He's the One (11 page)

‘That’s an insult to vacuum cleaners,’ she muttered, the post-sex glow rapidly leaving her. She wanted to get out of here –
now
. But Zara was already spinning the bottle and now it came to rest pointing straight at her. Great …

‘It’s Truth or Dare time now!’ Zara cried gleefully, clapping her hands together. ‘And because the truth is so dullsville, I think it should be a dare for you, Liberty.’

‘So you’ve just decided to change the rules?’ she asked.

‘It’s my party! It’s just a question of the dare …’ Zara put her finger on her perfectly chiselled chin and adopted a coy look.

God, she was annoying! If only Em was by Liberty’s side to say something suitably cutting.

‘Got it! I dare you to take a line of coke. I know you don’t do drugs any more, so now’s your chance.’

‘That’s a fucking treat!’ Hugo drawled. ‘Not a dare.’

Zara was staring straight at Liberty, challenging her, taunting her. How could she know that Liberty didn’t take drugs? It could only have come from Cory. God! Why had he done that? Didn’t he realise that Zara loathed her? She had told him that she had experimented with them a little when she was younger, before she’d had Brooke, but since then had vowed to stay off them. It wasn’t exactly a hardship as she couldn’t afford coke anyway, but a couple of years ago one of her friend’s brothers had died of an overdose. It had devastated his family and Liberty knew she could never be casual about drugs again. She was a single mum; she couldn’t afford to make any mistakes.

‘So how about it?’ Zara repeated. ‘It’s either that or a
forfeit, and the forfeit is to strip off and run round the circle three times.’

‘Just say no to the drugs!’ Hugo bayed.

‘Fuck that, Zara!’ Cory exclaimed. ‘Why are you picking on Liberty? The reason she doesn’t take drugs is because someone she knew died of an overdose. She’s not going to take a line of coke in some dumb-ass juvenile game.’

He stood up and held out his hand. ‘Come on, Liberty, we’re going.’

They were almost at the door when Zara shouted, ‘Oh, that’s it! Run off to your girlfriend’s council house. Your little experiment in slumming it. I can see through that. You’re only with her for the novelty value. Fuck! You used to be interesting to be with. Now you’re so fucking boring and under her thumb.’

Liberty felt her heart racing and a surge of anger rushing through her as she looked at Zara, seeing the girl’s pretty face twisted with spite and jealousy.

‘You’re pathetic, Zara,’ she said. ‘We weren’t all born with a silver spoon in our mouth, a trust fund and a rich daddy to bankroll us.’

The other guests were open-mouthed as they gleefully listened to this exchange. Not one of them stood up for Cory. They were all spoiled rich kids, just like Zara.

‘Come on, Liberty,’ he repeated. ‘We’re out of here.’

In a way it was a relief that Zara had behaved like this – now her dislike was out in the open Liberty wouldn’t have to pretend to get on with her any more.

‘I’ll find somewhere else to live as soon as I can,’ Cory told her later as they lay in bed together. ‘She’s a psycho bitch and I’m not having you exposed to her. I’m sorry I ever told her about the drugs incident. I never realised she would use it against you.’

Liberty snuggled up to him. ‘It’s okay, I just wish you’d intervened before I had to kiss that wanker Hugo.’

‘Yeah, sorry about that. How about I kiss you and make it better?’

‘Yes, please,’ she murmured, the incident with Zara already fading from her mind at the feel of Cory’s lips on hers.

Chapter 12

But it proved easier said than done for Cory to find somewhere else to live that he could afford. Liberty wondered if he should move in with her, but it seemed too soon. Besides, it wasn’t up to her, it was her mum’s house. But then Zara apologised to him and whenever Liberty went round, his housemate was always out. So that was something. But work seemed to be getting Cory down. He obviously wasn’t used to living to such a strict routine and on such a tight budget.

Worse still, he stopped talking about the future and his plans to go to art school. He never seemed to do any painting any more. To Liberty it seemed as if a light had gone off inside him. He had radiated such confidence and delight in life when they had first met. He’d been the golden boy with a glorious future stretching ahead of him. Now he seemed older, more weary, as if ground down by life, accepting that things were the way they were and would never change. And it looked like her life wouldn’t either as there still had been no word from Zac.

Cory seemed to cheer up dramatically as Liberty’s twenty-second birthday drew closer, saying that he
had all kinds of plans. ‘Promise me you won’t spend too much money – you need it for college,’ she told him, worried that he would blow all his savings in one extravagant gesture. It would be so like him to do that. ‘Seriously, I’d be happy if we went out for a pizza. I don’t need lots of money spent on me.’

He just grinned and tapped his nose. ‘It’s a secret. Wait and see.’

She might have guessed that Cory wouldn’t listen to her. On the morning of her birthday an extravagant bouquet of pale pink roses and stargazer lilies was delivered to her. From Cory, naturally. And when she arrived back at the house from dropping Brooke off at nursery, a white Audi TT convertible was parked outside, with Cory at the wheel.

‘Oh my God! Where did you get this from?’ she exclaimed.

‘I hired it. I’m taking you to London. We’re going to be staying at the Ritz – so go upstairs and pack. We’re leaving in ten minutes. It’s all sorted out with Nina, don’t worry. I’ll have you back home at the same time tomorrow.’

Liberty had always fantasised about staying at that hotel. There was something about the elegant building on Piccadilly, with its name proudly displayed in lights, that had intrigued her ever since she was a little girl and had walked past it on a rare trip up to London. A few weeks ago Cory had asked where she most wanted to stay in London and she told him it was the Ritz – he must have been planning the surprise even then. She was torn between feeling charmed by the romantic gesture and panicking about the cost.

‘But that’s so expensive! Oh my God, Cory, you need that money!’

‘I had some savings. Now hurry up – we have a five-star hotel room to make the most of.’

It was a magical day. Driving through London with the roof down, she felt like a movie star as people turned to look at the flashy sports car with the beautiful young couple inside it. At the hotel Cory had arranged for pink rose petals to be scattered over the double bed and for a bottle of champagne to be chilling. She wanted to say that it was too much … but he silenced her concerns by putting his arms round her and kissing her.

They stayed in their room, making love and drinking champagne, as the afternoon bled into the early evening and the streetlights went on outside their window.

‘Thank you so much for this,’ Liberty said, as she lay in his arms, stroking his shoulder. ‘It’s been perfect.’

‘It’s not over yet!’ Cory exclaimed, sitting up. ‘I’ve still got to give you your present.’

‘No way! You didn’t have to get me anything after all this!’

But Cory had leaped out of bed and was rifling through his overnight bag.

She couldn’t believe it when he presented her with a duck egg blue Tiffany box. He must have spent every last penny of his savings. She opened the box to discover a sweet silver dragonfly necklace.

‘I love it!’ she exclaimed, lifting up her hair so he could fasten the chain round her neck.

‘I wanted to get you a diamond, but they were a little out of my price range. One day, though. And I thought the dragonfly was a good symbol – to remind us to live in the moment, to seize the day, not sweat the small stuff. So come on, we have to go and eat and then we’re going to see
Chicago
.’

‘How did you know I really wanted to see that show?’

‘I’ve done my research.’

They ate huge Margherita pizzas at a cheap Italian restaurant and drank a carafe of white wine that tasted rough after the champagne, but they didn’t care. They were high on love and spending all this precious time with each other. It was as if they were in a bubble of happiness that lasted all night long, throughout the show, and walking back through late-night London, and into their hotel lobby, and feeling like VIPs as the uniformed doorman held the door open for them.

‘I wish we could do this all the time,’ Cory said regretfully as they checked out the following morning. He seemed subdued after yesterday, as if realising that it was time to go back to reality, one that he didn’t want to face.

Liberty linked her arm through his. ‘It wouldn’t be so special if we could do it all the time. That was a perfect day, I’ll always remember it.’

He didn’t answer and she wondered if he was thinking that he used to be able to spend money freely and never worry about the consequences.

One evening after her birthday she met up with Cory before he started work. There was a chill in the air and it felt as if autumn was well on the way. As usual he asked her all about her day and how Brooke was settling into school. He had become very good at deflecting questions about himself.

‘So did you manage to do any painting?’ she asked.

He shook his head. ‘Nope. I slept in and then I went on the PlayStation. I was too exhausted to do anything else.’

‘Maybe you could cut down your hours, now your rent is so much less?’

Instantly he became defensive. ‘I need to save all
I can if there’s to be a chance in hell of me going to college here. I was thinking maybe of getting another job a couple of days a week, before I start at the bar.’

‘Is there no way you could talk to your parents? See if they’ve changed their minds?’

‘My mom never changes her mind once she’s made it up – that’s her specialty.
Never
. She’ll be hoping I change mine.’ He glanced at her. ‘But I’m not going to, Liberty.’

These were fighting, confident words, but Cory seemed diminished. Was it her fault? Was she dragging him down? She couldn’t bear the thought that she might be.

They reached the bar and kissed goodbye.

‘So … I’ll see you tomorrow,’ Liberty said, sad at the prospect of yet another night without him.

‘Yeah. I’ll try and call you if I get chance.’

She knew it was unlikely that he’d be able to. He’d given up his mobile phone as he wanted to save every penny. She watched Cory go inside, his head bowed, shoulders hunched against the bitter wind coming off the sea.

Chapter 13

The phone was ringing when Liberty let herself into the house. It was Lizzie, her agent.

‘Liberty! I hope you’re sitting down because I have got some A-mazing news for you, sweetie!’ Her voice seemed to have gone up an octave in her excitement.

‘Oh?’

‘I have just come off the phone to Zac Keller’s assistant. And …’ she paused for dramatic effect. Really Lizzie was wasted as an agent, she should have been an actress herself ‘… he wants to see you. Wants you to fly over to LA the day after tomorrow for a screen test for some major crime series he’s producing. They wouldn’t tell me anything more than that. But it’s a leading role, I know that much. This is the moment we have been waiting for!’

It was amazing news, but immediately Liberty started panicking – she couldn’t just drop everything and fly off. Who would look after Brooke? What about her job in the restaurant?

‘I know it sounds mad, Lizzie, but I just don’t know if I can go at such short notice. I’ll need a bit of time to make arrangements.’

There was a sharp intake of breath from the other end of the phone. ‘Liberty Evans, this is what is called a Big Break. They don’t happen very often, believe me, especially not to twenty-two-year-old single mothers who are working in fast-food outlets.’

‘It’s a family-run Italian restaurant,’ Liberty shot back.

‘Whatever. So what do you want me to tell Zac Keller’s assistant? He’s most likely got a list of girls as long as your arm lined up.’

‘Tell them I need more time.’

A heavy sigh from Lizzie. ‘And that’s your final answer?’

‘It has to be.’

She’d got as far as pouring her mum and herself a glass of rosé when the phone rang again.

‘I can’t quite believe this,’ it was Lizzie speaking, ‘but Zac Keller is going to fly over tonight and will see you tomorrow evening in London. Tell me you’re going to be available for that meeting?’

‘Really? It seems incredible he would do that.’

‘You said it, sweetheart. He must really want you. Remember I told you how impressed by you he was? I’m going to play hardball about the money, if he offers you the role. So, to confirm, you will need to be at Claridges tomorrow night at seven. They’re faxing me the audition script over, and I’ll get a bike to bring it to you. It’s one of the lead roles. They gave me a little more background on the phone and you’ll be auditioning to play a young female detective who survived a traumatic childhood experience and has developed unique powers of intuition that enable her to solve crimes no one else can.’

Liberty came off the phone in a complete daze. A leading director wanted to see her? Was flying all the
way over from LA? It seemed too good to be true. There had to be some catch to it. Knowing her luck, he wanted her to star in a porn movie … But then surely he wouldn’t go to so much trouble and expense? All she knew was that she was excited and nervous in equal measure at the prospect of seeing Zac Keller again.

At five p.m. the following afternoon Liberty was on the train to London. She had wanted to tell Cory, but hadn’t seen him as he’d been working extra shifts and something had stopped her telling him the news over the phone. He had been so down lately that it didn’t seem the right moment to reveal her amazing news. Her mum had told her she was being silly, and that she should, but Liberty wasn’t so sure. It felt a bit too much as if it would put a revealing spotlight on Cory’s own situation, and highlight how very far he was from realising his dream.

She had read through the script many times now, trying to get a feel for the character. And while she hadn’t really had enough time, she supposed she was as prepared as she was ever going to be.