One mistake and Lin was holding my job over my head as if I were the worst employee in the world. Years of hard work reduced to nothing thanks to a stupid computer glitch.
I bit my tongue. “Got it.”
Lin’s smile was stretched, calculating. “Good. Now, I think I can manage a few weeks without you so long as I get to keep RJ happy. I won’t bother you, I won’t even email. You’re to focus entirely on RJ. But don’t take an age on this script either. I’ll need you back here before too long. Got it?”
“Absolutely. I can do this.”
She stared at me for a beat before waving a dismissive hand. “Don’t you have some flights to book?”
I rose to my feet on legs so shaky I felt like Bambi on ice. Of all the outcomes of my mistake, the very notion RJ might offer me a chance to work on his script hadn’t even been on my radar. I was overcome with a strong urge to call Bex and share the news, but as soon as the thought crossed my mind, I remembered she had yet to return any of my calls. As I reached Lin’s office door, I paused and looked back at my boss.
“Thanks for this,” I said. “Trust me, I won’t let you down.”
Lin smiled tightly. “That’s right. You won’t.”
Chapter Six
“You all packed?”
I looked up from where I was kneeling over my suitcase to see Bex leaning against the doorway to my room. Although we’d made up and said all the right words to each other, I’d been so busy prepping for New York I’d barely seen her. I’d spent the last few days tangling with red tape to rush through a work visa from the US embassy, as well as tying as many loose ends up at Temper as I could. It hadn’t escaped my attention, though, that there was now an undercurrent to every conversation Bex and I had. I hated that there was distance between us before I’d even boarded the plane.
“Almost,” I said.
She nodded, fiddled with the sleeve of her jumper. “That’s good.”
I paused rolling up some socks. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah …” She finally met my gaze, properly. “Ish.”
“Ish?” I repeated.
“Ish.”
I looked at my best friend, mere feet away from me. I hadn’teven left yet, and I already missed her. “Do you want to talk about it?”
“I had this dream last night,” she said. “That you didn’t come back.”
“Bex.” I tilted my head. “I’m coming back.”
“Right, but, in my dream, we weren’t talking anymore,” she said, her voice thick. “And then you went to America and never came home. It was awful.”
“Just a dream, Bex,” I assured her. “I can’t stay, I don’t have the right visa for one thing.”
“It just got me thinking, is all.” She advanced into the room. “How bad it would be if we lost touch?”
I dropped the socks and stood. “We’re not going to lose touch.” I was horrified she’d even imagine such a thing. “Bex, I know I’ve hardly been the most reliable of friends recently but this is something I can promise you.”
“Good.” She took a shaky breath. “Because Dan’s mum is already driving me mad with wedding stuff and if I can’t talk to you about it then I’ll quite possibly lose my mind.”
“Oh no.” Although Dan’s mother was lovely, she was also someone who very much enjoyed being the center of attention, which was exhausting for me, so I couldn’t imagine how it was for Bex.
“She’s inviting all of her cousins,” Bex said through gritted teeth. “Did you know she has fourteen of them? I’ve never met these people, but apparently they all have to come and bring their families too!”
“You’re going to need a bigger boat,” I said solemnly.
“Oh, I know that film,” Bex said, tapping her chin. “It’s the shark one, isn’t it?”
I spluttered indignantly. “CallingJaws ‘the shark one’ is like callingTitanic‘the boat one.’”
