Page 7 of From Notting Hill with Love…Actually (Actually #1)

Maddie looked at me, then she raised her eyebrow and cocked her head to one side. “Special something?” she repeated. “Magic? Scarlett, successful relationships require give and take, love and understanding, not special somethings and a magic wand.”

I was about to point out to Maddie that the “magic” in question was not the sort that could be conjured up with the wave of a wand when our waitress returned to the table carrying plates of spaghetti carbonara and chicken salad. (Maddie was dieting because of her wedding.)

We’d eaten a few mouthfuls of our food when I decided to ask Maddie a question.

“Maddie, if I ask you something, will you answer it honestly?”

Maddie looked at me. She finished chewing before answering. “Of course I will, you know that.”

“Do you think I’m a little bit obsessed with films?”

“Yes,” Maddie said without hesitation.

“You didn’t even think about it!”

“I didn’t need to. You are.”

“But…I’m not,” I protested. This was not the answer I was hoping Maddie would give. I thought she’d say no, and why di d I ask? Then we’d go on to have a good old moaning session about how David had got it all wrong as usual, and weren’t men just stupid and only good for one thing.

“Don’t be daft, Scarlett, of course you are.”

“But what’s wrong with visiting the cinema occasionally?”

Maddie put down her fork, folded her arms, tilted her head to one side, and looked at me with a challenging expression.

“What?” I asked.

“Come on. Don’t you think it’s a little bit more with you than only occasionally ?”

“But I have my job. It’s not my fault that’s cinema-related.”

“And?”

“And what?” I asked in genuine amazement. I hadn’t expected this at all.

“And the rest.”

I looked blankly at Maddie.

“OK,” she said, “let me help you along. Felix and I were watching The Holiday the other night—”

“Oh, I love that movie,” I interrupted.

“Yes, I know you do. Anyway, Felix said it’s a wonder Scarlett hasn’t tried to do that yet. He meant house-swapping.”

Actually I had thought of it when I’d seen it for the first time.

“My point being that even Felix is making comments about your movie madness now. And he hasn’t known you as long as the rest of us.”

“There’s nothing wrong in having a hobby, is there?”

“No, nothing at all, as long as that hobby doesn’t start affecting how you live your day-to-day life. The thing is, trying to live like you’re in a movie all the time, Scarlett, it’s just not possible. ”

I stared at Maddie.

“Not you as well,” I said sadly. “I thought it was just David.”

“What do you mean? There’s more to this, isn’t there? That’s what you were hinting at earlier in the art gallery.”

I nodded and began to tell Maddie about David and the fight we’d had the night before.

“But all couples fight, Scarlett,” Maddie said when I’d finished. “Sometimes the making up is the best part.”

I’d always hated that saying. In all the fights I’d ever had with David, I’d never found our making up “fun.” We’d just start mumbling a couple of words to each other again after a few hours or days of silence depending how bad the argument had been.

Then things gradually got back to normal bit by bit.

In fact, now I was remembering just why I hadn’t been spending so much time with Maddie lately. It wasn’t because she’d been too busy at all; it was because when we spent time together, it reminded me just how bad my and David’s relationship seemed in comparison to hers and Felix’s.

And it was obvious Maddie in her “loved up” state would not understand my current feelings toward my own fiancé. And why should she? The only reason she had for marrying was love. My own reasons were a little bit more complicated.

“Never mind, Maddie, you wouldn’t understand.”

“I am trying, Scarlett, honestly. But I can see David’s point of view to a degree. But then again,” she said as I stared hard at her across the table, “I suppose if I had to live with Stratford’s answer to Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen, I might be in need of a bit of fantasy therapy too. ”

I had to laugh. David was about as far removed from the floppy-haired interior designer as you could possibly get.

“That’s better,” Maddie said. “You don’t do enough of that these days.” She put her hand on mine and looked serious for a moment. “I’m worried about you, with everything you’ve told me here and what you said before in the art gallery. Maybe you need a break for a while?”

I smiled at her. “What, in another motor home? I don’t think so—the last one was bad enough.”

“No, I don’t mean with David. On your own. Get away from everything for a while—do some thinking.”

“And just where am I going to do that?”

I was playing along with Maddie. There was no way I’d be able to get away from work at the moment; a shipment of new machines was due to arrive with us any day. And the chances of David thinking it a good idea for me to go away on my own…well, they were non-existent.

“David would never allow me to spend money on going away on holiday on my own. You know what he’s like.”

Maddie pulled a face.

“Hmm, there is that. Let me think for a moment…”

I took a sip of my wine while Maddie thought, glad my interrogation was over for now. I couldn’t believe Maddie thought I was obsessed too. What was wrong with these people? Movies were just a harmless bit of fun. Why couldn’t they see that?

“I’ve got it!” Maddie said suddenly, when I was just thinking my food was going to get cold if I didn’t start eating again soon.

“I’ve had a brilliant—no, make that a fabulous idea!

Look I’ve nearly finished my salad, what little there was of it.

Do you mind if I make a couple of calls while you finish your pasta?

You’ll love me for it when I’m finished, Scarlett, I promise. ”

I shrugged and picked up my fork while Maddie dived into her bag for her mobile phone.

Then she began to make the first of several phone calls, all of which involved much laughter and phrases like, “We must meet up soon, darling.” This made me smile because Maddie was so not the “darling” type at all.

“Well,” she said when she’d finally finished. “I don’t know if I’ve done the right thing here—because in a way I think it might just be encouraging you more. But you know how you were saying before how you loved the movie The Holiday ?”

“Yes?” I asked suspiciously. I hoped “The Madness of Maddie” wasn’t going to erupt into some tin pot scheme as it had a habit of doing occasionally when left unchecked for too long.

“Well, how would you like to relive some of that movie? Actually, come to think of it, I’m giving you two movies for the price of one here.”

“Just what are you talking about, Maddie?”

“Scarlett, I have managed to obtain for you a little luxury pad just off the Portobello Road to house-sit for a month!”

“How on earth have you done that?” I asked, completely amazed at my friend’s ingenuity.

“Ah, you just have to know the right people,” she said, tapping the side of her nose.

“No seriously, it belongs to a friend of my sister,” she explained.

“I remember Jojo saying a while back that Belinda and Harry needed someone to house-sit for a month while they’re in Dubai visiting Harry’s parents, and they were having such trouble finding someone reliable.

They leave in less than a week, so you, my dear Scarlett, could be the answer to their prayers! ”

I thought about this for a few seconds, about trying to live out The Holiday for myself. I’d always fancied being Cameron Diaz—or would I be Kate Winslet? Then something occurred to me. “You said two movies, Maddie?”

“Yes.” Maddie grinned. “The Portobello Road, Scarlett…it’s where?”

“Oh my God!” I said as the penny dropped. “But that’s only one of my absolute all-time favorites.”

“Yep, I know,” she said, her eyes shining. “ Notting Hill! ”

***

I looked at Oscar.

He’d been sitting listening to me for over an hour now, completely enraptured by my tale. Obviously I’d only told him a condensed version and not the parts that were too personal, but he got the gist.

“So it’s your fiancé and your best friend that have driven you here to seek refuge?” Oscar asked.

“There’s my father as well. But he pretty much seems to have the same opinion as the other two.

” If not more so… “I just want to prove them wrong, Oscar. Prove to them there’s nothing wrong with me loving the cinema so much, and that life isn’t so far removed from the movies as they all seem to think it is. ”

“Well I think you’re already living your dream without even coming here, my darling.

It all seems very Hollywood to me!” Oscar said, his eyes wide with amazement.

“I can see it all now,” he said, waving his hand in the air with a flourish.

“Beautiful young girl sets out into the world to seek revenge for an injustice she feels has been cast upon her by her cruel family. I can hear Red Pepper doing the voiceover as I speak.”

I had to laugh; Red Pepper was the chap with the really deep gravelly voice who did all the dramatic movie trailer voice-overs.

“It’s not quite that bad, Oscar. And actually it isn’t very Hollywood at all.

It’s been a bit of a disaster since I arrived.

” I meant losing the address, but the guy in the travel bookshop’s attitude from earlier was still bugging me.

“But you’ve only just got here, darling. You’ve yonks of time if you’re here for a month.” Oscar thought for a moment and then he smiled. “Actually you’ve had a pretty good start today, haven’t you, if you’re looking for proof that movies happen in real life?”

“Have I—how?”

“Oh my dear, what sort of use are you going to be if you can’t recognize an opportunity when one arises? For one thing, someone knocked into you today and spilled orange juice all down you…”

He left a long pause while he waited for the penny to drop. When he saw recognition strike, he continued, “That same person invited you back to his home to change…” Again the pause.