Chapter Eight
The trembling began in her stomach the minute she heard the door shut and within moments, it had spread throughout her body. Her breath came in short, harsh pants and she could feel the rising panic as it surged though her. Standing quickly and grabbing her stomach, she bolted to the bathroom, purging herself of the Chinese she’d just eaten.
It didn’t help. She collapsed on the floor, curled into a ball, her eyes shut tight as she tried to block out the images that bombarded her. Her mother, lying on the floor of the kitchen, a pool of blood staining the white tiles. Her father, lying beside her mother, holding her hand, a trail of blood across the floor where he’d dragged himself to be with his wife. Her and Marie, locked together in the bathroom while their parents were stabbed to death. Hiding, too afraid to face the horror outside. She’s not some little kid you have to hide because you’re afraid to let her face the world.
He didn’t know. He couldn’t know. It had been more than ten years, and yet his words had reawakened her memories and the pain was as raw as the day it had happened.
April wasn’t sure how long she remained on the bathroom floor, but eventually, she pulled herself together and sat up. The stench of her vomit reached her nostrils and she quickly flushed the offending contents down the toilet. Then, still numb, she showered and climbed into bed. For a long time, she just lay there, staring into the darkness until a fitful sleep eventually claimed her.
At the loud crowing of a rooster she woke up. Switching off her alarm, she sat up and reached across to the pillow beside her. Lachlan’s pillow. It felt lonely waking up without him, but it was probably better this way. He wouldn’t want to see her again, not after she threw him out like that.
As the first tear fell down her face, she brushed it away in annoyance. Another followed quickly in its place, and then another until eventually it didn’t matter how quickly she scrubbed them off her cheeks, more followed.
Still crying, April got up to dress. She drew strength from the hideous business uniform she donned, knowing that as soon as her meeting this morning was over, as soon as she signed the contracts, she could leave Sydney. Maybe she would see if she could get a seat on an earlier flight tonight.
Finally, when she was ready to go, she grabbed her bag and headed out. Lying on the floor, a couple of inches in front of the hotel room door was a white sheet of paper. She knew before she’d even picked it up that it was from Lachlan.
April,
I don’t want to leave things like this. Please talk to me.
Lachlan
She held the paper to her breast, willing herself not to cry. She needed a clean break; she couldn’t allow herself to be drawn in again. She had to think of Marie. For two more years, until Marie finished school, April had to protect their identities. Until then, until she knew her fate, she had nothing to offer Lachlan.
Somehow, April got through the meeting with Landslide Productions and signed the contracts. She didn’t even read what she was signing, trusting Karen when she said everything was in order. It was after lunch when she arrived back at the hotel.
Having skipped breakfast and flushed her dinner down the toilet, she was starving, so she ordered a burger from room service and decided to pack her bags. It didn’t take long, most of her clothes had been worn and needed to be washed so she just shoved them into her suitcase without bothering to fold them. Then she tossed the shopping bags with yesterday’s purchases in them on top. When all that was left were the clothes she was planning to wear on the plane, April zipped up the suitcase.
She had just stacked her luggage beside the door when a loud knock echoed through the wood and startled her. For a moment she thought maybe Lachlan had decided to come and talk to her and she resisted opening it.
“Room service.” She breathed a sigh of relief and let the waiter in. He placed the food on the table and handed her the bill to sign, then she opened the door again to let him out. There, with his hand poised at the door about to knock, stood David.
“April,” he said cheerfully when he saw her and then stepped aside for the waiter to pass.
“David. What are you doing here?” For some reason, she assumed Lachlan would have called his friend to tell him the dress was no longer needed, but then it occurred to her that he was still hoping she’d be waiting for him downstairs at six.
“I’ve come to help you get ready of course, and I’ve brought my team. Two middle aged identical women stepped out from behind him and April had to do a double take. Both women had bright purple hair, matching nose rings and deep red lipstick. “This is Rachel and Gemma, there’s nothing they can’t do with hair and makeup.”
Unbidden, tears formed in her eyes. “I’m sorry David, but I’m not going to the ball anymore.”
“April? Don’t cry.” David wrapped an arm across her shoulders and ushered her back into the room. Rachel and Gemma followed, carrying her dress and their supplies so the door could shut and then unobtrusively went to the far end of the room to wait.
“Tell me,” David said. “Why aren’t you going to the ball?”
“Because I don’t want people to see me,” she cried, knowing it would sound ridiculous to these people. “I don’t want to be photographed and I know it sounds silly but I can’t explain why and when I told Lachlan we had a fight and …” Deep sobs ripped through her and she couldn’t continue.
“Shh,” David soothed, pulling her against his chest. “Did Lachlan say he didn’t want to take you anymore?”
April shook her head. “No, he wants me to meet him in the lobby at six, but I can’t go. I can’t!”
“Is it just being photographed that worries you?” David asked gently.
She nodded. “I don’t want to be recognised.”
“So the solution is simple. We’ll make you unrecognisable. There’s nothing Gemma and Rachel can’t do with hair and makeup. Even Lachlan will hardly know you.”
Hope bubbled cautiously in her belly. “Do you really think so?”
“Trust me,” he said and April realised she already did. She wanted so badly to go to the ball with Lachlan, to have one last night to be with him. She smiled tentatively and gave a little nod.
“Good,” David said, pleased. “You should probably eat your lunch because once we start, you won’t be able to eat again until you’re at the ball.”
April gobbled down her burger and chips and then allowed herself to be pampered and worked on for the rest of the afternoon. It was actually quite fun and a soothing balm to her aching heart. Gemma and Rachel didn’t ask her questions or try to offer advice, but their constant chatter and the jibes they kept throwing at each other had April in stitches and persistently being admonished to “Hold still!”
David spent the time hanging out her dress to air, pressing out any last imperfections, and supervising the two women at work. Every now and again, he would comment on some aspect of what they were doing but for the most part he just let them get on with it. When he asked April what shoes she’d planned on wearing, she remembered she’d packed them in her suitcase which was already by the door. April opened the case as quickly as she could and grabbed the shoes and jewellery which were still in their paper shopping bags and on top of the rest of her clothes, and then quickly shut the lid. But it was too late, David had already seen her effort at packing and shook his head in rebuke.
“Holy shit! Is that how you pack your suitcase?”
“I was upset,” she defended herself. “Besides, it’s all going in the washing machine when I get home.”
“Well just promise me you’ll treat my dress with just a bit more care when you pack it.” He spoke sternly, but the twinkle in his eyes said he wasn’t really concerned.
“I promise,” she said solemnly.
David took out the shoes and nodded his approval, then he opened the jewellery boxes and their contents also passed his inspection.
Finally, by five thirty, David and his team had left her alone and s
he was twirling in front of the full-length mirror in the bedroom, her face beaming. David was right—she looked nothing like herself. Her hair was slicked back and pulled into a high ponytail with her curls cascading down her back in beautiful, perfect waves rather than the usual tangled mess. Although her makeup looked subtle and natural the way she liked it, the twins had expertly shaded her cheekbones to make them appear higher, fuller and much more angular. Her eyes were outlined with an impressive streak of black that framed them in feline elegance. At David’s insistence she only had gloss on her lips, giving them a moist shine.
“Kissable,” he’d said. “Lachlan won’t be able to resist them.” April felt a thrill run though her at his words.
As the afternoon had progressed, April felt more and more anxious about seeing Lachlan. Did he still want to go with her? Maybe, after the way she’d treated him, he’d changed his mind. She’d be humiliated if she walked into the lobby and he refused to take her. The only thing that kept her sane were the words on his note, I don’t want to leave things like this.
It was the words leave things that had her both anxious and hopeful at the same time. Was he acknowledging that their relationship could only ever be short term? That come tomorrow, they would leave things whether they’d sorted things out or not? Did he just want to ensure they parted as friends? Is that what she even wanted?
April couldn’t deny that a relationship with him was impossible, not if she wanted to keep her name out of the media. For Marie’s sake, this had to end. But what if he wanted more? April pushed the thought aside. She couldn’t allow herself to go there. Lachlan would be waiting for her soon, and it was time she went down.
April pursed her lips in front of the mirror. Kissable. She kept the thought in her head as she left the room. The ride on the elevator was nerve-wracking and she wondered if maybe he’d left already, not bothering to wait for her. By the time the doors opened again and she stepped into the lobby, her hands were trembling. She glanced around anxiously.
He wasn’t there.
A quick look at the clock above the check-in desk told her it was only five forty-five. Relax. She told herself. Taking deep breaths, she moved to the side of the lobby where she could still see the elevators but where she wouldn’t draw too much attention to herself as she waited.
Resisting the urge to bite her nails, April watched the clock tick down, one minute at a time.
5:50…
5:55…
5:58.
When the minute hand hit twelve and Lachlan still hadn’t come out of the elevators, April felt her heart sink.