Clara Bounces Back Page 3

  ‘So, what’s it going to be?’ Throwing myself back onto the bed, I position myself an inch from his face. ‘Apology, or bye-bye football?’

  After initially hesitating, Noah grabs his football and puts it into his cupboard out of harm’s way. ‘If I apologise, then will you get out of my room?’

  Holding out his hand to seal the deal, Noah keeps his poker face intact as he awaits my answer. Playfully frowning, I tap my foot for a good thirty seconds to keep him waiting.

  ‘Deal.’ I finally agree. ‘But, you also have to help me brush Pumpkin.’

  Letting out a groan, Noah reluctantly mumbles in agreement and takes my hand in his.

  ‘Deal…’

  Chapter 3

  Holding out my hand, my heart skips a beat as Harper wraps her tiny fingers around my pinky and squeezes tightly.

  ‘You are getting so strong!’ I squeal, unable to resist planting a tiny kiss on her nose as she nestles into my chest. ‘Strong and beautiful, just like your mother.’

  Studying Harper’s little face, I silently remark at how much she looks like Eve. From the cherub-like cheeks to her little button nose, she is her mum’s double.

  ‘You’re going to be a heartbreaker.’ I whisper, brushing back her wispy hair. ‘You and your brother are going to be unstoppable.’

  Harper’s red dress sparkles under the chandelier as I rock her back and forth around the living room. Slowly peeling open her eyes, she squints at me for a moment before realising I’m not her mother. Her tiny face turns a bright shade of pink as she curls her hands into little fists and lets out an almighty scream.

  ‘Shh!’ I say gently, attempting to silence the bawling baby before she wakes her sleeping brother.

  Clearly not wanting to go back to sleep, Harper kicks her little legs furiously as I try to soothe her. Thankfully, Eve steps out of the bathroom just in time to come to my rescue. With her platinum hair still wrapped in a towel, she dashes across the plush carpet and holds her arms out for Harper, who immediately stops crying when she’s reunited with her mother.

  ‘What’s wrong with my princess?’ Eve coos, nuzzling her nose against Harper’s. ‘I was only gone for ten minutes!’

  Smiling back at her, Harper reaches up and bats Eve’s nose playfully, causing Eve to burst into a fit of proud giggles. Watching her expertly rock Harper back to sleep, I marvel at how amazingly well Eve has taken to her new role as a mother.

  When she first announced her desire to have children, it wasn’t just me who was concerned for her. After all, Eve Lake wasn’t exactly known for her motherly instincts. It’s hard to believe that the woman in front of me is the same girl I knew all those years ago. Thinking back to the day I met my good friend, with her Barbie-style appearance and overabundance of diamonds, she was as far away from the yummy mummy she is today as could be.

  ‘How are things at Floral Fizz?’ I ask, as Eve places a snoozing Harper into her personalised cot next to Harley. ‘Are you missing it?’

  Dropping down into an armchair, Eve shrugs her shoulders and rocks the cot gently with her foot. ‘A little, but Dawn is doing an incredible job over there. The florist is performing better than ever.’

  ‘That’s fantastic!’ I gush, hoping that this conversation doesn’t drift to the subject of Owen’s other businesses. ‘I’m so pleased to hear that.’

  Removing the towel from her hair, Eve shakes out her curls and tosses the damp towel onto the dining table. After many years of seeing her with poker-straight locks, I still find it strange to see Eve rocking her natural waves. However, her new look frames her pixie features beautifully.

  ‘How are things at Suave?’ She asks suddenly, causing my stomach to flip.

  Raising my eyebrows in response, I don’t need to say a word for Eve to know the answer to her question.

  ‘Ah…’ She replies, nodding knowingly. ‘I was worried that might be the case.’

  Not wanting to taint my day off work with the same thing I’ve been worrying about all week, I reach for my water and choose to remain silent. The subject of Owen’s investment is something Eve and I have tried to keep off the table, but with how dreadful things are right now, it was inevitably going to come up sooner or later.

  ‘We’re finally going out without the twins this evening.’ Taking the hint that I don’t want to talk about Suave, Eve smiles and stretches out her toned legs. ‘Owen’s taking me to the theatre, but I’m not sure how I feel about it. Half of me wants to go, but the other half wants to stay here with the babies.’

  ‘I remember feeling that way with Noah. The thought of leaving him just to make a coffee was awful.’ Sticking my head into the cot, I gently stroke Harley’s cheek as he snoozes lightly. ‘I just wanted him with me twenty-four hours a day. Even going to the bathroom made me feel guilty. Don’t beat yourself up about it, the feeling passes with time. All new mums feel the same way.’

  ‘Maybe I could stick them in my handbag.’ Eve muses, fluffing up her damp hair. ‘My Cavalli tote is pretty big and I don’t think Owen would notice. After all these sleepless nights, I could chop off my head and he wouldn’t give me a second glance.’

  Laughing along with her, I look at my watch and quickly finish my drink. The fact that Owen and Eve shall be out of the apartment block this evening makes my own plans much easier.

  When Owen left Suave yesterday, Marc arranged an emergency summit for tonight. We were all in agreement that we need to put in some extra hours if we have a hope in hell of salvaging what is left of the business. Between us, we have an insane amount of experience, both with Suave and within the industry in general. There has to be a way out of this if we just put our minds together.

  With Hugh’s apartment in the midst of a renovation and Marc having three hyperactive children at his, we arranged to host the meeting at my place. My only reservation was the risk of bumping into the Lakes. I can just picture Owen’s face if he spotted us all traipsing past his apartment. What could we possibly say to him?

  Hi, Owen! We’re all here in a last-ditch attempt at salvaging your investment. Have a fabulous evening at the theatre. Perhaps lay off the champers though, as the bank manager might be biting at your arse very soon.

  Trying to shake the image from my mind, I am about to excuse myself when the intercom buzzes loudly on the other side of the lounge. Immediately jumping to her feet, Eve sprints across the living room and grabs the receiver like it’s a winning lottery ticket. Reaching for my jacket, I watch her whisper into the speaker and laugh to myself. Nothing makes you more noise-conscious than becoming a new mother. Hell hath no fury like a baby awoken unceremoniously.

  As Eve chats into the intercom, I look around her luxury living room and feel a twinge of longing as I take in the many incredible baby gadgets that are dotted around the place. The arrival of Harper and Harley has made me incredibly broody. Although, with Noah’s behaviour of late, I don’t think Oliver would be too keen on the idea of adding another Morgan to the mix right now.

  ‘That was Summer. She’s back with the dogs.’ Eve announces, taking the opportunity of being on her feet to replenish their sparkly food bowls. ‘She has Pumpkin with her, too.’

  Spying this as my chance to escape before I am attacked by a pack of spoilt Pomeranians, I stand up and reach for my handbag.

  ‘I should be going.’ I say regretfully, taking a final glance at the sleeping babies. ‘Could you ask Summer to bring Pumpkin up to our place?’

  ‘Sure.’ Eve replies, catching a glimpse of her voluminous hair in the mirror and frantically trying to smooth it down.

  I grin back at her and tug my handbag onto my shoulder. ‘Enjoy your evening and don’t worry about the twins. They won’t even realise you’re not here.’

  ‘I hope so…’ She murmurs, pulling her sleeves over her hands as we walk towards the door. ‘I could always pay the nanny to bring them along and sit a few rows back. Like I said earlier, Owen would be none the wiser.’

  I laugh along as I pic
ture Ester juggling two blinged-up twins while a busty brunette belts out I Dreamed a Dream.

  ‘What are your plans for tonight?’ Eve asks, leaning against the door frame as I step out into the lobby. ‘Oh, please tell me you’re going to drink tequila and dance on tables! Let me live vicariously through you!’

  I bite my lip and try to think of a suitable lie. I don’t think telling Eve that we’re holding an emergency meeting to stop Owen from losing the vast amount of cash he invested in us would go down very well.

  ‘Not too much.’ I fib, unable to look her directly in the eye. ‘Not too much at all…’

  Chapter 4

  Listening to my friends talk as they keenly exchange their ideas, I curse myself for not having the same creative vision. All day, I have tried to come up with a magical solution to keep our dream alive, but I’m ashamed to admit that I’ve failed miserably. Luckily, the others appear to have had much more success and they’re currently cooking up a storm in my kitchen.

  ‘We need to reinvent the brand.’ Lianna is saying, between bites of pizza. ‘Just look at Madonna. She has been around forever, yet she stays current because she’s constantly transforming into different characters. She changes her persona more often than I change my underwear.’

  Marc, Hugh and Vernon nod along as she speaks, each one just itching to pitch in their own thoughts. Despite not having any of my own ideas, it seems that we might be getting somewhere.

  ‘We need to change our whole image.’ Wiping her greasy fingers on a napkin, Li reaches for her glass of wine. ‘Suave needs to be given a whole new identity…’

  When Marc demanded that we have this impromptu gathering tonight, I didn’t have high hopes. After all, we’ve been banging our heads together at the office for months on end. Why would being in a different environment enable us to see things in a new light? It just shows that a change of scenery is sometimes all that you need to get the ideas flowing again.

  ‘Suave has always been at the height of fashion.’ Marc adds, abandoning his pizza and pushing a pile of paper into the centre of the kitchen island. ‘People expect us to be ahead of the game. To be the ones who bring future trends to the table and make them affordable to the everyday consumer. We need to go back to basics and rewrite the rules.’

  I beam at my friend proudly, my spirits rising as I let his words sink in. This is more like it! I haven’t seen enthusiasm like this in months!

  ‘I don’t want to be the party pooper here.’ Hugh groans, causing him to gain everyone’s attention. ‘But we have been saying this for weeks now. We all know that we need to reinvent the brand. What we don’t know is how we are going to do it. Simply saying it over and over again isn’t going to make it happen.’

  Marc pauses with a pizza crust to his mouth and scowls. A look of annoyance creeps onto his face as he stares back at Hugh blankly.

  ‘I’m with Hugh.’ Oliver flips the lid on a pizza box and sighs. ‘We keep having these meetings and discussing what we need to do, but it always falls short of actually doing it. The time for talking is over. Actions speak louder than words.’

  The room falls into an uncomfortable silence as we look at one another awkwardly. Isn’t it strange how a single sentence can change the whole vibe of what just a few moments ago was a positive situation? All optimism has suddenly vanished and just like that, we are right back to where we started.

  ‘What was so bad about this Giulia Romano tape?’ Vernon asks, pretending not to notice as Lianna shoots him a deathly glare. ‘It didn’t do Kim K any harm. It’s just sex and at the end of the day, sex sells. What’s the big deal?’

  The men of the group fidget in their seats and simultaneously shudder in response. Without saying a word, Marc fishes his phone out of his pocket and taps at the keyboard, before gingerly passing the handset to Vernon. Already knowing what he’s about to be subjected to, I suddenly lose my appetite and push away my plate.

  Pretending not to hear the explicit sounds coming from Marc’s iPhone, I scurry to the fridge in search of more drinks for the group. Glad to have an excuse to remove myself from the X-rated situation, I sing along to the music on the television and refill everyone’s glasses. The infamous Giulia Romano tape is not something that anyone should be made to endure more than once. Especially while eating.

  ‘That’s… that’s really quite… yeah.’ Vernon mumbles in shock, dropping his pizza and grimacing.

  Not knowing whether I want to laugh or cry, I hop onto a bar stool next to Marc as Hugh leans over Vernon’s shoulder to have a look for himself.

  Taking the handset, he slips on his glasses and squints at the screen.

  ‘Whoa!’ Hugh exclaims, obviously repulsed by what he is seeing. ‘Is she…’

  ‘Haven’t you seen this before?’ I ask, trying not to laugh as Hugh holds the phone at arm’s-length.

  ‘No!’ He replies, covering his mouth and heaving. ‘Dawn said she would divorce me if I ever did and now I know why!’ Twisting his head to the left, his jaw drops open. ‘Call me inexperienced, but wouldn’t that hurt?’

  Vernon shakes his head and Lianna gives him a swift dig in the ribs. ‘How the hell would you know?’ She demands, pushing him away as Giulia’s moans become louder.

  Starting to worry that our neighbours are going to mistake her cries of pleasure for mine, I hurriedly turn up the volume on the television.

  ‘Can we switch the damn tape off now?’ Lianna cries, attempting to snatch the phone out of Hugh’s hand. ‘If I have to hear the word custard one more time…’

  ‘Wait a minute!’ Hugh shouts suddenly, his expression suddenly becoming serious. ‘I think… I think I know him!’

  ‘Who?’ Marc asks, wiping his glasses on his shirt.

  ‘The guy! The guy that she’s… doing!’ Hugh’s words fade to a whisper as he peeks through his fingers in horror. ‘His face has been blurred out, but I would recognise that ruby medallion anywhere.’

  ‘Are you serious?’ Lianna gasps, her eyes wide with shock. ‘The press tried to identify him for months! Who is it?’

  Hugh’s face pales in colour as he loosens his tie. ‘It’s… it’s Stelios Christopoulos!’

  ‘Stelios who?’ Marc asks, unable to resist diving out of his seat.

  ‘Stelios Christopoulos!’ Hugh repeats, his voice ten decibels higher than it usually. ‘It is! There’s his family tattoo! Look!’

  ‘Let me see!’ I squeal, finally giving in and running around the kitchen island to join Hugh and Marc with Vernon. ‘Who the hell is Stelios Christopoulos?’

  ‘His brother, Stavros, owns Vision.’ Hugh explains, seemingly unable to process what he is witnessing. ‘I don’t believe this!’

  Stavros Christopoulos, I repeat silently, trying to place where I have heard that name before. Hugh often speaks about his old boss at the last company he worked for. From the stories he shares, I believe he’s quite a character.

  ‘So, you know this guy personally?’ Lianna leans against the counter as Hugh nods back at her. ‘Wow! This must be really weird for you! Imagine seeing someone you know doing that.’

  ‘I often join him and Stavros on their golfing trips when he comes to London.’ Hugh finally hands the phone back to Marc and wipes his brow. ‘Although, after seeing this, I don’t think I’ll be carrying his balls for him anymore.’

  A laugh escapes my lips as Marc taps the screen to stop the video. The thought of Hugh helping the wrinkly old man from the tape around a golf course is hilarious.

  ‘I can’t believe I’ve never seen this before.’ Hugh whispers, taking a much-needed gulp of beer. ‘Stavros hasn’t ever mentioned it. Stelios hasn’t ever mentioned it.’

  ‘This is insane!’ Trying not to laugh at the look of sheer horror on Hugh’s face, I hide behind my glass. ‘I’d never be able to look him in the eye ever again!’

  ‘Thankfully, I don’t have to see him much.’ He admits with relief. ‘Stelios only comes to England to brag about the turnover of his handbag b
usiness. Although, he is due a visit any day now…’

  I shake my head in awe, trying to process this huge revelation. Hugh knows Giulia Romano’s mystery man. The infamous sex tape was worldwide news, but not even the manic media were able to identify her secret lover. If we weren’t trying to put as much distance between us and Giulia as possible, this information would be worth a pretty penny to the predatory press. As tempting as it is to unmask Stelios Christopoulos, the very last thing Suave needs right now is for that bloody tape to resurface.

  ‘So, we’ve established that the video is pretty bad.’ Vernon says slowly, trying to steer the conversation back to the business. ‘No wonder we’re having such a hard time moving on. What the hell are we going to do?’

  Automatically looking at Marc for an answer, I’m surprised to see that he’s furiously scribbling into a notepad.

  ‘What are you doing?’ I ask, narrowing my eyes as I try to read his messy handwriting.

  ‘We could make this work for us.’ He replies, making yet more scrawls on the page. ‘There has to be a way of using this to our advantage.’

  Flashing him a confused look, I watch curiously as he rolls up his sleeves and makes some space on the kitchen island.

  ‘Stelios Christopoulos. What exactly do you know about him?’ Marc asks, turning to face Hugh and tapping his pen on the counter.

  Clearing his throat, Hugh loosens his tie and rests his elbows on the table. ‘He’s Greek, obviously. He’s terrible at golf, he loves the sound of his own voice, he’s a relentless womaniser, despite being almost seventy. Oh, and he owns Ianthe handbags.’

  My ears prick up at the mention of Ianthe. Unlike Suave, Ianthe handbags have been on the scene for almost a century. Using quality materials, all sympathetically chosen from Greece and its surrounding islands, Ianthe is a brand adored by everyone from celebrities to royalty. With its quintessential Greek style and unique violet theme, Ianthe is as far away from Suave and its forward-thinking fashion as possible.