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With that my brother Teddy wanders in. ‘Elodieeeee.’ He draws my name out as if it’s a song lyric. He’s the only person who doesn’t call me Ellie. I’m sure he does it just to annoy me. Kid brothers, eh?
‘What’s with the tears?’ he says, his eyebrows pulling together.
I sigh. ‘A deeply moving book that I’ve been emotionally invested in.’
‘This?’ He takes it from my hands but trips on the hair curler cord and drops it. The novel lies forlornly on the carpet, its pages mussed, as if it’s suffered an injury.
I motion for Teddy to pick up the book before its pages are indelibly wrinkled.
Teddy rescues it and straightens it out. ‘What’s so earth-shattering about this particular tome?’
‘It’s too hard to explain – you’ll have to read it. My heart …’
‘Elliefelt her feelingsand is a little fragile now.’
‘Unfortunately I felt my feelings all over my make-up so now poor Jonas is back to square one.’
Teddy tuts. ‘Must be a good book.’
‘The best.’ I sniff, thinking of Rabbit, Molly and Juliet. ‘They felt soreal. It’s as though I’ve just closed the door on my best friends and the innermost workings of their lives.’ I double blink in an effort not to weep. ‘What I need is to throw myself onto the sofa to process it all. Not a red-carpet event and a hundred flashing cameras pointed at me.’ I hold a hand over my heart, knowing those characters will stay in there for the rest of my life.
‘I wish I could take your place,’ Teddy says lightly. ‘I’m not tired of the spotlight, or red-carpet events. I don’t think I ever will be.’
For a very brief stint, Teddy worked alongside me at the family biz. He didn’t take his role seriously, made a splash being papped doing silly things like guzzling out of magnum bottles of champagne or dancing on tables. Nursing a sore head, he’d call in sick time and again. I covered for him as long as I could but even I couldn’t magic away those awful paparazzi pictures of Teddy in our rivals’ glossies. When Mother found out she was furious and fired him on the spot. He’s been trying to claw his way back ever since, but she won’t hear a word of it. It’s a shame because Teddy could charm the socks off anyone, and he’s made progress sorting himself out.
‘I’d trade places in a heartbeat.’ I give him a sad smile. There’s no convincing Mother when she’s made up her mind. She’s steely, at the best of times.
That’s why I’m grateful for my brother, wayward as he can be. We’re close and rely on each other a lot, especially when it comes to speaking up for each other. Our parents subscribe to the stiff upper lip style of parenting, and don’t always understand when I quite readilyfeel my feelings. My mother claims those kinds ofhistrionicsare not necessary. If she caught me crying over fictional characters, she’d give me another talking-to about learning the art of regulating one’s emotions. We’re different, that’s for sure.
Teddy cranks some happy music on his phone, no doubt to distract me.
‘That’s more like it,’ Jonas says, and softly sways to the music as he highlights my cheeks with an angled brush. ‘My blood pressure is through the roof knowing your mother is about to sneak up at any moment while I’ve got her golden child sitting here with red-rimmed eyes clutching her heart. It doesn’t look good.’
‘I don’t blame you for being worried, after that last fiasco with the small hair fire,’ Teddy blurts out and I swear Jonas’s complexion turns a radioactive shade of green.
‘I’ll handle her,’ I quickly reassure him, giving him a sunny smile. Mother was incensed about the small hair fire – you’d have thoughtherlocks went up in flames. At the time, I’d been so engrossed in Joan Didion’sThe Year of Magical Thinkingthat I leaned too close to a scented candle and next minute my hair caught. Jonas managed to stamp it out fast, but my mother walked in at that exact moment and all hell broke loose.
Since then, she’s been wary about Jonas, but I’ve explained a million times it wasmyfault and an accident at that.It’s only hair, but she’s all about aesthetics, that woman. I quite liked having an excuse to chop my long locks off, but a pixie cut was vetoed by Mother as not the right look for Astor and now it’s grown long again anyway. I mean, seriously. I have a degree in librarianship and here I am still needing permission for a hairstyle! Just how did I let this happen to me?
‘Louise is going to be there tonight,’ Teddy says. Aha, now his impromptu visit makes sense! He’s not here to commiserate with me, he’s here for intel.
‘Yes, I know.’ Teddy has been in love with actress Louise for years, but she won’t give him the time of day. They’d make a lovely couple if Teddy did manage to settle down. The thing is, his reputation precedes him, even though he’s managed to get his act together over the last year or so.
‘Why not invite her to an intimate dinner party you’re hosting?’
‘Erm, what dinner party would that be?’ I cock my head.
He stares down his nose at me. ‘Do it for your baby brother, Elodie …’
I cross my arms. ‘Louise will see right through me, you know.’ She knows full well I do my brother’s bidding for him! He’s got me wrapped around his little finger.
‘Yes, she’s certainly got my measure.’ He grins. ‘That’s what I love about her. She’s so clever. It’s not just the way she looks – she’s the whole package. Iadoreher. And I always will.’ His eyes are bright as he drifts off to dreamland …
‘I’ll see what I can do.’ As usual Teddy’s puppy-dog eyes get to me. The poor fool adores a woman who doesn’t even give him a second glance. It’s so like Teddy to choose the hard road.
‘I’ve heard she’s shooting a movie soon with Dillon Hollander,’ Jonas says, voice lilting like it does when he’s sharing gossip.
‘That slimy so-and-so?’ Teddy says, his voice full of disgust. ‘Really?’
