Page 10 of Under A Sicilian Sky
Ruby grinned and shook her head. ‘Honestly, you two are hilarious.’
6
After dinner the following evening, Ruby helped clear the dishes. Whilst alone with Jessica in the kitchen, she told her, ‘Jessica, I’ve heard from Valerie and there’s a booking for me at the Four Seasons as soon as I can get there, so I’ll chat to Philippe about driving me, and be out of your hair.’
Jessica placed down the dishcloth and turned to face her. ‘Phil and I were talking and we agreed that you’re welcome to stay here until things are dealt with. We both feel that being surrounded by people who believe in you, and who care about you, would be better than you being alone. Obviously, you’re free to do whatever you think is best, but we wanted to give you the opportunity to stay.’ She smiled warmly.
‘Really? I don’t want to intrude on your family, you’ve been so generous having me here at all, and—’
Jessica placed a hand on Ruby’s arm. ‘We’d love you to stay longer.’
Ruby beamed. ‘Thank you so much. I can’t tell you how lovely it’s been to be surrounded by family chatter again. I’ve really missed that. I’ll drop Valerie a message and say she can cancel the booking. Hopefully the matter will be sorted out soon and I can go home. But I’d love to stay a little longer.’ She hugged Jessica tight.
Once the dishes were done, Ruby retreated to the comfort of Philippe’s guest room once more. There had been no word from Veronica, and she was now wondering if the editor had decided not to help her after all. They weren’t exactly friends, but Ruby had certainly felt a little more solidarity coming from Veronica during the interview, compassion too. She was relieved because, in her humble opinion, women in such high-profile positions should stick together and raise each other up, not treat one another as competition.
She picked up her phone and noticed several missed calls from her parents’ number. Her heart sank and she closed her eyes for a moment as the realisation hit.They know. She hit the return call symbol and held her breath. The sound of her dad’s worry-filled voice made her heart ache. ‘Ruby, love, are you okay? We’ve been worried sick. Can you come home?’
‘Hi Dad. I’m afraid I can’t really do that just now. But I’m fine. Honestly. I’m staying with friends who live outside the city. Things are under control, so please don’t worry.’ Going home would bring its own issues. The last thing she wanted was to bring her parents into the mess surrounding her, so the longer she stayed away until it was sorted, the better.
‘Hey lass, we’re your mum and dad, o’ course we’ll worry, it’s our job, don’t forget. We love you so much, you know.’
Tears escaped the corners of her eyes. ‘I know, and I love you too.’
Her dad went on to try and cheer her up with local news from Pontefract and then her mum took the phone and they chatted about her upcoming weddings and a ‘right old cock up’ that a groom had made by ordering the wrong colour flowers for his buttonholes. By the end of the call, she felt as though a weight had been lifted.
* * *
There was a light knock on the door, and it cracked open slightly. ‘Ruby, there’s a piece on the news about you. An interview. I thought you might want to see it.’
Her heart skipped at Jessica’s words and she quickly rose from the bed where she had been trying to read but failing to concentrate.
Once in the living room, she perched on the arm of the sofa and Jessica gripped her hand. ‘This could be the end of it, Ruby. This could be the help you needed.’
Ruby squeezed Jessica’s hand as her heart pounded in her chest. She hoped her new friend was right. She just wanted to get back to normal sooner rather than later.
The presenter on the news show began to speak and it seemed everyone in the room with Ruby held their breath.
‘Now onto a scandal that has rocked the movie world. Actress Ruby Locke allegedly posted some rather bigoted and vile comments on social media, for which there has been no apology. We now have an exclusive video interview that New York Star editor Veronica Lucas fought to obtain with the actress. Unfortunately, we can’t show the entire interview due to time constraints, but here are the salient points.’
Cut to a split video-call screen showing a beautifully made-up Veronica and a puffy-eyed Ruby.
‘So, Ruby, this all must have taken a toll on your career, would it be safe to say that’s true?’
‘It most certainly has. And through no fault of my own. I just wanted people to know my feelings. What it’s like to be me. Anyone who thinks differently is crazy.’
‘And what do you say to those who feel you should apologise for what was put out there?’
‘I won’t apologise. People need to know the truth. That’s all there is to it.’
‘And what if this changes how people see you?’
‘I want people to see the real me. Not some airhead who can’t think for herself. My feelings count too. I’m important too.’
Cut to the TV presenter who understandably appeared shocked. ‘Well, there you go, viewers, Ms Locke in her own, unapologetic words. Such a shame, we all thought she was a different person.’
Philippe immediately turned off the TV. ‘Merde!’ he shouted as he threw the remote control onto the sofa.
Ruby sat, open-mouthed, staring at the blank screen. ‘No… no, no, no, no!’
