Page 28 of The Perfect Gift

Sympathy welled inside her. ‘It’s a steep learning curve when it’s not something you’ve done before, but you did a really great job in the end.’ She reached out and touched his arm. ‘I’m proud to be your co-star, Dalton, and you should be proud of yourself too.’

‘You mean that?’ He looked so eager and puppyish and desperate for approval.

Frankie knew what it was like to crave a kind word. ‘I do.’

Before she knew what was happening, Dalton had swept her up into his arms and was spinning her around in a circle. Laughing, she placed her hands on his shoulders to steady herself. ‘Put me down!’

He set her down then leaned over and pressed a quick kiss to her lips. ‘You’re the best, Frankie!’ He released her. ‘I gotta go. See you on the press tour!’ She watched him dash away, all youthful energy and exuberance. There was only a couple of years’ difference in age between them, but Frankie was dead on her feet and watching him bounce away made her feel old as the hills.

When she reached her caravan, she didn’t miss the pile of boxes stacked up next to the steps so it didn’t surprise her to find it was almost empty inside. The photos that had lined the mirror were gone, the rail where her costumes had hung was empty apart from the bag that would take her final outfit. Jessie had packed all her equipment away other than the lotions she used to remove Frankie’s make-up. Conscious of the younger woman’s need to get away for her train, Frankie dragged on her tracksuit and plonked herself down in the chair as soon as they’d helped her out of her costume. ‘Just get the wig off, Jessie, and then you can go. I’ll remove my make-up when I get home.’

‘Are you sure?’ Jessie’s expression was a mix of hopefulness and guilt.

‘Of course I am.’ She glanced over at Becca, who was busy packing her costume away. ‘And you shoot off as soon as you’re ready, too. I’m sure there’s still loads of stuff that needs sorting out.’

Becca paused what she was doing to shoot her a sad smile. ‘Crappy way to end things, eh?’

Frankie nodded. ‘But we’ve had a great time up until now so I’m not going to let it spoil anything. Make sure you both message me the details so I can write you a testimonial.’

Jessie leaned down and flung her arms around Frankie. ‘God, you are just the best!’ When she pulled back, Frankie could see the tears shining in her eyes.

‘Don’t start,’ Frankie warned her as she pointed a finger.

Jessie sniffled and grinned. ‘I won’t.’

The three of them parted on the steps in a flurry of hugs and promises to keep in touch. When she got to the gate Terry was there, all smiles as usual. ‘Take care, Miss Webber, and Merry Christmas.’

‘Merry Christmas, Terry.’

Frankie took one last look over her shoulder at the imposing frontage of the castle. Lights bloomed in every window on the ground floor and people scurried up and down the steep staircase. She’d considered offering to help, but she didn’t know where anything went and it would take longer for someone to explain what to do than to just do it themselves.

There was no place for her here any more.

Frankie was just approaching the lights of the harbour when a man called out from behind her. ‘Miss Webber? Can I have your autograph, please?’ Her shoulders stiffened and not just because she was alone and it was already getting dark. Being recognised was par for the course, especially when she was coming off the steep hill that led up to the castle, but it was the last thing she needed. There was a street light just ahead so she stepped deliberately into its illuminated circle before she turned around. Her cheeks pulled as she put on her best approximation of a smile and she realised with an internal groan that her face was still plastered in the remains of her stage make-up. If the man insisted on a selfie as well as an autograph, she’d look like a clown. All these thoughts raced through her brain in the half a second it took the man to step out of the shadows into the light and relief washed through her. ‘Ed! What are you doing here?’

‘I’ve just been at Ma and Pa’s for tea.’ He raised a hand and pointed back along the road that met Castle Hill. His smile faded at the same instant. ‘I scared you, didn’t I?’

‘Not scared, exactly, but it’s been a long day and I’ll admit the idea of dealing with a fan right now was not top of my list.’

Ed shook his head. ‘I should’ve thought, it was meant to be a joke.’ He slapped himself on the forehead and muttered, ‘Stupid, stupid.’

He was clearly concerned he’d upset her and Frankie found herself closing the small distance between them and raising a hand to place it on his chest. ‘It’s fine, Ed. I’m fine.’

‘Still, it can’t have been nice having a strange man calling out to you in the dark.’

Frankie raised her brows. ‘You’re not that strange.’

Ed tossed his head back and laughed. ‘I guess I asked for that.’ Reaching down, he took the hand she’d placed on his chest and tucked it into his elbow, turning them to face in the same direction.

‘What are you doing?’ she asked him in confusion.

‘I’m walking you home, of course.’ He said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world and she was beginning to get the impression that it was to him. They began to stroll towards the harbour. ‘So, where are you going on this fine evening?’ he asked.

She didn’t even need to think about that. ‘Home. Shower. Food. Bed. Not necessarily in that order.’

‘Sounds fun. Do you want company?’

It was clear from his tone that he was teasing and Frankie pretended to consider it for a moment before shaking her head. ‘I think I’ll pass.’