Girl on the Run (3 page)

Ashby is celebrating his newfound
singledom whilst on location in France. Sexy Jane meanwhile, is said to be heartbroken and has left Manchester.

Below it was a picture of Jane herself, all sleek blonde hair and make
-up, accompanying Ashby to a launch party. The caption said 'Jane, disappeared?'

‘
Shit.’ Jane sank back down into the chair. ‘Shit. Shit.’ She waved the magazine. ‘Why do they have to keep going on about me? Bad enough Ashby's tart goes to the papers about his sordid one night stand.’

She threw the magazine on the floor and buried her head in her hands.
‘We could have had a nice dignified split if it wasn't for that. Why does he have to keep dragging me into these things?’

Polly slid off the couch and put her arms around Jane.
‘Oh honey. It's Ok.’

‘
But why me? He's got some new bimbos, why do they have to bother with me?’

‘
Well, maybe it's because you photograph so beautifully.’ She held up the magazine. ‘I mean look at you. You look like a movie star and you're not even trying.’

‘
It's all in the make-up. I don't look like that in real life.’

‘
Especially not now. I think you're worrying about nothing. No one's going to recognise you with your new hair and new image.’ Polly gave Jane another hug. ‘Besides, no one is going to think of looking for you in a patent law firm.’

That was true.
‘I suppose you're right.’

‘
Of course I'm right.’ Polly stood up. ‘It'll be fine. Trust me.’

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* * *

From: James
, To: Marshall

Subject: Jan
e



She's nice
.
　Did I detect a spark of interest between you? You seemed to know each other from before
…
　Jim.

##

From: Marshall, To: James

Subject: Re: Jan
e



Like I said, I bumped into her in the street when I was jogging in yesterday morning, that's all. She's a work colleague. It's never a good idea to mix business with pleasure. You can't have forgotten what happened the last time I did that
!
　And yes, she is nice.

##

From: James, To: Marshall

Subject: Re: Jan
e



And pretty too
.
　Do you remember every person you meet in the street? I think not. I suspect you might have some competition from Keith.

##

From: Marshall, To: James

Subject: Re: Jan
e



I get the impression I'm not popular with Keith at the moment. I'm not entirely sure how I've managed to piss him off this time. I guess I have to keep him sweet, at least until after the next partners
’ meeting. I've worked too hard to miss out on a partnership just because I can't stand Keith. Re: Jane. I literally ran into her. Nearly mowed her down. She wasn't looking where she was going and stepped into my path. So, it's not surprising I remember her. Get off my case. Are you allowed to look at other women? I'm sure Lou wouldn't approve. M.

##

From: James, To: Marshall

Subject: Re: Jan
e



Keith's problem is that he's
übercompetitive. It's almost like a reflex with him. He can't seem to help himself. I guess it comes from having super powerful parents
.
　Anyway, he was the youngest person to be made partner in this firm. If you make it this time round, you'll be a whole year younger than he was. He doesn't want to lose his crown
.
　He's a devious one. And clever.I'd watch my back if I were you
.
　Jim
.
　PS: I'm married. Not blind.

##

From: Stevie, To: Marshall

So? How was last night? What's the new girl trainee like
?
　Stevie.

##

From: Marshall, To: Stevie

It's 9 a.m. What are you doing online at this hour? You don't normally get up before 11
.
　The new traine
e
– Jan
e
– is Ok. Seems nice … and quite bright. Which is good since she's going to be working on this big opposition case that Susan's got. We're going to need all the help we can get
.
　Marsh.

##

From: Stevie, To: Marshall

That's not a description. What does she look like? Or did you stare at your pint and not look at her all night
?
　I'm up because I drove Buzz to the station this morning. There didn't seem much point going back to bed afterwards. Besides, I was hoping this new girl might be The One for you
.
　Kisses, Stevie.

##

From: Marshall, To: Stevie

Why is everyone obsessed with Jane? The poor girl's only been here
five minutes and everyone's trying to set her up already
.
　By the way, I'll sort out the money you wanted this evening
.
　Which reminds me, you didn't answer my question. What happened to your allowance
?
　Marsh.

##

From: Stevie, To: Marshall

I lent Buzz some money to pay for his trip. Don't worry; he's going to pay me back
.
　I think you're being cagey. Sounds like you like this girl
.
　Did Jim go out with you last night
?
　Stevie.

##

From: Marshall, To: Stevie

Buzz hasn't paid you back for the last lot of money he borrowed off you, has he?
Marsh.

##

From: Stevie, To: James

Were you out with Marsh and Co last night??
Is there any gossip I should know about? I asked Marsh, but he's being suspiciously cagey about it
.
　How are Lou and the kids? I haven't seen Molly and the twins since I babysat last summer. They must have grown lots. Is Molly walking yet
?
　Stevie. X

##

From: James, To: Stevie

Hi Stevie
,
　Jan
e
– Northern, but not scarily so. Slim, tall, fantastic legs. Brown hair. Charming smile. She seemed to know Marsh from somewhere before. He says they just bumped into each other in the street. A likely story
.
　From what I could see, he couldn't take his eyes off her. She kept looking at him too, but that might just be her trying to avoid looking at Keith
.
　Molly's a toddler now. Photo attache
d
– taken two weeks ago. Twins started big school a few months ago
!
　Jim.

##

From: Stevie, To: James

OMG Molly is ADORABLE! I'm definitely going to have to come and visit. I hope she remembers me
.
　Thanks for the goss. I thought my brother was being cagey. I'll work on him. Stevie. XXX

##

From: James, To: Stevie

Cheap babysitting is always welcome
.
　And yes, do keep me posted about the Marsh situation. Lou often says it's a tragedy he's still single.

##

From: Marshall, To: James

Stop emailing my sister nonsense. Haven't you got better things to do?

CAUSE CELEB BLOG: The magazine that connects YOU to the stars
!
　Desperately Seeking Jane

Ashby Thornton's ex, sexy Jane Porter has disappeared amidst rumours that she is still devastated about the
Triphoppers
’ star's betrayal. Ashby and Jane met when they were at university and, according to friends, Jane helped Ashby with his career.

‘
Without Jane, he would never have made it to where he is now. It's shocking how badly he treated her. She's very upset,’ said a close friend.

So upset, in fact, that she's gone to ground completely. Rumour has it that she may even have left Manchester in order to get away from her painful memories of her time with Ashby.

‘It can't be easy,’ another friend said. ‘What with Ashby's new album being released and posters for his next tour going up all over town.’

We say, Jane, wherever you are, he's not worth it!

* * *

Jane joined Ruth in the social area for lunch the next day. The room was large and well lit, with round tables and a few well-placed plants making it look a little less corporate.

‘
We used to have a toaster,’ said Ruth as she took her bowl of soup out of the microwave. ‘But it was deemed a health and safety risk. I miss making toasties.’

‘
At least you have a microwave. We didn't even have that where I used to work.’ Jane looked around the room. ‘Where do you want to sit?’

‘
I normally sit there.’ Ruth pointed. ‘With the other trainees.’

‘
Right.’ Jane trailed after Ruth, wondering if even lunchtimes fed into the hierarchy. Ruth introduced everyone to Jane, who forgot their names a minute later. She noticed, as she looked around the room, that most people from Susan's team were there, including Keith. He was sitting with other associates and partners. He didn't seem to have noticed her.

She didn't see Marshall.
‘Does Marsh sit with them at lunchtimes?’ She couldn't see him and Keith choosing to spend time together.

‘
He rarely comes out,’ Ruth blew on her hot soup. ‘He's a bit of a workaholic.’ She paused as if in thought. ‘He's been keeping to himself much more since the whole Dominique thing.’

One of the secretaries said,
‘Who's this? Marsh? Yeah. Dominique was an idiot. I mean, the other guy was nothing special was he? Marsh is way better looking.’

Everyone laughed.
‘Seriously,’ the girl continued in a low voice. ‘Have you seen him in his running shorts? There's no way I'd let that go.’

‘
You'd have to catch him first,’ said another secretary. ‘We saw you trying to lure him under the mistletoe at the Christmas do.’

‘
Oh yes,’ said the first girl with a grin. ‘And I'll try again this year. Only this time, I'll make sure we're both drunk.’ Everyone laughed again.

Jane wondered what Marshall would think. Ashby, she knew, would have thrived on the attention. The thought brought with it a stab of sadness. She sighed and bit into her sandwich.

The conversation turned to gossip about people she didn't know. She allowed her attention to wander, idly looking round the room. Over Ruth's shoulder she could see the table where Keith was sitting. A woman joined them just then. Out of a shopping bag, she pulled out a sandwich and a copy of
Spotted!

Jane's mouth went dry. Patent attorneys were supposed to have a good eye for detail. Supposing one of them saw her photo and recognised her. She began fiddling with her newly brown hair, until she caught herself and lowered her hand.

When Keith said something, the woman with the magazine turned to listen to him, with one hand idly flicking through the pages. Suddenly she stopped and looked closely at something in the magazine.

Jane tried to look inconspicuous, focusing on her sandwich. A quick glance showed her that Keith and another man were now looking at the magazine over the woman's shoulder.

Jane wondered if she could sneak out, or whether doing so would only draw more attention to her. While she was debating with herself, the woman looked straight at her.

So much for anonymity.
She would have liked to have had a few days to let people get to know her as herself, before her past came crashing in. Maybe even build up some loyalty so that they wouldn't tell the press where she was.

She stood up, gathered up her sandwich, which she no longer wanted, and left as quietly as she could. Behind her she heard someone say,
‘Yeah, I reckon that's her all right.’

Back in her office, it took Jane a few minutes to compose herself. At least Ruth wasn't back yet. She was surprised at how awful she felt. Even in this new setting, the idea of being photographed and talked about wrung her out. She tried to pull herself together, but her eyes filled with tears.

Right now, she needed a friend more than ever.

* * *

From: Jane Porter, To: Polly Hartwell

One of the patent attorneys was reading
Spotted!
There isn't a chance it's a new edition and doesn't have my photo in it, is there
?
　Jane.

##

From: Polly, To: Jane

It's not time for another
Spotted!
magazineto print, so this one will have your photo in it. It's quite a nice photo of you, if it helps
.
　For someone who appears in these celeb magazines on a regular-ish basis, you are remarkably clueless about them. Pol.

##

From: Jane, To: Polly

I'm not a celebrity. I only went to these events because Ashby wanted a bit of moral support and some totty on his arm for his grand entrance. At least that's what he told me. He probably just wanted someone sober enough to get him home in one piece, really
.
　I'm pretty sure they recognised me from the photo. So much for my plan to get on with my life. Bugger
.
　Jane.

##

From: Polly, To: Jane

Perhaps it won't make any difference. These people are professionals, after all. Maybe they'll just judge you on your ability to do the job and not take any notice of
who you used to go out with.

##

From: Jane, To: Polly

That would be nice, but I doubt it. You should have seen the excitement when they spotted the photo. They were all crowded round it gawping
.
　I left. I couldn't bear it. It's just horrible. I don't want to spend my life with people watching my every move again. What am I going to do?

##

From: Polly, To: Jane

Oh Jane. I don't think there's anything you CAN do. You're just going to have to tough it out. It might not be as bad as you think.

* * *

Ruth returned to the office before Jane could reply. She quickly closed down her email and blinked back residual tears.

Ruth sat down and started pounding on her keyboard. Her eyes were sparkling.

Jane braced herself for questions, but none came. Was Ruth staying silent out of politeness? As the minutes ticked by, Jane felt her nerves stretching more and more taut. Finally, unable to bear the suspense, she decided to face the questions.
‘What did it say?’

Ruth looked up.
‘Pardon?’

‘
The magazine. What did it say?’

‘
Oh.’ Ruth looked furtive. ‘Push the door to, will you?’

Jane felt a prickle of hope. She pushed the door closed, as requested.

‘There's this girl. Dominique …’ Ruth began.

Relief washed through Jane, making her body suddenly feel light. It wasn't her they'd seen in the magazine. It was someone else.

Oh thank God.

* * *

From: Stevie, To: Marshall

I see Dominique's made it into the gossip
mags – or at least someone who looks very much like her has. She's going out with some footballer, apparently. Have you seen it? Are you Ok
?
　Stevie.

##

From: Marshall, To: Stevie

One of the other attorneys has very kindly left the magazine on my desk for me. Although I'm not sure exactly why she thought I'd like to study a photo of my ex draped over some footballer! Dominique and I split up ages ago. Why should I care
whoshe decides to snog
?
　Marsh.

* * *

Jane had been working at Ramsdean and Tooze for a week and she still couldn't get over the fact that she lived in London now. Normally, she liked to ride on the top deck of the bus, well above the familiar shop displays, where the buildings revealed their true nature. While the shop facades were soulless and modern, the second floors of the buildings displayed styles and decorations that spoke of what they used to be. She found it fascinating.

She hadn't managed to catch a double decker bus that day, so she was at street level. At least she had a seat by the window, so she could watch the streams of people on the streets. What was it about London crowds that fascinated her so much?

It wasn't the diversity of races and colours. Manchester had that, although to a lesser degree. Nor was it the sheer number of people. Partly, she realised, it was what they were wearing. Classic, grunge, traditional garb from various countries and some outfits that were just plain wacky. In the North people tended to dress more uniformly, especially on a winter night.

Jane had tottered to clubs wearing open
-toed high heels and a small dress under her huge coat. She had never been comfortable in the tiny scraps of clothing that most women went clubbing in. After Ashby became famous she had opted for slightly more expensive, longer dresses for media events, earning her the reputation of ‘classy bird’ among the other band members.

The bus crawled along in the slow traffic and drew up at a bus stop.
There was a large advert on the side of the bus shelter. Jane found herself staring straight at Ashby. It was a nice photo, airbrushed slightly to get rid of the acne scars on his cheeks. He stood in the foreground, looking moodily at the camera, with the band fanned out behind him. His light brown hair had been highlighted to make it shine and the camera had caught the lucent blue of his eyes perfectly. He looked younger than he was. And very sexy.

Jane instinctively ducked, hiding her face, until she remembered that she was in London where it was very unlikely anyone would recognise her. As the bus moved on, she risked a glance around. No one paid her any attention. She relaxed and turned back to the window.

When people had first started noticing Ashby and his friends, it had been exciting. They would be doing something fairly normal when giggling schoolgirls would ask Ashby for his autograph. They would ask him what it was like being on TV. Ashby's brooding good looks and the dry wit of the drummer had made them local celebrities.

After a few appearances on TV, they had been offered a recording contract and had acquired PR agents. Through carefully orchestrated exposure, the band had risen to fame. Their first album had been nominated for several awards.

Jane, by virtue of being Ashby's girlfriend, found herself going to parties, chatting with minor celebrities and, usually, making sure her very drunk boyfriend got home safely at night.

She had found glamour difficult. She had always worried about her make
-up smudging, her hair not staying in place or her dress being tucked in her knickers. Sensible suited her much better.

She looked down at her sensible work clothes. Her fingers tightened round her bag. What was it about her that made her more comfortable thinking about science and talking to scientists or lawyers
rather than socialising with pop stars?

Perhaps, she reflected, it was because she didn't really care about the problems of the famous. When they complained about the intrusion of the press, they were always secretly hoping they'd be quoted. She, on the other hand, found the intrusion genuinely unsettling. She had once thought anonymity was the curse of a mundane life. Now, she felt it was a blessing.

The door of Polly's flat opened straight into an open plan living room. Polly had tried to divide the space up by placing the sofa with its back to the door. The TV was on so Polly was in.
‘Hello,’ Jane called as she turned to hang up her coat.

There was a muffled curse and Polly's head appeared above the back of
the sofa. ‘Hi. I didn't expect you home so soon.’ She sounded slightly breathless. Her hair had escaped from its ponytail and her face was flushed.

Jane heard rustling and a few grunts and suddenly realised Polly was not alone on the couch. She felt her face heat.
‘I … er … I'll just be in my room for a few minutes.’ Grabbing her bag, she fled, careful not to look at the sofa.

In the safety of her room, she sank down onto the bed. Feeling a terrible urge to listen to what Polly and Andy
– at least, she assumed it was Andy – were saying, she dug her iPod out of her bag. Unsure about whether it was safe to go out, she changed into jeans and a jumper and sat on her bed.