Happily Never After, page 25
‘What?’
‘I’m changing your nickname. Luggage Laura doesn’t fit any more.’
‘Who am I now then?’
‘Lovely Laura,’ he says simply. ‘I think it’s appropriate, don’t you?’
‘I think I can live with it. Now, I’m starving. Did someone mention dinner?’
33
A YEAR LATER
‘Remind me why we’re doing this?’ Finn asks as he pulls on his jacket. It’s the same jacket he wore for our first date, the one that went so wrong, but that thought barely enters my head before it’s replaced by a much better one; namely how good he looks in it.
‘Because we’re shameless voyeurs. Because I’m never going to have a book launch like it, and because Lynette invited us.’
‘Does Gina know we’re coming?’
‘I sincerely hope not. If we play our cards right, she might never even know we were there.’
‘I’ve booked us dinner at Fortnum & Mason afterwards. I thought we might need a treat to get over it. Meg’s staying with Liv and Donna overnight, so it won’t matter if we get back late.’
Of course he has. One of the things about Finn that I love the most is how he always tries to add something special to everything we do. From surprising me at Margate station so he could recreate our first date the way it should have gone – it was very nice, thank you – to remembering to organise care for Meg when he’s planning another surprise for me like tonight, his attention to detail is immaculate.
Of course, the fact that everyone else around me adores him too also helps. Liv said a few months ago that I looked so happy she was seriously considering building a sex dungeon, kidnapping him and locking him in there until she found out what his secret was. I’m not sure Donna was wildly impressed with that idea, even if Liv was joking. Even my father likes him, despite some dark remarks at the beginning about ‘two creatives with no guaranteed income’ being a recipe for disaster. Honestly, sometimes I think that man would make Eeyore look chirpy. Mum, typically, keeps asking loaded questions about hats and possible wedding venues, but we’re in no rush. It’ll happen when we’re ready.
Despite a lot of extremely nice kisses on the evening that we’d both say marks the start of our ‘proper’ relationship, I’d describe us as more of a slow-burn couple. Finn didn’t stay the night until we’d been together for over a month, by which time my whole body was a screaming mass of tingling nerve endings just waiting for the spark to go off. Put it this way: not only have I had no need to open the boxes that were under my bed since that night, I’m also very glad Liv was staying at Donna’s, although it would certainly have cured her of thinking I was in any way sexually repressed. After nearly eight months and a lot of discussion about whether we should live in London or Margate, we decided Margate was better for Meg and we moved into our house four months ago. Sometimes I still pinch myself when I see it, as it seems incredible that we’re homeowners rather than renters. But I’ve loved putting our mark on the place. There are four bedrooms, which gives us a study each (we quickly worked out that shared working space was not for us), plus our room and a spare that we haven’t managed to invite anyone to stay in yet. Our most frequent visitors are Donna and Liv, and they’re only a ten-minute walk away, so it’s easier for them to go home at the end of an evening.
‘Mm. You look good,’ Finn says as I slip the cocktail dress I’ve bought for the occasion over my shoulders and wriggle it into place. ‘Can you stop doing that though, please?’
‘What?’
‘Wiggling your bum like that. It’s doing things to me that could make us miss the event completely.’
‘What, like this?’ I ask with a smile, exaggerating the movement.
‘Argh! Enough. I’ll wait for you downstairs.’
‘I won’t be long. Bit of make-up and a necklace and I’ll be ready.’
‘I’ll ring the taxi company now then.’
‘It’s a nice afternoon. We could walk to the station.’
‘You’re wearing heels.’
‘Good point.’ This is what I mean about his attention to detail.
The train to London is pretty much deserted and the journey passes quickly. Winning Bid has proved to be a huge hit, to the extent that the network is talking about moving it into an evening slot to capitalise on its popularity. None of this has done Finn any harm financially, and they’ve also commissioned him to come up with detailed plans for a couple of other concepts they’re interested in. I’m currently between books, having just handed in the sequel to the one I was working on in France, so any downtime like this tends to be spent brainstorming ideas either for the new shows or my next book, which is definitely going to be Murder at the Writers’ Retreat.
‘Bloody hell!’ I exclaim when we reach our destination. ‘I know the invitation said gala book launch, but this is next level. How much do you think that cost?’
Finn ponders for a moment. ‘She’s pretty much got the whole window of the bookshop. This is Piccadilly, so we can assume it wasn’t cheap.’
‘According to Lynette, she’s funding this all herself. That makes sense. Even if I didn’t hide behind my pen name, I don’t think my publisher would pay for anything as lavish as this.’
‘They ought to. You make them a fortune.’
A man in a dark suit is standing blocking the entrance, only moving aside once he’s inspected our invitations. Inside, there’s more of the same. Large floor-standing banners are dotted about, adorned with pictures of Gina above the front cover of her debut novel. Between them, tables are piled high with hardback copies of The Lion and the Snake.
‘Champagne, orange juice or water?’ The waiter proffers a tray and we each take a glass of champagne.
‘I don’t think I’ve ever seen Gina smiling before,’ I observe as I look at one of the banners.
‘It’s probably trapped wind,’ Finn says with a grin. Before we can dissolve into fits of giggles, however, a familiar face appears.
‘How are you, Suzie?’ I ask.
‘Very well, thank you. I wasn’t expecting to see you here. Does Gina know?’
‘Lynette invited us.’
‘That makes sense. Relations are better, but I think Lynette still can’t help winding Gina up from time to time, and you being here is bound to piss her off. By the way, I absolutely loved your last book. I bought it on the day it came out and I think I finished it within a week. The body in the garden at the end was a brilliant twist. Grace and I think that it’s Darren’s previous girlfriend. If he turns out to be a murderer who was planning to kill Claire as well, does that make her actions self-defence and get her out of prison?’
I smile. ‘You’ll have to read the next book to find out.’
‘Ladies and gentlemen,’ a voice calls over the hubbub of conversation. ‘If you could please take your seats, the evening is about to begin.’
‘Is Lynette here?’ I ask Suzie as we make our way towards an area where some seats have been arranged facing a wing-backed armchair.
‘Yes, but she’s keeping a low profile. This is very much Gina’s night.’
‘That seems a little unfair, given how she basically saved the book, from what I understand.’
‘Yes, but you know what Gina’s like. It’s not all bad for Lynette though. If you buy a copy, have a look at the acknowledgements. The sun shines so strongly out of Lynette’s arse it’s amazing she can sit down without setting fire to the furniture. Oh, shit. Did I just say arse? Champagne always goes to my head.’
As soon as we’re seated, the MC announces Gina, who walks out looking for all the world like she was on the red carpet at the Oscars. Her floor-length silver dress is glinting under the lights, her hair is set firmly in a very flattering style, and her face is flawless.
‘Good evening, everyone,’ she says in a voice I almost don’t recognise, before I realise it’s her normal voice but without the constant tone of disapproval I’m used to hearing. ‘Thank you so much for coming to this event. I owe each and every one of you a debt of gratitude.’ Her eyes sweep across the assembled guests, but I swear I see them narrow when they fall on me. To her credit, she doesn’t falter.
‘Most of all, I have to thank my husband, John.’ She indicates a portly, red-faced man in the front row. ‘He’s been my rock throughout my creative journey, literally the oil that has greased the wheels of my writing.’
‘He’s also bankrolling the shit out of this,’ Finn whispers. ‘Probably red in the face from all the whisky he had to consume to get over the size of the bill.’
‘Now, without further ado,’ Gina continues, ‘I would like to read you the opening chapter of Gina Atkinson’s debut novel, entitled The Lion and the Snake. After this, there will be an opportunity for you to purchase your own copies and, of course, I’ll be happy to sign them for you.’
I cast my eyes around the room as she begins to read. I spot Lynette first; she’s also in the front row, sitting next to Tess. Suzie is next to us, but I can’t see any sign of Grace.
‘Isn’t Grace here?’ I ask Suzie in a whisper.
‘Goodness, no. She and Gina had a massive falling out a while ago. Basically, according to Grace, she found a way to submit her manuscript to Florianus, only to get a scathing rejection letter.’
‘That happens a lot in publishing.’
‘Yes, but there were a couple of phrases in the letter that made Grace suspicious. So she looked at Companies House and discovered that Florianus only had two directors, Gina and her husband. That confirmed her suspicions that the rejection letter had been penned by Gina. Of course, when she confronted her about it, Gina hit the roof and I don’t think they’ve spoken since.’
I let my gaze continue around the room. Unsurprisingly, there’s nobody else here I recognise and I let Gina’s voice wash over me as she reads on. At the end, there’s a round of polite applause followed by the scraping of chairs as people get to their feet. Most of them are collecting copies of the book, I notice.
‘Should we get one?’ Finn asks.
‘I kind of feel we should. We were there for part of its birth, after all.’
‘Wait here. I’ll go.’
I watch him as he grabs a book off the table and makes a beeline for the till, but then I’m distracted by a voice at my shoulder.
‘You came then?’ Lynette asks. ‘I know you said you would, but I wasn’t sure you’d follow through on it.’
‘Of course we did,’ I reply, turning to her. She’s holding a half-empty glass of champagne and her face is flushed, making me believe this might be the latest of several glasses. ‘It was very generous of you to let Gina have the limelight tonight.’
She tries to lean forward conspiratorially, but it comes off more like a drunken sway. ‘No real choice,’ she confides. ‘He who pays the piper and all that. I don’t mind, really. This kind of thing isn’t my vibe. Let’s just hope she sells enough books to make it worthwhile, eh?’
‘Are you still getting on?’
‘Yes and no. She’s still fucking irritating sometimes, but I get moments of satisfaction. You should have seen her face when we arrived to set up and your book was front and centre of the store. She wouldn’t even touch a copy herself, demanding that the assistants come and move them.’
Thankfully, just as I’m trying to find a diplomatic response, Finn reappears.
‘Here we are,’ he says, giving me the book. ‘Hello, Lynette. I’m afraid I’m going to have to steal Laura away as we have dinner reservations.’
‘That was fun,’ he tells me as we make our way towards the door.
‘What?’
‘I got it signed. You should have seen the look on Gina’s face. I think she might have refused had there not been onlookers. I hope I got the message right.’
I open the book and read the inscription inside.
To Laura. With love from one author to another. Gina xx
I grin. ‘It’s perfect, although I think we might have to hang garlic above the bed for a while.’
‘Serves her right for being so rude to the woman I love.’
‘You didn’t love me back then,’ I remind him.
‘I loved you from the moment you threatened me with your completely fictitious martial arts training,’ he replies, bending to give me a quick kiss. ‘I just hid it well.’
Knowing Finn, that’s probably true. Sometimes I still wish we hadn’t had so many false starts, but I’ve come to realise it’s irrelevant. He’s here now, he loves me, and I love him. Nothing else matters.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Thank you so much for reading this book, and I hope you enjoyed Laura and Finn’s story, as well as Claire and Darren’s. A few people have asked me lately if I had ever considered writing in other genres, and the only one that has ever appealed has been crime, so I really enjoyed the opportunity to play with that a little in this novel.
Writing a book where the central character was an author proved surprisingly challenging, as it made me realise just how little I know about the publishing industry. I need to say a huge thank you to Rachel, Tara, and all the other people who have helped me understand how different companies work.
Talking of Rachel, this proved to be another book where she had to go above and beyond, so thank you also for being such a supportive editor. Thank you also to Cecily for copy editing once again, and Jennifer for proof reading. I must, as always, also say a huge thanks to the rest of the Boldwood team for the incredible work you do, both in turning my manuscripts into such beautiful books, but also helping them to find their audience. I know I say this every time, but you really are the best publisher to work with.
Final thank yous, as always, go to my family, who continue to support and encourage me with my writing.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Phoebe MacLeod is the author of several popular romantic comedies including the top ten bestseller, The Fixer Upper. She lives in Kent with her partner, grown up children and disobedient dog.
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ALSO BY PHOEBE MACLEOD
Someone Else’s Honeymoon
Not The Man I Thought He Was
Fred and Breakfast
Let’s Not Be Friends
An (Un)Romantic Comedy
Love at First Site
Never Ever Getting Back Together
The Fixer Upper
My Not So Perfect Summer
Too Busy for Love
The Do-Over
Hook, Line and Single
Love, Accidentally
Happily Never After
First published in Great Britain in 2025 by Boldwood Books Ltd.
Copyright © Phoebe MacLeod, 2025
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Phoebe MacLeod, Happily Never After
