Chapter 32

The patio at Clarence Gardens needed laying, which as far as Nadia was concerned, was both good and bad news.

It was Monday morning, and the opportunity to escape the Laurie Welch Appreciation Society was a welcome one. On the other hand, her back was giving her serious bother. Clattering down a flight of stairs like a wayward pinball, bashing her spinal column against every step, had resulted in pretty spectacular bruising. Even tucking her T-shirt into her jeans had been so painful it had made her yelp. Surveying the stacked up paving stones without enthusiasm, she unscrewed the top of her Evian bottle and took a swig of water. That hurt too.

And there was no sign of Jay, which was a disappointment. Seeing him again, Nadia had felt, would help her with her dilemma. She’d planned to compare her reaction the moment she saw him with her reaction when Laurie had come over to take her house hunting yesterday morning. Rely on her body’s instincts to tell her what she needed to know. Except her body was probably going to be too busy going ooh, ouch to tell her anything helpful right now.

Oh well, hey ho. On with the job she was being paid to do. Maybe after the first few paving stones her muscles would stop behaving like big crybabies and loosen up.

***

When the side gate clicked open an hour later, Nadia turned—creakily—and felt her heart begin to gather speed. Color rushed to her cheeks and her stomach clenched tighter than a three-year-old clutching a sweet.

“For heaven’s sake.” With difficulty, she straightened up and wiped her dusty, perspiring hands on her shorts. “What are you doing here?”

Laurie removed his sunglasses and indicated his crumpled T-shirt and jeans. “I asked Miriam how you were this morning and she said you crawled down to breakfast on all fours.”

“That’s not true.” Nadia was indignant; she’d only wanted to crawl down to breakfast on all fours.

“Anyway. I thought you might appreciate a hand, and I’m free.” He made free-type motions with his hands. “So here I am, dressed for work and ready to help.”

Laurie’s total indifference to clothes and famously casual wardrobe meant it was hard to tell. Today’s gardening jeans were indistinguishable from Saturday’s just-flown-back-from-LA ones. If he was off to a film premiere, he’d probably choose whichever were cleanest.

“But this is my job,” said Nadia.

“I can still help, can’t I? You don’t have to pay me.”

“I don’t think this is a good idea.” The word help was insinuating itself lovingly through Nadia’s brain. Oh God, but what if Jay turned up?

“Makes sense to me.” Laurie shrugged. “May as well do something useful with these muscles while I’ve still got them.”

One of the other clauses in his agent’s contract, Nadia had learned, was that Laurie had been obliged to spend a minimum of fourteen hours a week working out in a trendy LA gym.

“If you want to be useful,” she said, “you could go to the pharmacy and pick up some Tylenol.”

“Hey, I nearly forgot.” Laurie delved into the front pocket of his bashed-up jeans. “Miriam found this after you’d gone. She thought you might need it.”

He had brought a tube of Deep Heat. Nadia’s nose wrinkled at the thought of its powerful smell, but Laurie was already squeezing the cream into his hand and advancing toward her.

“Come on, pull your T-shirt up. It’ll help.”

Was he doing this on purpose? Nadia’s mouth went dry.

“I’ll do it.”

“Don’t be a baby. Anyway, you couldn’t reach.” Taking hold of her T-shirt, Laurie lifted it to bra level and surveyed her bruised back. He shook his head in sympathy. “OK, don’t worry. I’ll be gentle.”

That was what Nadia was afraid of.

He was gentle. While she held her breath, closed her eyes, and thought of… well, something else, he carefully smoothed the musty-smelling cream into her skin. Standing there in the sun-drenched garden, Nadia thought how intimate it felt, like being massaged by a lover with baby oil.

“There, all done.” Stepping back, Laurie dropped the T-shirt back into place and re-capped the tube. “Now, what needs doing? Laying the paving stones? I can do that.”

“Tylenol,” Nadia repeated.

“Why don’t you go and get the Tylenol? And pick up something for lunch? I’ll get on with laying the stones.”

It made sense. The ground was all ready, painstakingly leveled and marked out. Laurie was more than capable of laying the stones; he’d make a good job of it.

But… but…

“Look, forget why I came back,” Laurie said patiently. “Just think of us as friends. If we were friends and I needed help, you’d help me, wouldn’t you?”

“Maybe.” Nadia tried to imagine them as just good friends. As they had been once, years ago.

“Right, so that’s all we are. And now it’s your turn to need help, so stop being so bloody stubborn and let me get on with the job.”

“OK. Thanks.” A thought belatedly struck her. “How did you know where I was working?”

“Miriam told me you were in Clarence Gardens. I looked for the house with the builder’s van outside.”

“Right. OK, Tylenol.”

Laurie, already picking up the first paving slab with ridiculous ease, said, “And lunch.”

***

“Who are you?”

Looking up, Laurie saw a young, scruffy lad with sticky-up hair and a smattering of acne.

Not Jay, he cleverly surmised.

“I’m Nadia, the gardener.”

“No you aren’t.” The boy paused. “I’ve seen you somewhere before.”

“I’m Nadia’s friend,” Laurie explained. “She’s gone to the shops. I’m helping her out.”

“Right.” The boy nodded. “I’m Kevin.”

“Kevin. Hi. Laurie.”

Kevin frowned, the cogs moving slowly. “Where do I know you from? Do you drink at the Prince?”

“Um, no.”

The cogs finally caught and slipped into place. Kevin burst out laughing. “I know what it is! You look just like the bloke in that video they’ve been showing on MTV. You know… you know…” He rattled his silver identity bracelet at Laurie. “Cassie McKellen’s video, the one where she’s drowning in the sea and the bloke dives in and saves her… you’re the bloody spitting image of him!”

“Am I?” said Laurie.

“Christ, yeah. Brilliant video, that is. Cassie McKellen in a bikini, now she’s a bird and a half—ha, wouldn’t kick her out of bed, would you?” As he said it he glanced over his shoulder, checking that his dad wasn’t within earshot. Cassie McKellen was a serious drug user.

Laurie, who had turned down an offer to climb into bed with her, said, “I should be so lucky.” With a wink he added, “Just as well I prefer brunettes.”

“So you and Nadia…?” Kevin hesitated, unsure how to phrase it. “Sorry, I mean, we didn’t even know she had a boyfriend.”

“Oh, I’m not her boyfriend.” Separating the next paving stone from the stack and carrying it easily across to the marked-off patio area, Laurie said, “Not at the moment, anyway.” As he lowered the stone into place and lined it up against its neighbors, he added cheerfully, “But I’m working on it.”

Unlike Kevin, Jay knew at once who the stranger was. For a minute he watched unobserved from the French doors as Laurie Welch got on with the job in hand. Finally, straightening up and pulling his T-shirt over his head, Laurie turned and spotted him.

“Where’s Nadia?” said Jay.

“Gone to pick up a few things. She hurt her back yesterday. I’m helping out.” Laurie’s voice was friendly, his eyes startlingly green. “If that’s OK with you.”

“Fine with me,” Jay lied.

“You’re the boss, I take it.”

“That’s right.” There was a spade propped up against the wall. Jay wondered if bashing Laurie Welch over the head with it and burying his body in the garden would be an option.

“I’m the ex-boyfriend. Laurie Welch.” Wiping his palms on his jeans, Laurie came over to shake hands.

“So I gathered.”

“Look, I’m really sorry about Saturday. Hope I didn’t mess up your night.”

Since there was no polite answer to this, Jay said, “How did Nadia hurt her back?” and immediately regretted it. Did he really want to know?

“We were looking at houses. I took her to see one in Redland and she fell down the stairs. Frightened the life out of me,” Laurie admitted, “but she’ll be OK.”

“Right.” Pushing him down a flight of stairs was another possibility, and far less messy than a spade. Jay said, “Which house in Redland?”

“Clarendon Road. Five bedrooms, fantastic garden. It’s standing empty.”

“The one on the corner. I know it.” Jay kept up with what was happening on the property market.

“Really?” Laurie’s face lit up. “We liked it. Plenty of room for… well, you know. We both know we want kids, so not much point in buying a penthouse flat. So, d’you think it’s a good buy?”

“Up to you.” Jay was buggered if he was going to hand out professional advice.

Laurie was enjoying himself hugely; having arrived back in England in the nick of time, he had no doubt at all that Nadia would come round before long. OK, so she had undoubtedly developed a bit of a crush on this boss of hers, but he and Nadia had years of history between them. Laurie was confident that he’d win in the end; he didn’t regard Jay Tiernan as a serious threat.

And it was such fun, subtly letting him know that.

“I don’t think it’s overpriced,” Laurie went on easily. “You know, I was all ready to put in an offer yesterday afternoon. But falling down the stairs might have put Nad off the place.” The gate clicked and Laurie’s gaze shifted away from Jay. “Here she is now.”

Jay turned and saw Nadia carrying two Waitrose bags. Laurie, heading over, swiftly relieved her of them.

“I was just telling Jay about your accident yesterday. Did you get the Tylenol?”

“Um, yes.”

“Good. Show him your bruises.”

“There’s no need, I’m sure he believes—”

“See?” Before Nadia was able to protest, Laurie had swiveled her round and pulled up her T-shirt. His tanned fingers moved lightly over her back, tracing the outlines of the swollen, purple bruises.

“I’m fine,” Nadia protested, flushing as she covered them once more with her T-shirt.

“Did the Deep Heat help?”

Deep Heat. Jay imagined Laurie massaging the cream into her skin.

“It helped. Look, I need to get the rest of this stuff inside.” Wincing slightly as she reached to retrieve the Waitrose bags, Nadia glanced at Jay. “Could I have a word?”

Jay didn’t move. “Fire away.”

She gave him a don’t-muck-about look. “In private.”