Santa Baby (12 page)

All the way in on the train Tiffany was paranoid that people recognised her from the press stories and were staring at her. She pretended to be riveted by the contents of
Grazia
but actually wasn’t taking in a single word. She pulled out the card Sean had given her. Maybe she should text him to say thank you?

She reached for her phone and typed a quick message.
Thanks for yesterday, I really appreciate all you did for me and my family. Hope everything OK with you
. She hesitated at the end. Should she sign off with a kiss? She would with anyone else. It wasn’t like her to be so indecisive, but it was because she cared about what Sean thought of her. She ended up going for a smiley face, and before she could change her mind pressed Send. She shoved the phone back in her bag, but couldn’t resist checking it every few minutes. A big fat nothing from Agent Murphy. She was glad she hadn’t left a kiss. In fact, she was actually looking forward to getting to work and putting everything else out of her mind for a few hours.

But a couple of paps were staking out the gym when
she
turned up and immediately started taking pictures when they realised it was Tiffany. Arghhh! Was there no escape? She pushed through the double doors and fled into the office where Kara was already at work at her computer. She stopped what she was doing as soon as Tiffany walked in.

‘Babes! Are you OK? You’ve been in the papers and everything. There was even a phone-in on
5 live
about meeting up with your long-lost siblings that Harley heard where they mentioned you. You’re famous! Are you going to do any interviews?’

Tiffany sat down on the chair at the next desk. She felt exhausted and the day had barely started. ‘It’s a nightmare, Kara. I don’t want all this, I didn’t choose it.’

Sensing that her friend was not sharing her excitement about suddenly being thrust into the limelight, Kara switched to sympathetic mode. She made Tiffany tell her everything that had happened, called up a couple of the personal trainers in the gym and asked them to go outside and make sure the paps didn’t come in, and fetched her a coffee.

‘I’m sure it will be easier once you know either way whether you and Angel are sisters. Why don’t you stay with me until it’s all sorted?’

Tiffany gratefully agreed. She had not been looking forward to going back to her flat and battling her way through the paps yet again. She could feel a tingling above her lip, a sure sign that a cold sore was imminent, brought on by the stress. That was all she needed: to be photographed with a huge scab on her face! She scrambled through her bag for a tube of treatment cream and saw that her phone was flashing with a message.

Agent Murphy had replied to her text:
Any time. And sorry I had to leave during dinner, tell Chris it was delicious.
Hope
you’re OK and that the press aren’t bothering you. Give me a shout if they are. I’m here to serve. S x
.

Yay! She’d got a kiss! Suddenly things didn’t seem to be quite so on top of her.

Tiffany took her coffee into the changing rooms and got into her uniform – a hot-pink polo shirt with the gym logo on the front, and black tracksuit bottoms with pink piping down the sides. Kara had designed the uniform herself, and had refused to take any of Tiffany’s style tips on board. Kara’s own work uniform was the polo shirt plus a pleated skirt and pink court shoes. Tiffany had told her she looked as if she was a cheerleader or about to star in a production of
Grease
as a pink lady, to no avail. Kara wanted the gym to be fun and glamorous and actually, Tiffany had to hand it to her, it did have a more fun vibe than other gyms.

She quickly sent off another text message to Sean, telling him what was happening with the paps and that she was staying with Kara.
Here to serve, Agent Murphy?
she ended cheekily.
You’re so macho! x

That’s just the way I am x
, he texted back.

Throughout the day, the two of them sent text messages back and forth to each other – a running commentary on what they were doing, who they had seen – each message getting ever so slightly more flirtatious.

‘He must fancy you,’ Kara said, when the two girls were on a break and had nipped upstairs to the coffee and juice bar.

Tiffany sipped her berry smoothie to avoid answering.

‘And you fancy him, don’t you? I can tell,’ Kara continued. ‘You’ve got that look when you mention his name – all dreamy-eyed – and you can’t stop yourself from smiling.’

‘Might do.’

‘Why don’t you ask him over tonight? It could be to say thank you for helping you yesterday.’

‘And you could get a good old look at him!’

Kara twirled a strand of her hair and tried to act nonchalant. ‘Maybe. Come on, send him a text now.’

‘What if he says no?’ Tiffany wasn’t used to feeling so feeble around men.

‘He won’t. Send the text.’

Tiffany flipped through the clothes in Kara’s wardrobe and despaired. She hadn’t gone back to her flat and so was having to borrow something from Kara – but did her friend possess
anything
that wasn’t pink or another pastel colour?

‘He’ll be here in a minute,’ Kara commented from her position on the bed where she was painting her nails – pink.

‘What am I going to wear? Everything is pink! It’s just not me.’ Sean’s acceptance of the invitation had thrown Tiffany completely.

‘Oh, for God’s sake, wear my pink-checked shirt, my white skinny jeans, and pile on the eyeliner to give it some edge. I thought you were supposed to be the stylist!’

‘White jeans? I’m not Liz Hurley.’

‘I doubt Liz Hurley shops at New Look, which is where I got that pair. Pull yourself together.’ Kara got up and stuck her head out of the door. ‘It’s an emergency situation, Fireman Harley. Can you pour Tiff a wine? Make it a large one.’

Grudgingly Tiff found the clothes Kara had recommended and put them on. Her friend was on the money – the pink gingham top was sexy without being slutty, and the jeans fitted perfectly. She did as Kara had suggested with her eyes, putting two swoops of
eyeliner
on the lids, plus lashings of mascara, and nicked some of Kara’s pink blusher to give her cheeks a flush. After that she slicked gloss on to her lips. Several large sips of wine and she was feeling more relaxed, though when the doorbell rang the butterflies leaped into action. It was funny because she had been texting Sean throughout the day, but now she suddenly felt shy.

‘Hiya,’ she said as she opened the door to him. He looked fresh from the shower. He also looked very sexy in a black tee-shirt, jeans and leather jacket.

‘Hi.’ He handed her a bottle of wine, and ducked his head to kiss her on the cheek. And then it was all about introducing him to Kara and Harley, getting drinks for everyone, ordering pizza.

‘I very much approve!’ Kara whispered when Harley and Sean were talking.

So do I … Tiffany reflected, looking over at Sean. He caught her eye and smiled back. She experienced that inner glow you get when you know someone likes you. She felt as if everything around her had become sharper, brighter, better …

Sean was so relaxed and easy-going with her friends – there was no sign of his uptight serious side tonight. She wondered what had called him away the night before, but didn’t feel she could ask him in front of everyone.

‘So does she try and give you two makeovers?’ Sean asked Kara and Harley.

‘I’m a lost cause and she knows it,’ Harley replied. ‘I’m either in my uniform or in jeans.’

‘Yep, I gave up on Harley a long time ago,’ Tiffany replied.

‘Are you suggesting I need a makeover?’ Kara demanded, tonight in a pink floral playsuit, with a pink rose in her hair.

‘She might look pretty in pink but she’s well scary,’ Tiffany warned.

‘You look great,’ Sean said quickly. ‘And, Tiffany, I didn’t think you would wear pink, but it suits you.’

‘Well, enjoy it because I’m unlikely to wear it again. Tomorrow it’s back to black when I go and pick up my own clothes.’

‘OK,’ Sean said, looking at her over his glass. ‘I would offer to come with you to the flat, but I’m flying to Spain later tonight with Angel and the family.’

‘Oh.’ Tiffany couldn’t help feeling disappointed. ‘How long are you away for?’

‘A week. It was a last-minute thing. I could do without it, to be honest, as I was supposed to be seeing my daughter.’

Of course then Kara had to ask him about Maya, even getting Sean to show them a picture of a pretty blue-eyed little girl with light brown hair, which left Tiffany wondering what Sean’s ex-wife looked like.

‘You must have missed her when you were away in the army,’ Kara commented. Tiffany had to hand it to her friend, who was asking all the questions she herself would secretly have liked the answers to.

‘It was one of the many reasons why I left.’ Sean didn’t elaborate further, and even Kara got the message that this was not something to press him on.

The pizza delivery then arrived and conversation took a lighter turn – with Sean asking Tiffany about her dad’s cooking ambitions, and if she thought he should try for
MasterChef
. Tiffany had been sitting cross-legged on the floor. When she uncurled her legs to get up, she was seized with cramp. ‘Ahh!’ she wailed, clutching her toes. The sophisticated, sexy image was all gone in an instant as her face contorted in pain.

Sean quickly moved beside her and took over rubbing her feet. He soon managed to get rid of the cramp,
and
Tiffany would have been happy to have him massaging her feet all night – the man had a magic touch.

‘I learned how to do reflexology,’ he commented.

‘Did you? I would have thought that wasn’t manly enough for you.’

‘Tiffany – you criticised me for jumping to conclusions about you, but it seems to me that you’re guilty of doing just that with me.’

He still had his hand over her foot. Out of the corner of her eye Tiffany saw Kara beckon Harley out of the room, ostensibly to clear away the pizza debris.

‘You’re right, but that’s the image you put out.’

‘Do you have a problem with that?’ he asked quietly, pressing a finger against the back of her big toe, which seemed to be releasing the tension from her shoulders. ‘D’you only like metrosexual men?’

Phew! Tiffany was having difficulty in concentrating. Sean’s proximity, the feel of his hands on her skin, were interfering with her ability to think straight. ‘I don’t have a type,’ was the best she could come up with. OK, she would be brave and go for it now. ‘Do you?’

He shook his head. ‘Nope, I just know who I like.’ He smiled at her and released her foot. ‘Better now?’

‘Much,’ she replied, already missing his touch.

He checked his watch. ‘I’m going to have to go.’

Another goodbye at the door, and a promise that he would text her. Another kiss on the cheek – frustratingly as Tiffany would gladly have kissed him properly! But he was interested, wasn’t he? Maybe he just wanted to take things slowly. She could live with that, couldn’t she? It was kind of old-fashioned. Romantic. Sweet.

SO IT WAS
official. The DNA results had come back. She was Angel’s sister. Angel’s agent had issued a statement to the press, stating the facts and requesting that the two of them be left in peace to come to terms with the news. Some chance of that! Tiffany thought, as she had to battle her way through the paps yet again this morning when she left the house. She was travelling down to Sussex to have Sunday lunch with Angel, Cal and their daughter. It would be the first time the two sisters had since their tea at The Ritz and Tiffany wondered how they would get on now that they knew the truth.

She got out at a small picturesque country station, complete with white wooden fences and scarlet geraniums blooming in containers. Finally summer had arrived. It had taken its time as it was mid-July, but here it was, offering up a hot cloudless day, with a bold blue sky.

Angel had promised to pick her up from the station, which was just as well as there was no such thing as a taxi rank in this tiny place. But as Tiffany stepped outside, instead of Angel there was Sean leaning against the Merc. Instantly Tiffany had an attack of butterflies. He looked so handsome, cool even, in a white tee-shirt,
jeans
(better fitting than his last pair) and a pair of Aviator Ray-Bans – perhaps he was sharpening up his style sense? And he was tanned from the week in Minorca.

‘Hi, Sean,’ she said, trying to sound casual.

‘Hi, how are you?’ he asked. Tiffany couldn’t help feeling slightly disappointed that he didn’t kiss her. Not even a kiss on the cheek.

‘Good, thanks.’ A comment which hardly covered her confused emotions – anxiety about meeting Angel’s family and seeing her again, nervousness and excitement at coming face to face with Sean. The flirtatious texts had continued between them while he was away, but now she felt shy.

He opened the passenger door for her.

‘Steady on,’ Tiffany joked, ‘I could get used to this life of luxury.’

‘All part of the service.’

It was only a short drive to Angel’s house so maybe that explained why there was no banter between them. Sean was quiet, professional. It was hard to imagine him sitting at her parents’ kitchen table and answering Lily-Rose’s stream of questions; harder still to imagine him in Kara’s flat flirting with her. He seemed like a different man. He glanced over and said, ‘I have something to tell you, which has to remain confidential.’

Sean looked so serious that Tiffany wasn’t even tempted to joke that her lips were sealed. She nodded instead.

‘Angel and Cal received intelligence from the police just over a week ago that there has been a kidnap threat against them. Specifically against Angel and Honey. I had to check with them first that it was OK to tell you, which is why I didn’t mention it before now.’

‘Oh my God! How scary. Do the police know who it is?’

‘They’ve got a good idea, I can’t say any more than that. So they’ve had to step up security, with round-the-clock protection. That’s why I picked you up, rather than Angel. She can’t go anywhere on her own at the moment.’