looked at the lit up screen and sighed. She had another call waiting. ‘I’ve got to, Tash. Ollie’s trying to get hold of me. I’ll speak to you soon.’
‘No worries. Bye, Pip. Keep smiling.’
‘You too. And good luck with Orlando.’
‘Adam,’ Tash corrected.
‘Orladam.’
‘Hey, Ollie. How are you, angel?’ Pippa enthused a moment later. She had spoken to Ollie on a few occasions since she had left, but this was the first time he had actually called her.
‘All right. Thought I might give you a ring now since I’m going out later. Didn’t want you to call and interrupt dinner.’
Pippa pulled a face. She hadn’t been planning on ringing Ollie at all.
‘That’s great. Who are you going out with?’
‘Some people from the set. Rich Holden is coming along.’
Pippa scoured her memory for the name. By the tone of Ollie’s voice, Rich Holden was someone she was supposed to know – or know of, she thought, remembering Ollie’s tendency to name drop.
‘An actor from Holby City ?’ she guessed.
‘Yeah, you know him. He plays Doctor Feldman and is sleeping with his med student.’
‘Of course. That sounds fun. Dinner, I mean. Where are you going?’
‘Regan’s and maybe The Watershed afterwards.’
Pippa felt a stab of longing for the buzz of London’s bright lights and crowds.
‘I miss you,’ she said, tracing the twig still in her fingers down the window, keeping pace with a raindrop on the other side.
‘I miss you too. It’s not the same here without you. When do they collect the recycling here, can you remember? I put the rubbish out on Monday, but they only took the black bag.’
‘Every second Monday. Make sure you put the tops off the plastic milk bottles in the black bag though. They won’t take it otherwise.’
‘Anal prats,’ Ollie muttered.
Pippa snorted at his hypocrisy, but managed to turn it into a cough.
‘Pippa, when are you going to give up smoking?’
‘Soon. Listen, Jack’s decided Peace Offering can have his first race next Saturday,’ she said, changing the subject before Ollie could give her a lecture on the dangers of smoking. ‘Will you come?’
She heard Ollie give an impatient sigh at the mention of Jack and Peace Offering’s names. It was only because they both featured high on her current agenda of Life In The Country, she thought, trying to justify her reasons for always bringing them up in conversation with Ollie.
‘I’ll see. Depends on filming. My first episode is being shown around Valentine’s Day. Gruesome love triangle, but I can’t say much more. I’ll let you know the exact date so you can record it.’
‘I’m sure I won’t miss it,’ she reassured him.
‘I know, but I want you to record it as well.’
The pride in his voice made Pippa smile and her heart softened.
‘Okay. I’m proud of you, Ollie. I know things haven’t been easy lately so I’m really pleased for you.’
‘Me too. Anyway, I’ve got to dash if I’m going to make dinner. Rich hates people who are late. You should have seen him the other day when Jess, the make-up girl was late. She said her car had broken down, but she could easily have taken the Tube. Rich was furious –’
‘Ollie,’ Pippa interrupted, ‘You’d better go. Tell me another time.’
‘Shit. Look at the time. You’re right. I’ll speak to you soon.’
‘Okay. Take care. Love you.’
‘Me too. Bye.’
Pippa let the phone hang limply in her hand when the line was cut short then, with a sigh, she edged off the windowsill and counter. One of her buttock cheeks was numb. Rubbing some life into it, she wandered over to the fridge to fix herself some dinner.
Chapter Twelve
T he following Monday, Pippa was barely able to acknowledge Jack’s entrance into the office as the phone trilled for about the twentieth time in as many minutes.
‘Okay, if I can have your name and address I’ll see what I can sort out for you,’ she said to the caller. She
‘No worries. Bye, Pip. Keep smiling.’
‘You too. And good luck with Orlando.’
‘Adam,’ Tash corrected.
‘Orladam.’
‘Hey, Ollie. How are you, angel?’ Pippa enthused a moment later. She had spoken to Ollie on a few occasions since she had left, but this was the first time he had actually called her.
‘All right. Thought I might give you a ring now since I’m going out later. Didn’t want you to call and interrupt dinner.’
Pippa pulled a face. She hadn’t been planning on ringing Ollie at all.
‘That’s great. Who are you going out with?’
‘Some people from the set. Rich Holden is coming along.’
Pippa scoured her memory for the name. By the tone of Ollie’s voice, Rich Holden was someone she was supposed to know – or know of, she thought, remembering Ollie’s tendency to name drop.
‘An actor from Holby City ?’ she guessed.
‘Yeah, you know him. He plays Doctor Feldman and is sleeping with his med student.’
‘Of course. That sounds fun. Dinner, I mean. Where are you going?’
‘Regan’s and maybe The Watershed afterwards.’
Pippa felt a stab of longing for the buzz of London’s bright lights and crowds.
‘I miss you,’ she said, tracing the twig still in her fingers down the window, keeping pace with a raindrop on the other side.
‘I miss you too. It’s not the same here without you. When do they collect the recycling here, can you remember? I put the rubbish out on Monday, but they only took the black bag.’
‘Every second Monday. Make sure you put the tops off the plastic milk bottles in the black bag though. They won’t take it otherwise.’
‘Anal prats,’ Ollie muttered.
Pippa snorted at his hypocrisy, but managed to turn it into a cough.
‘Pippa, when are you going to give up smoking?’
‘Soon. Listen, Jack’s decided Peace Offering can have his first race next Saturday,’ she said, changing the subject before Ollie could give her a lecture on the dangers of smoking. ‘Will you come?’
She heard Ollie give an impatient sigh at the mention of Jack and Peace Offering’s names. It was only because they both featured high on her current agenda of Life In The Country, she thought, trying to justify her reasons for always bringing them up in conversation with Ollie.
‘I’ll see. Depends on filming. My first episode is being shown around Valentine’s Day. Gruesome love triangle, but I can’t say much more. I’ll let you know the exact date so you can record it.’
‘I’m sure I won’t miss it,’ she reassured him.
‘I know, but I want you to record it as well.’
The pride in his voice made Pippa smile and her heart softened.
‘Okay. I’m proud of you, Ollie. I know things haven’t been easy lately so I’m really pleased for you.’
‘Me too. Anyway, I’ve got to dash if I’m going to make dinner. Rich hates people who are late. You should have seen him the other day when Jess, the make-up girl was late. She said her car had broken down, but she could easily have taken the Tube. Rich was furious –’
‘Ollie,’ Pippa interrupted, ‘You’d better go. Tell me another time.’
‘Shit. Look at the time. You’re right. I’ll speak to you soon.’
‘Okay. Take care. Love you.’
‘Me too. Bye.’
Pippa let the phone hang limply in her hand when the line was cut short then, with a sigh, she edged off the windowsill and counter. One of her buttock cheeks was numb. Rubbing some life into it, she wandered over to the fridge to fix herself some dinner.
Chapter Twelve
T he following Monday, Pippa was barely able to acknowledge Jack’s entrance into the office as the phone trilled for about the twentieth time in as many minutes.
‘Okay, if I can have your name and address I’ll see what I can sort out for you,’ she said to the caller. She
Similar Books
