Never Say Never (Lakeview Contemporary Romance Book 3) (26 page)

“Josh, please …” Leah couldn’t listen to it any more. It was all so final. There was no going back from this. Josh had betrayed her in the worst way. She didn’t know what she had expected. She supposed she thought he would beg for her forgiveness, ask to her to try and understand, maybe even blame her a little more.

In a strange way, she respected him for his honesty, his blatant regret for what had happened because it left her with her dignity intact. But she had lost her best friend, she had lost the love of her life, the person with whom she was so sure she would spend the rest of her life.

“I’m sorry,” he said again, and before Leah could stop him, he reached across and planted a soft, salty kiss on her lips. “I love you, and you don’t deserve this – I’m sorry.” With that, he stood up, and walked to the doorway. “I’ll stay with Paddy tonight,” he said with a haunted look in his eyes.

“Oh. Does he know about …?”

“Of course not – no-one else knows. I wouldn’t do that to you. I’ll tell him I lost my keys or something …” He knew she wouldn’t want Paddy knowing what had happened.

“OK.” All of a sudden, Leah felt empty, bereft of all feeling for the situation, for Josh, everything.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered, before opening the door. “For everything.”

Leah heard the apartment door close softly behind him.

“So am I,” she whispered, warm tears coursing down her cheeks. “So am I.”

R
obin slowly opened her eyes
, and groggily lifted her head off the pillow. The incessant shrill of the telephone had woken her out of her deep sleep, and was now piercing her throbbing brain. Which, she supposed, served her right for drinking so much last night. Who the hell could be ringing at this hour, she wondered, her eyes barely focusing on the digits on the alarm-clock. Ben’s side of the bed was empty, so Robin deduced he must have already gone out for his morning jog. Catching sight of the time, she groaned. It was eight fifteen, and she was barely in the door after hitting the town in a major way last night with Anna and the girls.

Anna, apparently determined to prove that married life hadn’t snuffed her party spirit, and also to celebrate Robin’s new publishing ‘career’ had insisted they visit as many ultra-trendy Village bars as possible. They’d consumed so many tartinis, martinis and Mojitos throughout the night that after a while, Robin couldn’t tell the difference from one drink to another. Afterwards they had gone clubbing, something she hadn’t done in ages. It had a been a great night, but Robin was paying for it now and, if she had her way, the caller on the other end of the line would end up paying for it too!

“Robin, hey! Good morning!” She sat up as Marla’s chirpy tones floated down the line, instantly waking her up. What on earth was her publisher doing ringing her at this hour? “Marla – hi, how are you? Is everything OK?”

“Everything’s fine Robin, just fine! Listen, can you come down for a meeting this morning? I couldn’t get your agent on the phone, so I haven’t had the chance to tell her yet, but – oh, Robin, this is such great news!”

“She’s away for a few days,” Robin said. “And what’s great news?”

Still feeling very bleary, Robin could barely concentrate on the conversation. Somewhere in the distance, she heard the door of the apartment open.

“It’s killing me, but I really don’t want to say too much on the phone,” Marla said. “Just try and get your ass up here as soon as you can – you are not going to believe this!”

With that Marla hung up and Robin was left staring at the phone in bewilderment as Ben came into the room.

“Good morning!” he said mischievously. “
Someone
had a good night out last night!” Then he noticed her bemused expression. “What’s up?” he asked. “Who was on the phone?”

Robin rubbed her eyes. “It was the publishers – and to be honest, I’m not too sure what’s up,” she replied, dragging herself out of the bed, “but, knowing Marla, whatever it is, it’ll be worth hearing.”

A
n hour or so later
, Robin was wondering if she had actually woken up at all or whether lack of sleep had seriously affected her hearing. “Are you serious?” she asked. Marla had just informed her that translation rights to her little book had been sold in ten different countries.

“It’s true,” Marla said, her blue eyes shining. “We didn’t want to tell you until we had the details worked out, but
Atchoo
will soon be appearing in French, Italian, Russian, German –”

“But it hasn’t even gone on sale yet!” Robin blustered. She couldn’t believe this.

“Yes, but there’s already a massive buzz surrounding it and then of course – ” she paused dramatically, and Robin knew instantly that there was more, “well, we didn’t want to say anything until we knew for sure but,” Marla took a deep breath, “Nickelodeon have come in for TV rights!”

“What? The children’s TV channel?”

“Yes, they want
Atchoo
!” Marla beamed, and Robin knew then that she wasn’t really sitting here – she was lying at home in her bed, and her eyes were twitching madly as a result of this wild dream she was having.

“Yes! And we’re going to make them pay a fortune too!” Marla continued. “Gawd, this couldn’t have happened at a better time! The book will be in the shops in November and once news of this deal gets out, the book trade will be hammering on our door!” She paced excitedly up and down the room. “Lucy’s working on the publicity tour as we speak. I know we agreed two weeks of appearances here, but the ways things are going, this book is going to be massive.”

Just then, the aforementioned Lucy, Bubblegum’s PR person, entered the room.

“Hi, Robin, great news!” she said, hugging her enthusiastically.

“So, what have we got?” Marla checked her watch impatiently. “I’ve got a ten thirty, so try and make it quick.”

Lucy took a seat alongside Robin, and flicked through some papers.

“Well, Robin, I think you’d better have a chat with your boss and see if he’ll give you some more time off – ”

“Ha!” Marla interjected. “If I get the big money I want from Nickelodeon, Robin, you might have more time off than you’ll ever need!”

“More time off? For what?”

“Well, at the moment, we’re in the process of arranging some promotional appearances in Europe – they’re going wild about your story, and why you wrote this book in the first place. Seriously, Robin, we seem to have really tapped into a trend here – everyone – be they American, French or German – knows, or has a child who suffers from some kind of allergy. The media are going crazy for it.”

“But it’s only a simple little story,” Robin shook her head. “I just can’t understand all this interest, and the book’s not even published – it just seems so sudden.”

“This is how publishing works, honey,” Marla said. “And it’ll just as quickly be yesterday’s news, so we’ve got to capitalise on it while we can.”

Lucy nodded. “And, while the interest
is
there, we need you to go out and do the PR and the interviews, meet the kids and the parents, tell them about your own experiences.” She looked at her notes. “They’re going crazy for you in the UK and Ireland, because of the rights hype, and also due to the fact that you’re one of their own – you are Irish, aren’t you?” she asked, when Robin’s face dropped.

“Yes.” Robin’s heart thudded as she suspected what was coming. Oh, no, she couldn’t do this. No way.

“We issued a press release earlier today – and the media,
particularly
in Ireland, are going crazy over it, especially over the Nickelodeon interest. The phones have been ringing all day since. They really want a piece of you, Robin – school appearances, radio, TV, you name it. So we have to get you over there – and soon!”

Robin’s stomach dropped. They couldn’t – they
didn’t
expect her to go home, did they?

“I’m telling you, from what I’ve been hearing, you’ll be a bit of a national hero over there. I can already see the headlines:
Our very own JK
!”

Marla laughed when Robin eyes widened at this. “Hey, it’s not quite Harry Potter, but by the time we’re done here, who knows?”

Robin forced a smile. Oh no, she told herself, please say this isn’t happening

“So, if you could have a chat with your boss, and let us know as soon as possible when, and for how long, you’re available,” Lucy said. “To begin with, we’ll be concentrating mostly on the UK and of course, there’ll be a massive campaign in Ireland. Don’t worry, we’ll make sure you’re reimbursed for your time,” she added, when Robin looked sick to the stomach at the thought of it all, although not for the reasons her publisher suspected.

“We’re really on a roll here, Robin!” Marla enthused. “And with the way things are going, who knows where this will end?”

O
livia couldn’t quite overcome
her sense of nagging unease. There she was, nearly forty thousand feet in the air, sitting alongside the man she was almost certainly falling in love with, heading for a romantic weekend away to the Black Sea Coast, and still she couldn’t relax.

She couldn’t relax because, in four years, it was the first time she had left Ellie. Yes, her daughter had gone to stay with Peter’s family many times over the years without her, but this was the first time Olivia had actually left
her
behind.

And the worst part was with whom.

Her own mum and dad were away this weekend, Peter’s mother wasn’t well, poor Leah had enough to cope with, and she wouldn’t dream of landing Ellie in on top of a still-hassled Kate. So, when Matt had out of the blue suggested that the two of them head off for a romantic weekend, as far as he was concerned there had been only one option.

“Catherine could take her,” he’d suggested while they were discussing whether or not they could avail of seats on the plane his company chartered for property- inspection trips.

“There’ll be little or no work, I promise,” he said, when Olivia raised an eyebrow at the so-called ‘holiday’. “This one is Frank’s, and I’ll just be going along for the ride. I might have to make one or two phone calls to the builder while I’m there, but other than that, I’m free.”

He’d been so excited about it, so eager to show her this wonderful country and to spend some time alone with her, that his enthusiasm was contagious. Olivia wanted to spend time with him too, just the two of them, and – considering that she hadn’t had a weekend away, not to mention a foreign holiday, since her honeymoon – she too was eager to go. Still, there was the little matter of a baby-sitter for Ellie.

Matt busily dialled his mobile and, within seconds, Catherine had ‘come to the rescue’.

“She’d love to do it,” he said, sitting down at Olivia’s kitchen table. “She usually looks after Adam when I’m abroad anyway.”

The night at Catherine’s still fresh in her mind, Olivia almost laughed out loud at the thought of it. Yes, Catherine had apologised and was being, well, quite cordial lately, but still, Olivia couldn’t bring herself to trust the woman.

“I don’t know, Matt – Ellie doesn’t really know her,” she said, trying not to betray her real feelings on the subject. Matt tended to be a bit touchy when it came to Catherine, still believing the sun shone out of her very pert backside, convinced that she was the world’s greatest childminder.

“But she’d be with Adam, they’d have a ball. Please, Olivia, it’s only for a couple of days.”

“Couldn’t we leave it until another weekend, maybe? At least until my parents or Peter’s are available or – ”

“But why – when Catherine has already offered? I think it’s very nice of her actually, and she’s obviously trying to make amends for that night at dinner.”

Olivia bit her tongue. So she should be.

“Look, I’ve told you already that I’ll be too busy to get away once the inspection trips really get going – not to mention that we won’t be able to get seats on the flights for love or money.”

This was the problem: Matt would be up to his eyes for the rest of the year, and this might be their only chance to have a bit of time together, without the kids.

On the other hand, Olivia also wanted to be around for Leah, should her friend need her. Although Leah had insisted that as far as she was concerned, she and Josh were finished and there was no going back. Olivia had hardly seen her since, Leah being intent on throwing herself into her work to try and overcome the heartbreak and not at all willing, it seemed, to talk about it.

“I need some space now,” she’d told Olivia.

But Olivia wasn’t sure. She wasn’t sure about leaving Leah, and she was even more unsure about leaving Ellie.

“Matt, I’d really feel better if I knew Ellie would be looked after – ”

“Of course she’ll be looked after,” Matt insisted, pulling her close to him. “I’m telling you, Catherine would really love to do us the favour, and you know how well Ellie and Adam get on.”

“That’s true but – ”

“It’s only three days, seventy-two hours at the most,” he said, and Olivia noticed there was a touch of irritation in his tone. She sighed inwardly. To be fair, it
was
good of Catherine to offer, and now by hesitating it looked as though she was being very ungrateful. Still, she had to be sure …

“Look, why don’t we ask Ellie and see what she thinks,” she said, trying to sound brighter than she felt. Blast it, she should cop on to herself and stop sounding like a fussy, overprotective mother. Ellie was four years old and very well behaved. It was true that she adored Adam and would probably jump at the chance of going on her own ‘weekend away’, even if it was only across the green.

“Yay! Want to go on my holidays!” Ellie skipped around the kitchen when she and Matt put it to her later, and Olivia’s heart sank.

“You’ll have to stay in Catherine’s house and you’ll have to be very, very good,” she warned, realising that there was no going back now. “As Mummy will be gone away with the keys, you can’t come back to your house – you know that, don’t you?”

Ellie nodded, her eyes wide with excitement. “Can I play with Adam’s toys, Mummy?” she asked, the thought of making lots of noise with Adam’s
Bob the Builder
tools appealing to her enormously.

“You’ll have to ask Adam first, hon,” she said, and groaned inwardly at the arguments that Catherine would no doubt have to diffuse. “And you’ll have to remember that Adam is being very good to let you stay with him, and you should let him play with your toys too.”

“’kay!” Ellie started to suck on her thumb, something Olivia noticed she did more often after her trips to Galway.

“Ellie don’t do that, hon, it’s a yucky habit,” she scolded. Why her grandparents let her get away with it, Olivia didn’t know, but it might have something to do with the fact that Peter had also sucked his thumb when younger, and perhaps they found it endearing. “
And you certainly shouldn’t do that in front of Catherine
,” she added under her breath, thinking that Catherine, with her apparent obsession with discipline, would be scandalised by it.

In addition to the thumb-sucking, the trips also seemed to be getting more and more frequent, and while Olivia knew she couldn’t exactly keep her daughter to herself, she still worried about the influence Peter’s parents had on Ellie, especially when, rightly or wrongly, they weren’t too enamoured of her mother. Peter’s parents had never quite forgiven Olivia for what had happened that day; she knew they blamed her for not being there. And, no matter what Leah said, no matter what all the counsellors in the world said, Olivia knew that they were right.

Still, all she could do to make up for the past was by being a good mother to Ellie, and Olivia knew that sometimes her fixation on this made her seem over-protective.

But who could blame her when it came to Catherine? she thought now, staring out the window at the clouds below. Their first meeting had been an absolute disaster – the woman had more or less implied that Olivia
was
a bad mother, and had blatantly shown that she wasn’t too happy about her and Matt’s budding relationship. Concern for Matt my foot. Despite what he said, Olivia still got the feeling that Catherine wasn’t all sweetness and light. Hours earlier, when they’d dropped Ellie off at the house before leaving for the airport; Catherine had behaved as though she and Olivia were old friends but …

“Olivia, you look stunning in that outfit – it’s really slimming on you. Matt, make sure you
do
show her around now, and don’t be spending
all
your time in the hotel,” she’d said laughing gaily. “Ellie, come inside, I’ve got some lovely new games for you and Adam in the playroom, and I’ve got a
very
special place for you to sleep.” She ruffled Ellie’s flyaway hair. Again, Olivia noticed that she really should get it cut, but the curls were so cute and, once they were gone, they were gone forever.

“And I thought we might all go for a picnic by the lake tomorrow, what do you think?” Catherine continued. At this, the children’s eyes lit up and trance-like, they followed her down the hallway without a backward glance, almost like those children in the
Pied Piper
story, Olivia thought, feeling somewhat bereft.

“Now, are you two sure you won’t have something to eat – or a cup of tea before you go?” Catherine went on, fussing over them all like a mother hen, her behaviour the complete opposite of before. Matt refused, citing Friday afternoon traffic as an excuse, but Olivia caught his surreptitious wink, as if to say ‘Isn’t she wonderful?’

“Oh, well, I suppose you’d better get going – and, Olivia, try not to worry – Ellie will be fine.” Catherine smiled sweetly. “Look at her playing away there, I’m sure she won’t even notice you’re gone.”

Olivia smiled just as sweetly back, but she didn’t miss the dig. Oh why had she agreed to this?

But, as the captain made his airport landing announcement for Burgas airport, Olivia knew that now was way too late to change her mind, and it was pointless even thinking about it. She was thousands of miles away, and although she certainly wouldn’t be able to forget, she would have to try and put Catherine and Ellie to the back of her mind.

It was only a few days after all. A few days couldn’t do any harm, could it?