would. You should have a party on Saturday. I’ll get on the blower to Sally and she can ring round the gang. We’ll put a sign up in the pub and at the shop. You’ll have a great turn out. Sally and Bob can bring sausages and do a bit of barbequing. Rich can bring some dri-’

  ‘Terri,’ Jules interrupted, wiping away the liquid she’d spilled. ‘No one will come. Not after what I said. Or what The Daily reported I said anyway.’

  ‘Don’t you worry about that Lovey. Sally and I will explain what happened, and besides there’s nothing like a good party to make people forget a scandal.’

  ‘But the house, it’s hardly ready for people to see it.’

  ‘Are you kidding? Do you know how many people are dying to get a look inside the Mayor house? And anyway the stairs are arriving tomorrow. We can get some paint on the walls and make sure the downstairs looks half decent at least.’

  ‘Promise me this is not some crazy exorcism séance thingy?’

  ‘It wouldn’t hurt to invite the vicar from the next village.’

  ‘No Terri. Absolutely not.’

  ‘Fine, but we’re agreed - a party on Saturday? If nothing else, it will give me something to take my mind of the divorce,’ Terri added with a weak smile.

  Before Jules could voice the other protests stacking up in her mind the sound of a doorbell chimed into the room.

  ‘Who could that be?’ Terri wondered aloud as she left the room.

  As the front door opened, Jules heard Terri’s surprised voice: ‘Well I be damned, you are just the person we wanted to speak to.’

  ‘Really?’ a man’s voice answered.

  If it’s Kev, Jules thought, I’m going to ram this saucer down his throat.

  To her relief, Rich ducked his head under the door frame and strode into the living room.

  ‘So I’m an alcoholic am I?’ he demanded, turning to face Jules.

  ‘Oh Rich I’m so sorry,’ Jules cried out all over again, hiding her face in her free hand.

  In her haste to repair the damage she’d done to her friendship with Terri, she’d forgotten all about the comments the paper had made about Rich. ‘I didn’t say anything like that, I promise-’

  ‘Rich,’ Terri cut in. ‘Stop teasing the girl. You know full well she’d never say such nonsense.’

  ‘I guess not,’ he agreed, ‘I thought something was up when that girl just appeared out of nowhere. I should have done more to interrupt the two of you.’

  ‘What? You knew and you didn’t help me?’

  ‘Not exactly. It just seemed a bit suspect to me. But then I thought there’s no way you’d be stupid enough to say anything to a journalist after everything that’s happened to you.’

  ‘Gee thanks,’ Jules muttered, taking a mouthful of tea to hide her embarrassment.

  ‘Enough of that now you two,’ Terri broke in. ‘Rich, we need your help. Do you think you could nip to the Cash and Carry before Saturday? We need some supplies for a party this Saturday up at Jules’ house.’

  ‘So you’re going to try and buy our forgiveness are you?’ Rich looked at Jules.

  ‘Exactly,’ Terri answered for her.

  Rich smiled, ‘Count me in then.’

  ‘Brilliant. Now what brings you here?’

  ‘I was thinking
of asking the two of you for a favour and when I saw Jules’ car outside it seemed like a sign.’

  Jules moved her gaze to Terri, exchanging a confused look.

  ‘The Nag needs a serious overhaul. I’ve been thinking about it for a while now but I just don’t know where to begin. It looks okay in the winter months when it’s dark outside and you can’t see all the cigarette burns in the carpet or the places where the wallpaper has peeled away from the wall, but in the sunlight it looks a bit dilapidated.

  ‘So I thought with your eye for interiors,’ Rich nodded towards Jules, ‘and your decorating background Terri, that the two of you might consider working together to give the pub a facelift. I’d pay you of course,’ he added.

  A silence fell in the room as Jules and Terri turned to each other and waited for the other to speak.

  ‘Well,’ Jules began, ‘if I’m staying in Cottinghale I will need a job of some kind, and if Dan and Jason are heading off to Uni this year, you might need another pair of hands,’ she said to Terri, feeling a sudden bout of nerves float inside her stomach as if she was asking for a first date.

  ‘I don’t know,’ Terri shook her head. ‘You are awfully bossy Lovey, and what with the ceiling and the stairs it might be bad luck for me to work with you.’

  ‘Oh.’

  A smile lit up her face, ‘Lovey, I’m kidding. Of course I want to work with you. I can’t think of anything more fun in fact.’

  ‘And speak to Bob and Sally too, I hear they’re thinking of converting one of their barns into a lodge for hikers,’ Rich added.

  ‘This calls for a celebration. More tea all round,’ Terri said, dashing towards the kitchen.

  Rich crossed the room, taking Terri’s place on the sofa. ‘About the other night-,’ he began in a low voice.

  ‘Shit, I’d forgotten about that too,’ Jules exclaimed, her face glowing a bright red. ‘Rich, I’m so sorry. I’ve made a total of fool of myself in front of you so many times now, I don’t know what to say.’

  ‘Don’t worry. I just wanted to make sure you were okay, that’s all.’

  ‘Me? I’m fine,’ Jules replied, swallowing back a lump in her throat.

  ‘Sure?’

  Jules turned her face away, sucking in her bottom lip as she fought the sudden emotions clouding her vision.

  ‘Want to talk about it?’

  She shook her head as the tears began to fall. ‘I’ve ruined everything.’

  ‘Come on, what harm can it do?’

  ‘That’s what the journalist said last night,’ Jules replied with a weak smile.

  For a moment Jules said nothing and then with a deep breath and a pang of regret that she’d not confided in her friends to begin with, Jules starting speaking.

  She began with the day Guy had walked her to the lecture hall and finished with the note Mrs Beckwith had handed her that morning and the apology printed below her interview.

  At one point Terri had brought a tray of drinks into the room and sat between them on the sofa, taking Jules hand and squeezing it every so often.

  ‘So, like I said,’ Jules added with a shaky breath. ‘I’ve ruined it.’

  ‘Call him,’ Rich declared.

  ‘Go down and see him,’ Terri added.

  ‘I tried to call but his mobile is off and his voicemail is full. I have no idea which hospital his sister is in, not that I could just turn up there whilst she’s ill. It’s too late for that anyway. He’ll see the paper and think I’m the worst kind of bitch. He has no idea that I didn’t get the note.

  ‘It’s not too late Jules,’ Rich replied. ‘You may not have heard Guy play the other night but we did and he is so in love with you that not even a million stories like this could change his mind. All his songs were about how sorry he is for what he did to you and how much he loves you.’

  ‘But what do I do?’

  ‘There is one thing,’ Rich replied.

  ‘What?

  ‘You’re not going to like it.’

  ‘What?’

  By the time Rich had finished explaining his plan the three mugs of untouched tea had gone cold and nothing but darkness could be seen outside the window.

  ‘You’re right, I don’t like it,’ Jules said, unsure whether to laugh or cry. ‘I thought Terri’s idea of a party was crazy, but this is just nuts.’

  ‘I hate to say it Lovey,’ Terri began, ‘but Rich is right.’

  ‘What other choices have you got?’ he added.

  Jules thought for a moment before replying: ‘None I guess.’

  ‘There you go then.’

  ‘Just like that?’

  ‘Just like that,’ he agreed. ‘Here. Use my phone.’ Rich pulled out a mobile from his pocket and handed it to Jules.

  ‘Now?’

  ‘Why not?’

  Jules paused for a moment, staring at the blank screen as her heart thundered in her chest.

  Rich stretched across the sofa and gave her a shove. ‘Go on.’

  What other choices did she have? Jules repeated to herself as she dialled the number and held the phone to her ear.

  A familiar voice greeted her.

  Thirty-six

  Jules opened her eyes as the first rays of light crept into her bedroom.

  Her bedroom, she repeated to herself. She liked the sound of it.

  Even though her bedroom had faded pink floral wallpaper, moulding a gloopy brown around the window, and a dirty grey carpet still rolled up halfway into the room where the damage to the ceiling below had been repaired, she loved it.

  From the moment Terri and Rich had encouraged her to stay, Jules had found herself falling in love with every rotting, broken part of her home. So much so, that as soon as the stairs had been fitted on Wednesday morning, she’d packed her bags at the guesthouse, given Mrs Beckwith a long hug and moved in.

  So what if she had to boil the kettle six times to get enough warm water to wash. Or put on a jumper and two pairs of socks on before climbing under the duvet. Waking up in her house, correction, her home, was worth it.

  Her knees screamed in protest as she dragged herself out of the bed and shuffled towards the bathroom. The pain a reminder of the long day she’d spent on all fours waxing the floorboards in the living room and hall.

  As she passed the landing her gaze fell automatically to her new staircase.

  Jules would never have imagined that something as functional as a staircase could alter the entire feel of the house. She loved to put her hands on either side of the matching dark wood banisters as she descended down each step.

  For every steep and narrow step of the old staircase there were two wide ones to lead her gently up or down.

  She even had a favourite step - the forth one from the bottom. As she made her way down the stairs, it was the first one to twist away from the wall and angle her into the bright white hallway.

  It somehow made her feel more graceful. Jules even found herself standing up straighter and lifting her head whenever she made her way up or down the stairs.

  She especially liked her descent. Whereas the upstairs of her home still remained untouched, the downstairs had been transformed, thanks to Terri, Dan and Jason’s hard work. Bright white walls greeted her in every room, contrasting to the rich wood of the floorboards now shining rich dark brown.

  She had no furniture yet, and the lino in the kitchen seemed stuck to the floor, but her house had fast become liveable. If she could pick up a second hand sofa, and find a plumber to fix her boiler then she would be happy to stay forever.

  The forest of weeds in the back garden, the kitchen floor and cardboards, adding an en-suite, removing the carpets and wallpaper upstairs, and all of the other jobs on her growing list would have to wait. As of next week, Jules would be working on her house in what little spare time she had.

  News of the design and decorating business she’d formed with Terri had spread faster than Jules could have imagined. They had enough work in Cottinghale and the surrounding villa
ges to keep them busy for the next six months.

  Even Stan had grumbled about changing the layout of his shop to include a space for a coffee counter and a few chairs.

  When she put down her paintbrush each evening, rubbed moisturiser into the blisters on her hands and climbed into bed, she would close her eyes expecting sleep to come easily. But instead, ideas would bounce around her head until she had to turn on the light and write them down. She’d already filled one notebook alone on designs for Sally and Bob’s barn conversion.

  Somewhere along the way, Jules’ focus had moved from creating a beautiful home to making a profit as fast as possible. She’d forgotten how exciting it was to start with a blank piece of paper and finish with a brand new room. It made her feel alive.

  Jules stared at her reflection in the old bathroom mirror as bright sunlight shone through the window. She didn’t recognise the person staring back.

  Terri had spent an hour the previous day rummaging through Jules’ clothes until she found an outfit that she like. It was a deep purple knitted dress that Jules couldn’t even remember buying.

  Fulfilling her promise to Terri, she’d let her hair dry in loose curls down her shoulders and for the first time in years put more than just a wisp of mascara on her face.

  She’d followed their plans to the letter, and up until that moment had even believed it might work. But now it was happening, she wasn’t so sure.

  He should have been here by now.

  Her house was ready. Five boxes of wine and extra glasses from The Nag sat ready to be used in her kitchen and Sally and Bob’s barbeque had been placed on the bare earth by the driveway ready for the sausages.

  She could hear Terri and the boys moving around below her, opening bags of nibbles and adding last minute touches to the house. Any minute now her parents would be arriving, and an hour after that the first of the guests would start knocking on the door.

  He wasn’t coming. Rich’s plan had failed, she thought with a gripping sadness.

  Just then Jules heard the unmistakable sputter of her father’s twenty-year old exhaust pull into the driveway and she pushed the thought aside.

  She had her home, she had her friends and she had Cottinghale. It was so much more than she’d had for so long and it would have to be enough. Guy wasn’t coming.