ceiling, then back again at Vince. ‘The hospice was going to have to close down. Now that isn’t going to happen. It wasn’t just me; it was Ceecee and everyone else involved in the campaign. And it worked; we’ve got everything we wanted and more.’ Her smile was bright but anyone who really knew her could see that it wasn’t quite reaching her eyes. ‘Of course I’m happy,’ said Roo.
In exasperated unison into their respective phones, Ellie and Todd shouted at the TV screen, ‘Liar!’
Chapter 52
There were drinks in the green room after the show. The first guest, a comedian, was taking center stage, knocking back vodka at a rate of knots and being noisily hilarious.
‘Hi, you all right?’ Vince approached Roo, who was leaning against a wall checking her mobile. Lots of messages but none from anyone she was in any hurry to call back.
‘I’m good, thanks.’
‘Sorry about the clothes thing. I assumed they were designer.’
‘No problem.’ Roo put her phone away.
‘Exactly. Just made people love you more.’ He paused. ‘Are you sure you’re OK?’
‘I’m fine.’
‘You’re going to be a star again. From now on you’ll be able to do anything you want.’
Roo gave a noncommittal shrug; the last thing she wanted was to be a star again. What’s more, it wouldn’t enable her to do anything she wanted.
‘Hey, how about you and me slipping away?’ Vince’s fingers were running lightly up her spine in what was presumably a seductive manner. He gave her his trademark saucy grin and moved closer to her ear. ‘Where d’you want to go? Anywhere you like. Can I just say something?’ he murmured. ‘You are one gorgeous lady.’ And here it was, a shining example of exactly why she didn’t want to return to that world. The old Roo would have been off with him like a shot, neither noticing nor caring that he was a slimy character with a huge ego. The only person Vince Torrance loved was himself; spend the night in his bed and it would be all over Twitter in the morning.
And once upon a time I would have found that funny.
‘No thanks.’ A great wave of shame at the way her old self had behaved swept over her. ‘In fact, I think I’m going to head off now.’
‘Oh hey, no, don’t do that. You can’t leave… the evening’s just getting started.’
His hand had moved to her waist now. Roo extricated herself with a sideways shrug and said, ‘Mine isn’t. I’m going home.’
‘Fine, then.’ Evidently not planning on bursting into tears about it, Vince said, ‘I thought you’d’ve been up for a bit of fun, but never mind. Tom’ll organize your car.’
He beckoned to Tom, gave her a perfunctory kiss on the cheek, and headed over to the comedian who was still holding court in the center of the room.
Roo felt a smidgen better about herself. She put down her fizzy water and reached for her bag as Tom, the transport organizer, came trotting over.
At the same time, she’d never felt lonelier in her life.
***
The car rounded the corner into Nevis Street and pulled up outside Roo’s house. It was ten thirty, a crescent moon hung in the sky at the end of the road, and the stars were out tonight in force. Roo climbed out onto the pavement, thanked the driver, and watched him leave.
Was Ellie at home? Was she awake? Her living-room lights were on but Roo had sent her a text twenty minutes ago saying she was on her way home and hadn’t received a reply.
The feeling of overwhelming loneliness was back; it was like being smothered in black velvet. Roo took out her phone again, ready to ring Ellie, then stopped as she saw movement at the window. The curtain was pulled back and Ellie appeared. She waved, flung the window open, and leaned out.
‘Hey, I know you! You’re that songwriter person I was watching on telly earlier.’
Roo felt herself relax. How could she have got through the last couple of months without Ellie? And to think that if she hadn’t left her key in the lock that day, they might never have met. Plenty of people in big cities lived opposite each other for years and didn’t so much as say hello.
Then again, if it hadn’t been for Ellie, she would never have got to know Todd either. OK, never mind that now. Don’t think about Todd.
Roo shielded her eyes from the glare of the street lamp. ‘Was I OK?’