Summer Season on the Seafront. Katie Ginger

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       Chapter 2

      Nate glanced out from centre stage at row upon row of happy, smiling faces and paced about reciting his lines. The floorboard that always creaked underfoot moaned as he circled the stage. He ended up at the same spot he always did, and the spotlight shrunk until only he was lit. An imperceptible change the crowd would barely notice, but it made what he had to say even more impactful. In a second, it would enlarge as the action moved on. Hell, it was hot. The old West End theatres didn’t have air conditioning – it was impossible to make any changes to the historic listed buildings – and he was boiling in his costume of heavy denim jeans and a thick shirt. Sweat soaked the back of his neck and ran down between his shoulder blades.

      The words came to him as second nature, like breathing. They’d been said so many times every intonation was ingrained on his brain, just as every move was imprinted on his muscle memory. He’d enjoyed playing the part of George Milton in a new adaptation of Of Mice and Men, and the critics loved it, but he was secretly glad that the eight-week run was coming to an end as exhaustion was creeping in. The final push to the finish was always hard and it was the exhilaration of performing that carried him, and the rest of the cast, through the last few shows. Thankfully, there were only a few more days to go. He concentrated on his co-stars as they recited their lines.

      Thanks to its reception, offers of work were flooding in and Robin, his agent, was busier than ever sending out audition tapes. His career was on the up and had reached the point where he was automatically asked to take some of the theatre industry’s main roles, even some TV ones, but not all of them. Robin assured him that would come soon. It was just a matter of time. At 38 his success had come a little later than he’d have liked, but his star was still rising. As he looked up to see one of the actors slightly raising his eyebrows at him, Nate realised his mind was wandering again. That was happening a lot lately. Since that regrettable night with Hannah Salgado he’d thought more and more about his career and his marriage, and everything he’d risked. Tonight, coming near the end of the run and with a choice of what to do next, he couldn’t stop worrying about it all coming out and everything he’d worked so hard for falling apart.

      He’d been childish at first, blaming Hannah for their one-night stand two weeks before. Then he’d blamed his best friend Marcus, whose stag do it was, for letting him get so drunk he’d ended up in bed with her. But Nate knew there was no one to blame but himself. He was still a married man. Okay, he and his wife, Emma, were just about to start divorce proceedings but still, the ring remained on his finger and that should’ve stopped him. He and Emma had been married a long time, and together since university, but slowly she’d fallen out of love with him. Perhaps it had been the pressure of them both being in the industry. Certainly, as his career had grown while hers had stagnated, her jealousy had turned to anger and she’d drifted further and further away from him and into the arms of other men. It had broken his heart. They’d been keeping the marriage together for the sake of their careers, looking for the right time to announce an amicable divorce, and it had been hell.

      The lighting subtly changed again to illuminate Nate against the now darkened backdrop, and that was his cue. The performance was reaching its dramatic climax and he focused on the words as he spoke. True emotion came forth, as it always did, until a voice from the depths pierced the silence that fell between him and the audience. A sudden wave of nausea rose inside him and every muscle tensed. He knew that voice.

      ‘Look at you giving it the big star, Nathaniel Hardy. Forgotten to return my calls, have you? Just been too busy? Or am I not good enough for you now?’ Nate paused, trying to figure out if he was mistaken. But no, he definitely wasn’t. Despite her Spanish surname, the voice that came from the dark was pure Essex. ‘What’s the matter, Nate? Got nothing to say this time? You thought you could palm me off, didn’t you? Thought I’d just disappear like some slutty one-night stand. Well, I won’t!’

      The audience gasped. Nate swallowed down the bile, hoping he wouldn’t be sick. Saliva gathered in his mouth and his head spun. It was like being drunk. What the hell was Hannah doing here? The theatre was silent and the air thick and unmoving, lit by fractured beams of light. He’d thought Robin had dealt with this. Nate had told him and Emma about his indiscretion the very next day after realising what a fool he’d been. When Hannah had un-subtly mentioned the media finding out about what had passed between them, he knew he’d been used. At first Nate had thought they were just two lonely people who wanted a night of comfort. Only afterwards did it become clear she was after a career boost in hitching herself onto him. It had been a major error of judgement and one that he couldn’t undo however much he wished it.

      Emma couldn’t have cared less as long as it didn’t get out. She had irons in the fire that something like this could ruin, plus her dad, a big-name producer, would get caught up in it too, He’d do his absolute nut if this came out just now. Robin had advised Hannah to keep quiet for the sake of Nate’s and her own reputation. Though Nate’s marriage might be over behind closed doors, the world didn’t know that, and he couldn’t afford for them to find out. If this hit the papers, which it would now, all the offers that had been coming in so fast Robin couldn’t keep up, would disappear. He’d no longer be the sweet-hearted, loyal husband he’d always tried to be. The darling of the chat shows and women’s mags because he’d been with Emma since university – since before he was famous. He’d be a cheating bastard. They had no idea that things had changed for Emma and he’d slowly been coming to terms with it. They didn’t know she’d fallen out of love with him and he simply wasn’t what she wanted anymore. They’d planned to split in a month, announcing it through their respective agents before divorcing quietly. The papers would have been sympathetic then and it would have played out nicely with neither blamed, only each admired for their grown-up attitudes. Now a silly drunken one-night stand was going to ruin everything, and it would become a sordid mess.

      ‘Come on, Nate,’ Hannah began again. ‘You’re an actor, you must have something to say. You’re not exactly shy and you certainly weren’t that night at my flat.’ She was standing up, seven rows back. Even the ushers approaching her looked scared, her normally pouty face held in an angry grimace. She’d clearly planned for this moment. An expensive dress poured over her curvy figure, her make-up impeccable despite the heat, and long black hair hung down in curls that, he knew from Emma’s pre-awards-show routines, took an expert hand. Why was Hannah doing this?

      Muttering crept forwards through the audience like a ripple on water, landing at his feet. Nate knew he should say something, but he had no idea what. His mind was gripped with panic at the consequences of his stupid actions, brought on by too much drink and far too much heartache. He’d loved Emma and admitting their marriage wasn’t working anymore had broken his heart. It had been exhausting putting on a brave face for the paparazzi. And then, one night, when he’d finally managed to get away from them, a chance meeting after one too many flaming sambucas had brought Hannah into his life. There she was, this gorgeous model telling him she’d just broken up with her boyfriend. Nate, fuelled by beer and shots, had let the pain and loneliness he’d worked constantly to keep at bay wash over him. The hurt of Emma’s rejection had finally become too much and he’d stupidly been swept away by Hannah’s flattery, by the little-girl-lost persona, and one thing had led to another.

      The guy playing Lennie stepped forwards. ‘Excuse me, madam, I think you should leave. You’re ruining the performance for everyone else.’ Nate stared at him, knowing it СКАЧАТЬ