Page 30 of The Plot Twist

Jess rolled her eyes and grabbed Allie’s hand, pulling her up from the table and pointing at her yoga bag, indicating Allie should pick it up. ‘Where are we going?’ asked Allie.

‘For cocktails.’ Jess sounded like she meant business.

Allie glanced at her watch. She dithered momentarily, wondering if Jess would actually take no for an answer before deciding that 10am really wasn’t too early for cocktails, especially when you’d been dumped by an ex and kissed by an insanely attractive man all in short succession. And this was Soho, if they couldn’t find somewhere here to serve them cocktails at this hour, then this was not the Soho Allie knew and loved.

ChapterEight

By the time Allie got home she was definitely feeling better about the world. It might have had something to do with the three mimosa margaritas she had downed in the dimly lit cocktail bar Jess had dragged her to, the place where Jess had to persuade the barman that his barwasopen and that hewasindeed happy to serve them. And from out of said bar, both women had come stumbling out into the daylight like two half-blind moles with coordination issues.

Or it might have been the increasingly flirty messages she had been exchanging with Will, who had innocuously messaged to ask if she was happy to meet him in Richmond on Thursday evening and was now the recipient of Allie’s drunken friskiness. Even as she typed her replies Allie felt she might come to regret the tone of some of them when she had sobered up a little. Especially as she was really no clearer on how she should be handling this situationship. She liked him, he had an exceptionally pleasing effect on her body, but she’d just come out of a disastrous relationship and she’d lived long enough to know that the rebound thing was real. Nor was she sure she wanted to introduce a new man to the person she became when she was trying to write. It wasn’t a side of her personality she was especially proud of. But surely some half-drunken messages wouldn’t hurt? And she was just agreeing to meet him on a Thursday night, it was hardly a declaration of serious intent.

She found herself, still in her yoga gear, sat in front of her laptop after many hours had passed and she was still writing. It had been such a long time since she had done this that her wrists were beginning to ache from an activity they were no longer used to. By the time she called it a day, the sun was beginning to set, she had gone into and come out the other side of a minor hangover and had got down some more of her plot outline for Martin. And not only that, but there was something new; it was only the very beginning, barely just a shadow of an idea, but it was there on her computer screen, the ghost of a romance inspired by her conversations with Martin, and spiced up by her feelings for Will.

Allie stretched back from her laptop and grinned to herself. Maybe Jess was right. Maybe, just maybe, Will could be everything she had been waiting for and more. Or at least, he could be something that was right for her just now. And hell yes, she did deserve it. No more disappointing Dominics in her life. Allie closed her laptop, got up from her chair and, sniffing herself, decided she really did need to take a shower before doing anything else.

She stood waiting for the shower to warm, and as if summoned from the ghostly halls of bad boyfriends past, her phone sprung to life with a message from Dominic. Her good vibes disappearing faster than the sale rack at Liberty, Allie swore and swiped her screen off lock. What did he want? And why did he have to put in an appearance just as she was feeling better about things? Allie considered ignoring the message, but she never had been able to handle sitting patiently with her impulses so she clicked the message open and read it, frown lines appearing on her forehead as she did so. Apparently he was ‘sorry’ things had ended the way they had and ‘sorry’ for his abrupt departure; images of red sports cars flashed through Allie’s brain as she read this. And he wondered ‘if it would be OK’ for them to meet up sometime, arrange to swap belongings. Allie thought back to the paltry possessions she had left at Dominic’s and once again decided that she really could do without them in her life, in much the same way as she could do without him.

Sighing, she wished she hadn’t read it. But she could at least make him wait for a response and leave him on read while she took a shower. Standing under the warm water, thinking of messages left unread, Allie suddenly thought again of Verity and of the fact that she still hadn’t surfaced. It was very strange. Alarming images ran through Allie’s mind of Verity under the lock and key of Jake Matthews. She got out of the shower and stood, watching her face disappear in the misted mirror, wondering if Jake should be the killer in her thriller or one of the victims and which she would find most satisfying. Then she shook her head, towelled herself vigorously and told herself to stop being such an idiot.

* * *

‘And you’ve really heard nothing back from her since?’

Allie shook her head and sidestepped a patch of thistles. ‘Are you sure you’re OK walking in those shoes?’ This was not the first time Will had expressed his concern for her footwear. ‘I should have suggested you wear trainers, I’m sorry.’ He grabbed Allie’s hand and led her round the puddle in the path.

Momentarily Allie forgot to reassure him, so surprised she was, yet again, by the effect of his touch on the rest of her body. She was just enjoying the tingling sensation running down her spine when the blister on her left foot interrupted her thoughts. ‘It’s fine, it’s lovely to walk,’ she said in what she hoped was an encouraging tone. Honestly? She wanted a comfortable chair to sink into, though really she would be fine with anywhere she could sit and take her sandals off and never have to look at them again, but she didn’t think that would be the response Will was looking for.

And their surroundingswerebeautiful, Richmond Park in the early evening sunshine. The grass and the leaves still brilliantly green. The light was catching the skyline of the City and yet again Allie wondered why she rarely ventured out to Richmond, it wasn’t exactly far. And then the stabbing sensation in her foot reminded her why. She was a city girl, and this was a different world, and while it was all rather lovely, there were no cabs nearby to save her from her blisters.

When Allie had started writing she had entertained romantic daydreams of where she might write, finding cosy cafes in which to people watch, gaining inspiration from her surroundings, scribbling down some early drafts. Sitting in London parks with a notebook, drawing character studies. Long walks along the Thames as she hashed out tricky plot lines. The reality was a little different. Initially, she wrote notes on her phone as she commuted to and from her office. She got up early, stayed up late, writing and writing. And then later when she was successful enough and confident enough to believe that this might actually be a viable career choice, she had quit her office job and quickly realised that cafes were noisy. There was always someone sat in the chair you wanted to sit in. Or coffee smeared on the table you wanted to use. Parks were full of children screaming, ant bites and grass stains. And, as the current situation showed, she couldn’t be trusted to choose the correct footwear for long walks anywhere.

‘Sorry,’ she said, reaching a tipping point. ‘Actually, this isn’t working for me,’ she admitted. Allie spotted a tree trunk and went over and sat down. Will followed and stood, looking down at her with concern. Once again, Allie found herself marvelling over just howtallhe was, and how he looked ridiculously handsome from this angle. Although Allie had yet to find an angle from which he didn’t look ridiculously handsome. He was rocking the sexy lumberjack look, very appropriate for their current surroundings, wearing a checked shirt, slim fit, with the sleeves rolled up and Allie couldn’t help but wonder if some ex-girlfriend had once told him how nice his arms were, and that now, subconsciously, he always rolled his sleeves up. The glimpse of that tattoo was tantalising and made her want to explore the whole picture.

‘Allie?’

‘Sorry, what?’ She looked back up at him, determined not to fixate on his arms again and lose her mind entirely.

‘Are you OK?’

‘Yeah, yeah I’m fine. Just these shoes…’ She gestured at her sandals, which were now looking more as if they had lived through three days at Glastonbury than been on a brief jaunt across Richmond Park.

Will sighed. ‘God, I’m sorry. I should have asked you if you wanted to walk, not just presumed.’ He looked down at her, his stupidly handsome face creased in a frown of concern for the wellbeing of her toes.

‘You did ask me,’ reassured Allie. ‘And I said I wanted to. I didn’t want you to think less of me if I said I had a blister, and now…’ She pointed forlornly to her feet again.

‘You have a blister?’ Will’s face was a perfect etching of distress.

‘Honestly, it’s fine. I get a blister every time I wear these.’

Will scratched his head. ‘This might be a stupid question but why do you wear them then?’

Allie pulled a face at him as if he had asked her the most moronic question possible. ‘Because they’re cute and they look good with this dress?’ She looked down at the polka dot sundress she had picked out especially for their walk. ‘Oh and because they cost a stupid amount of money and so I refuse to accept that they’re uncomfortable and will go on wearing them until my feet are cut to ribbons.’

Will laughed at that and went to sit down on the tree stump next to her. ‘There’s a shorter way back to my car. I was going for romantic, but we can just cut straight down the road and we’ll be there in less than five minutes.’

Allie fixed him with a stare. ‘You mean you’ve put me through this—’ she gestured to her blisters ‘—when there was a short cut?’

‘Hey!’ he protested. ‘I said I was going for the romantic option.’

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