The Christmas Promise Page 21

  ‘No reason why not,’ Ava laughed, standing back to let her guests in. Wendy promptly rushed over the threshold, dragging Vanessa with her.

  Sam, hands in pockets, brought up the rear. He kissed Ava’s temple. ‘I’m knackered to the point of ruin but everything’s coming together really well. We all love the images and the files have been sent to Alive Today. I’ll show you later.’ He smothered a yawn.

  ‘Your team has worked so hard.’ Ava gave him a grateful hug. ‘Let’s all go up to the studio, shall we? This won’t take long and then you can get off home if you want.’ With a tiny sink of disappointment she shelved her plan to break open the wine. It looked as if she’d have to find a way to settle down and enjoy her own company this Friday evening.

  As Wendy was serious about having her fitting without seeing the hat, Ava ran ahead and hid it. Then Wendy bowled happily into the studio, plopped down onto the stool and screwed her eyes tight shut. ‘Ready when you are!’ She whipped off the Christmas pudding hat. Her smile never faltered but everyone in the room gazed at the way her scalp shone white. Her hair had just begun to emerge in a hint of suede-like fuzz.

  Ava swallowed. ‘Here we go, then.’ With a glance at Sam, who was regarding his mother with what looked suspiciously like pain, she shifted the box she’d dropped over the jade felt and positioned herself behind Wendy.

  ‘This is such a lovely Christmas,’ Wendy confided. ‘Sam sent a car to pick us up from Euston this afternoon. Not an ordinary taxi but a lovely long white car. I felt like the queen. They didn’t even mind that we had the dogs.’

  Ava turned the hat in her hands, finding the front. ‘I didn’t know Mars and Snickers were invited, too.’

  Wendy giggled. ‘We couldn’t leave them with friends over Christmas.’

  In the mirror Ava could see Wendy’s screwed-up eyes and expectant smile. The hat slid on smoothly, perfectly framing Wendy’s small features. Behind her, she heard Vanessa draw in a sudden breath.

  ‘How does it look?’ Wendy’s smile widened expectantly.

  ‘Gorgeous.’ Ava shifted the hat experimentally, studying the effect on Wendy’s reflection. ‘How does it feel? Is it soft?’

  ‘Oh yes. I barely know I’m wearing it.’

  ‘Not too tight?’

  ‘Not at all.’

  ‘Give your head a little shake to see if you can feel it moving. No? I guess we’re done, then. Hang on a second while I’ll cover it up again … OK, you can open your eyes.’

  Blinking in the light, Wendy beamed. ‘I can’t wait to see the finished thing. And Sam says you’re coming on Christmas Day! That’s so, so lovely. Isn’t it, Van?’

  Vanessa gave her sister a fond smile. ‘Fabulous.’

  Wendy picked up her pudding hat and crammed it back on her head. ‘We’re off to see War Horse, now.’

  Sam, who had been leaning against the wall by the door, straightened. ‘We are?’

  ‘We are.’ Vanessa patted his shoulder. ‘We knew it wouldn’t be your thing. There should be a taxi coming for us soon. You can stay with Ava.’

  Sam frowned. ‘Are you sure? I could drop you off and pick you up. It’s a bit sad, that show.’

  Stubbornly, Wendy shook her head. ‘Spend some time with your girlfr— with Ava. Vanessa and I will have a lovely little cry over the poor horsie, then a glass of wine in the bar and get a taxi back to your place. Vanessa says she’ll take Snickers and Mars for their last walk. I can sleep in tomorrow morning if I’m tired, can’t I?’ Wendy bestowed a smacking kiss and a quick hard hug on Ava. ‘See you on Christmas Day, if not before. Won’t it be wonderful? Christmas together?’

  ‘Wonderful,’ Ava echoed, dizzy at the speed with which the hat fitting was being wrapped up.

  ‘Vanessa’s looking at her watch – it’s time for us to leave!’ In a very few minutes, Wendy and Vanessa were gone.

  Sam turned away from the front door after seeing them safely into the taxi and passed a tired hand over his face. ‘Sorry about them being so obvious. They’ve clearly cooked this up to leave us alone together.’

  ‘It’s very sweet of them.’ Ava hesitated, feeling a bit like a teenager whose mates had fixed her up. ‘We could open a bottle of wine, or there’s coffee to keep you awake. But I won’t be offended if you’d rather go straight home.’

  Sam was already heading for the sitting room, throwing his jacket on a chair and falling backwards onto the sofa as if the muscles in his legs had given up. ‘Both, please. Then, if you get me your laptop, I’ll access the agency server and show you which images we’ve chosen.’

  Butterflies fluttered at this reminder of the saucy image that was about to go viral, if the agency could make it happen. Had the Calendar Girls ever felt this nervous? Ava busied herself opening the wine and filling the kettle. Then she fetched the computer from her room and sank into the place Sam indicated beside him on the sofa.

  He called up the image with a few seconds of tapping, and then turned the screen so that she could see it. ‘You look fantastic.’

  A large and bracing gulp of wine, then she sneaked a peek. ‘Ohhhhh …!’ An oddly unfamiliar Ava glittered out at her, eyes shining with laughter and what looked suspiciously like triumph. Shocked at the way Jake had captured her carnality, Ava gazed at her body rising above the shielding hats. Who knew shoulders could be that sexy? The black background had worked beautifully and her skin looked luminous, her hair caught up on one side in a turquoise fascinator and streaming like liquid gold over a shoulder. The image depicted an assured, sensual woman that Ava had trouble associating with herself.

  She was very conscious that Sam was beside her, studying the same image.

  ‘That’s the one we’re going with. And this one of Ruby.’ He clicked over to another image and Ruby laughed into the camera lens.

  ‘She’s amazing,’ Ava said involuntarily. ‘So at ease with the camera.’

  Examining the image critically, Sam nodded. ‘She has that aura that says “pro model”, though. You’re less contrived and, therefore, more interesting.’ He flipped back to her image. ‘You look as complicated and enigmatic as the Mona Lisa – but as though you know a naughty secret. There’s a real feel of you bubbling under. I’ll send you a copy but keep it under wraps for now. Emily will give you some help tomorrow on how to get the best out of it.’ He closed the image files down while Ava wondered what ‘bubbling under’ could mean.

  He clicked on another folder. ‘Patrick’s article’s good, too. Alive Today’s production team will lay out the copy with the shots of Ruby wearing your hats in the more conventional manner.’

  Ava was relieved to move on to images in which everybody was fully dressed. ‘I’m in those more than I expected.’ She studied the pictures of herself positioning the yellow hat, expression serious as she studied the effect, then glancing into the camera as she took away the white looped one and, lastly, just beginning to smile as she looked into Ruby’s face. ‘Ruby’s make-up lady did a good job.’

  Sam moved the computer onto her lap so that she could continue to flick through the folder, and reached for his wine. ‘If she can’t make you two look good she needs a new career.’ He closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the sofa.

  Ava began to read Patrick’s article. Ruby’s voice came through clearly: chatty, joking, but shadowed with something more pensive as she talked about bad patches and silly mistakes. My life recently has been like a ‘how NOT to’ manual. It only took one thing, just one thing I handled badly, and I was in the middle of an epic shit storm.

  Somehow, Ruby’s supposed interest in hats was made to feel completely natural, as if a milliner was the obvious person to look to for solace. ‘And Ava’s become a friend, as well as someone who helps me look my best, haven’t you, Ava?’ says Ruby, taking a critical look at herself in the jaunty hat she’s had made for a spring wedding. ‘Suppose it’s the model in me that makes me ornament myself if I need cheering up.’

  As directed, Patrick had
concluded with: Ruby says, ‘Hats off to Ava Bliss.’ Ruby was depicted tipping the looped hat to the camera.

  Thoughtfully, Ava put the laptop down, hit by exactly what Sam Jermyn and his associates had made happen. ‘Thank you,’ she said quietly. ‘Ruby mentions turning her life around but you and Dad turned mine around between you. Dad I can understand but you could easily have done all this without me. As it is, there’s potential for a lot of people to see that article, and my name. I might get loads of new clients.’

  Sam’s shoulders heaved on a silent laugh, eyes remaining closed. ‘If you don’t get loads of new clients I might as well join the make-up artist in finding a new career.’

  Gravely, she regarded him: the lashes fanned on his cheeks, the laughter lines crinkling. ‘I hardly dare let myself believe that. Why are you helping me?’

  Blinking his eyes open, he pulled himself up, putting down his wine glass and picking up his coffee. His smile was crooked. ‘It’s what any faux boyfriend would do for a faux girlfriend.’ Then, when she arched her eyebrows sceptically, ‘Harvey made me angry,’ he admitted. ‘I liked the idea of helping you get one over on him. You’ve been great with Mum during a particularly shitty time and if she’d been aware of what you were going through she would have wanted me to help. The image of you with the two hats sparked off ideas I could use for Ruby. Why shouldn’t you profit, too?’

  A bubble of emotion rose unexpectedly in Ava’s throat. ‘Thank you.’

  ‘You’re welcome.’ His gaze locked with hers for an instant. Then he reached for the laptop again. ‘Now I’ll show you what Tod’s come up with. Social media’s going to go mad for this in the pre-Christmas lunacy.’ His fingers raced over the keyboard. ‘He’s set up a page on our website for people to upload their own images to the e-card. They can send it to everybody in their address book if they want, and we hope they will. These things cost a quid or so on other sites so hopefully ours being free will encourage participation.’

  Soon Ava was watching five stiff little animations doing a chorus line dance to ‘Jingle Bells’, vaguely burlesque cartoon bodies with photograph heads – Ava and Ruby with Tod, Louise and Patrick.

  Ava’s animation and Ruby’s were hampered in their dancing by the need to keep their hats clamped over their breasts. As others in the chorus line tried to link arms Ava and Ruby had to manage the hats, clutching and swapping hand-to-hand to keep themselves decent.

  Ava giggled, blushing on behalf of her ‘mini me’.

  Then came the final moment when ‘mini Ruby’s’ chin moved to mimic the act of speaking and Ruby’s merry voice cried ‘Hats off to Ava Bliss!’ Then she whisked off her hats. Beneath her naked boobs could be seen tiny stitches.

  Animation-Ava’s jaw dropped and the cartoon ended on applause.

  ‘Wow!’ gasped Ava. ‘Has Ruby seen this? Will she mind?’

  ‘She gave me a four-lettered earful,’ he admitted. ‘But then she roared with laughter and upgraded me from cheeky sod to bleedin’ piss-taker.’

  He touched the screen to rerun the video. ‘Lucky that Tod has mates in animation that have the software to produce something like this in such short order. Because, hopefully, tomorrow this goes viral.’

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Bubbling over

  Sam had yawned for about the twentieth time when Ava took his empty coffee mug from his hand. ‘Why don’t you drive home while you still can?’

  ‘Maybe I should.’ But before Sam could finish his next gigantic yawn Tod and Louise rang the front door bell.

  ‘Sorry we’re so late.’ Tod’s glasses steamed up as he bounded in from the cold. ‘That bloody Glennister/Blissham campaign kept me at my machine.’ He put down the bags he carried in each hand to give Ava a big hug.

  The hug she returned was even bigger. ‘I’ve just seen your star-in-your-own-cartoon e-card. It’s amazing. You’re a genius.’

  ‘It’s shit-hot, isn’t it?’ Tod grinned immodestly.

  Behind him, Louise hurried to get far enough into the hall to close the door behind her, huddled in a Puffa coat that made her look like a chrysalis. ‘As Tod was held up at work I got all the wrapping done this evening. On my own.’

  Suspecting that she was expected to apologise, Ava offered drinks instead, and Sam sat back down and accepted another cup of coffee.

  Tod unwound himself from a long black scarf. ‘We’ve come to put your gift under your Christmas tree.’ Clutching a gift wrapped in cutesy little bear paper, he glanced around the room as if a tree might sidle out from behind a curtain.

  ‘I haven’t got a tree but I have a parcel for you.’ Ava reached down beside the sofa where her tiny stash of gifts-to-give were stored. ‘It’s kind of a joint one,’ she said hastily, because it hadn’t occurred to her to get a separate present for Louise. The gift was a Lego Arkham Asylum because you couldn’t go wrong giving Tod anything to do with Batman, and he could always let Louise help him build it. Maybe she should have gone for Ironman Mr Potato Head, so Louise and Tod could play it with Louise’s family.

  Tod accepted his parcel and shook it, eyes gleaming. ‘Sounds like fun.’

  Louise sent Ava a pained look but fought her way out of her chrysalis coat and sat down to accept a glass of wine. ‘I had a wish list for Tod. You could have bought from that.’

  ‘But Ava knows what I like,’ Tod responded firmly. ‘We’ve managed to buy each other gifts without wish lists till now.’

  Ava stifled an urge to ask for the wish list anyway, just to see what horrors Louise had included. Probably matching tableware or gift vouchers for a cosplay website.

  ‘Hi, Izz.’ Tod looked past Ava towards the doorway. ‘Going out? I’ve got a pressie for you.’

  Ava turned to see Izz standing in the doorway, her big black coat over her arm and a gift bag in her hand. Gently flushed, she looked striking in skinny jeans and kitten heels. ‘Got to rush, but Merry Christmas. I don’t know if I’ll see you before I leave for Hampshire.’ She and Tod exchanged gifts and hugs.

  ‘Where are you going?’ demanded Louise.

  Izz exchanged glances with Ava. ‘Just out with a friend.’

  ‘What friend?’ Louise looked interested.

  Izz flushed, but Tod was obviously in a masterful mood. ‘It’s not really our business, Louise. See you, Izz. Have a fantastic time.’

  Louise looked put out at Tod setting her right for the second time in as many minutes so Ava jumped up and went with Izz to the front door. ‘You and Patrick enjoy yourselves,’ she whispered, as Izz hauled on her coat. ‘You look great.’

  Izz fidgeted, anxious and excited both at once. ‘Better not to tell Sam who …’

  Ava was already nodding. ‘It’s OK, I understand. Keep it out of the office.’ She stood for a second at the door after Izz hurried away, marvelling that somehow Izz and Patrick had ended up going to a gig together.

  She returned to the sitting room to find Tod and Louise thrusting their arms back into their coats. ‘Are you going already?’ she cried, dismayed. ‘I thought you’d stay for a while.’

  ‘I’m walking Louise back to the tube station. She’s going home.’ Tod’s words were clipped.

  ‘Oh. OK.’ Ava elected not to wish them Merry Christmas, as merry was the last thing either of them looked as they tersely took their leave.

  After seeing them out, Ava rejoined Sam with her eyebrows raised. ‘Did they have a row?’

  A smile lurked at the corners of Sam’s mouth. ‘They’re probably having one by now. Louise told Tod not to talk to her like that and he replied that it was about time she learned to take it as well as dish it out. Hence her sudden determination to go home.’ He yawned. ‘Probably they’re having a conversation that’s past due and either they’ll redraw the lines in their relationship or Tod will be around for Christmas after all.’

  ‘You’re shattered,’ said Ava, seeing the yawn. ‘You should go home, too.’

  He stretched. ‘I should. But what about you? I can han
g around if you’d rather. Or did you want to catch up with Izz and her friend?’

  ‘Oh no,’ Ava denied, hastily. Then, as she’d only agreed not to share the identity of Izz’s companion with Sam, not the nature of her evening, confided with a waggle of her eyebrows, ‘She’s meeting a man. I’ll be OK. You’re exhausted with the campaign. I’ll have another glass of wine and think about how amazing it is that everything’s coming out so well after what I did. Thanks to all you guys at Jermyn’s.’

  He groaned and let his eyes shut again. ‘You didn’t “do” anything. It wasn’t you. You were let down by someone you trusted. If you carry on feeling shame, Ava, he’ll have won. He’ll have harmed you. Don’t let him win!’

  As he hadn’t got up to leave, she settled back beside him. ‘But think how people would have felt about me if those photos had got out.’ Her stomach gave a twirl at the mere idea.

  ‘I’m not underestimating the horror and humiliation if that had happened. But your friends and family would have been outraged on your behalf. They wouldn’t have blamed you.’

  She wasn’t convinced. ‘But they would have lost respect.’

  ‘No.’ He felt for her hand and gave it a comforting squeeze. ‘They wouldn’t. They would have felt for you. It would have been about sympathy, not condemnation.’

  His eyes remaining shut as he talked, she let her gaze follow the way his hair curled behind his ears and the end-of-a-long-day stubble made his cheeks look hollow. His deep blue shirt clung across his chest, tightening on the rhythms of his breathing. She wondered how many times he’d held her hand when she needed comfort over the short time she’d known him.

  He’d been more supportive of her while they’d been faux dating than most real boyfriends ever managed.

  A thought hit her like a blast of cold water.

  Izz being out on a date indicated that she’d got over Sam.