Flights of Angels (33 page)

‘Of course he does.’

‘I just don’t know if I’m ready for this.’

‘But you like him, and he likes you. What’s the problem?’ Jalisa said, slowly and cautiously.

‘I’m scared,’ Claudie admitted after a moment’s silence. ‘I’m scared of the hurt that love can bring. I never knew I could hurt like that and I never want to go through that again.’

‘But you have to be willing to chance that - if you want to love again.’

Claudie nodded. She knew Jalisa was right.

‘It isn’t easy, Claudie. There are no promises or guarantees but, when you get it right, it’s the most perfect thing in the world.’

Claudie gazed at her reflection in the mirror but it wasn’t her reflection she saw, it was a line of people telling her exactly what Jalisa was telling her now.

‘It will happen,’ Kristen had told her. ‘You’ll find somebody, someday, and life will be wonderful again.’

Jimmy had said something similar too, as had Angela at work and, of course, Dr Lynton.

‘Now,’ Jalisa said, bringing Claudie back to the here and now, her eyes twinkling mischievously, ‘what are you going to wear for dinner?’

Claudie felt a tiny smile lighting her face and she stood up and walked towards the wardrobe, opening it and surveying the colourful contents. It had been a mild day, but what would it be like out at night? She smiled and shook her head. Who cared if she froze, she thought, reaching for her new red dress? And it really was red too: a Kristen-red rather than a Claudie-red, and it was beautiful.

She turned round, holding the dress out for Jalisa’s approval.

‘A definite winner!’ Jalisa said, clapping her hands and spinning round on the dressing table.

‘It’s not too much?’

‘NO!’ Jalisa shouted. ‘This is the start of your new life, Claudie, so you’ve got to make a statement.’

Chez Veronique was not far from the hotel and, even though it was busy, they were shown to a table for two which looked out over a lantern-lit courtyard. It was lovely, and Claudie felt as if she was being spoilt. Other than the recent meal out with Kristen, when they’d been asked to leave the restaurant after disgracing themselves, she hadn’t eaten out for ages.

‘You’re not disappointed, are you?’ Simon asked, pulling Claudie’s chair out for her.

‘What do you mean? It’s beautiful.’

‘No. I mean about being here with me instead of Kristen.’

‘
No!
’ Claudie bit her lip at her response. It sounded way too enthusiastic and, despite Jalisa’s mention of RTMO boxes, Claudie was not going to rush anything.

Simon pulled the chair out opposite her. ‘Good. Because I want you to enjoy this weekend.’

‘I am.
We are!
’

He gave an anxious little smile as he sat down, and then picked up the menu.

The food was too good to necessitate any conversation, but Claudie couldn’t help but occasionally glance across the table at Simon. She noticed the way that he nodded his head as he ate, as if passing silent judgement on the food, and how dark his eyes looked in the dim light of the restaurant. She noticed the play of shadows over his face, making it look as if he hadn’t shaved, and the way his fingers wrapped firmly around his wineglass. Claudie had declined wine when he’d offered it, knowing it would send her to sleep, so Simon was slowly making his way through the bottle on his own. It made her smile that he was so enthusiastic about everything. Yet she still felt afraid to talk to him. And she desperately wanted to, because something had been worrying her since they’d left London.

She bided her time, waiting for the right moment, and there
was
a moment when she almost managed to get her words together, but the waiter interrupted, trying to sell Simon a second bottle of wine, and Claudie had lost her nerve.

It wasn’t until they’d finished that she spoke.

‘Simon,’ she began, feeling as if the whole restaurant had stopped talking and was tuning in to her broadcast. ‘I’ve done something rather naughty.’

Simon leaned forward a little from out of the shadows, his brow furrowing. ‘What?’

‘I rang Jimmy.’

‘When?’

‘Well, I was going to anyway. I don’t know. I guess I was going to threaten him or something. He’s just so thick-skinned sometimes.’ Claudie paused. ‘But I was going to tell him to get himself sorted out before we got back from Paris.’

‘Oh, God! You didn’t mention Paris, did you?’

‘No. Why?’

‘Because I don’t think he knows anything about it. And if he got wind that Kris was coming with me-’

Claudie gasped. ‘I hadn’t even thought about that. You don’t suppose he knows, do you?’

Simon shook his head. ‘No. I doubt it. But what exactly have you done?’

Claudie took a deep breath, wondering if she should have accepted a glass of wine. ‘Well,’ she began, ‘I rang him from Waterloo. When I told you I was popping to the ladies.’

‘And what did you say?’

‘I told him to get a bloody move on! That I was going away for a couple of days and that Kristen would be sat in my cottage, probably watching her way through my collection of musicals, and brooding.’

Simon laughed and then shook his head again. ‘Poor Kris.’

‘Exactly.’ Claudie felt herself relaxing now that the truth was out in the open. She hated to think of herself as a meddler but, sometimes, a meddle was the only way out of a muddle.

‘And what did the big man have to say to that?’

Claudie shrugged. ‘That’s the thing that’s been worrying me - he didn’t say anything. Although it
was
rather noisy, so he might have said something. I can’t be sure.’

‘So we won’t know until we get back?’

Claudie had a sip of water. ‘I guess not. I don’t think I should ring again, do you?’

‘No!’ Simon agreed, leaning back in his chair and pulling an uncomfortable-looking face. ‘I don’t think Jimmy’s the sort of man to be pressurised into making decisions.’

There was a moment’s silence as they both contemplated the fate of their best friends.

Simon sighed. ‘But they’ll sort things out, won’t they? I mean, they’re not going to end up like me and Felicity, are they?’

Claudie smiled at him, thinking it was sweet that he cared so much. ‘I’m sure they’re going to be just fine,’ she said. ‘If Kris and Jimmy aren’t meant to be together, I don’t know who is.’

Kristen was going to murder Claudie when she got back. She’d just spent an entire evening watching MGM musicals and, rather than being buoyed up by the experience, it had left her in tears.

She trumpeted into a man-sized tissue. Somebody, she thought, should sue that company. Weren’t musicals meant to warm the heart and leave you with a sense of well being? Well, Kristen’s heart certainly didn’t feel warmed. That song in
Cover Girl
, “
Long Ago and Far Away
” was hardly the stuff of rollicking laughter, was it? And the confectionery-sweet ending of In the Good Old Summertime just made her feel worse.

She felt like complaining to someone about the misrepresentation of life in the movies but, instead, she dried her eyes. They felt as if they’d doubled in size like some cartoon character and, to make matters worse, it was only nine o’clock. What on earth was she going to do with the rest of the evening?

For a moment, she wondered what Claudie and Simon were up to in Paris. God, she hoped they were getting along okay. After her abrupt announcement that she wasn’t actually going with either of them, she had felt the tension between them. But they’d be all right. If Claudie and Simon didn’t get on then she’d throw herself into Whitby harbour.

She gave her nose another blow and then got up, walking into the kitchen with the express purpose of rooting around Claudie’s cupboards for chocolate. But she didn’t get that far. Standing, silhouetted in the light of the yard beyond the kitchen door was Jimmy. Kristen almost leapt out of her skin at the sight of him. What was he doing here?

She watched as he stepped forward and knocked on the door. He’d obviously seen her in the kitchen so there was no chance of pretending she wasn’t in. She took a deep breath and opened the door, looking up into his face but not able to say a single word.

‘Kris? he said, stepping into the kitchen. ‘What’s the matter?’ He raised a large hand up to touch her face but she turned away from him.

‘Nothing,’ she said.

‘Have you been crying?’

She turned her face so that she was hiding behind her hair.

‘Kristen,’ he said gently.

‘What?’

‘Look at me.’ He placed a hand on her shoulder and turned her round. And, as she felt his eyes on her, her resolve crumbled and she found herself crying. Great sobs wracked her body, as if she’d been storing it all up for him. It made the tears in the living room seem like the first drops of the thaw, but this was the real thing now.

And he didn’t try to stop her. He wrapped his arms around her as if he never meant to let go, kissing her hair and telling her it was all right, just letting her cry into his ridiculously thin T-shirt.

‘Jimmy,’ she said at last.

‘Yes?’

She didn’t dare look at him, but she wanted to so much. ‘I missed you.’

He stroked the side of her face, his thumb wiping away a stray tear. ‘I missed you too, Captain.’

She gave a little laugh. It felt so long since he’d used her nickname, and it sounded so sweet.

‘I’m sorry,’ she said quietly.

‘That’s what I came to say.’

She wiped her nose on her already sodden tissue and looked up at him. ‘Is it?’

‘Yeah,’ he said. ‘And that’s not all.’ He gave her a smile which made her cheeks flush red. ‘Is there anywhere in this house to sit down?’ he asked.

Kristen led him through to the living room where they sat down on the beaten-up sofa bed.

Jimmy leant forward, his long legs sticking out at peculiar angles on the low sofa. ‘I’m probably going to do this badly.’

‘Do what?’

He ran a hand through his thick dark hair and cleared his throat. ‘I’ve had time to think since you left, and I’ve come to realise that life’s pretty damn miserable without you.’

Kristen felt her mouth falling open at his words.

‘And I’ve also realised that maybe - just maybe - I took you for granted when you were around.’ He picked her hand up and kissed it gently. ‘And I want you to come back.’ He paused for a moment and Kristen looked into his soft green eyes. ‘Will you come home, Kris?’

She felt a basketball-sized lump forming in her throat which almost prevented her from talking. Almost, but not quite. ‘Yes,’ she squeaked. ‘I’ll come home.’

‘You will?’

She nodded, her eyes filling with tears she didn’t think she had left. ‘I’ve been so selfish,’ she whispered, ‘and childish.’

He squeezed her right hand in his and she placed her left hand on top, making a great hand sandwich. ‘And I’ve been horribly cruel to you. I said some terrible things.’ She paused. ‘You can interrupt me at any time.’

Jimmy smiled. ‘It’s all right. I’m enjoying this.’

Kristen smiled back at him. ‘You’re horrible.’

‘You’re gorgeous.’

Kristen swallowed hard. ‘Am I?’

‘Yeah. And I don’t tell you often enough, do I?’ He squeezed her hand again and then withdrew it, fishing in his pocket for something.

Kristen felt as if she’d stopped breathing completely. She mustn’t even begin to think - she shouldn’t build her hopes up - he couldn’t possibly have. Could he?

‘Kristen,’ he said, and, from the way he said her name, she knew that he had. ‘I know you haven’t been too impressed with the amount of time I’ve been spending on my boats recently-’

‘You don’t need to apologise,’ she said, wishing he’d stop on about boats for half a minute and get on with the serious business of proposing.

‘Well, the boats have been necessary. Because they meant I could buy you this.’ He opened his hand and there in his palm was a little blue box.

Kristen took it with shaking fingers and opened it, gasping as she saw a row of three diamonds winking up at her.

‘Jimmy!’

‘Kristen. Will you marry me? Will you agree to take me on, despite the ex-wife and the years of reluctance to get married? Despite the front room filled with wooden models, and the unsociable working hours during the tourist season?’

Kristen gave an excited little giggle. ‘Of course I will!’

Jimmy bent forward and planted a fat kiss on her mouth before taking the ring out of the box.

‘Do you remember which finger it goes on?’ Kristen teased.

He grinned at her. ‘Don’t push it.’

‘I think you might have to. It’s a little tight!’

‘Is it?’

Kristen laughed. ‘Only joking!’

‘Come here!’ he said, giving her a hug that made her wonder if MGM should be sued over their happy endings after all.

‘It never really get dark in a city, does it?’ Claudie said as she and Simon walked back to the hotel from the restaurant.

‘There are so many lights,’ Simon nodded, and then laughed. ‘This is the City of Light, after all.’

‘Would you ever live in a city?’ Claudie asked, her boots clicking and echoing under the arches of the Place des Vosges.

‘No. You?’

‘No.’

‘Whitby’s urban enough for me,’ he said.

‘Me too.’

They walked in silence for a few moments.

‘Thanks for dinner,’ Claudie said, ‘it was really lovely.’

‘That’s all right. It was the least I could do after last week.’ They walked through the gates of the hotel and nodded to the girl on reception before heading to the lift.

‘So what happened?’ Claudie said quietly.

‘What - with Felicity?’

‘If you don’t mind me asking.’

‘No, I don’t mind,’ he said, and then gave a little laugh. ‘We agreed that things would be better if we went our separate ways.’

Claudie nodded. ‘And you’re happy with that?’

Simon looked at her, his eyes twinkling mischievously. ‘
Ecstatic
.’

Claudie grinned back at him. ‘And Kristen? Why did that never work out?’

Simon laughed again. ‘God! I don’t know. She’s,’ he paused, ‘she’s the closest thing I’ve got to a sister without actually having one.’