12
That Don’t Impress Me Much
We’d showered and changed and were sitting side by side at the gym bar. My post-exercise high was messing with my hormones because Nick’s aftershave was distracting me like catnip; a woody-berry scent that I’d never smelt on anyone else. I inched my seat away from him in an attempt to control the flood.
The man had some proper biceps on him, a fact I’d clocked when we’d been sparring. He was broad-shouldered, too.
Dawn was right: there was something old-school Hollywood about him. He had a surfeit of masculinity that you didn’t come across very often. But he wore it subtly. He wasn’t my type, of course, just like I’d never go for a Jonny Delaney or a Harry Styles, but I could see why Marcie might like having him around.
Marcie, it turned out, was the reason he wanted to get close to Jessica.
‘They toured together ten years ago,’ he was explaining. ‘Marcie didn’t usually have much to do with her support bands, but she saw a kindred spirit in Jess and took her under her wing. But they fell out, and Marcie always regretted it. When I told her she was touring again, she asked me to approach Jess to see if she was willing to mend those bridges.’
‘What did Jess do to piss her off?’
Nick shook his head. ‘Nothing. It was Marcie that let Jess down.’
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. ‘Marciewants to beg forgiveness fromJess? From all those years ago? What on earth happened that could still be bothering her?’
Nick met my eye. ‘I can’t divulge that.’
Of course he couldn’t. ‘Why can’t you talk to Jess directly?’
‘I’ve tried, but she won’t have anything to do with Marcie or people linked to her. Including me. We’ve never actually met, but she’s rejected every request I’ve made through Pinnacle for a meeting.’
‘So what do you want me to do about it?’
‘Introduce me to her as a friend of yours.’
This was starting to feel a bit far-fetched. ‘Let me get this straight. You need to talk to her, but she can’t know you’re Marcie’s publicist?’
‘Exactly. Invite me along the next time you go out with her. You’re friends, right?’
‘She’s a friend of a friend.’ Why was I being so specific?
‘I think I saw you together that night. Tall guy with blond hair?’
‘Simon, yes.’
‘Simon seemed pretty friendly with Jess.’
‘What do you mean?’
Nick was looking at me curiously. ‘That they seemed like friends. What else could I mean?’
Jess and Simon’s rapport was a sore spot. Guess I’d just admitted as much to him.
‘Yeah, they’re friends.’
‘He’s not your boyfriend, is he?’
‘No. Of course not.’
‘So could you arrange a casual meeting, with a few people around, where I’d get a chance to chat to her?’
‘But we’d be lying about who you are.’
‘If it gets you face time with Marcie would it really be a problem for you?’
