‘No,’ Liv blurted.
Marlon’s eyes widened.
‘She needs to rest.’
‘Yes, of course you’re right. We need her bright-eyed and bushy-tailed for tomorrow. The book festival’s always hectic. Remind her to be on the stand at 10.30 a.m., will you? Meg wants her to meet some bigwig overseas publishers. And then there’s the big dinner.’
‘Dinner?’ Liv said, as if the other things weren’t enough. ‘Big?’
‘It’s a fancy annual thing. Essie will be the guest of honour. She’s turned down invitations for the past umpteen years, so everyone’s excited she’s joining us.’
Liv’s legs felt even weaker.
Marlon placed a hand on her forearm. ‘You’re doing a great job, coaxing her out of her cave. Whatever magic you’re casting, it’s working wonders.’
She mumbled that it was nothing.
‘Shall we grab a beer together? Have you eaten?’ he said.
Although she was starving, Liv wanted to get back to the safety of the suite. Gilding the truth was proving exhausting. ‘No, sorry,’ she said. ‘Essie has things she wants me to do.’
‘Well, tell your boss I said hi. I hope she feels better soon. Are you heading back to the foyer?’
‘I’d like to stay and look at the books, if that’s okay?’
‘Sure. They look great, don’t they? Piles of pure joy. I’ll see you on the stand tomorrow. Nighty night.’
‘Night,’ she said, and waited for him to leave the room.
When the door swung shut, Liv exhaled. Every tendon in her body grew looser. She helped herself to a wedge of the bookplates and a Sharpie pen and tucked them into her handbag before switching off the light. She stared straight ahead as she strode across the foyer, not wanting to catch the eye of the receptionist.
Outside the door of Essie’s suite, she gaped at the things piled there: a teddy bear, Dubrovnik guidebook, a tote bag, box of chocolates and a small bouquet of white roses. There were a few envelopes with Essie’s name on the front and she opened a card.
Dear Essie. You are the most talented writer, ever. We can’t wait for Georgia’s 20th story. With love from your biggest fans ever xxx
The note was signed with lots of names.
Liv gathered up the gifts, struggling to hold them in her arms. When a group of girls dressed as Georgia Rory suddenly appeared around the corner, she quickly opened the suite door and heaved the presents onto the bed. Chattering sounded outside the room for a while, and she ignored the knocks sounding on the door.
‘Esssiiiiieeee,’ someone shrieked. ‘Is Georgia in there?’
Liv kept quiet. Did they actually think the character was real?
The talking died away after a few minutes. When Liv’s phone vibrated, she was pleased to see Jake had messaged her and she sat down on the bed to read it.
Do you know where Johnny’s long blue sports socks are?
Liv gritted her teeth and tried to remember. Perhaps they were in the bottom of his PE bag, or still in the laundry basket. The boys had a habit of asking her before looking for themselves. She was about to reply with suggestions when her gaze fell upon the roses. Could Essie’s mystery man be here in Dubrovnik?
She lifted and smelled them. If her family could see her now, in her luxury suite, perhaps they wouldn’t take her for granted so much. Was it such a big deal if Johnny had to find his own socks, or borrow some off Mack?
I’m enjoying myself, thanks for asking,she replied.Missing you all x
Her stomach rumbled as if congratulating her. Navigating Essie’s world had made her ravenous, and she called for room service.
When the food arrived, Liv sat on the end of her bed. She ate her burger and fries with silver-plated cutlery and drank a large glass of Merlot, then watched a Croatian DIY programme on TV while waiting for the jacuzzi to run. There was no loud music, banging or floorboards groaning. Only the gentle sound of bubbling water, and it was blissful.
Chapter 17
