Miss Wrong and Mr Right(12)

‘But he’s agreed to be Macbeth in Macbeth! How could he not get what I was saying?’

‘Isn’t it bad luck to mention the Scottish play?’ asked Nicky.

‘Oh crap. It is, isn’t it? What happens if you say Mac… the name of the Scottish play?’

Nicky started to tap at her phone. ‘Here in Google it says, using the M-word is like a curse on a theatre, which may cause disaster, plaguing theatre productions with accidents, bad luck, and misfortune…’

‘That’s all we need,’ I said.

‘There is, however, a cleansing ritual we can do,’ said Nicky swiping at her phone.

‘A cleansing ritual?’

‘To reverse the bad luck. It won’t take a sec, but we have to go back outside.’

Despite the stupidity of it all, I followed her back downstairs and out onto the pavement. The crowds behind the barriers were staying put, now looking up at the windows and chanting for Ryan.

‘What do I have to do?’ I asked.

‘Turn around three times,’ said Nicky. I turned around three times.

‘Okay then what?’

‘Then spit over your left shoulder…’

I went to spit.

‘Not on the red carpet!’ scolded Nicky. ‘Do it in the gutter!’

I moved to the kerb and surreptitiously spat over my left shoulder.

‘And you need to say the line from Hamlet, “Angels and ministers of grace defend us…”’

‘Angels and ministers of grace defend us,’ I repeated.

‘There, it’s all going to be fine,’ said Nicky. I looked at the crazed faces of the crowds screaming hysterically for Ryan. Thunder rumbled and there was a flash of lightning.

‘Ok. I’ll go inside and check everything is running smoothly,’ I said.

‘And I’ll get ready to be door bitch,’ said Nicky giving me a hug. ‘And let’s have fun tonight, Nat, yeah? Enjoy our moment.’

‘I couldn’t have done it without you,’ I said.

‘And vice-versa honey,’ she smiled.

When I got back inside I saw my phone battery was low, so I went up to the office. I was rummaging around in my bag for my charger when there was a knock at the door. It was Xander with a serious look on his face.

‘Sorry to bother you. One of Ryan’s assistants is asking if I can get him a Mountain Jew. I don’t know what that is? Is she asking for a Rabbi?’

‘I think he means Mountain Dew. It’s a soft drink Xander. ‘Dew’ as in a light film of water on the grass, as opposed to someone of the Jewish faith…’ I couldn’t help smiling.

‘Oh. Ok,’ he said blushing. ‘Do we have it at the bar?’

‘No. You can get it at the international newsagent on the corner. Can you spare a moment to run out?’

‘The girls need more goody bags in the foyer,’ he said. I went to the petty cash tin, pulled out a twenty and handed it to Xander.

‘Go and get Ryan a load of Mountain Dews, and I’ll sort out the goody bags,’ I said.

‘I’ll be quick as I can,’ he promised.

I went downstairs to the foyer where guests had started to arrive. The two girls handing out the goody bags were already down to a last few on their table. I went and unlocked the store cupboard behind them, flicked on the light and saw the rest of the goody bags were piled up on a long flat loading trolley. The trolley had been tucked in behind the door and I had to close it and work it backwards and forwards on its wheels to manoeuvre it into the centre of the storeroom. I turned to open the door and stopped dead… through the strip of glass in the door, standing by the goody bag table was… Jamie Dawson.

He was dressed in a sharp black suit, opened-necked shirt, a loose fitting tie and trainers. I ducked to one side and flicked off the light in the storeroom. What the hell? I thought. I hadn’t eaten much all day, but would it make me hallucinate Jamie Dawson? Did he even live in London? The last I’d heard was that he was working in Canada.

I peered back through the glass in the door. Yes, it was Jamie Dawson, chatting away to the goody bag girls. He laughed and his wide smile was bookended by dimples. A lock of chestnut hair fell across his face. I noticed next to him stood a beautiful dark-haired girl with ghostly pale skin. Her dress was pink lace, so tight, it looked as if it had been painted onto her hourglass figure. Her skin was like flawless porcelain. I recognised her from somewhere… She reached up tucking the stray hair behind Jamie’s ear. My heart began to race; fear flooded through me and I ducked back out of sight, pressing my head against the cool wood of the door.

Why tonight did I have to see Jamie? Why had he come to the launch party? Who’d invited him? I took some deep breaths and waited a few moments. I peered back through the glass and saw that Jamie and his companion had moved off. I flicked on the light and pushed the trolley out to them.