‘Can you email that to us please?’ asked Tasha.
Anastasia huffed. ‘Anything else we can utilize? Anything in your personal life that we can get the press writing about? We need column inches. Personal interest. Going off the rails… Or a romance between the leads is always a winner.’
‘I’m not faking an addiction,’ said Tasha.
Anastasia held her palms up. ‘Fine, just a suggestion. How about the romance?’
‘Fake romance doesn’t seem above board,’ said Jay.
Tasha sat up straight. ‘Jay Pandey, are you saying you don’t find me attractive?’ she asked, pretty blue eyes staring into the camera.
‘Oh goodness, no, not at all. The opposite… Well, notopposite, I’m not obsessed with you or anything. I’m the right level of attracted to you. If that’s all right with you,’ he said, wanting Bruce to come in and eat him whole.
Tasha laughed. ‘Leave the romance, Anastasia. I think it’s better to let the press and public speculate.’
‘Actually, that’s a good idea,’ said Anastasia, looking surprised as she jotted something down.
Jay was nodding along and, if he wasn’t mistaken, Anastasia was leaning in and staring at him but it was hard to tell on the tiny screen. ‘Jay, what’s happening with you?’
‘Umm—’ he felt put on the spot, ‘I’ve recently got a rescue dog.’
‘Aww, how cute,’ said Tasha. ‘I love doggos. Is he all cute and cuddly? Is he there?’
‘No time for that,’ butted in Anastasia, ‘and not really what we’re after. The film is gritty. So something more edgy and dangerous is needed.’
Jay pouted at the screen. He didn’t do edgy or dangerous. ‘I went on a climbing trip the other week. Oh, and I might have a stalker.’
‘That,’ said Anastasia, jabbing a dangerously pointy fingernail at the screen, ‘that is exactly the sort of thing we need and the public will love.’
‘Climbing trips?’ asked Tasha.
‘No. A stalker. It’s worrying. It plays on people’s minds and it has the shock factor. It’s perfect. I’ll brief that into the newspapers.’
‘Hang on,’ said Jay. ‘I was thinking about speaking to the police about it first.’
‘No need.’
‘But doesn’t publicizing it give the stalker the attention they are craving?’ he asked.
Anastasia shrugged. ‘No such thing as bad publicity.’
Jay was not sure that was strictly true in this instance.
31
Nora arrived early at the coffee shop to meet Liam so she went to the nearby charity shop to have a browse and kill some time. She was examining a glass chopping board with Elvis’s face depicted on it in vegetables when Liam walked by the window. Nora dashed from the shop with the chopping board still in her hand.
‘Liam. Hi.’
‘Hey, you’ve not paid for that!’ shouted the shop assistant, chasing after Nora.
‘Good grief. I’m so sorry.’ Nora and Liam stared at the depiction of Elvis in aubergines and avocados in Nora’s hands before she thrust it at the cross-looking shop assistant.
The woman didn’t take it. Instead she folded her arms. ‘It’s two pounds. We’re a charity shop, you know.’
‘Er, of course. Right. Sorry.’ Nora rummaged one-handed through her bag, looking for her purse.
‘Here you go,’ said Liam, pulling some coins from his pocket and handing them to the woman, who took the money and shook her head at Nora.
