‘And you’re a control freak, so you couldn’t bear it.’
‘There’s that too.’
Madeleine grinned. ‘I wouldn’t have you any other way. So where do we start?’
‘With coffee,’ said Liv, getting to her feet, ‘and I don’t mean from the plunger in the staffroom. It has to be espresso today.’
‘So tell me about your trip,’ Madeleine said as they walked around to the elevator.
‘You know Cameron, he’s a publicist’s dream. Every venue was at capacity, and he owned them all. The only issue is that his sessions always run so late because of the long queues for book signings, and the fact that the darling boy has to talk to every single person in the queue for as long as they feel inclined, let them take pictures, hold their babies . . .’
‘The fans do love him,’ said Madeleine.
‘I just wish they would love him a bit less after, say, 10 pm.’
The ping sounded and the doors slid open. As they stepped into the elevator Liv grabbed Madeleine by the arm. ‘So how’s the best man? Tell me all the goss. Is he as gorgeous in the flesh?’
‘Oh, way more,’ said Madeleine.
‘And tall? He seemed tall, but a lot of the pictures were with children or Asian people, so it’s hard to tell.’
‘That’s racist, you know.’
‘It’s not racist to identify people by their . . . their race,’ Liv defended herself, but then saw that Madeleine was smiling. ‘Okay, you’re goading me, and I took the bait. Congratulations. Now can we go back to the case of the best man? Gorgeous – tick. Tall?’
‘Yep,’ Madeleine confirmed. ‘And funny and gregarious and wonderful company. He’s so different to Henry.’
‘Oh, poor Henry!’
Madeleine winced. ‘I didn’t mean it to come out like that. Actually, I saw a whole other side of Henry around Aiden, they had a lot of little in-jokes. It was nice. But they’re very different – it made me wonder how they ever became friends in the first place. Whereas Aiden and I, well, we clicked right away. It was like we’d known each other forever.’
‘Makes sense,’ said Liv. ‘If Aiden’s nothing like Henry, and you and Henry are chalk and cheese as well, then that means you and Aiden must be more alike. That’s why you got on so well. It’s simple mathematics. Or maybe it’s chemistry?’
The elevator arrived at the ground floor and they walked out across the lobby to the coffee shop. There was a queue; there was always a queue at this place. Coffee was the new cigarette break.
Liv glanced at Madeleine, who was frowning. ‘What’s furrowing your brow, girlie?’
‘You think Henry and I are like chalk and cheese?’ Madeleine said.
‘This is the first time it’s occurring to you?’
‘No, of course not. I just didn’t realise it was that obvious. Even Aiden said I was nothing like what he expected, Henry and I so different.’
Liv shrugged. ‘Aren’t you always the one saying opposites attract? Take it from me, if you’re too much alike, it’s a disaster waiting to happen. Case in point, my erstwhile husband. Rick and I were very alike on the surface, but it was all surface. We were both party people way back, it was all fun, fun, fun, until it wasn’t. He didn’t have the staying power when things got real. But your boy Henry is husband material. Aiden’s type is all about the fun.’
‘Well, that’s the thing, he’s not only about the fun,’ said Madeleine. ‘He’s also hard at work saving the third world.’
Liv arched an eyebrow. ‘Someone’s got a little crush.’
Madeleine looked flustered. ‘Just because you admire a person who happens to be of the opposite sex –’
‘Save the speech, I’m only teasing,’ Liv assured her with a wink.
They made it to the front of the queue and gave their orders, before stepping aside to wait.
‘Anyway,’ Liv resumed, ‘I’m glad you had a good time. I got stuck with Rick for the night.’
‘For the night!’
‘Not overnight – God forbid,’ said Liv. ‘No, he brought the boys home from school even though it wasn’t on the schedule. And he’d already promised them pizza, so he suggested we have some “family time”.’ She shook her head. ‘I have a sneaking suspicion something’s going on.’
Madeleine blinked. ‘Like what?’
‘Well, last time he started hanging around and getting all sentimental, he ended up breaking up with Bree, remember? And he did the same thing after Amber.’
‘You think he’s breaking up with . . . what’s the latest one’s name again?’
‘Carly.’
Madeleine pulled a face. ‘Is he making his way through the alphabet or something?’
‘Probably.’ Liv sighed. ‘I don’t know what to think. But I certainly didn’t appreciate him gatecrashing my first night back with the boys. You know, there’s a reason people get divorced, and it’s not so they can hang out together afterwards. If you liked each other’s company that much, you wouldn’t get divorced in the first place.’
‘Good point,’ said Madeleine. ‘So even after all this time, you reckon Rick thinks he has a chance to get back with you?’
‘I think if he and Carly are on the rocks, he’s probably just hedging his bets. He couldn’t go five minutes on his own, it’s pathetic. People talk of being brave and putting yourself out there, but most men run from one woman’s skirts to the next. They’re not brave, they’re just petrified of being alone and not having someone to look after them.’ As she was speaking, it suddenly occurred to Liv that that was probably the case with David from the plane. ‘Like, I got talking to this guy on the plane home –’
Madeleine’s head shot up. ‘Did you?’
‘You can lower your eyebrows, and the pitch of your voice,’ Liv said dryly. ‘And probably your expectations as well. We just talked, but he gave me this line about taking risks and not having regrets.’ She snorted. ‘Bet you any money he’s freshly divorced.’
‘But what was he like?’
Liv turned to look at her directly. ‘Have you been listening to anything I’ve said?’
‘Yes, but no need to cut off your nose to spite your face,’ said Madeleine. ‘You might be judging him unfairly, he could be –’
‘Don’t you dare say it.’
‘You don’t know what I was going to say.’
‘“He could be the love of your life, the best thing that ever happened to you.”’
‘I was going to say he could be a nice companion for going to the movies or having a cup of coffee with. Jeez!’ Madeleine shook her head. ‘So I assume there was no exchanging of phone numbers, or anything promising?’
Liv hesitated. ‘He gave me his number.’
‘Great. What are you going to do about it?’
‘I threw it out.’
‘Why did you do that?’
‘Because I have no intention of using it.’
Madeleine was agog. ‘But surely it couldn’t hurt to give him a call.’
‘Oh, but surely it could.’
Madeleine’s face softened. ‘Is that why, you’re afraid of being hurt?’
Liv rolled her eyes. ‘I didn’t mean it like that. I meant hurt in the sense of . . . spoil, wreck, ruin. I like my life. I don’t need the complication right now. You know how I feel about it, I’m just like –’
‘Yeah, yeah, Jennifer Aniston,’ said Madeleine. ‘Only you’re not. She got engaged.’
Liv’s mouth dropped open. ‘What? When did that happen?’
‘I’m not exactly sure – she hasn’t accepted my Facebook friend request, so I didn’t see her status update.’
‘Shut up,’ said Liv. ‘Who’s the guy?’
‘He’s an actor, but I didn’t know him, he’s not famous.’
‘See the kind of pressure she was under?’ Liv pointed out. ‘Now she’s ended up with some nobody to keep everyone off her back.’
‘Or maybe she fell in love?’
‘Pfft.’
The barista caught Liv’s eye and beckoned them over. They collected their coffees from the counter and made their way back to the elevators. Madeleine sipped hers and sighed with relief. ‘God, I needed that.’
‘Oh?’ Liv said, watching her.
‘Hm, it was a bit of a late one last night.’ She glanced sideways at Liv. ‘I’m feeling a touch fragile.’
Liv wondered what she meant by fragile, but she didn’t know how to ask without sounding suspicious, even judgemental. It was none of her business; although, on some level, it was entirely her business. Madeleine didn’t drink much these days – she had cut down substantially after she met Henry, and since he’d moved out to Australia she barely touched the stuff. Which was just as well. Henry had saved Madeleine’s skin, and certainly her job. She was heading for her first official warning before the writers’ festival that year. Liv had tried to warn her, unofficially, as a friend, but it didn’t seem to get through. That was the problem with being friends with your subordinates. Liv hated that word, she disliked any kind of hierarchy, but like it or not, she was the boss, and she had obligations to her employer to act like one. Finally Jane had weighed in; she had no such compunctions about doing what needed to be done, and she didn’t want Madeleine anywhere near the festival. Liv worried that would only make Mad sink further into the rut she was in, and while she was well aware the workplace wasn’t a treatment centre, she felt she just had to find a way to help her prove herself again. Somehow Liv managed to convince Jane to let Madeleine look after Henry Darrow. It was a risk, but a calculated one. All of Henry’s sessions were in the morning, which would keep Madeleine on her toes, and Liv had got the heads-up from his publisher in New York that he was definitely not a party person.
‘If she screws this up it’ll be on your head, Liv,’ Jane had warned.
‘Don’t worry, she won’t.’
Liv would make sure of it. She checked in on them whenever she could manage it, even if it was just poking her head into the venue to see that Henry was where he was supposed to be and that everything seemed to be in order. It all worked out, but of course Liv could never have guessed just how well.
Henry Darrow was a genuinely decent man. He was a little on the quiet side, but he was always polite, he had that old-school, gentlemanly way about him. But what struck Liv more than anything was the way he looked at Madeleine. He clearly adored her, and it tugged at Liv’s heartstrings in a bittersweet way – what woman wouldn’t want a man to look at her like that? Since they’d got together, Madeleine had blossomed; she was a different person. Actually, that wasn’t quite true – she wasn’t different, she was more herself, the young woman who had so impressed Liv as a temp: hardworking, enthusiastic, bright as a button. She had totally earned her subsequent rise in the ranks of the publicity department, and Liv didn’t want to see her doing anything to jeopardise that again.
When they got back to the office, the rest of the staff had arrived for the day, and Liv called them to attention.
‘Oh, hey Liv,’ said Ren. ‘You’re back?’
‘Hey Liv.’
‘Hi Liv.’
‘Welcome back.’
That was her marching band.
‘Huddle around, everyone,’ she announced, striding into the middle of the space. They didn’t have a meeting room – the only walls were around Liv’s office, and that was way too small to run a meeting – so they usually just wheeled their chairs into the centre.
‘What’s this about, boss?’ asked Ren.
‘Well, I’m going to leave that to Madeleine to explain. She was at the special meeting Jane called yesterday afternoon –’
‘Is this about our jobs?’ Sarah said, looking vaguely terrified. She was the last one employed, so Liv could understand her anxiety.
‘No, it’s not,’ she assured them quickly. ‘Mad, why don’t you go ahead.’
Madeleine joined Liv in the centre of the floor. ‘Okay, everyone, it’s like this – in the words of our esteemed leader, the erotica bubble has burst.’
She was met with the same kind of sniggering and innuendo that Jane had probably encountered at the meeting yesterday, Liv imagined. Madeleine waited until it died down and then went on to outline the specific issues for publicity. Liv found it very revealing to watch the way the staff took on news that would mean extra work. Over the years she had seen many people come and go; some just didn’t seem to get that at the end of the day, this was a bloody hard job. It wasn’t enough to be sociable and outgoing, as Madeleine had discovered to her peril. To really succeed, you needed to be smart, unflappable, have an exceptional head for details, and be tireless. Literally. As for some of the girls in the office, Liv was not so sure. Sarah and Katie were still quite young, but they did show an eagerness to learn. They were both furiously scribbling notes as Madeleine spoke. Ren brought her own inimitable style – that of smart alec – but there was a place for this, and she always maintained her professionalism. She was quick-witted and more than a match for some of the blokey authors – they liked her chutzpah, especially the sportsmen. Natalie presented very well: she revelled in the glamorous side of things, but she was sloppy with her admin and, in truth, just a little lazy.
‘So I need each of you to review your lists, and we’ll come up with a timeline so that we can work through this in chronological order,’ said Liv. ‘Then you need to pass on all the relevant press material to Madeleine for rewriting. Stacey, if you can keep everything else off Mad’s desk today . . . and Amy . . . Where is Amy?’
‘She called in sick,’ Stacey said. ‘She wasn’t well at all yesterday.’
Liv had no doubt it was genuine; Amy was a good kid. Fortunately for them, Stacey could handle the work of two assistants. ‘Okay, later in the day we’ll need to talk about how we’re going to deal with the authors, but for now it’s important to get that material to Madeleine as soon as possible.’
Natalie sighed. ‘I have a bookstore appearance at lunchtime,’ she said, as an excuse to get out of doing anything, Liv assumed.
‘Well,’ she said, ‘you’d best get right onto it then.’
Rewriting the press releases meant Madeleine had to reacquaint herself with the books in question and find other elements to highlight – the characters, for example, rather than what they got up to with each other.
This proved quite a challenge with a couple of the books – as Beth had pointed out in the original meeting, some only had a plot to string together the sex scenes. Madeleine had to wade through pages and pages of locked lips and limbs, and nipples, tongues and hips, and other bits besides, thrusting here, there and everywhere. She wasn’t immune to the stimuli, especially while her earlier tryst with Henry was still fresh in her mind. But after hours of it, she was beginning to feel a little queasy, like Emma had said at the meeting. It reminded her of when she worked part-time at McDonald’s during high school. Back then, employees were allowed to eat as much as they liked on their breaks. You could always tell the people who had just started – they gorged themselves stupid. And they rarely touched the stuff after that. Madeleine wondered if this was what had happened to the population at large in regard to erotica. Once it became so freely available, so mainstream, perhaps it lost the very thing that made it so appealing – its forbiddenness. No doubt there was already somebody somewhere writing an academic thesis on the phenomenon.
‘How’s it coming along?’ Liv asked, dropping by her desk in the afternoon.
‘I’m nearly cross-eyed,’ said Madeleine.
‘I thought it made you go blind, not cross-eyed.’
Madeleine gave her a look. ‘I’m not getting off on the stuff, I just never sit in front of a computer screen for so long at a stretch. But I’m getting there – I should be able to have most of it done by tonight.’
‘There’s no need to stay back late, Mad,’ said Liv. ‘Now that we’ve worked out a timeline, it doesn’t all have to be done at once.’
&nbs
p; ‘I’ve already said I’ll stay at the flat tonight, so I’m going to make the most of it,’ said Madeleine, suppressing a yawn. ‘Then I might be able to go home at a normal time tomorrow, which should keep Henry happy.’
‘Keep reading that stuff, and you’ll know exactly how to keep Henry happy,’ Liv winked.
Liv left for the day soon after. She would have liked to pick the boys up from school, but she really did need to stock the cupboards, so she texted them both to ask if they wanted to come shopping with her. The reply was a resounding no, as she’d expected, so Liv responded that she’d see them at home soon. With supplies. This made Lachie very happy. At least, she was pretty sure the string of incomprehensible words and symbols in his reply was an expression of happiness.
School knock-off hour wasn’t the ideal time to hit the shops, but it was better than going out again later, so Liv girded her loins and pushed the trolley through the turnstile into the vast supermarket. No matter that she’d just come from her job as head of department in a large company, for some reason Liv always felt out of her depth in supermarkets. She had no authority here, and she felt it. It seemed to her that mothers with small children ran the place, especially if they were wielding those monster prams. Liv didn’t recall being so pushy when the boys were babies. Then again, she didn’t go out with them very often, especially during the early months of tandem feeding and pumping. She used to wait until Rick was home and the boys were asleep and then duck out on her own to do the shopping, even though this invariably caused a major panic.
‘How am I supposed to take care of both of them?’ Rick would ask.
‘What, you mean like I do every day?’
‘You’ve got tits.’
‘Thanks for noticing.’
‘What do I do if they wake up at the same time?’
‘Give them both a bottle. There are two ready to go in the fridge.’
‘But Lachie’s on the breast.’
‘The milk in the bottles is breastmilk.’
‘But isn’t that for Dylan?’
Liv would sigh. ‘Stop worrying. I won’t be gone that long, you probably won’t even have to feed them.’
The Best Man Page 11
