Page 34 of Don't Believe A Word

‘That’s not true!’

‘It is. You barely spoke to me after his arrest … OK, I understand you were worried, but …’

‘Please stop! You’re using this as an excuse to blame me …’

‘I’m not blaming you for anything. I’m just telling you how I saw things, and it wasn’t great. You wouldn’t even let me come into the airport with you when you left …’

‘You said you had a meeting …’

‘I told myself you just needed time to work things out and I should give you space …’

‘I never said that and the wayIsaw things was you coming out of the gazebo at midnight on New Year’s Eve, followed by Juliette. You disappearing with her and a bottle of wine on New Year’s Day. And now you’re in Paris, presumably with her?’

‘Yes, as it happens, I am staying with her. Or I was, I’m at the airport now on my way home, but as for what you saw …’

‘It’s OK, you don’t need to explain yourself to me. She’s the mother of your son, extremely beautiful and you clearly have a great rapport …’

‘It’s true, we do, and you can’t tell me you don’t have feelings for Matthew …’

‘What I feel for Matthew isn’t the same.’

‘And yet I noticed you didn’t answer when I asked if you’d slept with him.’

Still unwilling to explain, she said, ‘It’s clear to me that what we had, what we’ve shared over the past weeks … It was wonderful, I won’t deny that. I loved being with you and I adore your family, but maybe our lives … I just don’t see how we can go forward together with you there, and me here, and certainly not when you’re still sleeping with your ex.’

When he fell silent again her heart twisted with the longing to hear him argue, to persuade her she was wrong, and say they could work things out.

‘I don’t want there to be any hard feelings between us,’ she said, turning towards the studios and needing to end the call before she went in. ‘So can we say goodbye in a friendly way and just think about all the good things we brought to one another?’

‘If that’s what you want,’ he said tightly, ‘then that’s how it’ll be. You know where I am if you need anything,’ and a moment later he’d gone.

Feeling almost as if she’d been struck, she decided she was too wound up to go into the office right away, so clicking off her phone she started to walk on past Quinns’ and Aardman towards the Cumberland Road. She didn’t get far before she ran into Iz who she was supposed to be meeting … right now.

‘Hi, good morning,’ Iz sang out in an annoyingly, overfriendly way. She was dressed as though she’d just come from the ski slopes, even her sunglasses were goggles. ‘You seem to have missed your turn,’ she chuckled, tugging off her beanie complete with ear flaps, headlamp and WiFi.

‘Sorry, miles away,’ Cristy tried to smile. ‘How are you?’

‘Excited to get the promos in the can,’ Iz beamed, tucking the beanie under one arm so she could rub her gloved hands together. ‘Have you and Connor had time to look at the scripts yet?’ she asked, trying and failing to link Cristy’s arm as they started back down the cobbled lane.

‘Only briefly,’ Cristy admitted, and stood aside for Iz to go ahead into the building. ‘We’re not actors, you do understand that, don’t you?’ she added, as they entered the production office to find they were the first to arrive.

Iz laughed. ‘You’re just being modest,’ she said teasingly. ‘You’ll pull these little scenarios off brilliantly, I know you will, and the sponsors will be so happy you’ll probably secure yourselves more backing for years to come.’

Having no choice but to look thrilled by the prospect, Cristy unzipped her coat and went to put on some coffee. ‘Connor should be here any minute,’ she said, willing it to be right now, this second, so he could take over dealing with Iz.

‘I was thinking,’ Iz said pensively. ‘Would it be possible for me to have a little desk in here? Somewhere in the corner, you know, so I won’t get in the way.’

Cristy kept her back turned and filled the machine with fresh beans.

‘I’d just love to watch you guys working, pulling it all together. Not that I’d be here all the time, of course, just now and again,and it might be helpful for you to have me at hand.’ She laughed. ‘I’m not sure how, right now, but you never know.’

Knowing she wasn’t in the right head space to deal with this, Cristy was still struggling for a response when Connor came in. Never having felt so glad to see him, she said, ‘Good morning. Iz’s here already, and she’s just had an … amazing idea.’

‘Oh?’ Connor asked, looking from one to the other and, being a bloke, clearly not sensing trouble yet. ‘So let’s have it, Iz. We’re all up for good ideas.’

As Iz repeated her suggestion, Cristy almost wanted to laugh as he failed to hide his horror. ‘Well, we don’t normally …’ he began, glancing at Cristy in panic. ‘I mean, some things have to be confidential … Not that we need to hide anything from you …’

‘Of course you don’t, and I’ve already assured Cristy I won’t get in the way. I’m just delighted to be overseeing this project and I want to do my best for you – and the sponsors, of course.’