The Yacht Party (Lara Stone)

Olivia gave him a sideways look.

‘You never know with Lara. I called her this afternoon as she hadn’t RSVP’d. Apparently she was in Paris.’

‘Paris?’

Olivia’s lips tightened.

‘You’ve heard about Sandrine? I begged her to come and stay with us at Foxhills, but she wanted to help the parents by sorting out Sandrine’s apartment. Such a tragedy. Sandrine was a very positive influence for Lara, the sister she never had. And now, I fear, she is going to feel so alone.’

‘She’s not alone. She has you, Olivia. She has me. And Lara’s tough.’

‘Not as tough as she’d like you to think,’ said Olivia, fixing Alex with one of her searching looks.

‘Is everything alright between you two?’

Alex frowned.

‘Sure. Why shouldn’t it be

?’

‘I just hear you two don’t see each other as much these days.’

‘She said that?’

‘Not in so many words, she didn’t have to darling. For so long you were as thick as thieves. It was Alex, this, Alex that. I have to admit, I was cynical. I’ve seen When Harry Met Sally. Can men and women ever be friends? But I thought you two were the real deal. Then again, I suppose it’s difficult when someone else comes onto the scene. When you fall in love.’ She said it with a mischievous smile. ‘I’ll leave you to it, hmm?’

She walked off towards the bar and Alex was still mulling over what she meant when he felt a slim arm snake around his waist.

‘Alicia,’ he said turning round.

‘Who did you think it was? Darius?’

She laughed at her own joke as she snaked her arm through his.

‘So what were you and Olivia talking about?’

‘Nothing much. She likes you. I didn’t know you’d met.’

Alicia couldn’t hide her pleasure that the great, influential Olivia Avery had given her approval.

‘You know me,’ said Alicia, gesturing towards the house with her Champagne. ‘I do like to mingle. And talking of which, how have you been getting on with Nicholas?’

‘Fine. I told him my best knock-knock jokes.’

‘Jesus, Alex,’ she said, stepping away from him.

‘I’m joking,’ he smiled.

‘You do know this isn’t just a party, Alex,’ she said, stroking a twist of honey-coloured hair over her shoulder.

‘It’s the ideal time to get closer to Nicholas, dazzle him with your brilliance now Darius…’ she glanced around and lowered her voice. ‘Well, now he’s on the way out.’

Alicia was convinced that after the Tait disaster, Darius’s tenure as editor was coming to an end – very plausible, Alex had to concede – and was constantly urging him to ‘make an impression’ on Avery senior.

‘You do realise I was part of the team that ran the Tait story?’ said Alex. ‘Darius didn’t do it on his own.’

‘Exactly why you need to distance yourself from that whole mess – and anything like it. You don’t want to win a Pulitzer prize, Alex. You want the editor’s job. It’s not in your interests to champion contentious stories that no-one gives a shit about.’