Free Up Close and Personal by Leonie Fox

before you went shooting your mouth off to everyone?’
    Juliet’s face darkened. ‘Actually, the idea only popped into my head this afternoon when I was chatting through some ideas with Nathan. I didn’t have a chance to mention it to you before dinner.’
    ‘Oh, so Nathan was the first to know, was he?’ Dante said angrily. ‘How nice to know you two have been talking about me behind my back.’
    ‘Darling!’ Juliet cried, rising to her feet. ‘I don’t know why you’re being so sensitive about this. Nathan and I weren’t talking about you; he was just saying he could do with some help. I thought you’d jump at the chance to work at the hotel.’
    ‘Why, because being at Ashwicke is such an enormousprivilege?’ Dante said. ‘Well pardon me if I don’t just fall to the ground and kiss your feet in gratitude, but actually I’d rather get my own job, thanks very much. I don’t want to be dependent on you – I want to earn my own money.’
    Juliet frowned. ‘Doing what?’
    ‘Bartending. There must be lots of pubs in Loxwood. I’m sure I could find something.’
    Juliet wrinkled her nose. ‘Isn’t there something else you could do?’
    ‘Why, what’s wrong with being a bartender?’
    ‘It’s a bit …’ Juliet hesitated. ‘You know … menial.’
    ‘It didn’t seem to bother you when we were in Aspen.’
    ‘Yes, but nobody knew me in Aspen.’
    A hurt look crossed Dante’s face. ‘What’s that supposed to mean?’
    Juliet sighed. ‘Sorry, I shouldn’t have said anything. Look, I’m not going to stop you looking for a job if that’s what you really want to.’
    ‘How incredibly generous of you,’ Dante scoffed. Then, not trusting himself to keep his temper in check any longer, he marched to the en suite, slamming the door shut behind him. Once he was alone, he sat on the edge of the bath, taking deep breaths as a huge wave of anger threatened to engulf him – except it wasn’t Juliet he was angry at. It was the Ingrams.
    Back in the bedroom, Juliet went to the window seat and sat by the open window, staring vacantly ahead as the night breeze brought goose bumps to her bare arms. She didn’t see Nathan in the garden below. The general manager was enjoying a cigarette on the terrace after his night’slabours before heading back to the lodge. He’d overheard most of the Fishers’ conversation and now, as he ground out his cigarette on the wall, he gave a curdled smile, confident that the beautiful prize he lusted after would soon be his.

6
    ‘Shit!’ Yasmin muttered as a dollop of cream-cheese frosting slid off the spatula and landed on the sleeve of her favourite Whistles cardie. Sighing, she threw down the implement and reached for a cloth. In less than half an hour, Nicole and Juliet would be arriving for afternoon tea. Usually, they met at Nicole’s spacious Edwardian semi, but the doctor’s wife was having new kitchen units fitted, necessitating a change of venue.
    Nicole was a veritable domestic goddess, who always laid on homemade cake and a selection of exotic teas. Yasmin, by contrast, didn’t know the first thing about baking, and usually drank PG Tips, or black coffee, the stronger the better. Against her better judgement, she’d decided to make a cake, when it would’ve been far easier – and probably far cheaper too – to buy one from the local baker’s. After scouring the internet for a suitable recipe, Yasmin had followed the instructions to the letter but, to her disgust, both sponges had turned out lopsided and the frosting was suspiciously runny. Having wiped the worst of it off her cardie, she turned her attention back to the misshapen cake, scattering walnuts on top in a vain attempt to improve its attractiveness. ‘Oh well,’ she said as she carried it over to the dining table where cups and side plates were already laid out. ‘That’ll have to do.’
    *
    On the other side of Loxwood, Nicole was preparing to leave the house. ‘Now, don’t forget