Her Moment in the Spotlight

by Nina Harrington

  Look at the muddle I have got myself into now, Mum.

  The only reply was from the steady ticking of the old wind-up clock against the silence of the morning. Rhythmical and consistent, in tune with the beat of her heart. Bird song filtered in from the other side of the glass and faint rays of morning sunshine crept over the trees and brought hope and energy to the space. And to her spirit.

  She could do this. She could dress and eat breakfast as though this was just a normal Sunday morning. Then she would start work on the project she had thrashed out, one step at a time, just as Hal had suggested. Same as normal.

  Except for the fact that things were very far from normal.

  Starting with the fact that Hal Langdon might be sleeping a few feet below her at that very minute.

  Sniffing away her anxiety, Mimi blinked again and ruffled through the papers to find her list of things to do for the day.

  It wasn’t there, because she had left it on her desk in the studio late last evening after she had printed out the draft version of the catalogue Poppy had sent her for the show.

  Drat! The printers needed the catalogue by Tuesday at the latest and there was still work to do, even without the shots of her evening dresses. She would have to go and find it.

  Mimi stretched up her head and found that by drawing the curtain slightly to one side she could actually see most of the patio from where she was sitting. There was no sign of movement or Hal.

  In which case there would be no harm in her peeping inside the studio. It was hardly likely that Hal would be awake and moving out of Poppy’s apartment before 7:00 a.m. on a Sunday morning. He would never know that she had been there. But she had better do it fast before he woke up. In fact, she had better do it now, even if she was still in her pyjamas.

  The patio stones were cool under her bare feet as Mimi skipped down the stairs from her apartment and stepped out to cross over to the studio.

  Mimi quickly looked from side to side to make sure that nobody was watching, and then scolded herself for being so foolish. This was her house!

  Nevertheless she did mince slowly up towards the patio doors and gave a gentle cough before slowly opening the doors and peeking inside. No movement.

  Feeling braver, she stepped inside the workshop then stopped still. The découpage screen had been pulled away and she could see inside Hal’s short-term bedroom—if she wanted.

  She wanted.

  Curiosity won. The area was not as messy as she had feared. On top of the single mattress was a well-used sleeping bag. A large rucksack was stuffed into the far corner next to the bed, under a small portable picnic table just large enough for a travel alarm-clock, laptop computer, a notebook and pens. Hal’s camera bag was on the floor on the other side of the bed, with his shoes, jeans, biker jacket and his watch and mobile phone. And a very familiar metal crutch.

  Oh, no. He was here!

  At the same instant Mimi heard a low chuckle behind her back and whipped around.

  There, leaning against the door to the tiny bathroom, was Hal Langdon, wearing an amused expression on his face.

  That was just about all he was wearing.

  A pair of black boxer shorts hung from his hips in a casual, lopsided style.

  He had crossed one sturdy muscular leg across the other, highlighting his sinewy calves, slim ankles and long brown toes. She decided to ignore the black big-toe nail and the scratches and scrapes which ran up the side of one leg as though he had fallen from a motorcycle or been dragged down a rock face.

  That must have hurt!

  His other leg looked thinner with white thread-marks crawling up from the inflatable boot which encased his lower left-leg.

  She ignored these because the focus of her attention was higher up as Hal began to pull a black cotton T-shirt over his head, and she stared quite brazenly at his remarkable broad, powerful chest.

  It was only a few seconds. But they were quite memorable seconds.

  She knew that Poppy was in her late twenties so Hal could not be more than early thirties but every one of those years was evident in that body. Scars and more scrape-marks picked out one side of his ribs. His firm, tight abdominals ended in a sharp V on his hips.

  If Hal Langdon ever fancied a change of direction to become a swimwear model, he would have no shortage of offers—even with the scars.

  She was looking at an athlete who was totally relaxed in his own skin, unafraid, and unaware of how very, very masculine and attractive he truly was.

  It made her feel totally inadequate.

  Men like Hal Langdon were not frightened of water or the huge spiders that lived in her bath.

  She was almost disappointed when Hal tugged his T-shirt down over his chest. Just knowing that his body looked like that under his clothing was going to have to be enough to keep her going for the rest of the day.

  ‘Morning,’ he yawned with one hand over his mouth. ‘Hope I didn’t wake you.’

  ‘Not at all,’ she managed to say, pretending to be casual and matter-of-fact, as though she spoke to Adonis-handsome men with ‘run your fingers through me, please’ bed hair every morning of the week. ‘In fact, I didn’t hear you at all during the night. Were you very late?’

  The answer was a quick snort. ‘Make that very early. You will be pleased to know that I managed to talk Poppy’s flatmates into modelling those last two evening dresses today, but I had to wait until three this morning to do it. I gave up trying to sleep at that point and headed over here instead.’

  Mimi’s eyes widened. ‘That’s great, but do you mean you have only just got here? Aren’t you exhausted?’

  Hal grinned. ‘A lack of sleep and clubbing friends are not the best combination, but there are compensations.’

  Mimi looked at him quizzically. ‘Compensations?’

  ‘Well, it is not every day that I have the opportunity to see the lovely Mimi Ryan in her pyjamas, and it looks like straight from her bed—which is a good thing! And, by the way, any time you would like a personal tour of my bedroom behind that screen all you have to do is ask.’ And he gave Mimi a small wink and twitch of his lips, then seemed to delight in hearing her squeal and scamper away to get dressed.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  ‘I STILL can’t believe that you persuaded Lola to braid pink ribbons in her hair. She looked fantastic against that Chinese hand-painted wallpaper.’

  ‘Not pink,’ Mimi teased as Hal pointed to the computer monitor. ‘They call it nude these days. I made the ribbons using the same fabric as the dress, and once I explained the Edwardian-aristocrat effect I was looking for she was a total professional. She even let Fifi make a little bow at the side. Here; you can just see it at the nape of Lola’s neck when her hair was up.’

  Mimi huddled next to Hal and stared in delight at the screen as he skipped from digital photograph to photograph of Lola and Fifi taken at the photo shoot earlier that evening.

  ‘You know, I have never seen these rooms in the hotel before,’ Mimi added. ‘Poppy and I only went to the main ballroom and that was weeks ago. Look at those paintings and rich textiles! They are so elegant. It was a wonderful location—and just perfect for these two dresses. It was a great choice. Thanks, Hal.’

  ‘Ah,’ he snorted. ‘Progress; you seem to like my work. I take this as a positive step.’

  ‘Oh, you can use a camera, I’ll give you that. The real problem is choosing which shot to use for the catalogue. It is so difficult. Wait—can I see that one?’ Mimi rested her hand on Hal’s arm for a fleeting moment and nodded to the screen.

  Hal had captured a stunning full-length image of Lola from across the room as she gazed out of the casement window onto the busy London street. The sideways view displayed the cut of the dress, and the way the light caught the crystals and diamanté on the bodice was amazing. ‘That is wonderful. That’s it. That’s the nude-pink evening-gown cover. Oh, that is so gorgeous.’

  Hal lifted his right hand and blew on his fingertips a couple of ti
mes before selecting the shot and pasting it onto the cover of the catalogue.

  ‘I live to please. Glad that you like it.’

  ‘Oh, you already know it’s a brilliant shot,’ Mimi hissed with a shake of her head. ‘I heard you moving poor Lola an inch that way, and then the other way, so that the light was perfect. You’ve done this before, so you can stop being so modest. Poppy told me that you specialised in outdoor-action work; I hadn’t expected you to love doing portraits, that’s all.’

  Hal shuffled on the chair as he transferred the image into the brochure and loaded another memory card into the computer. ‘When I left university that was all I did for a while. I needed to earn enough money to fund my mountaineering trips, so my university pal Tom Harris begged and pleaded with his family until they finally relented and gave me a job in the family portrait studio.’

  He turned his head to Mimi and grinned at her before going on. ‘We used to come back from a climbing trip first thing Monday morning and go straight into the studio. I think some of the mothers were a little shocked to see a scratched and unshaven, grubby student taking photographs of their bouncing babies but the kids seemed to like us. We did well and I actually enjoyed it after a while.’

  ‘Why? What did you like about it?’ Mimi asked, fascinated by this glimpse into Hal’s past.

  ‘The people,’ he answered without hesitation. ‘Everyone has a camera these days, so when you go to a studio it is usually for some special occasion or important event. It was great fun.’

  Mimi’s eyebrows rose. ‘You did weddings, didn’t you?’

  Hal threw back his head and laughed from deep in his belly.

  ‘No. Tom and his dad did the wedding photography. It was great work. Although…’ The smile dropped from Hal’s face and he pressed his lips together before giving her a wry smile.

  ‘When Tom asked me if I would take the photographs on his wedding day, I said no.’

  Mimi gasped. ‘Why?’

  ‘I was going to be his best man. That was more than enough responsibility for me to handle on the day. Tom’s dad was thrilled to take the job. It would have been a great day.’

  Hal gestured towards the screen. ‘But enough of that. Let’s get back to Fifi. Powder-blue dress with those dangly things I always forget the name of. How about this one in front of the marble fireplace? It has to be a hit.’

  ‘Bugle beads. Do you miss him—your friend Tom?’

  She gazed into his face and waited patiently until he was ready to talk.

  ‘Every day,’ he replied, and then slowly turned to face her. ‘Tom was not just a friend, he was more like the brother I never had. It doesn’t get any easier, does it?’

  ‘No. It doesn’t get easier. I suppose you just get better at coping with the loss. And that is the best you can do. Take one day at a time and do the best you can.’

  ‘Perhaps that’s why we get on so well, you and I. We’ve both lost someone close to us in the last year. Maybe that is why we are clinging onto this charity show like a lifebelt, hoping that it will carry us out of the choppy waters. Maybe we should stick together and see where the current takes us. Together?’

  The silence between them crackled with electricity. Mimi’s heart rate soared as Hal’s eyes stayed locked onto hers.

  She was not going to speak. She could not. Dared not.

  But, without hesitating or thinking through her actions, Mimi reached out and wrapped her fingers around the back of Hal’s hand just long enough for her to give it a gentle squeeze of comfort and support. Hal had asked her a question she could not find the words to answer. It seemed only right that she should reply with the most personal gift she could give him—her touch.

  What she did not expect was that the intensity of that simple touch was so great he could have kissed her then and she would not have known the difference.

  It was almost a relief to hear the telltale ringing of her mobile phone in her pocket. Very few people knew the number and she glanced quickly at the caller identity before sliding her hand away from Hal’s and flicking the phone open. She felt the connection break the moment their skin ceased to be in contact, and it took a second for her to recognise that the person on the other end of the telephone was the conference organiser at the Grand Hotel where they were having the show.

  ‘Oh, thank goodness.’ A very relieved voice came down the phone. ‘I am so sorry to disturb you so late in the evening, Miss Ryan, but I have been trying to get in touch with Poppy Langdon and she is not answering her phone.’

  Mimi frowned at the tension in the normally terribly cool-and-collected voice and held the phone a little tighter, aware that Hal had not moved one inch and was still staring at her with that intense glare that made her squirm. ‘Not a problem, but could I possibly call you back? I am right in the middle of a conversation and—’

  ‘Oh, no, Miss Ryan. You don’t understand; I have the most terrible news. There was a fire in the ballroom this evening. Our new smoke detectors were still being installed and the room was badly damaged before anyone knew what was going on. The ballroom is ruined. First from the fire then flooded with water from the fire hoses. It is going to take months to repair and we were lucky to save the rest of the hotel! Please accept my apologies but the ballroom is closed and we don’t have another space to offer you. I am so sorry; we cannot hold your show at our hotel.’

  ‘What? Say that again. No, wait.’

  Mimi’s left hand pressed hard against her heart, her fingers splayed out as if to hold down the fierce beat that was threatening to overwhelm her, just long enough to ask the question she was already dreading. Swallowing down her fear, she half-whispered, ‘Are you telling me that the hotel is closed? That we can’t use your ballroom for our fashion show?’

  ‘All the furniture and fine decoration in the ballroom was completely burnt in the fire before the fire service arrived. I am so sorry, but there is nothing left. Nothing at all. Miss Ryan? Are you still there…?’

  Everything became a blur and the room started spinning.

  She had some vague impression that Hal was talking on her phone, but suddenly Mimi felt the need to collapse into a chair at the nearest work table and drop her head low between her knees. She breathed slowly in and out into a small brown-paper envelope she snatched from the table.

  ‘Mimi? You okay?’ Hal asked from somewhere vaguely above her head.

  She shook her head once from side to side without looking up, then breathed deeper and faster into the envelope as the dizziness came back as she moved her head.

  A hand touched her shoulder as Hal whispered, ‘Cold water coming up. Be right back.’

  Mimi took another breath and tried to calm her thumping heart, which was so loud inside her head she thought her brain would explode.

  The bottom fell out of her stomach. She couldn’t believe it.

  Stupid! Stupid! Stupid girl for building up all of her hopes, dreams and ambition into one single fashion show! All she had wanted was those few precious hours when she could show what she was capable of. She had enjoyed today so much it had been like a happy dream. She should have known that a nightmare was only just around the corner.

  She could cry.

  A glass of water appeared on the floor in front of her as Hal bent down until he was at her level.

  ‘Try this. Small sips.’

  Mimi nodded in thanks and slowly swallowed down the cool liquid, pressing the dewy glass against her forehead for a few minutes until she was ready to sit up a little.

  Hal was leaning against the other table, arms folded, simply watching her and still wearing his serious face.

  ‘Better?’

  Mimi licked her lips and took another sip before she was ready to reply. ‘No.’ She raised her head just high enough so that she could look at his face without throwing up. ‘Well, that’s it: no hotel. No show. It’s over, Hal…’ Her voice faded away to almost nothing, and she closed her eyes as she repeated, ‘You might as well go home and forg
et the whole thing. Refund everyone who has bought tickets and tell them that the event is cancelled.’

  ‘Who said anything about the show being cancelled?’ Hal asked in a surprised voice. ‘You may have noticed that there’s more than one hotel in London. There are other venues and it’s my job to track one down.’

  Mimi tried to smile but her eyes refused to cooperate. ‘Not with less than a week to go. All of the top locations are booked months if not years in advance. You will never be able to find a replacement venue at this short notice. And I am so very tired.

  ‘No,’ she whispered in a throat choked with bitter disappointment. ‘Please do not give me false hopes. I would rather accept that the show is not going to happen this week and start thinking about a replacement. Perhaps in the winter; could we do that? Reschedule for later in the year? That gives us time to find the perfect location.’

  To her astonishment, Hal shuffled over to her seat without his crutch and sat down next to her.

  ‘We could do that, but for me that is second best. Langdon Events is responsible for finding a replacement location for the show. And that means me. Yes, I am disappointed too, but I will do my very best to find somewhere in this city for next Saturday.’

  He took her hand in his and raised it to his lips so that he could kiss her knuckles and press her hand to his chest. ‘The show will go on, Mimi. You can trust me on that.’

  ‘I believe you will try your best, Hal. I really do. But I feel so powerless to help and I hate that. I am sorry, but I don’t think I can cope with this news right now.’

  ‘I know,’ he replied with a smile, and flicked the hair back from her eyes. ‘Why not have an early night? It’s been an exhausting day for both of us. We can go through some of the options in the morning. Okay? Okay. Goodnight; try and get some sleep.’

  Hal collapsed down into the patio chair and watched Mimi walk away from him across the patio and up the circular, winding staircase to her apartment. She was dragging her feet as though they were made of iron, and her head was down. After the wonderful day they had spent together, she looked defeated and deflated, a mere shadow of the woman he had come to care about.