why didn’t you tell me about all of this when it started?’
‘I couldn’t, India. I just… I couldn’t.’
‘But you told Kenny.’
Charley looked right into India’s eyes, and she knew in an instant that Kenny had told her everything. ‘It was a mistake, India. A stupid, ill-thought-out mistake.’
‘You and Kenny seem to make a habit of those kind of mistakes,’ India said quietly, and Charley couldn’t help but feel she’d asked for that. Even after all this time it was obvious India still hadn’t forgotten how one small, stupid mistake with Kenny had wrecked their short marriage. Another pointless, ill-thought-out mistake. Just like the one they’d made here in Vegas except, this time, it wasn’t India’s marriage at risk. It was her own.
‘It shouldn’t have happened,’ Charley whispered, still looking at India, hoping that she understood these were exceptional circumstances, a situation that made people do things they didn’t always mean to do. ‘Vince, he… he doesn’t know.’
‘No, I’m sure he doesn’t. Come on, Charley; don’t look at me like that. I’m not going to tell him. Jesus… What kind of person do you think I am? I know the circumstances, Kenny told me. And I know you’re sorry. But you can’t let any of this put you and Vince at risk, not you and Vince. You guys are solid. He loves you like crazy, Charley. You do know that, don’t you?’
Charley nodded, blinking back frustrated tears. ‘And I love him too. But in my stupid, mis-guided way I thought keeping him in the dark about all of this was the safest thing to do… after what happened to Terry.’
India looked down into her glass again, swirling the amber liquid round for a few seconds until she realised what she was doing and took a drink instead, banishing any more memories of her brother’s tragic death to the back of her mind.
‘He’ll sort this out, Charley. Vince. He’ll sort this out, I know he will.’
Charley said nothing; she couldn’t, because every time she thought about what she was putting Vince through it ripped her apart. He shouldn’t have to be doing any of this, not when he had his own shit to deal with – the hotels, the movie. He was a very busy man. But a man who – and Charley knew India was right here – could make this better. Somehow. She hoped.
‘Anyway,’ Charley said, smiling at India, signalling a subject change was on the way, and India knew just what that subject was going to be. ‘You and Dominic.’
‘There is no me and Dominic. Not at the minute, anyway.’
‘Have you spoken to him? Since it all happened, I mean.’
‘I work with him, Charley. Of course I’ve spoken to him.’
‘Outside of the movie set, India. Y’know, Kenny’s right, you do have a tendency to revert to flippancy when faced with something you don’t want to talk about.’ Charley watched her famous friend closely, her body language immediately changing the second she’d mentioned Dominic’s name. ‘So, have you spoken to him?’
India sighed, sitting back against the soft cushions of the extremely comfortable sofa. She felt like kicking off her shoes and curling up in the corner with an old movie and a huge box of chocolates, and she felt like doing all of that with just one man. One man she was trying very hard to ignore, but failing miserably.
‘I saw him about an hour ago. Outside, by the pool at the Coconut Palm Bar.’
‘And?’
‘He wanted to talk, I couldn’t be bothered to sit through any more of his excuses. We’re no farther forward.’
‘So, that comment alone would indicate that you’d like to move farther forward. Am I right?’
India just looked at Charley, finishing the last of her wine but saying nothing.
‘What about Michael? Have you spoken to him? And I mean, again, outside of the movie set.’ Charley walked over to India and took her empty glass, immediately re-filling it with more wine.
‘No, I haven’t spoken to him. But what freaks me out more than anything is that he hasn’t even tried to speak to me. It’s like he’s waiting for the right time to hit me with something else, y’know? I just can’t trust him.’
Charley handed her the newly-filled glass of wine and poured herself a fresh glass. ‘Did you see JJ when you were back in L.A.?’
India nodded, absent-mindedly looking at the JJ tattoo on her left wrist, the tattoo she’d had done when he’d been her world, when she’d thought she’d finally found the one man