Page 43 of Marry Me…Maybe?
‘Let me take you home,’ he said, sliding his arm around her shoulders for support and gently propelling her forward towards the exit.
And then, as if she hadn’t already had enough bad luck, Marnie from theDaily Courierchose that exact moment to appear at the top of the corridor and give them both a curious look as she passed them on her way to the restrooms.
‘Everything all right, Emily? You look like you’ve seen a ghost,’ she said, her beady eyes sweeping over the two of them.
‘She’s fine,’ Theo replied tersely, guiding Emily away, towards a quiet side exit, his arm still wrapped tightly around her.
Emily felt numb. And curiously empty.
Out in the neon-lit night, Theo walked her round to one of the quieter roads and managed to hail a cab while she stood staring sightlessly at the pavement.
Her mother was dead.
And not just in her messed-up imagination any more. She was really gone this time.
She let him manhandle her into the taxi, grateful that someone else was making the necessary decisions, taking control of the everyday motions that she felt strangely unable to handle right at that moment.
After a little gentle coaxing from Theo, she mumbled her address to the driver and sat back stiffly in the springy seat next to him as they drove slowly through the busy streets of central London.
Twenty silent and hollow minutes later they reached her house in Notting Hill and she got out on shaking legs, walking swiftly towards her front door while Theo paid for the cab.
He joined her just as she’d managed to get the key into the lock on her third try. It was almost like being drunk, this feeling of floating outside herself, unable to make her limbs and brain function properly together.
Walking into her home, she was only aware that he’d followed her when she heard him close the door behind him and cough gently.
She whipped around, her hands raised as a barrier against him.Now she was in the safety and familiarity of her own place she just wanted to be left alone to process everything.
‘You don’t need to stay with me. I’m fine.’ She turned away from him, heading straight for her bedroom.
‘Are you?’ he asked, following her.
As she reached the door, he caught up with her and spun her round to face him. His brows were drawn down and his eyes radiated concern.
She didn’t want his sympathy. Didn’t need it. She could do this on her own. Or with her best friend’s help.
‘Yes. Anyway, I’ll call Lula if I need someone.’
‘On her honeymoon?’
His point made her freeze in shock. He was right. She’d forgotten that Lula was away. There was no way she could interrupt her friend’s honeymoon with news like this. Lula would feel as guilty as hell about not being there for her and it would ruin her holiday.
She knew she could always rely on her friend to be a shoulder to cry on, but Lula had Tristan now and he should be her top priority. Before Lula had got married, she’d always had her friend there, rooting for her. Supporting her. Loving her. But now, she realised with a sick, sinking feeling, there was a great gaping hole in her life that she had no idea how to fill.
She was going to have to deal with this alone until Lula came back.
The thought of it made her cold with fear.
She had other friends she could call, of course, but no one she was emotionally close to. She kept most of her relationships light and frivolous, preferring to have lots of easy, non-demanding acquaintances. Plus, none of them even knew her mother had been alive. She’d told them all she was dead, and she didn’t want to haveto go through the humiliation of having to explain her painful past to someone else right now.
Apart from Lula, Theo was the only other person who knew the truth of the situation – but having him seeing her break into little pieces wasn’t something she was prepared to let happen. He’d probably run a mile if she broke down on him now. And who could blame him? Dealing with this kind of thing had never been part of their deal.
‘I’m fine, Theo, you don’t need to stay,’ she muttered, walking into her bedroom, praying he would get the message and turn around and leave.
But instead, he followed her.
‘Why are you still here? I told you I’m okay,’ she said with her back to him, lacing her voice with irritation in an attempt to repel him.
‘Because you need someone to look out for you right now. Someone who’s willing and able to put up with your nonsense and know it for what it really is.’
