We drove back to Los Angeles the next day. It was one of those sunny days suspended in time. We both knew something in our story had ended, and neither of us understood that something else had already begun. When I said goodbye to him at his hotel, I pretended it was nothing. We didn’tContinue reading “Riding in Cars with Boys”
Tag Archives: The Novel Serialised
Chapter 66: Two Sleepy People
The next day is a blur. I remember it, but not in sequence, more as flashes: the harsh white of the desert light, his profile against the windscreen, the dust kicking up behind us, the sunset and the moonlight, the feeling of being both very young and already used up. It’s odd, because in theContinue reading “Chapter 66: Two Sleepy People “
Chapter 65: Come Fly with Me
By the time they put me through to the boy’s suite at the Beverly Hills Hotel, I’ve already crossed the country and felt Cornelia’s words rearranging themselves inside me. The desert is only a few hours away. I want one last stretch of sky with him before everything changes, just a few days bathed inContinue reading “Chapter 65: Come Fly with Me”
Chapter 64: Houses and Rooms Are Full of Perfumes, the Shelves Are Crowded with Perfumes
Topper is back in Georgetown, and I’m about to return to Los Angeles. “I need to wrap things up with Mr Woolf,” I tell everyone, and it’s true. I do need to drive over to thank him for his time and give him a parting gift, a Baroque French clock I picked up at auction.Continue reading “Chapter 64: Houses and Rooms Are Full of Perfumes, the Shelves Are Crowded with Perfumes”
Chapter 63: Fairytale of New York
“Birdie, honey!” Mrs Montgomery calls. “Come here,” she says, slipping an arm around my shoulder. “What do you think of this seating?” The countdown to the wedding is on, and Mrs Montgomery has taken over completely. Topper and I are fine with it. Neither of us is particularly invested in wedding planning, and she’s aContinue reading “Chapter 63: Fairytale of New York “
Chapter 62: I’ll Never Let You Go (Little Darlin’)
I’ve barely stepped through the front door when Miss Mary calls for me from the kitchen. I’ve taken a taxi from the airport, deciding at the last second that I wanted a few days “visiting with Miss Mary,” as I tell Topper, who “understands.” I rush in and hug her tight, greeting her like theContinue reading “Chapter 62: I’ll Never Let You Go (Little Darlin’)”
Chapter 61: Edge of Reality
I check my reflection in the mirror before heading out to see the boy at his hotel. I wear an off-the-shoulder black dress from Paris and a pink shawl. I look, in my own humble opinion, like a Vogue model, casual and elegant at the same time. Topper has gone to Palm Springs for theContinue reading “Chapter 61: Edge of Reality”
Chapter 60: Where Do You Come From?
“I love you,” Topper says over lunch in the garden. “Do you know why?” He looks up from The New Yorker. I feel some force field ripple between us.“You’re making a girl flush.” He sits up straighter. “I need you to know,” he says, fixing me with that intense gaze. “It’s your insistence on beingContinue reading “Chapter 60: Where Do You Come From?”
Chapter 59: I Sing the Body Electric
Topper arrives for a week in the California sunshine, having taken time off from the Senator’s office. I run into his arms at the airport; he laughs and holds me close. “Let me have a proper look at you,” he says. We dance our way out of the terminal toward the car. “Is this new?”Continue reading “Chapter 59: I Sing the Body Electric “
Chapter 58: Night-Blooming Jasmine
I am discovering that having a job isn’t something I actually enjoy. “I adore Mr Woolf, I really do,” I tell Cary over breakfast one morning at his house. “But it’s all the… actual labouring…” I sigh. Betsy gives me a look that says spoiled. “If you want to go places, you have to putContinue reading “Chapter 58: Night-Blooming Jasmine”
My World of Interiors 