Chasing Clouds Read online

  “I don’t understand,” she whispered, her eyes not leaving the envelope even for the briefest of moments.

  “I’ll explain, then,” Betty replied in a matter- of- fact tone. “Last night, after I went upstairs to bed I couldn’t drop off, despite feeling awful and being dead on my feet. Something was bothering me, niggling away in the back of my mind, like. Anyway, I tossed and turned for hours, even thought about taking a sleeping pill. Then it hit me: I couldn’t sleep because I was worried about you, you daft thing. So I came down here, took the money and put it in this envelope ready to give to you today. Only thing is, by the time I’d done all this it was the early hours meaning I ended up sleeping right through my alarm. Steph here opened up for me and saw the missing money, put two and two together and came up with five. Sorry, love, I should have told you,” Betty finished.

  Elodie stared at her, agog.

  “You’re giving me this? All this money?” she asked unbelievingly.

  “Well, I’m lending it to you. Pay me back when you can. You’ve been a brilliant employee, a fabulous friend to me and an even better one to Steph, which reminds me. Don’t you have something to say, darling?” Betty said, turning to her daughter with an accusatory glance.

  “I, I… I’m sorry. I knew you wouldn’t do something like that. I was just manic this morning and with the alarm and the door, well, I didn’t know what to think. I’m so sorry, El,” Steph said lamely.

  Elodie looked at her. She did look genuinely sorry. Elodie accepted her apology, though she was still sore from how quickly Steph had been able to jump to the wrong conclusion. Elodie knew it would take some time before their friendship was back to normal.

  “But what about the door? I’m so sure I locked it,” Elodie asked.

  “Oh, you did. When I came downstairs I still felt a bit out of sorts so I opened it for a bit of fresh air. I must have not closed it properly. I was really, very tired. Now, I want you to head off home. Stop in at the bank on your way and pay this in, then book yourself onto the best course you can find. You want to have the best chance at getting the best job once you’re qualified, don’t you?” Betty smiled. “Oh, and one more thing…”

  Elodie looked up from the envelope of money; for some reason, it seemed very hard to keep her eyes from it.

  “You’re sacked, love, in the nicest possible way, of course. Now go on before I get emotional.” Betty wiped a fictional tear from her cheek and stood up. Leaning over the table to give Elodie a hug, she whispered “Good luck!” in her ear and released her. Elodie stood up; she felt as though she were floating. Things seemed to be going in the right direction for once. She gave Betty a thankful smile, which faltered slightly as her gaze travelled from Betty and to Steph.

  “See you then, I guess,” Elodie said, before adding, “Thank you, Betty. You’ve no idea what this means to me.”

  “Sure I do, love, that’s why I did it,” Betty replied before waving Elodie out of the door. Once the door had closed behind her she turned to Steph.

  “Looks like you’ve got a lot of making up to do, darling,” Betty said.

  “She’ll come around,” Steph said. “Elodie’s incapable of holding a grudge, she won’t stay mad for long, it’s just not in her nature.”

  Betty gave her daughter a disapproving glance before making her way to the door, where she promptly turned the closed sign to open.

  “Well, we’re a woman down now. Looks like it’s an all- hands- on- deck situation for a while. I’ll ring round the girls and get Elodie’s shifts covered. You’ll be OK to hold the fort for a while, won’t you?” Betty instructed as she made her way into the back so she could make her phone calls in relative peace and quiet.

  Chapter 9

  “Ladies and gents, could you please take your seats we’re about to start,” said a small, portly man at front of the room. He ran his hands through his thinning hair, which had been shaved short – probably to give the illusion of ‘bald by choice’. Elodie looked around nervously; she hadn’t spoken to a single person other than one of the cleaning guys who she’d got in the way of earlier, as he’d moved around her. She caught a sensual, musky scent that took her by surprise – she did not expect that from someone who emptied bins for a living. As the other students began pairing off together and sitting at the tables, all of which were facing the front of the room, Elodie began to panic. This was just like school all over again: she knew instantly that it would be she who was left on her own. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a very attractive woman with long blonde hair and immaculately applied makeup waving at someone behind her. Not wanting to be in yet another person’s way Elodie moved to the side and, more out of habit than anything, issued an apology. No one moved past her. Elodie turned around and saw that there was no one behind her at all. She looked over at the waving woman again, who was now laughing. She mouthed the words ‘Sit here…’ at Elodie and patted the seat of the empty chair next to her. Elodie felt herself blush.

  ‘Why am I such a dumbass?’ she thought to herself as she hesitantly negotiated her way through the throng of new students.

  “I’m Jessica, Jessica Kellah but everyone calls me Jess for short,” the woman said once Elodie was seated. Elodie offered her new companion a small smile. The blonde woman, who Elodie thought must be in her mid- twenties, had been attractive from across the room, but now Elodie was mere inches away from her she could see that her new friend wasn’t just attractive, she was downright beautiful. She had flawless, sun- kissed skin and the brightest of blue eyes, which were framed by long, dark eyelashes.

  “Elodie Taylor,” Elodie replied, holding out her hand in a business- like fashion and regretting the action immediately. Jess seemed not to notice Elodie’s awkwardness; she flipped her long blonde hair over her shoulder and took Elodie’s hand, shaking it in a soft yet business- like fashion.

  “People, please,” the man at the front of the room issued loudly. “Can we have some quiet? Otherwise you’ll never get your wings.”

  The general hubbub fell to a soft whisper and finally descended into silence. Elodie looked around the room eagerly. She couldn’t believe how much had changed in a couple of weeks. She had managed to get herself a place on one of the best courses in the country. It was a fair distance from her flat so a hotel stay was required, but with Betty’s generous loan she could more than afford the extra expense. She’d been lucky: a previous student had fallen ill. Their loss was Elodie’s gain, for now she sat here among her soon- to- be colleagues on a course that saw over seventy per cent of its graduates find their dream job. Anticipation coursed through her veins; she could hardly believe she could be so lucky and that Chase had put in a good word for her.

  She returned her attention to the speaker, who had just announced himself as Gareth Townsend. He had been an air steward for over a decade and, as well as working for a swanky private airline, managed to find time to run one of the most sought- after, and expensive, courses in the country.

  “So that’s me, folks,” he said, a pleasant northern lilt to his voice. He finished off his introduction with a lavish hand gesture and a small bow. “Now let’s do that awful, cringeworthy thing they do on company retreats and get to know one another. If you could stand up one by one, introduce yourself and give us a fun fact, that’d be fab.”

  The class obliged and as instructed stood up one by one, said their names and a little something about themselves. Elodie met Louise Davies, a Glaswegian woman who had run several marathons and loved to ski; Natalie Thompson, who was first cousins with a very famous film star; Nick Pickett, who had once swum for Britain’s under- eighteens team; and finally Lisa Jean, or ‘LJ’ as she liked to be called, who had once appeared in an episode of Holby City as an extra and could eat an entire Terry’s Chocolate Orange in one go without feeling sick.

  “Okay, who’s next, then?” Gareth asked as he surveyed the room. Elodie looked around
and, realising that she would be last if she didn’t go now cleared her throat and stood up, she couldn’t think of anything that made her sound even half as interesting as the people that had gone before her.

  “Hi, I’m Elodie Taylor and I, well I’m honestly not that interesting,” she said, a tone of weary resignation in her voice.

  She glanced around the room; no one said a word. Her new course mates merely looked at her, some with a mixture of curiosity, others with a distinct air of indifference, or was that disdain? Elodie let out a small cough and decided that now was not the time to be self- deprecating she opened her mouth to speak but again, no words came. How was it that she couldn’t think of one single, tiny thing that made her stand out?

  “Oh come now, you came to me highly recommended so there must be something that sets you apart from the rest?” Gareth replied.

  Elodie’s mind raced, she hardly dared to believe it but Chase had come through for her after all. She must have made a really good impression for him to recommend her and highly as well.

  “Well,” Elodie thought hard. She must have one discernible talent, and then it struck her. “I guess, well there is this one thing. I can do this…” Elodie proceeded to stick out her tongue, curl it up and touch her nose with its very tip.

  Elodie’s special skill was met with an unappreciative silence, which caused Elodie to flush pink and sit down quickly. ‘Ugh, that was so lame!’ she fumed at herself. Elodie glanced over towards Jess, feeling very much as though their fledgeling friendship may be over before it had started. To her surprise, Jess was smiling; she bought her hand to her face as if she were going to whisper some big secret then proceeded to replicate Elodie’s special skill superbly. Elodie broke into a relieved grin and felt instantly at ease. She was extremely grateful that Jess had taken pity on her. Elodie knew that she was going to like Jess. She had already shown herself to be fun and Elodie found herself looking forward to getting to know her better.

  The course lasted for two weeks. In that time they were expected to learn absolutely everything about what it took to be a member of the cabin crew. Elodie was amazed at how much went into it; she marvelled as delivery of top- notch service gave way to health and safety, first aid, emergency landings and perhaps the strangest of all, how to talk properly. Apparently, according to Gareth, an overly strong accent was an absolute no- no. This information caused Louise Davies, the Scottish runner, to utter an explosion of expletives under her breath. Evidently, as it turned out, Louise hadn’t been quite as subtle as she had thought, as the following day there was nothing but an empty chair where she had previously sat.

  Elodie had forgotten what it was like to be a student but she took to it like a duck to water and had wished wholeheartedly that she’d been this diligent during her earlier years. Every morning she carried in her brightly coloured notepad and took thorough notes, determined that not only would she pass this course, but she would do so with flying colours. Jess, as it turned out, was every inch the perfect human being Elodie had thought. She wasn’t the strongest student but always tried and wasn’t afraid to ask for help and always seemed to have a constant air of sunniness emitting from her. Elodie wasn’t jealous of Jess; maybe a previous version of herself would have been, but as it stood now, this new and improved Elodie was in absolute awe.

  Elodie had rung Carla from her hotel room one night. She wanted to check in and after a few days thought it was best that she made contact. She hadn’t had time to reply to anyone’s messages. She had spent every waking minute either studying or socialising with her classmates as several of them had booked into the same hotel, including Jessica whose room was a few doors down from Elodie’s. Carla hadn’t sounded impressed with Jessica and had issued a stark warning about people like her.

  “El, I’m telling you, no one is that perfect. She could be a psycho murderer, with bodies in her freezer for all you know,” Carla had said, only half- joking.

  Elodie had laughed and quickly changed the subject, getting the distinct feeling that Carla was more than a little jealous. Instead, Elodie concentrated on what had been happening at home. Carla’s mood had lifted when she got onto the subject of her own work. A big modelling job she had really wanted had come off and she had been booked for the same day as Elodie was to take her final exam. Elodie was so excited for Carla and momentarily forgot about her looming examination; instead, she focused on how great it would be to graduate from her course the same day Carla got her dream job. The excitement Elodie felt was almost palpable, the idea of her and Carla achieving their dreams in unison delighted her. She didn’t know what was more exciting, the idea of that, or the prospect of the celebration they would have afterwards.

  It was the evening of the penultimate day. A few of the students were going out for ‘last night drinks’ but Elodie had elected to get an early night instead. She ran herself a bath, put on some chilled music and disrobed. Looking at herself in the mirror she admired her reflection, and for the first time in a long while was happy with what she saw. It was amazing what a fortnight forgoing cake as a substitute for a proper meal had done to her body. She was no size zero, but her figure was definitely more streamlined. She felt healthier, fitter and more in control of herself than she had done before. Elodie lowered herself into the hotel bath and took in a sharp intake of breath as the water burned and prickled her pale skin. She shot out a hand and instinctively turned the cold tap on full blast. Cold water cascaded into the bath and after a few moments the temperature was far more bearable and she was able to lower herself in fully. She let out a low, contented sigh as she reclined but immediately regretted not bringing her magazine in with her. The course had proved to have a few extra perks that Elodie hadn’t banked on, including a seemingly endless supply of travel magazines littered about, ripe for the taking. She had made the most of this and had gathered several of them up for a little extracurricular reading. Right now, in the bath, would have been the perfect time for that reading, if only she hadn’t left them on the bed. Elodie weighed up her options and decided that a bubble bath this good wasn’t to be wasted by just lying in it so she got out and with water dripping onto the plush carpet padded back into the bedroom. She snatched up the closest magazine and darted back to the tub. As she lowered herself back into the bath she heard the familiar buzz of her mobile. She’d plugged it in to charge and left it on the bedside table. Elodie knew that it would be Carla, calling to wish her luck. Elodie gave herself a mental nudge; the following day wasn’t just a big deal for her it was also the day of Carla’s first big modelling job.

  ‘I’ll message her before I go to bed,’ Elodie compromised, determined to let Carla know that she was thinking of her. The idea of getting back out of the bath again didn’t even flit across her mind; she tuned out the vibrations of the phone still buzzing away noisily and opened her magazine, immediately getting lost in the pages before her. She closed her eyes momentarily and pretended that the warmth of the water around her was actually the hot sun beating down on her skin and the sound of it moving when she did was actually the waves breaking on the beach. Elodie managed to spend a record- breaking amount of time in the bath and only hauled herself out when her skin was puckered and the water had gone cold. Once she had dried off with the hotel’s oversized fluffy white towels, she slipped into her pyjamas – an oversized T- shirt and shorts combo – and settled down for the night. Finding herself beginning to doze Elodie reached out for her mobile and set the alarm, she noticed with perplexity that the call she had missed earlier was from a number she didn’t know. A mild sort of panic began to settle over her. The only thing she could think was that tomorrow’s examination had changed somehow: maybe the time, or possibly the place? Was it too late to call the number back? She decided that she had little choice on the matter, as the alternative was to potentially miss her exam and fail her entire course. She couldn’t possibly go back home, with no qualification, no job and her tail firmly between her
legs, having wasted Betty’s money.

  “Hi, Elodie,” the unfamiliar voice said down the line. Elodie pulled the phone away from her ear and checked the number again but she knew neither number nor voice. “Hello?” the arcane voice questioned.

  “Errr, hi. Sorry, I don’t have this number saved…” she trailed off, not wanting to ask outright who it was she had called. It somehow seemed impertinent, especially considering it was she who had made the call.

  There was a noise not unlike a sigh, and then the voice spoke again.

  “Elodie, it’s Chase Ford. I just wanted to wish you well for tomorrow. Gareth says you’ve taken to the course like a duck to water, I’m glad it seems to be working out for you.”

  Elodie’s heart beat faster: his voice was so smooth and she found herself wishing that he were saying these words in person instead of down a phone line. She wrestled with herself, tearing her thoughts away from how good his words sounded and instead tried to focus on what they meant.

  “Oh, thanks,” was all she could muster before adding, against her better judgement, “Sorry, why are you ringing?”

  “Just to wish you well. That’s all. I don’t often put myself out for other people, Elodie; this is what you’d call a first for me. I want to make sure you do well.”

  Elodie was unsure how she should react to these words. Calling to wish her well was a kind gesture, but she couldn’t help but feel that this benevolence came with a dash of selfishness. Letting out a small cough she thanked him. There was silence down the line for a moment.