“I’m not.”
“But… doesn’t she want to give that to a magazine that will pay her a huge sum of money for it? Or one of the monthly glossies that will do a big shoot with some famous photographer flown in from LA?”
Rachael shakes her head. “She doesn’t want any of that. She wants you, Harper Jenkins, to have the exclusive. She’s adamant.”
I stare at her. “Wow. I don’t know what to say! I’m so honored.”
“Thanks again for today, Harper, and let me know when this piece about the film will be appearing. You’ll send me the PDF?”
“Sure.” I nod.
She checks her watch. “I have to get back. We are so behind. I’ll be in touch and see you soon!”
Giving me a kiss on the cheek goodbye, she hurries back to the elevator.
“Rachael,” I call out, causing her to turn round after she’s hit the button. “Thank you.”
“Nothing to do with me, Harper,” she replies, stepping into the lift. “It’s all down to you.”
CHAPTER FOUR
My dad calls during dinner.
I don’t pick up, but Liam notices my face when I see the caller’s name flashing on the phone.
“Sorry,” I say, turning the phone facedown on the table and pushing it away. “I needed to check, just in case it was Shamari. You know, Audrey Abbot’s agent? I’m still waiting to hear if I’ve landed that interview with her. Fingers crossed!”
“No problem.” Liam watches me curiously as he chews his mouthful. “You don’t really talk about your parents.”
I shrug, pushing my rice around my plate. “Not much to say.”
“You haven’t told me anything about them, or your sister,” he comments, swallowing. “You know about my whole family.”
“You know enough. I have two parents and an older sister, Juliet. There you go.”
He picks up his glass of white wine, swirling it thoughtfully. “Yes, but what are they like? All I know is they’re lawyers and that’s it. Any time I ask you something about them, you change the subject.”
I feign surprise. “Do I?”
He tilts his head. “You don’t want to talk about them.”
“It’s not that I don’t want to talk about them,” I say, sighing. “It’s just… I don’t know. Okay, maybe I don’t want to talk about them.”
“Have you told them about me?” he asks expectantly.
I hesitate, thinking about lying, but decide to be honest so asnot to get caught out later on. “No. But it’s nothing to do with you. My family… I don’t really speak to them that often, so I haven’t had the opportunity.” I pick up my glass and take two large gulps of wine. “Let’s talk about something else.”
“All right.” He scoops some rice onto his fork. “So, what’s Isabella Blossom like in person? Is she happy with her current representation? Oh, that reminds me, I need to give you some of my cards. I had a very promising email today from a musician who is starting to get some attention on TikTok…”
I try to focus on what Liam is saying, nodding in all the right places and doing my best to look interested, but my dad’s call hangs over me. I’ll have to call him back at some point, and the idea of how awkward and stilted our conversation will be fills me with dread. I wish he’d send a WhatsApp or text like a normal person, but he’s old fashioned when it comes to communication, and on the rare occasion that he makes contact, it’s usually a phone call about meeting for dinner, which is then followed by a formal email in which he confirms the date we’ve just discussed to meet.
When I think about it, my dad and I have a relationship similar to that of mutually disapproving colleagues forced to keep each other in the loop.
“So, what do you think?”
Liam’s question takes me by surprise. I haven’t been listening to a thing he’s been saying.
“About…?”
