Losing the plot, p.6
Losing the Plot, page 6
Vanessa felt empathy in her every pore. ‘Oh, Charlotte, I’m sorry.’
Charlotte smiled wanly. ‘It’s such a relief to confide in a girlfriend who’s been there.’
A girlfriend? Already? Did Charlotte mean that? But why wouldn’t she? Vanessa flashed forward to a future in which they were inseparable … but how would she juggle Charlotte and Kiri? Kiri would probably never warm to Charlotte, and she’d hate to hurt Kiri’s
feelings—not that Charlotte would ever usurp her, but still.
‘I guess all we can do is put one foot in front of the other, right?’
Vanessa nodded. Charlotte was too much of a class act to elaborate, but it seemed pretty clear that Marcus Stafford had done a Craig.
‘Marcus is a bastard. And what a fool.’
For a man with such a renowned intellect, he’d just acted like someone with shit for brains.
‘Thanks for being in my corner.’
‘Of course.’
Conquering her last shred of shyness, Vanessa gave Charlotte a hug. Charlotte leaned into her, and as Vanessa inhaled her subtly smoky perfume she could scarcely believe that Charlotte Lancaster was clinging to her for comfort. All her fantasies were coming true. Oh, except for the one about getting her novel published. A sensible little voice inside her head said, ‘How come Charlotte hasn’t brought up Lost and Found Heart? Isn’t that rather an odd omission?’ ‘Shut up,’ Vanessa said back to it.
Out in the hall the front door opened, and a deep male voice rang out.
‘Honey?’
‘In here, Dad.’ Charlotte pulled away from Vanessa and dabbed at her eyes. ‘Dad’s joining us for lunch. I hope that’s okay?’
Vanessa nodded, suddenly intimidated all over again. Chip Lancaster—corporate titan and two-time winner of the Sydney to Hobart yacht race in his world-class maxi Charlanne, named for Charlotte and her mother—was here. And Vanessa had just managed to relax. She grabbed the prosecco bottle. Stuff it—she’d get the tram home.
‘You’re not getting the damned tram,’ Chip insisted with a twinkle as he topped up her bubbles. ‘My driver will take you home.’
‘Oh no, it’s fine.’
‘Just go with it,’ Charlotte advised. ‘There’s no point trying to say no to Dad.’
Vanessa giggled. ‘All right, then. Thank you, Mr Lancaster.’
‘Hey, it’s Chip, remember?’
‘Okay, Chip.’
She giggled again, because why not? It was such an American name, Chip, she mused. Was it short for something? Vanessa couldn’t think what it might be short for, but did people actually christen their children Chip? It was like christening your kid Biscuit.
‘Actually,’ Charlotte said to Chip teasingly, ‘has anyone ever said no to you?’
Probably not, Vanessa thought. Chip was short and stout with a sallow complexion, but he had the air of a man who always got his own way. Her father Jack had been the same—although Jack was demonstrably more handsome. She felt a wistful tug as she watched Charlotte squeeze Chip’s pudgy hand. Charlotte was a self-confessed Daddy’s Girl, although Vanessa knew from interviews that she was also close to her mum Annie, a former air hostess who’d met Chip in the first-class section of a Pan Am flight. Chip and Annie had fallen in love, and Chip had made the wrenching decision to leave his first wife, Ros, who’d worked as a cleaner to put him through university. Apparently it was a very painful time for all of them, but Vanessa was willing to bet that Ros had copped the bulk of the pain.
Chip smiled across the table at her with his perfect porcelain veneers. ‘Can I ask you something, Ness?’
‘Of course.’
‘The dentist takes the impression of a patient’s teeth, but you actually make the mouth mould, right?’
‘Uh, yeah, that’s right.’
‘And what’s the process?’
To Vanessa’s surprise, Chip sounded genuinely interested. Dentistry talk usually made people’s eyes glaze over—especially hers. She explained the mouth mould process step by step, and then Chip asked how she educated patients about gingivitis and what periodontal scaler she generally used for cleaning teeth.
Eventually curiosity got the better of her. ‘How do you know so much about dental assisting?’
‘I make it my business to know about things that matter. It’s an established fact that dental health is closely aligned with cardiac health, so in my eyes that makes you a lifesaver.’
In normal circumstances that would have struck Vanessa as gilding the lily, but after four and a half glasses of prosecco, she was humbled by her own healing powers. The sensible little voice inside her head said, ‘He’s just flattering you,’ but Vanessa shot back, ‘Since when is flattery a crime?’
‘Dad’s right,’ Charlotte chimed in. ‘Being a dental assistant is so much more worthwhile than being a vacuous romance writer like me.’
Was that meant to be an opening? Should she take it? The sensible little voice said, ‘Do it, dumbo.’ So she repressed a burp and bit the bullet. ‘Yeah, dental assisting’s great, but to be honest I found it much more rewarding writing Lost and Found Heart.’
And there it was, the elephant in the room, dunking its long and leathery trunk into Atticus Jax’s smoked eel with white chocolate and caviar.
A nonplussed silence briefly descended, and Vanessa felt irrationally guilty for killing the vibe.
Charlotte and Chip exchanged a look and then Chip turned to her sympathetically. ‘I have to say I feel for you, Ness. Charlotte told me what happened, and it’s a damned shame. But I guess once something’s in the zeitgeist, it’s just a matter of luck who gets their version out there first.’
‘Absolutely,’ Charlotte agreed. ‘And the cards could have fallen the other way if I’d submitted Love Transplant first—although obviously your manuscript never arrived at Wax.’
‘It did arrive, and Amy Dunphy wrote back to me. And I know two people can have a similar idea, but page for page, nearly word for word? Don’t you think that’s weird?’
‘It’s incredibly weird.’
‘It’s much worse than just weird,’ Chip said, refilling Vanessa’s already full glass. ‘It sucks, if you’ll forgive my French. It’s lousy luck for a delightful young lady who clearly doesn’t deserve it.’
Wow, he was being so understanding. ‘Der!’ said the sensible little voice. ‘He’s got an ulterior motive.’ ‘I thought I told you to shut up,’ Vanessa snapped back.
‘You know what, Ness? I’d like to help you. How does twenty grand sound?’
‘Twenty grand? What do you mean?’
Charlotte smiled. ‘It’s the least we can do.’
Chip reached down and pulled a large envelope from his Armani satchel. ‘It’s not fair that you won’t be able to get your own book out into the market, so we think you deserve some compensation.’ He held out the envelope. ‘Go on, take it.’
With trembling fingers, Vanessa took the envelope and pulled out a piece of paper on a prestigious legal firm’s letterhead.
What?
‘It’s a contract?’ she asked.
‘Just a formality,’ Chip assured her.
‘It’s no biggie,’ seconded Charlotte, but Vanessa noticed she was gripping her father’s arm with white knuckles. What exactly was going on here? She looked down at the page and, skipping the preliminaries, focused on the nitty-gritty:
Ms Rooney agrees to relinquish all printed copies of her unpublished novel Lost and Found Heart to Ms Lancaster, including any research materials and notes prepared in connection with the novel, and further agrees to delete any and every electronic copy of same novel off any and every computer/laptop/mobile device in her own or anyone else’s possession, including every copy that is relegated to Trash after said initial deletion. Ms Rooney also agrees to relinquish the computer(s)/laptop(s)/mobile device(s) on which her novel was written to Ms Lancaster. Subject to Ms Lancaster and her representatives being satisfied that no printed or electronic copy of Lost and Found Heart remains in Ms Rooney’s or anyone else’s possession, Ms Lancaster shall pay Ms Rooney twenty thousand dollars ($20,000) plus the reasonable cost of a new laptop computer of Ms Rooney’s choosing within seven (7) working days.
Vanessa felt sick in the stomach as she read on:
Ms Rooney further agrees never to speak or to communicate to any other person or persons publicly or privately of this Agreement. Any breach of this clause will be grounds for legal action.
Vanessa looked back up at the Lancasters wordlessly.
Chip produced a pen from his pocket. ‘Like I said, it’s just a formality.’
‘But if it’s an innocent mistake, why are you trying to pay me off?’
‘It’s not a payment, it’s a gift,’ said Charlotte, but she was tapping her nails on the table.
Vanessa bit her lip. So much for their burgeoning friendship.
‘And why do you want all my copies of Lost and Found Heart?’ she asked, making a mental note not to reveal that she didn’t have any.
‘Oh, that? That’s just to avoid confusion in the marketplace.’
Confusion in the marketplace! Did he think she came down in the last shower? Vanessa felt fury bloom inside her.
‘We need to make sure that your novel isn’t out there so—’
‘So you can hide the fact that your daughter did steal it—and that’s why you’re trying to pay me off.’
‘Go, girlfriend,’ said the sensible little voice.
‘Dad, do something!’ Charlotte squealed.
‘Shut up, Charlotte! No one’s trying to pay you off, Ness.’
But Vanessa wasn’t buying it anymore. Incandescent with rage, she waved the contract. ‘You might think I’m just a dumb little dental assistant, but you’re wrong. I’m keeping this—’
Quick as a flash Chip leaped forward to rip the contract out of her hands, but Vanessa refused to let it go. They tussled and the contract was ripped in two, leaving Vanessa with the top right-hand corner. She jumped up from the table, pushing her chair back so fast that it toppled over.
‘This is evidence. I’ll see you in court!’
Vanessa stormed off, colliding with Atticus Jax in the doorway and knocking his free trade chocolate soufflé to the floor.
Kiri thrust a glass of house chardonnay at Vanessa. ‘Get that into you.’
Two hours had passed since Vanessa’s run-in with Charlotte and Chip, and she and Kiri had snatched the last table at the nearby Beach Hotel, which was heaving with Friday night revellers. Now that she’d faced the awful truth, Vanessa was kicking herself for losing her evidence. It was lucky that Lachie and Joy weren’t here, or she would’ve been tempted to kick them too. Kiri proffered a plate of croquettes with aioli, but Vanessa had lost her appetite. The weirdest thing was how hurt she felt by the Lancasters, even though she barely knew them. I’d never do that to you, she thought, so why are you doing it to me?
‘It’s my fault,’ she said aloud. ‘I shouldn’t have let Lachie borrow my laptop—he loses everything. And I should’ve made sure my back-up drive was kept far away from Mum’s mess. I haven’t got a leg to stand on.’ She hiccupped.
‘You can’t give up. You’ve got this.’ Kiri waved the small triangular piece of the contract.
‘That’s nothing, Kiri.’ Vanessa hiccupped again. ‘It’s just got the date, the page number and half the legal firm’s logo—it could be anything.’
‘Maybe, but you’ve still got the photo Joy took when you sent the manuscript—it’s dated.’
‘Yeah, but it doesn’t prove that the manuscript arrived at Wax. I’m stuffed. I have to be realistic.’
Kiri threw her hands in the air.
‘I’ve got no choice!’ Vanessa cried raggedly.
A woman at the next table turned. Her face looked like it had been sandblasted and then snap-frozen, but if she could have moved her forehead Vanessa was sure she would have raised her eyebrows.
Kiri eyeballed her. ‘Have you got a problem, apart from your discount plastic surgeon?’
‘Kiri, be quiet.’
Sandblasted Face turned back to her waxy-looking friend and Vanessa and Kiri dissolved into giggles, but Vanessa’s were complicated by hiccups. She started coughing so much that she almost threw up. Kiri slapped her back and handed her a glass of water.
‘Thanks,’ Vanessa said when she could talk again. ‘Maybe if I was rich I could pursue it just to embarrass Charlotte, but I don’t know if I could cope with the public exposure, anyway. And those Lancasters don’t take any prisoners. I felt like saying to them—’
‘That’s your whole problem,’ Kiri interrupted, and Vanessa watched her best friend transform into the mature human being she actually was beneath her bluster. ‘Seriously, Niss, I worry about you. You do this with Craig and Natalie too. You’re always telling me: I felt like saying or I wanted to say—well, why don’t you just say it?’ Vanessa was stumped. Why didn’t she say what she wanted to say? Because she was a people pleaser—hello! And a coward, probably. She downed her chardonnay in one gulp.
‘I take your point, but I just have to suck this up. What’s that saying? “Grant me the courage to change the things I can change, the serenity to accept the things I can’t change and the wisdom to know the difference.”’
Kiri switched back to bolshy mode. ‘Serinity is for dickhids.’
‘Well, that’s me, a serene dickhid.’ Vanessa raised her glass but it was empty. She regarded it sadly. ‘My shout.’ But as she was rummaging around for her purse, she heard a voice call through the din.
‘Nessie!’
Vanessa turned to see her mum squeezing through a group of middle-aged blokes in suits, her breasts squashed up against their torsos in the human crush.
‘Mum!’ She turned to Kiri. ‘Did you call her? Thank you,’ she hiccupped, suddenly weepy.
‘Oh, Nessie, that thieving cow!’ Joy said as she reached their table. ‘Are you all right?’
Joy was wearing her favourite dress in a red jersey that accentuated the line where her Spanx ended and her tummy escaped with an almost audible sigh of relief.
At the next table, Sandblasted Face nudged her waxy friend and snickered.
Vanessa felt a surge of rage. ‘What’s so funny?’ she demanded.
She leaped to her feet but felt herself fall to the floor.
‘Nessie!’
‘Niss! Are you okay?’
‘I’m good,’ she said, but she couldn’t quite seem to lift herself up. After a couple of attempts she surrendered to gravity, lying on the sticky carpet like one of those white body outlines. Joy turned to the blokes in suits.
‘Can someone help us?’
From what Vanessa could see from the floor, they all shoved each other out of the way in a competition to be the most courteous. Someone who smelled like beer and cashews plucked her up off the floor and plonked her back in her chair. Vanessa could tell he was hoping to chat up Joy, but after a cursory thank you Joy turned all her attention back to Vanessa.
‘Are you sure you’re all right?’
Vanessa nodded through a hiccup.
‘She’s a bit under the weather,’ Kiri said.
‘Who could blame her?’ Joy pulled Vanessa against her leathery décolletage. ‘Don’t worry, Nessie. We’ll make Charlotte Lancaster pay.’ Vanessa snorted humourlessly into Joy’s cleavage. She hiccupped again and almost choked. Joy was squeezing her tight.
‘Mum … I can’t … breathe.’
Joy released her grip.
‘Niss hasn’t got any evidence,’ Kiri bemoaned.
‘Maybe she hasn’t …’ Joy winked, suddenly assuming the air of a magician about to produce one hell of a rabbit. ‘But I have.’
What?!
Joy reached into her handbag.
‘Ta-da!’
‘Oh my God, my back-up drive!’ Vanessa couldn’t believe her eyes. She grabbed it like it was a priceless treasure, which it pretty much was at this point. ‘So it didn’t get thrown out?’
‘No, I found it hidden between Jane Austen and Nora Roberts just before Bob and I left. I was going to surprise you when I got back.’
‘Oh, Mum!’
‘This is excellent!’ Kiri declared. We’ll take that bitch for every penny.’
‘We’ll do more than that,’ Joy said. ‘By the time we’ve finished with her, she’ll be burning her own books to keep herself warm.’
‘Yeah!’
Vanessa tried to match their excitement, but her ebullience was already fizzling into fear. It was one thing to want to sue Charlotte when she knew she couldn’t, but now she actually had the evidence, it was a different prospect altogether. The idea of conflict with anyone made her gizzards curdle—let alone conflict with an adored celebrity like Charlotte Lancaster. Could she cope with the kind of public slanging match that suing Charlotte would bring? The very thought made her weak with panic. And, besides, she couldn’t afford a lawyer.
But Kiri and Joy weren’t about to let her off the hook.
‘You have to at least get some legal advice.’
‘Your mum’s right—and hey, I just remembered, the Redbacks’ new coach is a lawyer. Dave Rendall. Have you met him yet?’
‘No, Craig’s been taking Jackson to training. But I know that Jackson really likes him.’
‘Yeah, the kids love him—he seems like a great guy. Why don’t you talk to him in the morning? Maybe he’ll give you some cheap advice.’
Vanessa didn’t want to let Kiri and Joy down. And it was only advice.
‘Let’s do it.’ she said, removing her elbow from the aioli.
It was drizzling at the Jeffrey G. Kennett Oval, and Vanessa flicked her umbrella open as she scanned the playing field for Jackson. On the sidelines, the coach/lawyer Dave Rendall was running along with his back to her, his hoodie raised against the rain. He was super-tall and his nylon tracksuit pants didn’t quite reach his ankles. What kind of lawyer couldn’t afford a tracksuit that fit? Vanessa wondered. But that probably wasn’t fair—some people didn’t care about clothes, and who was to say it hadn’t shrunk in the wash? And, anyway, Dave Rendall’s legal skills were almost irrelevant. Overnight, Vanessa’s fear of suing Charlotte had escalated into sheer terror. There was no way she could go through with it, but she knew that Kiri would kill her if she didn’t at least broach the subject. She glanced at the Redbacks coach again. Something about his ungainly limbs gave her a strange sense of déjà vu, but there was no time to contemplate that because Daisy was straining at her leash and barking at an errant seagull.
