Chapter Fourteen
The following day I lay low, tending to the returns from the shoot and calling in new pieces for engagements in the week ahead. I didn’t see much of Mandy. She was a figure fleetingly leaving the kitchen as I entered, or dashing out of the front door and into a waiting car.
The next morning, as the final moments of sleep drained from my body, I lay in bed and a sick feeling went from my throat to settle like concrete in my stomach. I expected that today, Mandy would speak to me about the dining room incident. I picked up my phone and scrolled between WhatsApp, email, and Instagram. Blair had gone quiet, which potentially meant they were trying to stay out of it and would accept no blame when I was fired.
I opened the Mindful Moments app and tried to do some breathwork.
‘Inhalation … exhalation …’ said the woo-woo person in the video. I couldn’t get past two breaths before I gave up and put down my phone, only to pick it up a second later when it buzzed with a WhatsApp from Jimi.
Morning! Just a reminder that everything we discussed must not go anywhere.
Don’t worry, it won’t.
Fancy a Pilates session? Mandy’s just cancelled so I’m free.
Sure, I’ll meet you in the gym.
I had harboured an irrational fear of these machines until the session with Jimi, who took me through a series of exercises and made it seem like fun, although my abs were already sore. Being in the gym with Jimi had offered a distraction from worrying about whether my time here was about to be cut short. He was so busy delivering instructions, and I was so busy trying not to injure myself again, or accidentally fart whilst doing roll-ups, that an hour passed in a flash, and we didn’t get a chance to talk about anything else.
When I looked at my phone for the first time after the session, I read a WhatsApp message from Mandy.Your attendance is required at a team meeting this morning. 10am sharp in the drawing room. It’s mandatory.
Jimi picked up his phone and read the message at the same time as I did.
‘Jose’s back,’ he said.
‘Do you think he’s come especially to sack me?’ I asked, a tightness emerging in my throat.
‘I doubt it, but I think we’ll find out what Mandy thinks of the photos.’
I sighed.
‘But if she hates them, you do know it’s not your fault, don’t you? Everyone was a part of the shoot. You saved it, if anything. I’m going to change my T-shirt quickly, I’ll follow you down.’
I looked at the side of Jimi’s perfectly formed face. He had said exactly what I needed to hear.
I hurried into the drawing room to discover Jose sat on the sofa next to Mandy. Blair, Coco, and Lola were already there, stealing the best seats – the ones furthest away from Mandy and Jose.
Jose must have got in from New York late last night or early this morning. His hair was still damp as though he had not long showered, and the familiar whiff of fresh aftershave created a warm bubble of fragrance around him, just as it had done on the day I first met him.
‘Julie-Ann will be joining us shortly,’ Mandy informed us, setting herself up as chairperson for the meeting. ‘She’s running a bit late, but she’s bringing the photos with her – so we can all look at them on the big screen.’
‘Morning!’ Jimi said on cue, strolling through the door. He came and sat next to me. It felt nice to be close to him again.
I focused my gaze on the tightly clasped hands in my lap. So far, Mandy had avoided direct eye contact with me, which wasn’t a good sign.
Philippa entered the room, making us all look up. She was a welcome vision, holding a silver tray containing a cafetiere of fresh coffee and mugs. ‘Stimulants are served,’Philippa exclaimed in her deadpan manner, as she deposited the tray on a large, low coffee table in the middle of the sofas.
I nudged Jimi’s side subtly with my elbow.
He knew exactly what I meant and surreptitiously dug a firm finger into my ribs. It got me in exactly one of my most ticklish places. When I looked at him, his eyes widened. This led me to have a sudden, uncontrollable urge to laugh. Instead, I let out an ungainly loud snort through my nose which I immediately had to pretend was a coughing fit.
Everyone looked at me.
‘Are you okay?’ Blair said.
‘I’m fine,’ I spluttered.
Blair was on their feet, arm outstretched, offering me a glass of water. ‘Here!’
