Page 59

The following day after Fliss had finished work, she met her agent, Alice Steed, for a late lunch at a sushi restaurant near the studios.

Alice was young, only a few years older than Fliss, and clearly eager to prove herself. Petite and slender, with a French-style bob and red lipstick, wearing a suit that made her look older than her years, she was grinning from ear to ear when the pair met. After catching up and making polite small talk for a few minutes, she came to the point.

‘I had a very exciting phone call yesterday …’ she revealed, her eyes sparkling.

A knot of excitement and nerves was building in Fliss’s stomach as she wondered what Alice was going to say.

‘… with Alan Goldstein, the Vice President of Programming at the E! Channel, based in Los Angeles.’

‘LA?’ Fliss repeated, her voice catching in her throat. She took a sip of sparkling water, as Alice nodded in excitement.

‘As you know, we have a sister agency based in the States, and we’ve been sending your showreel out to our contacts over there – and there’s been a lot of interest.’

Fliss gasped, her mind racing over the possibilities. A potential career in the US? But what about her life here?

‘You’re perfect for the American market, Fliss,’ Alice was saying. ‘Gorgeous and well groomed, with that public-school English accent that Americans can’t get enough of. You’re aspirational yet approachable – the women will want to be you, and the men … Well, I won’t go into that,’ Alice grinned.

Fliss couldn’t take it in. A year ago she had never been on the television. Now she was a bona fide presenter, and her career was heading skywards. ‘But what does that mean?’ Fliss asked. ‘Do I need to audition, or …?’

‘E! News want to give you a three-month trial as an entertainment reporter, on the strength of your showreel alone, which is incredible. Of course, they’ll want to meet with you. We’ll have a call, or fly you out to their New York offices if required. Then, whilst you’re in the US, we’ll set up meetings with other networks and launch you in the press. Not that I don’t think this will work out, but it always helps to have other irons in the fire. A bit of healthy competition never hurts, right?’

Fliss’s head was swimming. She had so many questions and she couldn’t seem to articulate a single one. ‘What about London Lunch?’

‘The current series – and your contract – finishes at the end of the month. There’s no guarantee that the series will be renewed – or that your contract will – so, as your agent, I strongly advise you to take this opportunity.’

Fliss nodded. Suddenly the sashimi on her plate looked completely unappetising. The mixture of excitement and nerves meant she had no interest in food. ‘But I have a life here,’ she whispered. She thought of Kit, of how much she loved him.

‘It’s completely your call,’ Alice said easily, picking up her nigiri with her chopsticks. ‘I can’t tell you what to do with your life. But I would hate to see you throw away what could be the best opportunity you’ve ever had. If it doesn’t work out, you can always come home. I’m sure your friends – and Kit,’ she added carefully, ‘will still be here.’

Fliss said nothing, but the tingle of excitement running through her and the butterflies dancing in her stomach were all she needed to know this was something she wanted.

‘Promise me you’ll think about it?’ Alice said, and Fliss nodded. ‘You’ve got one week to decide.’

Chapter 27

The train rattled out of St Pancras station, and Fliss was transported through London, heading east past densely-packed Victorian terraces and pockets of green parks, with soaring skyscrapers in the distance. The landscape grew more suburban as they reached the outskirts of the city, before leaving the capital behind and travelling through the wide open countryside of Kent, vast expanses of fields punctuated by commuter towns.

Fliss knew there would be another hour or so until they reached Margate, the seaside town where her father lived and where she had grown up. She sat back in her seat, putting her headphones on and listening to Amy Winehouse as she watched the views change outside her window.

So much had happened over the last couple of weeks. As she had promised, Fliss had accompanied Tara to the clinic. Tara had been grim-faced but stoic, with Fliss in calm support, which she knew was what Tara needed. Harry had apparently been in touch to offer money again, which Tara had declined. Other than that she had barely heard from him and didn’t expect to.

Afterwards, Tara was quiet and subdued, staring silently out of the window of their black taxi. Fliss had taken her back to the house in West London where the other girls were mercifully not at home, and tucked her up in bed with a cup of tea and a hot-water bottle. She wanted to do more, say more, but what else was there? Fliss had stayed until Tara had fallen asleep, then let herself out.

The train rattled on through the countryside, past a wide, winding river curving in the distance, the winter sun reflecting off its surface. Fliss’s thoughts turned to Kit. She still hadn’t told him about the offer to go to America.

In some ways it was everything they had ever dreamed of – their careers were taking off, with both of them in demand. But there was never any time together now; their lives were speeding at a hundred miles per hour in pursuit of their own separate goals.

Fliss was deeply in love with Kit, and she could imagine a future with him – marriage, children, growing old together. He’d told her he felt the same, and she believed him. When they did find time together it was electric, like being two halves of a whole, as though they had been destined for one another. And yet … And yet the lure of America tugged at Fliss like an unruly child pulling at her sleeve. She knew that if she didn’t take this chance, she would always regret it.

As they approached the coast, the landscape flattening out and the views becoming more familiar, Fliss thought of her mother. Mum would have bitten someone’s hand off for this opportunity, Fliss reflected. The chance to move to the US, to pursue a television career was everything her mother had dreamed of. By going to America she could fulfil Jacqui’s dreams as well as her own.

Kit would understand how much this meant to her – she didn’t doubt that if a similar opportunity came his way, he would grab it with both hands. Plus, there was no guarantee that it would work out in the States – she might be home with her tail between her legs in a matter of weeks. In the meantime, they could keep up a long-distance relationship, just as they had when he was in Sicily. It would be difficult, but she could fly back whenever she got a break, and where better for Kit to spend time than Hollywood? Perhaps his agent could set up some auditions out there when he got finished with his current projects, and they could pursue their careers together? Yes, it would all work out perfectly, Fliss assured herself.

She would talk it over with her dad this weekend and get his thoughts too. With everything that was going on in her life she hadn’t seen him for a while. She felt guilty enough about that, so how would she feel living half a world away from him? But she knew her father would absolutely encourage her to grab life with both hands. He always had.

‘The next station is Margate. Please take all your belongings when you leave the train,’ came the announcement over the Tannoy. Yes, a relaxing weekend out of London to get her head straight and spend time with her father was exactly what she needed.

As soon as her father opened the door, she knew he was gravely ill. His weight loss, the grey pallor – it was obvious. The colour drained from her face.