Page 3 of Elodie's Library of Second Chances
‘Yep. But methinks Louise will make short work of him if his hands do go a-wandering. Why he’s still in the movie business is beyond me.’ Jonas always has the inside scoop on celebs. ‘Proves it’s not what you know, it’s who you know.’ Dillon is the progeny of a famous director who mainly does superhero movies. That’ll open doors, like nothing else will. Talk about nepotism, though who I am to judge?
‘Does Louise know what he’s like?’ I ask.
‘I better text her and give her a heads-up,’ Teddy says. ‘Do my civil duty.’
I smile. ‘You do that.’
Twenty minutes later my assistant Holly appears, sweat beading her brow, slinky dress held aloft. ‘Don’t ask,’ she says. ‘Let’s just get this on you. Your mother’s on her way up!’
At the mention of my mother panic reflects in Jonas’s eyes. He moves quickly and finishes spritzing the setting agent for my make-up. ‘Get out of here, Teddy, so we can dress our queen,’ Jonas screeches. ‘She’s got to be ready on time! I really can’t cop another bollocking from Dorothea – I’m still traumatised over the last one!’ Mother can be downright terrifying if you’re not family – it’s all smoke and mirrors but most people don’t recognise that.
‘Knock ’em dead, Ellie,’ Teddy says. He makes a hasty exit with a backwards wave and shuts the door behind him.
Once he’s gone Jonas slips off my robe – he sees me as nothing more than a mannequin, a job, not a red-blooded woman. Holly pulls the satin bias-cut dress over my head. It floats down in liquid rivulets and my hair and make-up remain pristine.As the drape of the golden dress touches the marble floor, my mother appears wearing her supercilious trademark look, better known as: resting bitch face.
Mother gives me a slow once-over. ‘You didn’t fast today, dear?’ she asks, her gaze settling on my stomach.
‘No, of course I didn’t.’ Her rules for red-carpet appearances are antiquated to say the least.
She raises a brow as if I’ve let her down. ‘You know what the press are like with their camera angles.’
I let out a sigh. ‘Well, bad luck.’ High heels are the work of the devil and I won’t be convinced otherwise. Trying to keep my energy levels up all night is even worse. Tonight I’ll be strutting down the red carpet to promote a documentary the family company has produced and then attending an after-party.
‘Your eyes are slightly bloodshot, Ellie. Are you getting enough sleep?’
I dart a glance at Jonas who looks as if his head is about to explode.
‘Probably not,’ I say. ‘There’s never time for rest, is there?’
She shakes her head. ‘Don’t start with all that blather about downtime again. You don’t know how lucky you are; millions of women would swap their lives with you in a heartbeat.’ Mother heads towards the door, calling over her shoulder, ‘The car will be here in five. Don’t keep me waiting.’
‘I’ll do my level best.’ We collectively let out a breath as she leaves. Dorothea Astor has that effect on people. As if on cue my stomach starts to rumble. I really should have eaten something before now; lunch seems like light years ago.
‘I don’t know how you stand it,’ Jonas whispers and goes to the fridge,before returning with a plastic-wrapped Reuben sandwich. ‘Have this. You need to eat.’
‘Thanks, Jonas. You’re a lifesaver but I’ll only have half.’ Jonas is forever eating on the run between clients and stashes his booty in the small bar fridge alongside the bottles of bubbles I keep on hand in my dressing room for my team.
‘Don’t be silly.’
‘What’s tonight’s premiere about again?’ Holly asks, as she riffles through her Mary-Poppins-sized tote bag before brandishing her phone and taking arty snaps of me for the Astor social media pages. I really hate these candid pictures – they seem so self-aggrandising but my mother won’t be told.
I unwrap the sandwich and wonder how I’m going to eat without messing up my lipstick as my stomach rumbles in protest. ‘It’s a documentary calledEyrie. Focusing on the lives of free solo climbers and the reasons they take such huge risks, without ropes or safety equipment.’
‘Why do they?’
I take a moment to reply. ‘It’s just them and the mountain; they’re not chained to anything. They’re driven by this indelible need to escape and when they get to the top, the eyrie, it’s only them and the stunning view. I expect it’s liberating. They’re totallyfree.’ How I wish I was too.
‘Right,’ Holly says with a shake of her head as if it doesn’t make any sense to her. She glances out the window. ‘The car is here.’
Jonas fluffs my hair before air-kissing me. ‘Enjoy the night, darling.’
Holly motions for me to take a bite of my sandwich before she snatches it away, as this duo have managed once again to transform me into something I’m not.
Chapter 2
The next morning I’m feeling anything but enthused at the latest Astor News and Media executive meeting. Part of me is dreaming of bed. I’ve been burning the candle at both ends, with long workdays, followed by night-time events. This morning Mother is leading the team, jabbering on about KPIs and how she needs us to ‘demonstrate more forcefully key business objectives’. Read: make money aggressively without spending more to do so.
An exasperated sigh escapes me, and the boardroom falls silent.