Perfect Wives

by Emma Hannigan

  ‘Mac,’ she said, knowing she must be blushing.

  ‘How’s my girl? Love the outfit, by the way!’ he said, pulling her into his arms.

  Jodi noticed he still wore the same musky scent and still had the impish look that had melted her heart. Panic rose as she tried to remain in control.

  ‘Mac,’ Darius said curtly, appearing at Jodi’s side like her knight in shining armour.

  ‘Darius, the gorgeous Greek god who stole my one true love!’

  ‘Do you need to split, sweetie?’ Darius asked, looking into her eyes.

  ‘I’m fine for a few minutes,’ Jodi answered. She squeezed Darius’s hand to let him know she was really okay. She’d probably be shaking and crying her eyes out later, but she was sick of running from the hurt Mac had caused her.

  You’re a married woman with a son. He doesn’t know it’s all a sham. Stand your ground, Jodi.

  ‘I’ll just grab us a drink, then,’ Darius said, and bent to kiss her lips.

  ‘I’m fine, thanks,’ Mac said cheekily.

  ‘That’s a matter of opinion,’ Darius answered icily.

  ‘Your husband doesn’t like me much, does he?’ Mac remarked, with a smirk.

  ‘He has high standards.’

  ‘Ouch. Nasty, nasty, Jodi, darling.’

  ‘How’s life with you?’ she tried.

  ‘Ah, you know yourself,’ Mac leaned against the wall, unabashedly staring at every inch of her, ‘never the same since you left me high and dry.’

  ‘Oh, Mac, get over it. Time has well and truly marched on. Things change. We were kids, we had fun …’

  As his eyes narrowed, she felt he could see straight into her soul.

  Please, God, make him believe he doesn’t affect me. Don’t let him break me down.

  ‘We were so good together, Jodi. I’ve never met another girl like you. You know the reason, don’t you?’ He chewed the end of a drinking straw. ‘I gave you my heart and you never returned it.’

  ‘Mac, please, change the record, yeah?’ She didn’t trust herself to keep up the farce. After all this time he still made her ache inside. She still loved him. Sad but true.

  ‘But don’t you remember …’

  She walked away, trying not to run. Seeking Saul and Darius, she panicked and rushed to the Ladies. Slamming herself into the safety of a cubicle, she clunked her forehead against the cold wall.

  Yes, Mac, I remember it all. I spend my time trying to forget. I wish I’d never met you. I wish I’d never loved you.

  She’d resisted for as long as she could all those years ago. She’d known Mac was trouble. She’d known he would break her heart, but she’d fallen for him hook, line and sinker. ‘I have a pressie for you!’ Mac had winked and grinned mischievously. He’d dangled a silver key above her head.

  She’d looked up and tried to focus on the chain. ‘What’s that for?’ Her heart was beating like a drum.

  ‘It’s the keys to our new flat. We’re moving out of the kippy area of town, and into Chelsea!’ He’d picked her up and swung her around.

  ‘But the place we live now is dear enough. How are we going to afford it? The money from my next movie’ll be decent, but I need to look after Nana and Tommy. I can’t spend every last penny on rent,’ Jodi explained, above the din of the swish nightclub they were in.

  ‘Relax, baby, the world’s our oyster. Things are on the up and so are we,’ he’d said, kissing her mouth.

  Jodi had felt an overwhelming urge to put her hands over her ears and block out the world. It was too much too soon. ‘I can’t keep up, Mac. I can’t keep us all afloat. I’m at the bottom of the hill and we need to stay where we are for the moment, take it slowly,’ she pleaded.

  ‘It’s all taken care of. Don’t you worry your pretty little head about any of it,’ Mac said, scooping her up and spinning her around. ‘It’s on me! I’m hardly going to sign your name on the dotted line and expect you to pay up. It’s done, the first six months paid up front! We’re on the pig’s back, baby!’ Dropping her to the floor, he clapped to the rhythm of the music.

  Bounding onto the dance floor, he left Jodi standing alone. Usually she’d have been there with him, dancing and laughing, enjoying the feel of his arms around her. But none of this added up.

  Mac was a runner on set. He had the lowest-paid job with the least responsibility and would never be guaranteed work from one production to the next. Unless he had an in with the producer, he was no different from a thousand other lads.

  How was he signing for new apartments and paying rent up front?

  Jodi knew she should have voiced her fears immediately, but she’d learned never to look a gift horse in the mouth. She’d taken him home to meet Nana and Tommy, and both had adored him. That counted for a lot.

  ‘He’s a keeper, that lad. You’ve done well for yourself, Jodi love.’ Nana had beamed. ‘He’s not like them wasters that hang around our estate. All they think about is drinking cans and causing trouble. You’d do a lot worse than staying with Mac. He’s Irish too, which makes a difference. He knows the essence of who you are and understands where you come from. Your roots mightn’t be the prettiest but they’re what makes you yourself. I’m glad he’s got your back, love.’

  After that everything had happened in jig time. One minute she and Mac were living in a dingy flat with a broken cooker and no proper bathroom, the next they were hosting parties in a swish two-bedroom penthouse with a balcony the size of a small planet.

  ‘Look at those stars, baby,’ Mac said, as he held her tightly on the balcony one night. ‘You’re going to be the brightest one of all. This place is only the beginning. We’re going to rise right to the top.’

  On so many occasions Jodi had tried to sit him down for a grilling. She’d wanted to know how he’d managed to pay six months’ rent up front on a Chelsea address. But each time she’d broached the subject he’d convinced her he had it all under control. One evening as Mac had led yet another procession of party-goers into their apartment, Jodi had had enough.

  ‘Mac, I have to ask you a few questions. None of this shit adds up. Where are you getting the money for this lifestyle?’ she’d asked. ‘Please tell me you haven’t got yourself up to your neck in loans. I’m scared. I don’t want us to start off with a brick around our necks.’

  ‘Babe, trust me. It’s all taken care of, I told you.’ He’d kissed the top of her head and stroked her face. ‘I love you so much. You look so sexy when you’re worried.’

  ‘Mac, I don’t come from this stuff.’ She’d waved at the lavish furniture and the people swilling beer and champagne. ‘Talk to me, please!’

  He had taken her hands and sat her on the coffee table. Kneeling down, he had looked deep into her eyes. ‘I would never do anything to hurt you, Jodi. You’re the best thing that ever happened to me. I’ll come clean. The money came from my aunt. She died six months ago, just before we started going out. She was a spinster with no kids and I was like her surrogate son. She left me a house in Margate, which I didn’t want to take on, so I sold it. Hence the partying of late and the new gaff.’ He had stroked her hair lovingly.

  ‘Why didn’t you mention her before?’ Jodi wasn’t convinced.

  ‘I don’t talk about my family, and you’re hardly a fount of information about yours.’ Mac raised an eyebrow. ‘I’ve never pressed you about your mother but, believe me, I get it. You don’t want to talk about it. That’s fine by me,’ he said easily.

  ‘We don’t need to go backwards, babe. You’re going to be the most famous leading lady ever and I’m going to manage you. I have it all worked out. You and me against the world, what more do we need?’ He put his arms around Jodi and held her close.

  He had made her feel safe and special. Until the day she died, Jodi would never take that for granted, the sense that she was wanted, that she belonged, was cared for and, most of all, loved.

  The house move and Jodi’s next film had happened with lightning speed. But she still co
uldn’t look in the mirror and truly like what she saw. Deep down she was still the daughter of a dead addict, still the unloved child waiting without a friend at the back of the school dining hall for a teacher to remember she had no lunch.

  But Mac’s predictions had come true. All of the things he had promised and more. Jodi had finished one film, and before she could even contemplate what to do next, the phone was ringing.

  ‘Jodi?’

  ‘Speaking,’ she’d said fearfully.

  ‘Imelda Stone here. I’m doing the preliminary arrangements for Into the Sunset. Can you come down to the temporary site office immediately? We need to speak with you.’

  ‘Yes,’ Jodi answered, barely above a whisper.

  Imelda hung up and Jodi burst into tears.

  ‘Hey what’s up?’ Mac asked, full of concern.

  ‘I think they’re going to fire me, Mac. I’ve to go to the site office now. Your woman sounded really snotty.’

  ‘Ah, feck her.’ He waved a hand dismissively. ‘She’s probably being paid five pence to do a shit job and is taking her frustration out on you. Go and see what’s up.’

  A short while later as she sat outside the Portakabin office, she was riddled with self-doubt and had to force herself not to run away.

  The door was flung open. ‘Jodi, come in and sit down. I’m Imelda.’ She was a scraggy woman with dark, wiry hair and a cigarette hanging from her lips. ‘Coffee?’

  ‘Uh, no, thanks.’ Her voice cracked. Clearing her throat, she willed herself to stop being such a scaredy-cat.

  Imelda sauntered away from her, across the Portakabin, and Jodi turned towards the only desk in the dank room.

  She couldn’t believe she was face to face with Reggie Wilson, the world’s most successful movie producer. He’d logged six box-office smashes in the previous ten years, along with endless awards. Unremarkable to look at, he was squat and plain, with a shaved head, wire glasses and a bulbous nose. In jeans and a white T-shirt with a fitted jacket, he had a commanding presence.

  ‘Mr Wilson, I had no idea I was coming to meet you. I was just …’

  Stop stuttering like a deranged primate. Pull it together. This man doesn’t know I grew up on an estate where the pizza delivery van wouldn’t even go. Hold your head up high and act like your life depends on it.

  ‘Come and sit over here, kid,’ he said. ‘I don’t bite. Not unless you really piss me off!’ He guffawed.

  Now Jodi spotted his entourage, who were also stuffed into the cramped cabin. One man was pacing up and down, shouting to himself in a rather menacing manner. He swung towards her, and Jodi realised he had one of those headpieces on and was in fact on the phone.

  ‘Pull up a pew, if you can find one.’ Reggie exhaled loudly. ‘Can someone get me a strong coffee? And a chair for Miss Ludlum!’ he yelled. ‘Excuse our appearance, sweetheart. This is all a bit disorganised but by the end of the week we won’t be sitting in a dive like this and I won’t have to yell for coffee!’ he said, leaning back in the chair. ‘Ya want coffee, darlin’?’

  ‘No thanks, Mr Wilson. I’m fine.’ Jodi was terrified of him. ‘I don’t need a chair either. I can stand.’

  ‘Jeez, baby, stop with the Mr Wilson shit. Call me Reggie. You’re givin’ me a complex here. I’m trying to hang on to my youth and I don’t need you to act like I’m your granddaddy, for cryin’ out loud.’ He tipped his chair backwards, balancing on the two back legs, pointed at Jodi with his pen and gave a wheezy laugh. Realising she was supposed to join in, she giggled.

  ‘Miss Ludlum,’ Imelda said, and plonked a chair so close to the backs of Jodi’s legs that she fell into it.

  ‘Thanks,’ Jodi said, alarmed.

  ‘Okay.’ Reggie’s smile faded. ‘Here’s the deal. I like you. You’re fresh, new, and you look great on screen. I just saw the scenes you shot in your last movie. You’ve got star-quality, kid. I want you to be Carrie. She’s not the leading lady, but she’s a damn fine supporting role. Can you ride a horse?’ He clicked his pen against his teeth.

  ‘I’ve never tried.’ Jodi could barely speak. Reggie Wilson liked her! He wanted her to call him by his first name! He thought she could be a star!

  ‘Hey! You! Doll-face! Get this kid on to a horse this afternoon. She only needs to be able to do the close-up stuff – we can get a double to do distance work,’ he bellowed at Imelda, who began to punch numbers into a mobile phone. ‘Who’s your agent, kid?’

  ‘I don’t have one properly sorted yet. I was with a local woman in Dublin. She’s called Hazel. She got me my first part, but I don’t really have anyone here.’

  Jodi had expected Reggie to laugh or shout at her. But he had been astonishingly kind. Flicking his mobile phone open, he had made a series of calls.

  ‘Noelle! It’s Reggie. I’ve a kid here who’s gonna be the next big thing …’ Reggie boomed laughing. ‘You got it in one, lady. What I says goes … Yeah, I like that. Okay here’s the deal. You get your pretty ass down to me and we work out some figures. She’s fresh and impressionable and I don’t want some badass shark swallowing her whole. I’ve had enough of my good actresses end up in rehab. So this one needs to be looked after, ya hear?’

  Reggie threw his phone on the desk and stretched his arms high above his head. ‘Listen to me, kid. This is a tough business. People tell ya they’re your friends – they ain’t. Noelle’s a smart agent as well as a good person, which is rare in this business. You’ll be okay with her. She’s coming to meet you in a while. She’ll see you don’t get shafted. This is your chance to make it big. Don’t blow it. I like you,’ he repeated loudly. ‘You’re gonna do good, yeah?’

  Jodi sat quivering at the other side of the desk, feeling as if she was in a dream. She was terrified and thrilled in equal measure. Reggie was imposing and utterly intimidating, but Jodi knew she could trust him. For all his brashness, he’d just gone out of his way to have her looked after.

  ‘Thank you,’ she said quietly. ‘I promise I won’t let you down.’

  ‘Good for you, kid. D’ya know what? I believe you too,’ he said, as he flung his chair back and walked out.

  The background staff had swooped forward. Less than an hour later, Jodi’s entire life had been turned upside down. Scripts had been dumped in front of her. Wardrobe people had measured every inch of her body. Hairdressers had sidled up behind her and lifted her hair, ruffled it and held fake tresses up to her face. They had argued about her. ‘I think taking all her hair to a honey blonde shade would make her more striking,’ a gum-chewing woman said.

  ‘No. The depth is what makes her stand out. Reggie said you can’t fuck with her look,’ Imelda shouted.

  Jodi was too timid to speak. Not that the hairdressers or wardrobe people seemed remotely interested in engaging with her. It was almost as if they were dressing a plastic mannequin rather than a real person.

  There was so much note-taking, pencil-chewing, to-ing and fro-ing that Jodi had figured the best policy was to keep schtum. The odd person acknowledged her with a grin or a word about lack of time and changing crews. Only one had divulged that Reggie was a hard taskmaster and they’d all be on the go for the next forty-eight hours without a break.

  Otherwise Jodi felt like the queen bee, sitting on the swivel chair with all the drones buzzing around her.

  She was so caught up in the craziness, she barely noticed the unassuming woman in the dull brown trouser suit with mousy hair and no makeup who sidled up to her. ‘Hello, Jodi,’ she said. ‘I’m Noelle. Reggie called and asked me to come and talk to you. Would now be a good time for you?’

  She was the first person to ask Jodi’s opinion or even stop to hear an answer. ‘Hello, Noelle,’ Jodi said. ‘I’d love to talk to you.’

  Noelle’s handshake was firm and swift as she slipped into the chair that Reggie had occupied earlier.

  ‘Now, Reggie thinks he’s decided all our fates. He’s certainly very powerful, and if you and I feel we can work together, I reckon we’ll
make a winning team. This is all a little unusual as time isn’t really on our side.’ She paused and stared at Jodi, a warm smile curving her lips. ‘You seem like a lovely girl. Really you do. I’ve no qualms about representing you.’

  ‘Thank you,’ Jodi said, and her shoulders relaxed. She smiled back.

  ‘I’m sorry we can’t do more of the getting-to-know-you stuff, but I’m sure you don’t need me to tell you that this is the chance of a lifetime Reggie’s offering. So shall we try and do this together?’

  ‘I’d love that,’ Jodi said. ‘I might be young and green but I have a good feeling about you.’

  Noelle stretched across the desk and patted her hand. ‘Us girls have to stick together, don’t we?’

  ‘Yes!’

  ‘Right. I’ll go through the contract and make sure it’s all as it should be,’ Noelle said calmly. From her briefcase she produced a file. ‘Here’s some information on me,’ she said. ‘Although it’s already a bit late for that!’ She laughed.

  Jodi read the blurb Noelle had handed her, which listed some of the people she represented. ‘You’re Kim Fraser’s agent!’ she blurted.

  ‘Yes,’ Noelle said, without looking up from the contract she was scanning. Kim was one of the most successful actresses of the last ten years. A household name and the face of one of the best-known makeup lines. ‘She’s a great girl. Works like a slave and never complains. You remind me of her in the early days. I can see the same potential in you,’ Noelle said, meeting Jodi’s gaze. ‘To be a star you’ve got to be willing to give your all. It seems terribly glamorous to outsiders, but this industry is brutal. Do you think you can handle it?’

  ‘I grew up on an estate that made soup kitchens look like the Ritz. If you’ve heard of the phrase “the school of hard knocks”, well, that was my kindergarten. I graduated from there to hell on earth the day the police called to the door to tell me they’d found my mother dead in a laneway, a victim to her booze and drug habit.’

  ‘I’m sorry. I didn’t know.’

  ‘Well, now you do, can you handle working with me?’ Jodi had turned the tables on Noelle.