The Guilt Trip(13)

“I was at Maverick Promotions,” said Ali. “And my boss there was a total dickhead.”

Rachel had looked at her through narrowed eyes, surprised by her indiscretion.

“How so?” she said.

“He crossed the line,” said Ali. “He thought because I’m the way I am, that he could take advantage of me.”

“The way you are?” asked Rachel, keen to establish exactly what she meant and the threat it might present.

“That I’m outgoing and friendly,” said Ali.

Rachel waited for her to add “and because I look like every man’s fantasy,” but she didn’t.

“So, what happened?” Rachel asked, when no more information was forthcoming.

Ali looked up, her piercing blue eyes staring straight through her. “He took me for a fool,” she said. “He thought I was just some blonde bimbo who he could silence, due to his position of power, but he was wrong.” The tone of Ali’s voice as she said those last four words troubled Rachel, though she couldn’t quite put her finger on whether it was because he’d treated her badly or because she’d made sure he hadn’t got away with it.

“Well, I’m glad that you made a stand,” she said, part of her wanting to ask more questions, but equally not wanting to get into it. “Men like him need to know that we won’t accept that kind of behavior. We need to push back against these predators.”

“Yes, girl!” Ali had declared, before pulling Rachel into a sudden embrace. As Rachel extricated herself, making excuses that she needed to go and help Jack, Ali started making her way toward a circle of men who were becoming rowdier by the minute.

“She’s quite a force,” Rachel had commented to Jack as he handed her a glass of white wine.

“Mmm, I wonder if she’s too much so.”

Rachel had cocked her head to one side. “Meaning?”

“Well, look at her,” said Jack, taking a sip of his pint of lager and licking the white-foam residue from his lip.

As Rachel had watched Ali coil her arm around the neck of the most handsome of the bunch, pleading with him to dance to Whitney Houston’s “How Will I Know,” she wondered if Jack might have a point.

“Hey!” said Will, coming up behind her at the bar and squeezing her waist.

“Hi!” Rachel squealed, excitedly pulling him into her for a hug. “You’re back! Ooh it’s so lovely to see you—it’s been far too long.” He flashed her a smile through his thick beard.

“Hey, bro,” he said as he leaned in to Jack and they did that macho shoulder nudge thing that men who like to be cool do nowadays.

“Come here,” said Jack, thinking better of it and pulling his younger brother in for a proper embrace. “How you doing?”

“Knackered,” said Will.

Jack laughed. “How can you be knackered when you’ve spent the last two months in Vietnam, doing sweet FA?”

Will smiled and rolled his eyes at Rachel, as if to say, here we go. “I meant from the flight. Being stuck in economy for twelve hours with legs this long is punishing.”

“My heart bleeds for you.” Jack sighed theatrically. “What can I get you?”

“I’ll have a pint, please,” said Will, as he put his arm around Rachel.

“So, what have you been up to?” she asked. “How was your time at the monastery?”

“Intense,” said Will. “Let’s just say that two months was plenty long enough to know that it wasn’t what I wanted.”

Rachel had looked at him: so worldly-wise, yet still so vulnerable. At thirty-three, he was seemingly no nearer knowing what it was he did want.

He meandered from one low-paid job to the next, flitting between countries and continents as casually as if it were a routine commute. Sometimes, Rachel envied his bohemian lifestyle, his ability to put down roots wherever he landed, no matter how shallow they were. But mostly she worried, like an over-protective big sister, whether he was ever going to be able to settle down in one place long enough to meet someone and start a family of his own.

She could never have guessed that, that very night, her prayers were going to be answered.

“You must miss having such a live wire in the office?” offers Paige now with a hint of sarcasm that only those who know her well would hear.

Jack looks at her with raised eyebrows. “Her absence is noticeable” is all he says.

“Aw, that’s so sweet,” gushes Ali, leaning over to rub Jack’s arm. “I’m pleased that I’m missed.”

Rachel squirms on his behalf.

“So, you’re working for David Friedman’s company now?” asks Noah, no doubt feeling the chill in the atmosphere.

Ali nods animatedly.

“Have you met him yet?”

“Yes,” says Ali, smiling broadly.

Paige throws a scathing glance in Rachel’s direction that says, “She’s probably sleeping with him.”

“That must be pretty exciting,” Noah goes on. “Is he just like we see him on TV?”

“Nicer,” says Ali. “He used to have a reputation as being a bit mean when he first started on the judging panel of Star Maker…”

“Yes, I remember,” says Rachel. “But he’s a bit more chilled out now.”