Sins of the Father (19 page)

“
No, I
understand her need to be close to you. But I do sometimes question
her almost obsessive professional behaviour.”

Alicia’s heart did a
summersault in her chest. He understood more than most. “I wouldn’t
call it obsessive, though anal is a word I’ve used from time to
time!” She looked around, despite being alone she wanted to make
sure their conversation was private. “Sarah’s been a carer all her
life. Greg tried to protect her, but he wasn’t around during the
worst years.”

“
You’re
talking about her mother?”

She gave a bitter smile.
“I guess we both had selfish, self-absorbed, mothers.” She threw
her hands in the air. “Sophia had a serious problem with her
addiction. In the last few years she needed constant attention. Her
death was an accident, but Sarah only sees that she dropped the
ball.”

“
She blames
herself for not doing enough.”

“
Right – she
expects perfection even in herself. It was tough on her, especially
after the media frenzy. They printed every detail, every secret
they could find. After Sophia died, Greg swooped in and gave her
what she deserved – a home.”

“
Like Gray
did with you?”

It stung a little to hear
him say it. It also touched her that he understood the sentiment.
“In some respects Sarah had it harder than me. Her mother stuck
around to remind her just what a disappointment she was. At least
mine made a clean break. It’s funny, but in another lifetime Sophia
and Helen knew each other. Maybe they swapped notes.”

“
It feels
like poetic justice to me; the fact that their daughters found each
other against the odds.”

“
Yes, I like
to think so.” Her smile was from the heart; it lit her face and
made him weak at the knees.

“
Is that
something else Gray did for you?”

“
There are
too many things to name. Greg was his best friend. In their wisdom,
they created opportunities for us to bond. They knew before we did
that we needed each other. Of course, I was prickly and suspicious,
and Sarah didn’t want to care about anyone but her father. We gave
them a pretty hard time.”

Brad could picture it
easily enough – he admired the perseverance; he didn’t imagine
living with two wilful teenagers was all fun and games.

“
Then one day
I asked for her help. I wanted to audition for a commercial without
involving my father. She agreed because this life is second nature
to Sarah – it’s all she’s ever known. I suppose it felt good to be
needed again, by someone with no expectations.”

“
Is this a,
‘and the rest is history’ moment?” Brad asked, starting to see how
things fit together.

“
It’s a,
‘what we needed at the time,’ kind of thing. Sarah enjoys the life
but not the limelight. She organises like a woman possessed, and
few jobs would allow her to utilise her considerable skills.” She
smiled again, a little wistfully. “But that was then, and this is
now.”

“
Meaning?”

“
Meaning I’m
happy to go on pretending I can’t function without her help, for as
long as that works, and vice versa. But she doesn’t need me
anymore, so eventually all that will be left is our friendship -
the most important part.”

“
Every
relationship evolves. It doesn’t mean you have to lose
something.”

Alicia chuckled,
constantly surprised by his astute mind. “I agree. But I’ll miss
seeing her every day just the same.” She stood and began to clear
the table. “Right now I have an appointment to keep.” She looked
guiltily towards the production offices. “Those phone calls will
have to wait.”

***

Brad watched Alicia
through the glass, no longer surprised by her ability to blend in.
She had the radio production team eating out of her hand and it was
clear Chris Matthews, the host, adored her.

The set-up in the small,
yet cozy studio was impressive. The two producers of the show were
sitting behind large desks, which dominated one wall. There was a
smaller version, positioned at a higher level, presumably for Chris
to operate.

At the moment he was
standing, chatting to Alicia, in the centre of the room. Two
microphones, suspended from the ceiling, were the only things
between them.

It wasn’t necessary for
Brad to be in the same room. As long as there was an exit strategy,
he planned to give Alicia enough space to work.

She was glad of it; the
studio would have seemed a lot smaller with him in close
proximity.

It felt good to be able
to move around during her interview. The suspended microphones were
a clever idea, designed to put guests at ease. It was Chris’s
second home so he delved right in when the song ended – moving to
the portable desk to twiddle a few buttons.

“
She’s here,
everybody. The one, the only... Alicia Gladstone.” He added a sound
affect – a roaring crowd to punctuate his introduction. “Welcome
back, Alicia.”

“
Hi, Chris.
It feels like I should take a bow or something after that.” She did
a slight curtsy to demonstrate.

“
We’re
excited to have you here. What’s it been, a year...two?”

“
It’s been
eight months - if that. But it’s great to see you again. I enjoy my
stints on the show.”

“
Say the word
and you could be entertaining the nation every day. Do you fancy
being my trusty number two?”

She looked across at
Stevie Archer with a knowing smile. “I’m sure a lot of your fans
would miss Arch. She’s a big part of the team.”

“
Speaking of
side-kick – you’re sporting a mighty fine specimen this morning,”
Stevie said, earning a snicker from the show’s assistant
producer.

“
If you’re
talking about my bodyguard, he is a trained professional with
serious credentials.” She waited a moment and then made a sound of
derision for effect. “Oh, who am I kidding? Who cares about
qualifications when you look like that?”

Chris barked out a ‘ha’,
thoroughly enjoying himself, but then his life was one big radio
party. “I’m sure our listeners have seen the pictures. I take it
you didn’t choose him because of his aesthetic value.”

“
Is that the
same as saying he’s hot?” Stevie chipped in.

“
To borrow
from the marines, he’s the best of the best. What more can I
say?”

“
Point taken.
In fact, I’m sure many of our listeners would like to know how
you’re dealing with everything that’s going on. It must be a scary
time.”

“
Yes, it is,
but to be honest, Chris, I’d rather not give that particular
problem air time. I’ll just tell the listeners, my concerned fans,
that until we get to the bottom of it, I have a very capable team
looking out for me.”

“
I’ve been
warned away from the subject so it’s probably best not to
push.”

“
Under normal
circumstances I’d throw caution to the wind and tell you to ignore
the over sensitive PR guys, but this time I’m going to steer you
very cleverly into the reason I’m here today.”

“
Other than
spending time with me?”

“
Yes, other
than that. Everything else is a bonus.”

“
Okay, let’s
talk about the film, Jump Start, which is scheduled for release on
Thursday. It’s a different kind of movie than we’re used to seeing
you in. What made you take the part?”

“
The script
mostly, and the fact it was a cameo role – it meant I could fit it
into my schedule.”

“
You do like
to keep busy. We haven’t seen you in the headlines for awhile. Josh
Burton on the other hand is continuing to party like its
1989.”

“
Don’t
disappoint me, Christopher. You usually give me a break from all
that jazz.”

He laughed into the
microphone, glancing briefly at Stevie when she signalled to him.
“Only you could make me feel like a rebellious child.”

“
Well, you aren’t the
Peter Pan
of radio
for nothing.” She turned and winked at Stevie when a rich chuckle
filled her headset.

“
And here I
was thinking it was a clever segue. Wasn’t it Josh’s first time at
directing?” Chris asked, faking a wounded expression.

“
Chris, you
can make a connection to just about anything. It’s one of your
gifts.”

“
Are you
deliberately evading the subject of Joshua Burton, or are you just
waiting for the right question?”

“
We talk
about Josh every time I come on air. I’m starting to think you’ve
got an obsession.”

Stevie let out a small
whistle. “She’s got you there, buddy.”

“
All right, I
admit, I like to know about my main rival for your affection. One
of these days you’re going to come to your senses and realise it’s
me you want.”

“
I feel my
resolve weakening by the second.”

“
Hear that,
listeners, all my hard work could have paid off.”

“
She has more
sense than that, my friend,” Stevie cut in. “Her resolve might be
weakening but she’s almost immune to you by now.”

“
Ugh.” Chris
clutched his heart. “Shot down by one of my own.” He accentuated
his point by adding a sound effect. “But we were talking about the
movie and its fun-loving director.”

“
Josh has
been looking for a project for a while now. As soon as he saw the
script, he knew. We all did. It’s a great film.”

“
I’m sure you
had fun working with him,” Stevie said. “From what you’ve told us
before, there are usually a few onset pranks.”

“
Not so much
this time. Perhaps he was trying to set an example.”

“
Which you
took advantage of.” Chris only shrugged when she made a face at
him. “We’ve talked about this before and got some pretty good
material out of it. Tell us something we don’t know.”

Alicia searched her brain
for something Josh wouldn’t mind sharing with a few thousand
listeners. “Okay, I suppose it doesn’t hurt to tell you about the
packages we send to each other when we’re on location.”

“
Please tell
me that’s more interesting than it sounds.”

She
laughed. “Says the man who logs his toilet breaks on
Twitter!
”

“
Speaking of all things
Twitter
,
congratulations on hitting the million mark - I’d like to think we
helped a little.”

“
Well, as you
persuaded me to take the plunge last year, I’d say you had a hand
in it.”

Stevie
hit the switch to add applause. “It’s not only
Twitter,
our
Facebook
pages have been buzzing all morning.
We’ve had thousands of texts in the last few minutes
alone.”

Chris scrolled through
the texts on his screen. “Let’s see…Jane from Milton Keynes sends a
big high-five. She enjoyed the movie. Gail from Leeds thinks Joshua
Burton is a great director.” He paused to refresh. “Tom on the M1
is offering his services – he has, and I quote, ‘been a bouncer in
some of the busiest clubs south of London.’ Sam wants to know the
wildest prank you’ve ever pulled off. Sue wants you to know she’s
rooting for you…there are hundreds of messages like that. Your fans
are showing the love.”

“
I’m very
fortunate to have so many loyal followers. The messages I receive
keep me going when things get tough. I can’t tell you how much
they’ve helped over the past few days.”

“
I’m sure our
listeners will be glad to hear they’re able to support you in some
small way. I joke, but ultimately I’m with them.”

“
Are you
going soft on me, Chris?” Alicia asked. The teasing light in her
voice was a contrast to the appreciation in her
expression.

“
Yep, I might
need a moment here, folks.” He sniffled into the microphone and
then spoilt it by breaking into a grin. “Let’s play a record so I
can pull myself together.”

He was true to his word.
By the time the song faded and he was back on air, Chris Matthews
was the host they all knew and loved.

Alicia enjoyed bantering
with him – she gave as good as she got, which was one of the
reasons she was a friend of the show. She stayed longer than she
intended but it felt right.

If her eyes wandered to
Brad every now and then, she couldn’t help it. He looked so regal,
so strong and capable.

“
What are you
thinking about?” he asked, as they walked the maze of radio
central.

“
I was
actually thinking about how noble you looked in there. Like one of
the Queen’s Guards. The ones people spend hours trying to provoke
just so they get a reaction.

He laughed, glancing
across at her. “I have a friend in one of the Foot Guard regiments.
I guess I, we, just adapt to the environment we’re in.”

She waved the comment
away. “I get all that. It’s your job to blend in, to be alert. But
it’s also true that bodyguards are stereotyped as much as the next
guy, and sometimes you fit the mould like it was made for you
alone. You can be very intense.”