Taking Chances (19 page)

He started to swing his legs back and forth. ‘I want you to go,’ he told her.

Ellen’s heart contracted. ‘You mean you want me to leave you here?’ she said, knowing that wasn’t what he meant.

‘No!’ he almost shouted. ‘I want you to go away and leave me and Spot and Mummy and Daddy alone.’

As her chest tightened Ellen lifted her eyes to the steep hills surrounding the park. It seemed like a different world all of a sudden, remote and impervious to the helplessness she was feeling.

‘If you go away then Mummy’ll stay,’ he declared.

‘Oh darling,’ Ellen said, ‘that’s not true. Mummy’s got her work …’

‘It
is
true,’ he cried, slamming his hands on the bench. ‘You’re only saying that because you don’t want her to stay.’

Ellen looked at his hurt and angry little face that was so like Michael’s, yet so like Michelle’s too.

‘Who said I didn’t want Mummy to stay?’ she asked softly.

‘You did!’ he accused. ‘You told Daddy you didn’t want Mummy in the same house as you. But Daddy wants her to be there, I know because he told me. And if you went away then Mummy wouldn’t have to go back to where Uncle Cavan is, she could stay here with me and Daddy.’

Ellen was at such a loss she barely knew what she was saying. ‘But Daddy and I are getting married, sweetheart,’ she said. ‘You know that and I thought …’

‘I don’t want you to get married,’ he raged.

‘Did you tell Daddy that?’ she asked, wondering if that was the reason Michael had been so distant with her lately – except it wasn’t really Michael who was being distant, it was her, but only because she didn’t know how to handle this godawful situation with Michelle. ‘Did you tell Daddy you didn’t want me and him to get married?’ she asked again.

He shook his head, and her heart went out to him as
she
realized he was probably afraid to say it to Michael, because his five-year-old instincts were already telling him that Michael wouldn’t do as he wanted.

‘Did you talk to Daddy at all about the way you’re feeling?’ she said.

‘He just says he loves you, but that’s because you’re there and Mummy isn’t. If Mummy was there all the time he’d love Mummy, not you.’

So he had said something to Michael, but probably not much by the sound of it, which meant that the cruel perversity of all this was that she was the only one he felt close enough to confide in, and the only one he trusted enough to give him what he wanted. Of course, that was much too complex for him to understand: all he knew was what his little boy’s logic was telling him, that she was the reason his mummy and daddy weren’t married. And for all she knew he was right, because seeing Michael and Michelle together these past few days had shown her how very close they still were. In fact, she suddenly realized, it was probably seeing that closeness that had given Robbie the confidence to speak up now.

‘Come on,’ she said, standing up, ‘let’s get you back to school.’

Chapter 9

EVEN THOUGH SHE’D
seen him earlier, when he’d called into the office on his way from the airport, Sandy still felt a jolt in her heart the moment she spotted Michael sitting at a corner table studying the menu. Knowing he was waiting for her was so pleasing she just couldn’t keep down her smile, and she felt tremendously glad that she’d devoted so much time and care to getting ready for the evening.

After handing her coat to the hostess she followed the maître d’ across the quiet, subtly-lit restaurant, leaving a lingering trail of perfume in her wake, and causing a few heads to turn to watch the striking young woman with neatly-cut, ash-blonde hair and appealingly childlike features pass by. As always she was wearing high heels to raise her from her meagre five foot four, as she hated being towered over by anyone, especially other women. In Michael’s honour she was wearing a stylishly low-cut bronze satin dress, with thin gold chain straps over her shoulders and a hemline that was short enough to show her slender legs to advantage, but not too short to invite a wrong impression. In fact, the dress wasn’t dissimilar to the one Ellen had worn the night she and Michael had first met – a night Sandy remembered well and would like nothing more than to forget.

‘Hi,’ she said, as the maître d’ pulled out a chair for her to sit down.

Michael looked up, and quickly got to his feet. ‘Wow,’ he said, ‘you look sensational.’

Pleasure eddied through her, causing a faint colour to rise to her cheeks, as she put her purse on the table and sat down.

‘Can I bring madame an aperitif?’ the maître d’ offered.

Sandy looked at Michael.

‘Bring us two glasses of champagne,’ he said.

The maître d’ bowed and went away.

‘I thought we’d celebrate the Deighton investment,’ Michael said. ‘You’ve really saved the day with that one, and I honestly can’t thank you enough.’

She smiled. ‘It only came through this morning,’ she told him. ‘I was afraid we might not make it in time. How are things looking your end now?’

‘They’re improving. We should have a much better cash flow by the middle of next month, when the money’s due to come in from Granger Fielding. Did I tell you how the old man called me up and told me straight out that if it weren’t for Richard Conway he wouldn’t touch me with a barge pole?’

Sandy laughed. ‘Well, there’s nothing like giving it to you straight,’ she commented.

Michael’s eyes were glinting with irony. ‘I’ve got to tell you,’ he said, ‘that old man Fielding’s not the only one who feels that way. The Yanks truly don’t like giving out money to anyone who doesn’t have a US track record. They’re really making me sweat over this.’

‘But you’re getting there.’

‘Yeah, I’m getting there. Miramax have a soft spot for the Brits, and I’ve got a situation going with them and Fox Searchlight right now that has them both vying for a US distribution deal. Obviously that’s good news, but the problem is, these things take time and we’re in need of the cash right now.’

‘So how much did Granger Fielding come up with?’ she asked.

‘Three and a half million. Which means we’re still looking for another ten, minimum. Twelve would be better. Mark Bergin’s getting some promising noises out of his guys in Sydney, he tells me, and Chris is doing well in New York.’

‘And I’m off on a whistle-stop tour of Europe next week,’ she added, ‘for meetings with everyone from BMW to Moët and Chandon. So I think we should remain optimistic for twelve.’

Michael smiled, and after the waiter had put down their drinks he raised his glass to hers. ‘Here’s to you,’ he said softly. His eyes were looking closely into hers, and as she felt the subtle change in mood she smiled too, and watched him sip his drink.

‘Craig told me about Maurice,’ he said. ‘I’m sorry.’

Sandy lowered her eyes, embarrassed and surprised by the lump that rose in her throat. The humiliation she had suffered at the funeral would take a long time to forget, but she’d gone for Maurice, not for the relatives who were so afraid he’d left everything to her. They would find out soon enough, though how she’d managed to stop herself screaming it in their faces when they’d treated her so shabbily and called her such cruel names, she still didn’t know. She looked at Michael and realized this was the first time he’d ever mentioned Maurice.

‘He was an unusual man,’ she said, then laughed. ‘I don’t suppose you’d argue with that, when he was responsible for backing my efforts to finish you off.’

Michael’s eyebrows rose.

‘You’d have liked him,’ she said. ‘He was very unassuming, asked for nothing, but always knew how to get what he wanted.’

‘Then I hope he taught you well,’ Michael said, a light of mischief in his eyes.

Sandy’s heart tightened as she wondered if that was some kind of invite. Then she grinned as he stifled a
yawn
. ‘No matter how boring you’re finding me already,’ she said, ‘I’m going to put that down to jet lag. Now tell me, how’s your mother? Did she get my flowers? Forget it, I expect she got so many you’d never know.’

Michael chuckled. ‘Believe me, she got them. She made me sit there and listen to every blessed card she’d received and sniff every flower she’d stuffed in a vase, and all to make me suffer for being the only living person in her vast sphere of family, friends and acquaintances who forgot to send some. Ellen, of course, who should have sent some with me, gets no blame for this, because Ellen can do no wrong in my mother’s eyes, whereas I have yet, in my miserable thirty-four years, to do anything right.’

Sandy laughed. ‘What about Cavan? Did he manage to send some from Pakistan?’

‘He didn’t have to, Michelle did it for him.’

Sandy smiled. Though there was no hint of a criticism that Ellen hadn’t done the same for him, she couldn’t help wondering if there was one there all the same. ‘Did you see Zelda today?’ she said. ‘She tells me Michelle’s in LA. That must be nice for Robbie.’

At the mention of his son Michael’s eyes instantly softened. ‘He’s obviously missed her a lot more than we’d realized,’ he said. ‘He’s really happy to see her. I just hope it’s not going to be too much of a problem when she goes back.’

‘When will that be?’

‘The middle of next week. But then she’ll be back again for the wedding, so it won’t be too long for him to wait. She’s staying with him while we’re on honeymoon. I think my mother’s intending to be there too, so he’s going to be thoroughly spoiled, which’ll end up making things doubly difficult for me and Ellen when we get back, but I guess we just cross that bridge when we come to it. You’re coming, aren’t you? To the wedding? You got your invitation?’

Sandy’s smile was still in place. ‘Yes, I got it,’ she said, wondering if he had any idea what it felt like to be sitting there with someone you wanted so much, discussing their upcoming wedding to somebody else. ‘And I’ll be there. I don’t know who’s supposed to be running the office, since you’ve invited us all, but I guess that’s another bridge that’ll have to be crossed when we come to it.’

As they drank again their eyes remained on each other, until Michael looked down as he put his glass back on the table.

‘How are things going with Tom Chambers’s script?’ she asked.

‘Pretty good,’ he answered. ‘Ellen and Tom are giving it a lot of time now, and Vic Warren’s in daily touch by phone or e-mail, so things like minor casting and set design are already well under way.’

‘What about the end?’ she asked. ‘Have they decided what they’re going to do about that?’

‘There’s talk of wrapping it up in LA,’ he answered, and grinned as she pulled a face. ‘It could work,’ he assured her.

‘So what’s the aim of this film?’ she said. ‘Is it to bring Rachel’s killers to justice? Or is it to get World Wide some awards?’

‘Both,’ Michael answered without hesitation.

‘Did he manage to find out who the killers are?’

‘Yes.’

Though she was interested, she knew better than to ask, for the revelation was going to be one of the major publicity hooks when it came time for the movie’s release.

‘I’d like to see some of the rewrites, if they’re available,’ she said.

Michael glanced up at the waiter as he approached to take their orders. ‘Give us a couple of minutes,’ Michael said, opening his menu.

After they’d chosen he looked back at Sandy and said, ‘Listen, I’ll have to come clean here. I haven’t told Ellen yet that I’m going to make you a producer on this, so would you mind keeping it to yourself until I’ve had a chance to?’

‘Of course not,’ Sandy assured him. ‘But why? Do you think she’ll have a problem with it?’

‘I don’t know,’ he answered. Then, clearly wanting to change direction, he said, ‘She couriered over the proofs of a publicity package today. I’ll bring it into the office tomorrow for you to take a look at. It’s good material for potential investors, should help when you go to Europe next week.’

Sandy was surprised. ‘A publicity package?’ she said. ‘Does that mean you’ve cast the part of Rachel? Or are we still just going on Conway’s name?’

‘For the moment, yes we’re still going on Conway’s name,’ he answered. ‘But we’ve cast Rachel, it was just too late to get Michelle’s name on to the proofs.’

Sandy’s eyes widened. ‘Michelle, as in Michelle Rowe?’ she said, immediately gaining some insight into the tension she’d sensed between Ellen and Michael over the casting. ‘I thought she’d given up acting.’

‘She’s making an exception for this,’ he responded. ‘She and Tom are very good friends.’

He was watching her closely, and Sandy realized that he was trying to gauge her opinion on the choice of Michelle, which suggested it might not be quite a done deal yet. However, before she committed she wanted to weigh up precisely how she might benefit from this. It could be she’d be better off siding with Ellen, who was no doubt completely opposed to the idea – and in any other circumstances Sandy would be too, for the mere fact that Rachel was American would have been enough to persuade Sandy that an American actress should play the part. On the other hand – in other words, on a personal level – if this was causing a rift between
Michael
and Ellen, which it had to be, then she certainly didn’t want to find herself in Ellen’s camp should things start turning ugly.

‘Would I be right in thinking,’ she said, deciding she should have Ellen’s position completely spelled out before she moved on, ‘that Ellen isn’t happy with Michelle’s casting?’

The irony in Michael’s eyes was confirmation enough.

‘Who’s got final say?’ she asked.

‘Tom. But only for the part of Rachel.’

Sandy smiled and stored that away. ‘You gave me the impression a while ago,’ she said, ‘that Ellen wasn’t happy about the project, full stop.’

‘Let’s say she’s had her reservations,’ he replied. ‘But meeting Tom’s helped. He’s very persuasive, and there’s nothing like coming face to face with someone who’s been through what he has to make you change your mind.’

Sandy picked up her glass and stared at it thoughtfully. Though she gave no outward sign of it, her heart was thudding harshly and her nerves were fluttering like crazy. She wasn’t even sure she had the courage to do what was in her mind, until, in a voice that she managed to keep perfectly calm, and with a smile that was wholly benign, she heard herself say, ‘Well, I suppose when you’re as power-hungry as Ellen, it’s probably not easy to be
told
what your next big project’s going to be. I’m sure she’d much rather have been consulted.’ She laughed. ‘And in charge.’