‘“Wonderland”? Yeah, that’s one I wrote . . .’
‘We all wrote,’ corrected Jez.
‘So are you interested, Mr Hatton?’ asked Emma sweetly.
‘I’m definitely interested, love,’ he said, looking her up and down hungrily. ‘But I want to hear more.’
‘Are you saying you’ll sign us?’ asked Pete hopefully.
Rob started laughing. ‘Slow down, kids. I’m saying I want the boss to come and listen to you northern monkeys, see if he hears what I hear.’
‘And what do you hear?’ asked Alex.
‘Cash registers ringing, son: the beautiful sound of money.’
‘Come on, Rob,’ said Jez, putting a pally hand on the man’s shoulder and leading him towards a group of excited-looking girls. ‘Let me introduce you to a couple of our biggest fans . . .’
‘Hey!’
Suddenly Alex was knocked sideways as Emma jumped on him, giving him a crushing hug.
‘Isn’t it brilliant?’ She grinned. ‘I told you!’
Alex hugged her back and laughed. ‘Yes, you did,’ he said. Her face was lit up with genuine pleasure at their good fortune, glowing with adoration and expectation for the future. And to think that only five minutes ago, he had decided to leave the band.
Life could change in an instant. He’d learnt that before. Although this time it looked as if things were going to take a turn for the better.
17
‘Just five more minutes,’ said Grace, pulling the cool white sheet further over her head. It had been a particularly hard shift on the Highlander that afternoon. August was the perfect time to visit Port Douglas, so the town was full of honeymooners who all seemed to want to take boat trips to the Low Isles and she had been rushed off her feet.
‘No, no more minutes,’ said Caro, standing at her bedroom door, munching a huge red apple. ‘You have to get ready.’
Grace grunted and waved an arm. ‘The taxi’s not coming for twenty minutes.’
Caro laughed.‘I can’t believe you’re going to the biggest, glammest showbiz party this part of Australia has ever seen, and you’re still in bed!’
Grace sat up reluctantly. She had been glad that Caro had decided to postpone her trip to India for a few weeks – ‘Can’t leave you alone with that strange man’ had been her exact words – but she could have done without her friend standing over her this evening.
‘All right, all right, I’m getting up . . .’ she said, swinging her legs on to the floor. She stood up – then immediately sat down again, clutching her head. ‘Whoa.’
‘You OK, honey?’ asked Caro.
Grace forced a smile. ‘Yes, I’m fine, just got up too quick. Been feeling a bit off-colour today, that’s all.’
‘You’re not pregnant, are you?’ Caro’s tone was serious.
The word seemed to drop to the floor and splinter into tiny pieces.
‘Pregnant?’ laughed Grace nervously. ‘Don’t be daft.’
‘I’m not joking,’ said Caro. ‘You were sick on the Highlander again today, weren’t you? I heard you in the bathroom.’
Grace waved away the suggestion and stood up, trying to look more vigorous than she felt. ‘It was a bad prawn or something.’
‘Hey, don’t go blaming my seafood buffet.’ She kept hold of Grace’s hand and pulled her back on to the bed.‘Serio
usly, Grace. My mum’s a midwife and I know the signs: sickness, tiredness – and you never get tired. I’ve always thought you were battery-powered.’