‘It’s a hard life for him,’ Bonnie said. ‘We always say he looks like death warmed up when he comes in the morning.’
‘Cheeky!’ Max chuckled, ‘I didn’t mean that.’
Bonnie did a dramatic examination of her watch. ‘Well, just look at that, lunchtime is nearly up so I really have to dash off.’
‘That’s a shame,’ Sarah said earnestly, ‘you could have grabbed a quick coffee with us.’
‘Oh yes,’ Bonnie said with as much fake sincerity as she could muster, ‘that is such a shame. Maybe next time, eh?’
Max put his arm around Sarah again. ‘See you tomorrow, Bon.’
‘See you again soon, maybe,’ Sarah said as she gave Bonnie the sweetest of smiles and a cheery wave.
Bonnie listened to Sarah’s excited chattering fade as they walked away. She was such a lovely, guileless girl, and Bonnie knew that there was no rational reason to dislike her so intensely. But, Bonnie reflected wryly as she made her way back up the escalators, when did she ever need a rational reason for anything that she did?
***
Dear Holden,
Tomorrow I get to see you. Maybe. Annabel’s mum and dad are away for the weekend and her older sister is at university. Annabel was supposed to come and stay with me and Paige anyway rather than be on her own so it seems that I’ll be bringing them to the radio station after all. I can’t believe that it’s happening, even if it is just for Paige. She’s a great kid, you’ll really like her. Her mum is ok too, lol.
Argh, I can’t believe I’m referring to myself in that way. I can’t be the mum to a fifteen-year-old girl, God, what’s attractive about that? You’d never look at me in a million years. And I can’t believe I just wrote lol.
Bonnie tore the page from the pad and shoved it into the kitchen bin. Her gaze flicked to the paper on the table. The pad looked a lot thinner than it had a couple of weeks ago and not one of the letters she had written had gone anywhere other than the bin. If she wasn’t careful, the whole lot would go that way. She sighed.
‘MUM!’ Paige’s voice roared out from her bedroom. ‘I can’t find my curling tongs!’
‘Have you looked in the drawer where they’re normally kept?’ Bonnie shouted back.
‘Yeah, they’re not in there.’
‘It looks like straight hair for you tomorrow then.’
‘Arrrggggghhhh!’
Bonnie pushed herself up from the table and made her way to the source of the commotion. She stood at the bedroom door with her arms folded.
‘Annabel…’ Bonnie began, cocking her head at Paige and sharing a knowing smile with her daughter’s friend – a pretty little doll of a girl now perched on the edge of Paige’s bed and watching Paige fling the contents of her drawers around the room with a series of frustrated grunts. ‘Is she this annoying and helpless all the time with you too?’
Annabel smiled politely. ‘Um…’
‘Don’t worry,’ Bonnie said, crossing the room and moving her daughter aside, ‘you don’t need to answer that.’ Bonnie rummaged for a second or two before yanking on an electric flex; a moment later the rest of the curling tongs emerged from the murky depths of the drawer. ‘Is this what you’re looking for?’ Bonnie handed them to Paige who gave a sheepish grin.
Bonnie’s gaze was drawn to a dress hanging over the wardrobe door. ‘Is that what you’re wearing tomorrow?’ she asked Paige.
Paige nodded.
‘I hope you’re wearing leggings or thick tights with it.’
‘Why?’ Paige frowned.
‘It’s a bit short.’
‘It’s not.’
‘Trust me, it is.’
‘Well I’m wearing it without anything and I don’t care what you think.’
‘That’s good, because I think you’ll look like a slapper.’
Paige folded her arms and fixed Bonnie with a confrontational stare.
Annabel watched the exchange, inching further down the bed in embarrassment. Bonnie threw her hands into the air.
‘Whatever, Paige. You’ve got to sit in front of Every Which Way tomorrow, the one and only time you’ll probably ever get the opportunity, and when you look back on that golden moment, you’re the one that has to remember that you looked like a chav.’
‘Don’t be stupid, Mum,’ Paige muttered, but she was blushing furiously and she glanced across at the dress, her expression now a little less resolute than it had been.
‘Wear what you want,’ Bonnie said as she marched out of the room.
As soon as she returned to the kitchen table, Bonnie regretted making a fool out of Paige in front of Annabel. What did it matter that her dress was a little on the short side? Bonnie would have been exactly the same at her age, wouldn’t she? Hell, if she thought she had the legs to pull it off, maybe she’d be tempted by a dress like that now. Paige would look fantastic in it, she had no doubt. Perhaps, she thought glumly, that was part of the problem.
A few minutes later, Bonnie was back at the door of Paige’s room holding two mugs of hot chocolate. Paige and Annabel were poring over a magazine, giggling at photos of the band members, a CD of them playing in the background.
‘I thought you might like a warm drink,’ Bonnie said in a tone that indicated she wanted to be friends again.
Annabel smiled up at her as she took her mug and Paige did a funny little wrinkle of her nose. Bonnie smiled. She knew the gesture well. It was Paige’s way of saying she wanted to be friends again without actually appearing to back down or show forgiveness in any way.
‘Is this going to help us to sleep?’ Annabel asked as she took a sip.
‘Nothing is going to help us to sleep tonight,’ Paige said over the top of her mug. ‘I bet we’ll get an hour, just before dawn, and then have to get up straight away for the train.’
‘It’ll be a long day,’ Bonnie put in. ‘You should really try.’
‘Oh, Mum, stop being such a…’ Paige frowned.
‘A mum?’ Bonnie replied helpfully.
‘Ha ha. You can’t tell me you’re not just a little bit excited too. After all, we are going to London.’
Bonnie couldn’t deny it. The thought of the day to come made her insides dance, a strange mix of nerves and excited anticipation, and it wasn’t hard for anyone else to see how jittery she was, even Paige.
‘I haven’t been to London for years,’ Bonnie said. ‘I am quite excited about that. Maybe I’ll go off and explore for a bit while you have your meeting.’
‘You’re going to go and leave us?’ Paige asked, looking almost panic-stricken.
‘You’ll be in safe hands, I’m sure.’
‘I know but…well,’ Paige floundered, ‘I’m not that bothered, of course, but what about Annabel? You’re responsible for her too.’
Bonnie smiled. ‘If it worries you that much, I’ll wait in the radio station for you. I’m sure there’ll be a coffee machine or something that I can hang around next to trying to look sophisticated.’
‘I didn’t say it worried me, I just think you should be around, like, so that Annabel’s mum and dad know she’s ok.’ Paige looked at her friend who nodded uncertainly.
‘Ok, I will.’ Bonnie looked at Annabel. ‘Do you have everything you need tonight?’
Annabel picked up a wash-bag from the bed and held it aloft with a grin.
‘And what about your outfit?’
‘Oh, that’s here,’ Paige cut in, removing her dress from the wardrobe door to reveal another outfit behind it. A tiny pink t-shirt and a pair of denim hot pants were draped over a hanger. Bonnie barely held back a groan.
‘What are you wearing?’ Annabel asked brightly, clearly unconcerned by the fact that Bonnie had made no comment at all on her choice of clothes.
‘I haven’t really decided,’ Bonnie lied.
The truth was that she hadn’t been able to find anything right with her leftover Christmas money, and right now, almost every item of clothing she owned was strewn across her bed.
‘You shou
ld wear that little black lace dress, Mum, you’ll look really nice in that with your red hair.’
Bonnie looked at Paige thoughtfully. ‘Really? I thought that might be a bit dressy, what with me just running around London and hanging around waiting for you. If I’m only doing that and not really meeting anyone, perhaps I only need to wear my jeans.’
‘No way.’ Paige said. ‘You can dress that down with a pair of opaque tights and your black boots, it’ll look cool and not like you’re trying too hard.’
‘That’s not a bad idea,’ Bonnie mused.
Paige beamed at her. ‘I know.’ Draining the last of her chocolate, she dumped the mug on the windowsill, skipped over to the CD player and turned up the volume. Grabbing Bonnie by both hands, she pulled her into the room and started to jump up and down.
‘Dance with me, Mum!’
Bonnie laughed and swayed self-consciously in time to the music.
‘Come on, better than that!’ Paige giggled. She reached for Annabel and pulled her up too.
All three of them began to laugh as they jumped up and down madly in time to the music. Holden sang to them…
Don’t forget me babe
Don’t ever say we’re done
Tonight I wanna kiss you
Tonight I wanna love you
Tonight I wanna dance
While we wait for the sun
***
The train journey to Euston station had flown by as Paige and Annabel chatted incessantly about what might or might not happen when they finally met their heroes. Bonnie joined in occasionally, and at other times smiled indulgently as she listened, but every so often her stomach flipped with a small excitement of her own. She was so close to meeting Holden herself. And even if she didn’t, she would be in the same building, breathing the same air, a stone’s throw away, and that was closer than many people got.
London was dry and surprisingly mild for the time of year. It would have been a great day for sightseeing, had they not had something far more pressing to get to. Not wanting to risk missing their slot by getting lost on the tube, Bonnie had decided to hail a cab to get them to the venue on time, and at least this afforded a little landmark spotting. However, when the cabbie told her the fare as they arrived, she was hugely grateful that the radio station had agreed to reimburse their travelling expenses as part of the prize.
They pushed open the gleaming double doors to the radio station. The familiar lurid green and blue logo was emblazoned across the wall behind the reception desk and two glamorous looking receptionists juggled phone calls and guests with a practised and cool efficiency.
‘We’re the competition winners!’ Paige announced before Bonnie even had a chance to open her mouth.
The receptionist nearest to Paige smiled patiently. ‘Would that be the Every Which Way competition?’
‘Who else?’ Annabel squealed as she grabbed Paige’s arm for the umpteenth time that morning. ‘Seriously, there’s nobody else in the world worth entering a competition for!’
‘Well,’ the receptionist said, reaching for a couple of clipboards and pens, ‘we’ll need to complete some paperwork before we do anything else.’ She handed the girls a board each and indicated some sections with a scarlet-nailed finger. ‘Just a few bits and pieces about you.’ She looked up at Bonnie. ‘Can you sign a disclaimer for them both?’
‘A disclaimer?’
‘You know, if they get injured or anything on the premises you won’t sue us, that sort of thing.’
‘Oh…’ Bonnie glanced at Paige and Annabel as they huddled together over their forms, giggling. ‘I suppose so, although Annabel is not my daughter.’
The woman waved away the excuse. ‘That’s fine. As long as we have a signature from a responsible adult.’ She handed Bonnie a clipboard too and pointed to a box. ‘If you can sign and date here, that would be great.’
Bonnie took the board and scribbled her name.
‘Thanks.’ The woman took the paperwork from Bonnie. She looked across at the girls. ‘How are we doing? Almost finished?’ Paige and Annabel handed back their papers with expectant faces. The woman looked them over. ‘Great stuff. I’ll call Raveena to take you through. The boys are just broadcasting at the moment, so you’ll have to wait really quietly outside the studio while they finish, but then you can go in as soon as they’re off air.’
Paige gave a stifled little squeal and Annabel gripped her friend’s arm again.
‘As I don’t have a ticket, do I go and wait with them or stay out here?’ Bonnie asked uncertainly.
‘Ask Raveena when she gets down here,’ the woman replied as she filed the paperwork in a drawer.
They hovered uncertainly for a moment, and then a slim, baby-faced, dark-haired girl with an ID badge on a lanyard around her neck pushed open some double doors at the far end of the room. She looked across at Bonnie and the two girls with a bright smile.
‘Are you guys here for the competition?’
‘Yes!’ Paige and Annabel squeaked in unison.
‘Great. I’m Raveena. I’ll be looking after you while you’re with us.’ She leaned over the reception desk. ‘Paperwork in order, Rosemary?’
The woman who had checked them into the building nodded.
‘Fantastic!’ Raveena said. ‘In that case, follow me.’ She waved a hand to usher them through the double doors and into the working section of the station.
‘Do you need me too?’ Bonnie asked.
Raveena smiled warmly. ‘Why not? The more the merrier. You can wait outside and watch through the studio window while the girls are interviewed with the band on air.’
‘We’re going on air?’ Annabel squealed, practically hyperventilating as she did.
‘We thought it would be nice for their fans to hear your meeting,’ Raveena explained as they followed her. ‘They’re doing an acoustic set, a quick interview, and then we’ll call you in and you can ask them some questions of your own.’
‘OMG that will be epic!’ Paige said breathlessly.
‘I hope so,’ Raveena laughed.
They turned from the narrow corridor into a much wider one, lined with windows that looked into various studio spaces. Most were empty, but one contained an older man and a sound engineer. ‘Newsreader,’ Raveena said, sweeping a hand towards it. The next window along revealed a much larger studio. Bonnie felt her legs begin to buckle as she saw four fabulously dressed young men sitting on tall stools, singing and grinning at each other like loons.
‘Oh my God!’ Paige squealed.
Annabel just grabbed Paige’s arm and stared.
‘And I don’t need to tell you who is in that studio,’ Raveena smiled. ‘They’re on-air right now; once we get a chance between songs, we’ll slip in and get comfy and you can have a quick word off-air.’
‘Will we be able to hear them sing?’ Paige asked.
‘I’m sure they won’t mind you listening in while they do their unplugged set.’
‘Brilliant!’ Paige sighed as Annabel shot her a huge grin.
They looked towards the booth, where it seemed the boys had stopped singing and were now relaxing on their seats. Raveena pushed open the studio door and the sound engineer waved her in.
‘We’re good to go, guys,’ Raveena smiled. ‘Are you ready to meet Every Which Way?’
Bonnie watched as Paige and Annabel were led through into the studio. Paige turned once with a huge grin and gave her mum a little wave. Bonnie smiled, ignoring the tiny tick of envy deep inside her. She couldn’t remember the last time she had seen Paige look so elated. Bonnie stepped back towards a row of seats outside the studio. She saw one of the boys – Brad, as far as she could remember – nod in her direction and say something to Raveena.
Next thing, Raveena stuck her head out of the door again as Paige and Annabel turned to look at her. ‘Would you like to come in?’ Raveena asked. ‘You’d have to sit and be quiet while the girls chat to the band on air, but you’re more than welcome.’
&
nbsp; Bonnie didn’t realise her mouth had fallen open until she noticed how dry it had become. Go in? All this time she had been dreaming of meeting Holden, it had never seemed a real, actual possibility – even now as she stood outside a room he was inside. Part of her wondered if she even wanted to meet him. The thought terrified her and excited her all at the same time. What would he make of her? She’d look like a middle-aged idiot, sitting next to two beautiful and lively teenagers and drooling over a gorgeous international megastar?
This inner debate took a fraction of a second, and before she even knew what she was doing, Bonnie had followed Raveena’s beckoning hand. The next moment, she found herself standing in the booth behind her daughter.
‘This is Paige and Annabel,’ Raveena said, indicating the girls in turn. Each boy – Holden, Nick, Brad and Jay – shook Paige and Annabel’s hand. Every time they touched the girls almost collapsed in fits of breathless giggles. Raveena waved a hand towards Bonnie. ‘This is Paige’s mum….’
‘Oh… I’m Bonnie,’ Bonnie said, forgetting to offer her hand and just standing with her mouth slightly open as she gazed at Holden. He was dressed casually, but it seemed that the whole look – from the effortlessly styled hair to the seemingly relaxed wardrobe – had been carefully constructed for maximum sex appeal. The other boys, attractive as they were, seemed to melt into the background of his perfection.
‘Bonnie?’ Holden said, raising an immaculate eyebrow. ‘That’s an unusual name. Are you Scottish?’
Bonnie felt herself blush. She was just wondering whether to tell some romantic sounding story about her name when Paige cut in.
‘Nah. My nan just totally loves Bonnie Tyler.’
Holden turned to her, looking confused now. ‘Er, right.’
‘You know, the eighties singer with huge hair?’ Paige explained.
Holden looked to his band mates for help, but they all shrugged helplessly.
‘I’m sure you’re all far too young to remember Bonnie Tyler,’ Bonnie explained, laughing nervously. ‘I am too, come to think of it.’
‘I’ve got some Bonnie Tyler somewhere,’ the DJ cut in. ‘I could play it for you on-air.’
Hopelessly Devoted to Holden Finn Page 8
