Say Hello, Kiss Goodbye - Jacquelyn Middleton Page 0,80
cringe-worthy fashion trends (both chose man buns) and landed on movies they had watched repeatedly.
This is the best night! Tarquin chuckled. “I swear! I was just like Ferris Bueller.” His eyes danced past the riverside landmarks he’d seen a million times, each one lit up against the dark, cloudless sky. The air was crisp with a slight breeze, ideal for a farewell stroll.
“Yeah! A rule breaker!” Leia giggled and a puff of warm breath left her lips, floating upward. “You should visit Chicago, explore all the filming locations.”
“Oh, I have, actually! Chicago is fantastic. Love the architecture.”
“I was born there, you know.” Leia’s gloved hand swept a piece of hair fallen free from her messy bun behind an ear.
“I thought you were Canadian?”
“I am, but I was born in Chicago to Canadian parents. They lived there when my dad played professional hockey. I have dual citizenship.”
He was an athlete? “So, you’re a member of the famous parent club, too, then!”
“Yep, but a dad in the National Hockey League is a lot different than a glamorous actress mom.” Her eyes skimmed over the top-heavy ‘Walkie Talkie’ skyscraper across the river. “The only celebs Dad mixed with were other players, which didn’t impress me or Saz. You probably met actors, singers…”
“No, not really. Mum took us to events, but it was to put on a show of family unity for the press.” Tarquin plunged his hands into the pockets of his long wool coat. “Lots of affairs were going on—first Mum, then Dad. Their marriage finally imploded by the time I was seventeen. That’s when I visited Chicago and escaped the mess at home. I tagged along with Harry and his dad Budgie.”
Leia angled in with a bemused smile. “His name is Budgie?”
“That’s his nickname. Professionally, he goes by Harry Manville Senior, but everyone calls him Budgie. He had meetings with several Chicago property blokes, and I must’ve asked him a thousand questions! Budgie said if I stayed out of trouble and earned respectable marks at uni, I could join his company after graduating. I was chuffed! My grandpa—my mum’s dad—was in the building trade, and I’ve always wanted to follow in his footsteps, despite my father’s disapproval.”
“Why was he against it?”
“Well, with Nick a showbiz luvvie and Rupert happiest on Orkney, I was Dad’s last hope. He’s always wanted one of us to join Sports Now, learn the ropes and eventually take over—albeit under the watchful eye of his board of directors.” He shook his head. “Look, it’s not that I’m ungrateful for the opportunity. I know I’m extremely privileged, it’s just…you only live once, you know? I didn’t want to blow my shot quibbling over what type of polyurethane to use for footballs.”
“Well, that’s understandable.”
“Yeah, tell that to my father. He holds a grudge like nobody’s business. This past Boxing Day, he had guests over to our place on Orkney, and not just family either. The president of the biggest bank in Scotland was there with his wife, along with the owner of Chelsea football club. Dad was pontificating about the Balfour family legacy and proclaimed, in front of me and everyone else, that I’m lacking the entrepreneurial acumen to grow my business from the ground up.”
“He what?!” Leia stared back, horrified.
“Oh, it gets worse. He also said I’ll blow all my money and fall flat on my face within the year.”
Her jaw dropped. “Oh, Tarquin! Merry Christmas…”
“I know, right? I was gobsmacked. And then he cheerily asked me to pass the cheese board. Lucky for him, I didn’t throw it at him, the daft prick.” Tarquin snickered. “So, that’s why I cut my hols short, flew back to London for New Year’s. I couldn’t bear another second in his company. I felt bad leaving Ava, but…”
Leia tsked. “I don’t blame you.”
“Yeah, well, that’s Richard Balfour! No matter what I do, he’s always disappointed. Anyway, if it wasn’t for Budgie taking me under his wing”—Tarquin caught Leia’s raised brow and laughed—“pun intended, I’d never have had the confidence to start my own company. I owe a lot to Budgie—and Chicago.”
“That’s so amazing. Great mentors are hard to find.” Leia smiled wistfully as they passed through the riverside passageway on the edge of Hayes Galleria, a former 1850s wharf converted to offices, shops, and restaurants. “So, when you visited Chicago, did you make it to the Art Institute? They’ve got some great pieces there.”
“I did! And I might’ve imitated Ferris and posed with the sculptures. People stared. I didn’t care.”