Love Me Till Wednesday (Sapphire Stars #1)

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Lisa’s phone alarm went off. ‘I’m supposed to wake up now to go to a radio interview.’

Nick looked disappointed. ‘I better go back to my hotel and freshen up,’ Nick said.

‘You can freshen up here if you want. I’ll make us some toast or something,’ Lisa offered, not wanting him to leave. There was still so much to talk about. The last couple of hours catching up with what had happened to them both over the last thirty years had sped by. It was like old times. She got the impression he felt the same.

‘Thanks, but I could do with a change of clothes. I don’t want Jim thinking I don’t care enough to make an effort for him.’

He was determined to go then. Perhaps he hadn’t enjoyed it as much as she had. ‘Shall I call you a taxi? I’d offer to drive you, but Ed will be here soon to pick Pete and me.’

‘It’s fine. I can walk.’

Lisa’s phone got a text notification as Nick stood up to go. It was Jules:

What’s going on? There’s a bunch of photographers outside your house!

‘Shit!’

‘Problem?’ Nick asked.

‘Yeah, you might have to rethink your travel plans.’ She showed him the text.

‘Someone from last night’s audience must’ve said something.’ Nick looked fed up.

‘But how did they know where I lived?’

Nick sighed. ‘The bloke who walked past when you were letting me in. I remember why he looked familiar now. He was the one who rumbled us in the cafe.’

‘We could do without this today.’

‘The downside of fame. Suki’s normally on it straight away. I’m surprised she hasn’t called.’

‘That might be because you tuned your phone off,’ Lisa said.

‘Bugger!’ She watched him go out into the hall and retrieved it from his coat pocket. As soon as he turned it on, it lit up with a stream of notifications.

Ed walked in. ‘You should keep that back door locked, you know. ‘

‘Pete must’ve left it open. But we’ve got bigger problems than that.’ Lisa filled him in on the situation out the front. ‘Has Suki been in touch?’ she asked Nick.

‘Yes. There are a few from Adrienne too, but those can wait. I’m going to phone Suki.’ Nick said. Lisa watched him click on Suki’s number.

‘There are a load of photographers outside,’ Pete said as he returned to the kitchen from his nap.

‘Yeah, Jules said,’ Lisa sighed.

They all listened to Nick, who was now talking to his PR.

‘Yes. Really? Yes, they’re outside Lisa’s now.’ He turned to Pete. ‘How many?’

‘At least six. ’

‘You heard that? OK. OK. Yes. Yes. Do you think that will work? Sorry, I’m making this a crap Friday for you. Thanks.’

He ended the call and turned to the rest of them. ‘She says stay put for now. She’s trying to pull some strings to get them to back off by promising an exclusive interview with me about the book.’

‘With six of them. How exclusive is that going to be?’ Lisa asked.

‘Yes, I know. It’s not hopeful.’

Ed looked up at the bank of clocks. ‘We can’t stay. We’ve got to go, else we’ll be late.’

‘What do you suggest we do?’ Lisa asked.

‘We could smuggle Nick out in Lilith,’ Pete suggested.

Nick looked baffled. ‘Who the hell’s Lilith?’

‘Lilith,’ Ed said proudly,’ is our low-key form of transport.’

‘She’s not that low-key,’ Lisa said, recalling the number of people who’d stared at them on the way back from the studios last night.

‘She is for this situation. No one’s going to bother about her at this time of the morning. They’ll think we’ve just picked up a corpse and are on the way back to undertaking HQ.’

Nick looked even more confused now. ‘Will one of you tell me what you’re talking about?’

‘That is Lilith,’ said Ed, opening one of the window blinds and pointing to the hearse parked at the bottom of the garden.

‘Okay,’ Nick said hesitantly.

‘Where’s your hotel?’ Pete asked.

‘Near the embankment.’

Pete looked thoughtful. ‘We haven’t got time to go there first. We’ll have to flag down a cab for you at the radio station. ’

‘I can ask Brad to meet us there with my car?’ Nick suggested.

‘Good thinking. Meanwhile, the arseholes out the front will be oblivious that we’ve snuck out under their noses.’ Ed looked gleeful at the prospect.

Nick nodded. ‘It could work, but I might be recognised.’

‘Lisa could be, too,’ Ed said. ‘No one remembers what guitarists and keyboard players look like, so you sit with me up front, Pete. You two can get in the back.’

‘In the back?’ Lisa said.

‘Yes. We’ll put some cushions in so the rollers aren’t too uncomfortable. You can hold onto the fittings when we go around any corners. I’ll drive sedately. All will be fine. You’ll see.’

‘You’re still as mad as ever,’ Nick said.

Ed grinned. ‘Abso-fucking-lutley. Now, let’s get going.’

Five minutes later, Lisa was lying in the hearse, drawing the curtains.

‘Have you done this before?’ Nick asked as he clambered in beside her.

‘No, have you?’ She laughed.

‘I was smuggled out of a hotel in a laundry van once,’ he said, putting one of Lisa’s zebra print cushions behind his head. ‘But this beats that for weirdness if not for comfort.’

‘It’s a bit cosy.’ She was acutely aware of how much her body was touching his. She wasn’t sure if the warm feeling was another hot flush or just being ever so slightly turned on.

‘Ouch!’ Nick moved. ‘Sorry, I’m going to have to get closer to you. There’s are knob digging in right where I don’t want a knob to be.’

God, this was so ridiculous. Lisa couldn’t help breaking into a fit of giggles. Nick joined in. ‘Come here, you’, he said, holding her tight .

‘I have never felt so unsafe in my life,’ she said, leaning across Nick to hold on to a brass fitting on his opposite side. He did the same. She snuggled into his body, breathing in his aftershave.

‘I hope you mean from Ed’s driving and not from me,’ he whispered in her ear.

‘I always felt safe with you,’ she murmured.

He squeezed her more tightly to him. ‘Same here.’

This was not a good idea on so many levels. Ed started the engine.

‘It’s bloody noisy,’ Nick commented. ‘It’s enough to wake the dead.’

‘That’s why I got it cheap,’ Ed said.

‘How long’s the journey?’ Nick asked as Ed carefully manoeuvred out of the garden gate and into the alley.

’Twelve minutes, according to the satnav, and the route’s mostly flat, so you shouldn’t be sliding backwards and forwards too much.’ Ed yelled from the front.

‘I’d not even thought about that,’ Lisa said just as the hearse veered sharply to the right, presumably as Ed turned onto the main road. Lisa slid into one of the fittings. ‘Bloody hell, Ed. Give us a warning before you do that again.’

‘Are you ok?’ Nick whispered.

‘Yeah. I might have one or two bruises by the time we arrive, but I’ll manage.’

‘We’ll laugh about this one day.’

‘Assuming we survive Ed’s driving,’ Lisa said as they turned another corner.

Nick held onto Lisa tightly during the rest of the journey, which wasn’t a hardship, but he’d have preferred to be doing it somewhere more comfortable without Pete and Ed around.

‘How much longer, Ed?’ he asked .

‘Just parking now,’ Ed shouted from the front.

Lisa shifted slightly. ’Now we have to work out how to get out.’

‘It’s busy. I’d advise staying in there until Nick’s car gets here,’ Pete said. ‘What car is it?’

‘A black Range Rover.’

‘That’s going to be easy to spot! Every other Range Rover in London is black.’

‘Why do you think I’ve got one? I’ll phone Brad to see where he is.’ Nick tried to move slightly to get to his mobile.

‘Ow!’ Lisa exclaimed.

‘I’m so sorry.’ He must’ve pinched her arm as he moved. ‘I can’t reach my phone.’

‘Where is it?’ she asked.

‘In my front pocket.’

She gave him a sceptical look. ‘The one I’m lying against?’

‘Yeah. I can’t quite get to it.’

She raised an eyebrow. ‘I suppose I better retrieve it then. No funny business!’ At least she was smiling when she said it.

Concentrate, Nixon. You don’t want to have any unfortunate reactions now.

Lisa carefully prised the phone out of the front pocket of his jeans.

‘If someone had told me yesterday I’d be lying in a hearse with you, I’d have said they were mad,’ he said as she handed him his phone.

She grinned. ‘So would I. Now get hold of Brad before we both seize up completely.’

He dialled Brad’s number. ’I’m outside GL-One radio in the back of a hearse.’

‘You’re where?’

‘In the back of a hearse outside GL-One radio.’

‘That’s what I thought you said. What’s the reg? ‘

Nick laughed. ‘I have no idea. How many hearses do you think are here?’

‘It’s ok. I can see you. I’ll park up.’

‘He’s here,’ Nick announced.

Lisa attempted to sit up and banged her head on the ceiling, ‘I’m going to have to turn over to reverse out of the back.’

‘You could try clambering into the seat behind me?’ Pete suggested.

‘I wasn’t that supple when we were teenagers, let alone now.’

‘Don’t be defeatist. I reckon it’s doable.’

‘Says the man who’s been sitting in a comfortable seat for the last fifteen minutes. Alright, I’ll give it a go.’

Nick tried to move out of the way to let her through.

Ed chuckled. ‘We’re getting some funny looks. That woman who just walked past looked terrified.’

‘Probably because you’re rocking the hearse,’ Pete laughed.

‘Is everything alright, sir?’ Nick looked up to see a policeman knocking on the driver’s window. ’What have you got in the back?’

‘Just a couple of friends. They prefer to travel incognito.’ Ed said as Lisa stuck her head into the front of the hearse.

‘I believe it’s illegal to ride in the back of a hearse if you’re alive,’ the policeman said, though he didn’t sound 100% sure.

Lisa put on her most innocent face. ‘Is it, officer? I don’t remember reading that in the Highway Code.’

Nick didn’t hear the rest of the conversation because the creak of the rear door of the hearse opening drowned it out. ‘Am I glad to see you,’ he said to Brad.

‘You alright?’

‘I will be when I get out of here.’ Nick started to crawl backwards out of the hearse .

‘Just a moment, sir. I need to take everyone’s names.’ The policeman must have walked round to the back of the hearse. Nick dusted himself off as he stood up on road. Now might be an excellent time to turn on the film star charm. ‘Pleased to meet you. Nick Nixon,’ he said, smiling and offering the officer his hand to shake. ’I’m sure everything’s fine.’

The policeman looked stunned. Nick waved and strode purposefully to his waiting Range Rover.