by Jill Mansell
‘I’m fine.’ Lola’s breath was puffing out in front of her but the rest of her was warm. ‘So what did you do, rob a bank?’
‘I got involved with a friend of a friend who’d set up a cigarette and booze smuggling operation. Bringing the stuff over from the continent, selling it on, easy profit.’ Dryly, Nick said, ‘Until you get caught. Let me tell you, that wasn’t the best day of my life.’
‘You were arrested.’ Lola tried to imagine him being arrested; she’d only ever seen it happen on TV.
He nodded. ‘What can I tell you? I was young and stupid, and I panicked. Blythe would have been distraught, so I couldn’t bring myself to tell her. I appeared at the magistrates court, still didn’t tell her. Had to wait four months for the case to come up in the crown court. Still didn’t tell her. Because I’d only been involved in the operation for a few weeks my solicitor said there was a chance I wouldn’t go down and I clung on to that. I know it’s crazy, but I thought maybe, just maybe, Blythe wouldn’t need to know about any of it. That she’d never find out.’
Lola could kind of see the logic in this. Hadn’t she once failed to hand in an entire geography project and pinned all her hopes on the school burning down before her teacher found out? Oh God, she was her father’s daughter…
Aloud, she said, ‘Good plan.’
‘It would have been if it had worked. Except it didn’t.’ Nick shrugged. ‘The judge wasn’t in a great mood that day. I got eighteen months.’
They’d both gambled and lost. Except her punishment had only been a trip to the headmistress and three weeks’ detention. ‘So how did Mum find out?’
‘My cousin had to phone her. Can you imagine what that must have been like? She came to visit me in prison ten days later, said it was all over and she never wanted to see me again. I told her I’d only done it for her and the baby, but she wasn’t going to change her mind. As far as she was concerned I was a criminal and a liar, and that wasn’t the kind of father she wanted for her child. It was pretty emotional. Understandably, Blythe was in a state. Well, we both were. But she was nine months pregnant, so all I could do was apologize and agree with everything she said. That was the second-worst day of my life.’ He paused. ‘You were born a week later.’
Lola was beginning to understand why her mother had invented an alternative history.
‘I served my time, behaved myself and got out of prison after nine months,’ Nick went on. ‘You and your mother were all I’d thought about. I was desperate to see you, and to make Blythe understand how sorry I was. If she still had feelings for me, I thought I might be able to persuade her to change her mind, give me another chance. So I came round to the house and that’s when I saw you for the first time. It was incredible. You were… well, it’s not something you ever forget. You were beaming at me, with your hair in a funny little curly topknot and Ribena stains on your white T-shirt. But your mother wasn’t open to persuasion—she said she’d never be able to trust me. She also said I’d put her through hell and if I had an ounce of decency I’d leave the two of you in peace, because no father at all would be easier for you to deal with than a lying, cheating, untrustworthy one. She finished off by saying if I really wanted to prove how sorry I was, the best thing I could do was disappear. And you know what?’ As they waited for the traffic lights to change, he gave Lola a sideways look. ‘She meant it.’
‘Hey, it’s the white rabbit!’ someone bawled out of a car window. ‘Where’s Alice?’
The lights turned green. Together they crossed the road. ‘So that’s what you did,’ said Lola. Notting Hill tube station was ahead of them now.
‘I didn’t want to. But I was the one who’d messed up. I felt I owed Blythe that much. So I said goodbye and left.’ He waited. ‘That was the worst day of my life.’
Crikey, this was emotional stuff.
‘I keep feeling as if I’m listening to you talk about some television drama.’ Lola shook her head in disbelief. ‘Then it hits me all over again; this is actually about me.’
‘Oi, you in the fur,’ roared a bloke zooming past in a van. ‘Fancy a jump?’
‘My flat’s down here.’ Loftily ignoring the van driver, Lola turned left into Radley Road. ‘I’ve still got loads more questions.’
‘Fire away.’
‘Have you been in trouble with the law since then?’
Nick shook his head. ‘No, no. Apart from three points on my license for speeding. I learned my lesson, Your Honor.’
‘Are you married?’
Another shake. ‘Not any more. Amicable divorce six years ago.’
‘Any children?’
He broke into a smile. ‘No other children. Just you.’
Lola swallowed; God, this was really happening. Wait until she told her mum about tonight.
‘Well, this is where I live.’ She stopped outside number 73; they’d walked all the way from Soho.
‘Nice place.’
‘Thanks.’ The events of the evening abruptly caught up with Lola; one minute she’d been strolling happily along, the next she was so bone tired all she wanted to do was lie down and sleep for a week. But this man—her father—had just spent the last hour walking her home…
‘Right then, I’ll be off.’ Nick James watched her yawn like a hippo.
‘I feel awful, not inviting you in for a coffee.’
‘Hey, it’s fine. I’ll get a cab.’ He raked his fingers through his hair. ‘It’s been a lot to take in.’
Lola nodded; gosh, and now she didn’t know how to say goodbye. This was even more awkward than the end of a disastrous blind date. Was she supposed to hug him, kiss him, shake hands or what?
Nick James smiled and said, ‘Tricky, isn’t it?’
‘Yes, it is.’ Relieved that he understood, Lola watched him take out his wallet. ‘Ooh, do I start getting pocket money?’
‘I was thinking more of a business card.’ The smile broadened as he handed over his card. ‘I don’t want to put pressure on you, so from now on I’ll leave it up to you to get in touch with me. That’s if you decide you want to.’ Turning, he began to walk back down the street.
Lola watched him go, a lump forming in her throat. What a night, what a thing to happen out of the blue. Tucking the rabbit’s head under one furry arm, she delved into her bag for her front door key.
Nick James was about to turn the corner when she cleared her throat and called out, ‘Um… Nick? I will be in touch.’
He paused, turned to face her and raised a hand in acknowledgement. ‘I hope so.’
Chapter 19
At four o’clock the following afternoon the taxi pulled into Radley Road. Gabe said, ‘It’s the blue and white house up there on the left.’
OK, he was back.
When the cab had disappeared he hauled his luggage up the steps and let himself in through the front door. Leaving the cases in the hall, he made his way upstairs. Then, bracing himself, he knocked on Lola’s door.
So much for bracing. No reply.
Well, it wasn’t as if she was expecting him. As far as Lola was concerned he was still on the other side of the world.
Gabe went downstairs and fetched his cases, piling them up outside Lola’s. Then he crossed the landing and knocked on the door of his own flat.
The girl was out too. He knocked again to make extra sure. OK, it was his property and he had a right to enter it. Plus, drinking far too much water earlier meant he could do with using the loo. Exhausted after the flight and irrationally annoyed by the lack of welcome, Gabe twiddled the keying around until he located the right key.
He fitted it into the lock, twisted it to the left and pushed open the door.
Jesus Christ, the place had been burgled. Stepping back in horror, Gabe surveyed the scene of devastation. Except if burglars had been here, wouldn�
��t they have made off with that flat-screen TV? Or the expensive DVD recorder? Or that pile of money over there on the floor next to the plate of spaghetti bolognese?
What the bloody hell was this? Gabe ventured further into the living room, treading a careful path between abandoned clothes, CDs, magazines, opened packets of biscuits, and half-full coffee mugs. Did the girl have some kind of stalker ex-boyfriend who’d been round to the house and trashed it?
But he knew that wasn’t right either. The mess and devastation wasn’t… vindictive, somehow. It was too casual to have been done in anger. Squeezing his eyes tight shut then opening them again, Gabe realized with a sinking heart what kind of a tenant had moved into his home. He investigated the rest of the flat and had his worst fears confirmed. The kitchen was beyond belief. The bedroom looked as if it had been ransacked. The bathroom resembled a small branch of Boots that had been caught in a hurricane. There was a packet of smoky bacon crisps in the sink. The bath brimmed with water that was emerald green and stone cold. There were at least six damp towels on the floor.
He’d been away for four days.
His beautiful flat, his pride and joy. The muscles in Gabe’s temples went into spasm and his head began to ache. As if he didn’t have enough to deal with right now.
Oh well, the sooner the girl was out of here, the better. Maybe it was just as well he’d come back.
That was when he heard the bang of the front door downstairs, followed by the sound of footsteps on the staircase. Was it Lola or the new girl, the Queen of Trash?
Gabe left the flat, closed the door behind him and waited on the landing to see which one of them it—
‘Aaaarrrggh!’ Lola let out a shriek of fright and almost lost her footing on the stairs. One hand grabbed the banister while the other covered her mouth.
‘No, I’m not a ghost,’ said Gabe. ‘It’s really me.’
Lola was clasping her chest now. ‘But you’re… you’re… what’s going on?’
‘Didn’t work out.’ He loved Lola to death but still hated having to tell her, to admit he’d failed.
Her mouth dropped open. ‘You changed your mind?’
‘No.’ Gabe briefly shook his head. ‘She changed hers.’
Lola threw herself at him, knocking the air from his lungs. Whoosh, she was in his arms babbling, ‘You mean you’re back? Oh my God, that’s fantastic! Is Jaydena completely mad? I can’t believe it, I thought I was hallucinating! What a cow!’
This was why he loved Lola. ‘I think so too. She got back together with an ex.’
‘Oh well, her loss.’ Lola gave him another rib-crushing squeeze. ‘Come in and tell me all about it. Shall we leave your stuff out here? My God, you went all that way for nothing! Will you be able to get your job back? Where on earth are you going to live?’
‘What are you talking about?’ Following Lola, Gabe said, ‘I’m back. I’ll be living here, of course.’
‘You mean in Sally’s flat?’
‘For crying out loud, it’s not her flat! It’s mine! I’ll explain to her that I need it now, give her a week’s notice. And I’ve just been in there,’ he said incredulously. ‘Have you seen the state of the place?’
‘She’s not terribly tidy.’ Hastily, since she was the one responsible for Sally moving in, Lola added, ‘Very nice though.’
‘Not terribly tidy? That’s like saying the Beckhams aren’t terribly thrifty. She only moved in four days ago—imagine what it’d look like after four months! No,’ Gabe shook his head, ‘she has to go. As for a job, I’ve no idea. I haven’t even thought about that yet. The last week hasn’t exactly gone according to plan.’ He took the can of lager Lola was offering him and pinged off the ring pull.
‘No wonder you’re a bit grumpy,’ Lola said sympathetically.
‘I’m not a bit grumpy. I went to Australia, I came back again and I didn’t even have time to get a suntan.’ Exasperated, Gabe glugged down ice-cold lager before wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. ‘Dammit, I’m pissed off.’
‘OK, you choose. Now, do you want to carry on talking about Australia or shall we change the subject?’
He surveyed Lola, who was evidently dying to unleash some gossip. Nodding in realization he said, ‘Right, of course, you’ve seen that guy again. Doug, isn’t it? Has he forgiven you yet?’
Lola’s face fell at the mention of her first love. ‘Not even slightly.’ Then she brightened. ‘But something else has happened. I’ve met another man.’
‘And to think they call you fickle.’ Gabe regarded her with affection, because it wasn’t her fault his own life was crap. ‘Go on then. Who is he?’
‘Actually,’ Lola grimaced, ‘this is the weird bit. He’s my father.’
***
At seven o’clock they heard the front door open and close, then the sound of someone climbing the stairs.
‘Here’s Sally.’ Lola stayed sitting, clearly not looking forward to the next bit.
‘Right, I’ll speak to her. The sooner this is sorted out, the better.’ Gabe rose to his feet, ready to do battle with the bag lady who’d wrecked his flat.
‘The thing is, she—’
‘Don’t worry, I know she’s Doug’s deranged sister, I won’t yell at her.’ Ha, much.
‘But—’
‘I shall be charm personified,’ said Gabe, opening the door.
Except the girl he came face to face with on the landing was no bag lady. This girl was tall and curvaceous in a red wraparound dress and an elegant cream coat. Her hair was baby-blond and swingy, her eyes were the color of chestnuts, accentuated by expertly applied eyeliner. Her mouth was curvy and painted red to match her dress. She was even wearing Jo Malone’s Lime, Basil, and Mandarin, which was Gabe’s all-time favorite perfume.
This couldn’t be the girl he’d spoken to on the phone last week, surely.
‘Hello!’ She smiled cheerily at Gabe and, key poised, headed for the door of his flat.
It just couldn’t.
Gabe cleared his throat. ‘Are you Sally?’
She stopped, turned. ‘Yes! And you must be a friend of Lola’s.’ Her eyes sparkling, she indicated the mountain of luggage and said jokily, ‘Are you moving in?’
‘I’m Gabe Adams.’ God, it was her.
‘Gabe?’ Sally looked puzzled. ‘But that’s the name of the one who moved to Australia.’
‘I didn’t move to Australia, I went to Australia. But things didn’t work out,’ Gabe said evenly, ‘so now I’m back. Look, I realize this is inconvenient for you, but I’ll help you pack up your stuff. And if you could be out by the end of the week, that’d be great.’
She stared at him. ‘Excuse me?’
How could any girl who lived in such abject squalor look like this? How was it physically possible? ‘Well, you’ll be moving back in with your mother.’ Ha, lucky old her. ‘I’ll even hire a van if you like.’ Gabe felt he was being more than generous; with all the stuff she’d strewn around his flat he’d need a forklift. ‘And we can do it any time this week, whenever suits you best.’
‘I don’t understand,’ said Sally. ‘I’m not going anywhere.’
‘But you have to. Because it’s my flat and I need it back.’
Her eyebrows furrowed. ‘And I’m saying you can’t have it back because the agreement was that I could live here for a year at least.’
‘OK, OK.’ Gabe heaved a sigh; it had always been on the cards that she might dig her heels in, decide to be difficult. ‘I’m giving you official notice as of today. That’s in the contract. You have one month to find somewhere else. God knows where I’m going to stay until then, but—’
‘Hang on,’ Sally interrupted. ‘What contract?’
‘The one you signed with the lettings agency.’
‘I haven’t
signed any contract,’ said Sally.
Behind him, Gabe heard Lola’s door click open. He turned and said evenly, ‘What’s going on here? Why didn’t she sign the contract?’
Lola could feel her heart clattering away in overdrive. She’d been hiding behind the door listening to their heated exchange. Now it was time to face the music. Uncurling her clenched toes, she took a deep breath and said reluctantly, ‘I cancelled the agency.’
‘Why?’
Oh God, Gabe had been dumped by his girlfriend, he’d just arrived back from Australia, and he was suffering from jet lag on top of jet lag. All in all, he wasn’t in the sunniest of moods.
‘OK, the thing is, I was trying to help.’ When she went on the defensive, Lola knew she used her hands a lot; now they were going like a pair of wind turbines in overdrive. ‘And you told me yourself that the lettings agency charges a fortune, so when Sally came along I thought I could save you a heap of money, which I thought you’d be happy about. Because I knew we could trust Sally, she obviously wasn’t going to be giving you any trouble with the rent, so it made sense to just, you know, deal with her direct and cut out the middleman. She gave me the deposit and the first month’s rent in cash and I paid them into your account.’
‘No problem, I’ll give it straight back,’ Gabe retorted.
‘This isn’t fair.’ Sally’s tone was heated. ‘You’re being completely unreasonable.’
‘Me?’ Gabe jabbed at his own chest and yelled, ‘I’m being completely unreasonable? What about the state of my flat? Would you say the carnage you’ve reduced it to is reasonable?’
Sally stared at him. ‘How do you know what I’ve done to it?’
‘Because I went in and had a look!’
She gasped. ‘You can’t just let yourself in whenever you like.’
