No Matter What (71 page)

He finished his drink and ordered another one, determined not to go back over all the ‘what if’s’ in his head again, it wasn’t worth it.
 
She was married to someone else now.
 
He’d burned every bridge he had as far as
India
was concerned.
 
Or had he?
 
Had he really?
 
Wasn’t there still something there?
 
Or was he just kidding himself?
 
The early hours of the morning – even in Vegas – could sometimes make things seem different to how they really were.

He finished his second whisky in one go, deciding that maybe bed was the best option now, before he started to wallow in self-pity.
 
But, as he put his empty glass down on the bar and swung round on his stool, someone caught his eye and he had to look twice to make sure he wasn’t seeing things.
 
It was her, he was sure it was her.
 
Charley Miles.
 
Large as life and here in Vegas.

CHAPTER 36

“Jesus, I feel like crap,”
India
groaned, walking into the kitchen wrapped in the biggest and most luxurious dressing gown she’d ever worn.
 
She was going to ask Vince if she could keep it.
 

Bobby looked up at her as he handed her a cup of coffee.
 
“Yes, well, I’m keeping my mouth shut.”

“That’ll be a first.”
 
She took a sip.
 
“Tea, Bobby, I have tea in the morning.
 
I’m British.”

“And you live in
America
so sit down and drink it.”

“Anyone ever told you you’re incredibly bossy?”

“Frequently.”
 
He handed her some aspirin.
 
“What time did
you
get to bed then, missy?”

She looked up at him as she knocked the tablets back with her coffee.
 
“Who are you?
 
My mother?”

He pulled a face and continued to fuss around the kitchen, sliding some bread into the toaster.
 
“I was only asking.
 
I never heard you come in, that’s all.”

“I got back around
2am
, or something like that.
 
Then the next thing I know Michael’s call woke me up at 6 0’clock.”

Bobby raised an eyebrow.
 
“Early morning ‘phone calls, huh?”

She looked at him again.
 
“Yeah.
 
And?”

He got some butter and marmalade out of the fridge and put them down in front of her.
 
“And nothing.
 
You’re very defensive this morning, madam.”

She sighed, pulling the dressing gown tighter around her, resting her chin in one hand, watching Bobby retrieve the toast from the toaster.

“I’m sorry.
 
I’m just feeling a bit below par.
 
I don’t even remember drinking that much.”

“You probably didn’t, when you were out.
 
But you forget you had three cocktails and a vodka before you even left the house.”

“Oh.
 
Yeah.
 
So I did.
 
Bobby, I’m not that hungry.”

He put the toast down in front of her.
 
“Eat something or you’ll have me following you round all day trying to force feed you and I’m sure you don’t want that. Come on, you’ve got a days filming ahead of you.”
 
He sat down opposite her.
 
“Were you this grumpy with Mr Walsh?”

She couldn’t help smiling at the mention of Michael’s name.
 
“No.
 
He kind of made me feel better actually.”

“Hmmm, I’m sure he did.”
 
He looked at her and she stared back.

“You’re not getting details so forget it.”

“And I thought you told me everything,” he sighed, a look of mock disappointment on his face, and
India
laughed.

“Ow! ... that hurt!
 
I’m gonna kill Kenny.”

“You’ll be fine.
 
Once you’re in make-up you’ll feel much better, and God knows so will the rest of us because, right now, you are not a pretty sight, India Walsh.”

She looked at him, sticking her tongue out.
 
She would have liked to have thrown something at him but she didn’t think she had the energy.

“If only Mr Walsh could see you now,” he laughed, and
India
couldn’t help but laugh again.
 
Even if it
did
hurt.

“Pack it in, Bobby.
 
And anyway, Michael’s seen me in much worse states than this.”

“Then he must
really
love you, angel.”

“I could fire you y’know.”

“You wouldn’t dare. You’d fall apart without me.”
 
He leaned forward and planted a small kiss on her forehead.
 
“Come on, missy.
 
Finish off that coffee, eat a mouthful of something then get upstairs and make yourself presentable.
 
While you’re up there I’ll ring Mr Brogan’s secretary and organise the ‘plane to come and get you on the 24
^th
.
 
Ok?”

She smiled at him.
 
He was an absolute angel, someone she really couldn’t do without and she loved him to bits.
 
Even the nagging.

“Thanks, Bobby.
 
You’re the best.”

“I know,” he smiled, winking at her.
 
“But it doesn’t hurt to hear you say it.”

***

Reece sat on the sidelines, watching everything going on around him.
 
He was enjoying making this movie because Michael had a way of directing that made things fun and put everyone at ease.
 
He had a wonderfully energetic personality when he was working.
 
At the beginning of his movie career Michael Walsh had been known mainly for his comedy acting, and that was evident sometimes in the way he got things across, with the confidence only an actor and comedian could carry off.
 
He was friendly, amiable and obviously loved what he was doing, but there were also times when Reece would catch him just sitting quietly on his own, almost withdrawing into himself and letting nobody in.
 
He knew that he missed
India
and he knew what was on his mind concerning the whole Kenny thing and it still worried Reece.
 
It was at these times that he felt he couldn’t really read Michael, couldn’t quite work out what was going on in his head.
 
He and Martha had tried inviting him out to dinner or over to their place for drinks and some company but he seemed to prefer either being at the studio until all hours or just going home by himself.
 
Reece was glad
India
was paying a flying visit to
L.A.
in a couple of days.
 
He couldn’t wait to see her.
 
He was missing her too.
 
Just not half as much as her husband obviously was.

As he turned his attention back to what was going on around him he noticed Layla Boyd arriving on set, smiling that little girl smile she was so fond of flashing around and he didn’t miss the one she gave Michael, biting down on her bottom lip as she looked at him.
 
Was she batting her eyelids?
 
Reece leaned forward, watching as Michael turned his back on her to concentrate on what he was doing, but he also noticed how that didn’t seem to be putting Layla off in any way.
 

Reece knew quite a bit about Layla Boyd.
 
He knew that her mother was Sofia Vincelli, an Italian actress who’d never quite made it as big as she’d wanted to in
Hollywood
and was now trying to live her life through her daughter.
 
He knew her father, Calvin Boyd, headed up one of the biggest casting agencies in
L.A.
and therefore played a big part in getting his daughter’s name known around town but so far he’d yet to get the leading role for Layla that his wife was looking for.
 
He also knew Layla’s mother was her manager.
 
She accompanied Layla everywhere and therefore looked after everything she did and Reece knew that she was determined that Layla would have the fame she’d never quite managed to achieve.
 
And he also knew that there was nothing Sofia wouldn’t make her daughter do in order to get that fame, including making connections with the right people, whoever they turned out to be.
 
If they happened to be the person Sofia thought could help turn her daughter into a star then they were fair game in her eyes, and nobody else was going to get in the way.
 
It was quite obvious to Reece, as he watched mother and daughter talk, that the connection here was Michael Walsh.
 
And that made Reece very nervous indeed.

***

Kenny found Vince outside on the terrace of the breakfast restaurant reading the morning’s business pages.
 
He sat down opposite him, sitting back in his chair.

“Did you know she was here in Vegas?”

Vince looked up over the top of his paper.
 
“Did I know
who
was in Vegas?”

“Charley.”

Vince felt his stomach turn over and he put the paper down, folding it up and placing it on the table, calmly pouring himself a coffee.
 
“Do you want one?”

“No, I don’t want a coffee, I want to know if you knew that Charley Miles was here in Vegas.”

“Why would I know, Kenny?”

Kenny leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table as he looked at Vince. “Because you’re practically Mr Las Vegas, Vince, there’s not much you
don’t
know about this town.”
 
He sat back again, folding his arms.
 
“And because she was in your hotel last night.”

Vince knew time was up on the secrecy now.
 
He was only glad it had been Kenny that had seen Charley first and not
India
.

“Did you see her?” Vince asked.

“Yes, I saw her.
 
In the bar.”

“Did she see
you
?”

“No.”

Vince sat back in his chair and looked straight at Kenny.
 
“She works here. She’s a showgirl.”

“She
works
here?”

“She has done for a while now.
 
I didn’t employ her, Kenny, I own the hotel but I don’t make the decisions on who works in every area of the place.
 
Apparently she’s been in Vegas for years now.”

“You do know
India
’s bound to find out about this, don’t you?”

“I know,” he sighed, part of him relieved the truth was now coming out, and part of him terrified of the knock-on effects this would undoubtedly cause.
 
“Look ... there’s something else you need to know.”

Vince didn’t want to tell him this, not really, because he didn’t want his relationship with Charley to change.
 
It was good, it was what he needed and he was scared that everything coming out in the open was going to alter that, but it was time for the truth now.
 
He didn’t know how India was going to take this news, he had no idea how she felt about it all because she never talked about it anymore, but he hoped that whatever she felt, it wouldn’t affect what he now had with Charley.

Kenny was looking at Vince expectantly, waiting for whatever it was that he had to tell him.

“Charley ... well, me and Charley we’re ... she doesn’t just work here, Kenny.
 
We’re seeing each other.
 
We’re together.”

Kenny couldn’t say anything for a few seconds while he took it all in.
 
“You and Charley?
 
You’re an item?”

Vince nodded.
 
“It just happened, Kenny.
 
And it’s not just some fling, it really isn’t.
 
We’ve been together for a good while now and I think ... I think I’m falling in love with her.”

Kenny couldn’t help laughing.
 
“What?
 
Vince Maine, in love?
 
You are joking, aren’t you?”

But Vince was deadly serious, and Kenny could see that.
 
India
was going to love this one.

“You’re not joking, are you?
 
Jesus, Vince ...”

“I don’t know where it’s going, Kenny, or what the future’s going to bring, all I know is that I want to give this a chance.
 
She’s changed so much.
 
She’s really got her life back on track and she’s making a go of things.”