Alice hugged me. ‘Everything will be okay. Just trust your gut.’
‘Are you going to tell me who the other person is?’
She grinned. ‘No, not yet. I’m going for the shock effect.’
‘Shock effect? Alice, I’m barely hanging on here…’
‘It’ll be fine, you’ll see. Just do what I say and you won’t have to worry about a thing for the rest of your life, baby.’
Enough of all the drama. All I wanted to do was sign my name on the dotted line and go back to Penworth Ford before the kids got too homesick. And, obviously, enjoy the royalties. Maybe even start on that new book with my new-found confidence. And the comfort of a new heating system. It was funny how you could suddenly get creative when you weren’t worried about survival all the time.
8
Once Upon A Time In Hollywood
The next morning I got up early and showered before changing into my meeting outfit. I took extra care with my hair and make-up and donned my favourite LBD that did wonders for my figure. When the car and nanny arrived, I hugged Chloe and Ben fiercely, reminding Ben to watch his step and Chloe to watch her mouth.
‘Can you give me a heads-up?’ I asked for the third time that morning as I slid into the limo next to Alice, but she put her finger on her lips and tilted her head towards the driver. I groaned. ‘What can you tell me?’
‘That we’re on our way to see the team of producers for a preliminary meeting.’
No surprise there. And yet, I had to ask myself how much I trusted Alice. Which was sad. She’d been my friend years now. Gosh, one night in LA and already I was looking over my shoulder. The place rubbed off on you pretty easily, I had to say.
In ten minutes we arrived at the headquarters of TakeFive Studios and were beamed up to the penthouse floor. As the elevator swooped up, I wondered what I was getting myself into, if this was too good to be true and whether I would find myself out on my arse within the hour and on a plane back to England where all my problems would be waiting for me. Only there’d also be the humiliation of returning empty-handed. It would take me a little longer to readjust to my old life.
‘Act like you don’t know him,’ Alice whispered into my ear as we were being ushered into a large white office where a bunch of people were sitting and it became immediately clear that I was overdressed in my LBD.
‘What?’ I whispered back without moving my lips. Act like I didn’t know Ben Stein? Why? Oh my God, what the hell had she done?
‘Ms Conte, what a pleasure to finally meet you,’ he drawled, holding out his hand. I stared at it. ‘I’m Ben Stein. This is Anna Weiss, Marty Roth and this here is—’
I looked over to a man holding his hand out to me. And almost had a coronary on the spot.
Luke O’Hara, the most famous and talented actor of the moment, was waiting for me to shake his hand. He was different in person, his familiar blue eyes framed by those lusciously long and dark lashes, the almost red full lips framed by a strong, square jaw – the jaw that made women all over the world swoon.
I hoped he was wanting the role of my hero. He’d be perfect. He could convince anyone he was just a regular guy caught in the bod of a Hollywood superstar. And the only actor that could pull that one off was indeed him, the healthy, all-American lad the whole world was in love with. His performances had ranged from those as a violent drug addict, to an English Lord, to Che Guevara, and was even top of the list for being the next Sherlock Holmes. Luke O’Hara was a mixture of both extremes that had you wanting every side of him. And, in the movies, you’d hardly recognise him because he was a real chameleon.
‘Hi, nice to meet you,’ was all I managed to say, albeit, I must hand it to myself, looking rather blasé, as if he was just the bloke next door.
But actually, I’d seen an interview on TV a few months back and knew he was, as they say in Hollywood, The Big Time. From his broad smile and easy-going manner, he looked like a fun fellow.
‘Hi, Nina. It’s good to meet you, too. Have a seat.’
And then as I made to sit down, I slipped and landed in front of the chair, and the next thing I knew he was holding my forearms and guiding me to my seat.
‘You all right?’ he asked and, stunned, I nodded.
‘Sorry. Didn’t expect to see you. Well, maybe catch a glimpse of you at Hard Rock Café, or maybe on a bus tour going past your home or something.’ So much for my British poise and stiff upper lip.
He laughed in the voice that made women shiver in delight. ‘You really are funny. See, Ben? I told you she’d be funny.’
I glanced at Alice who was turning a million different shades and was as emotional as I was. I remembered a crack she’d made once about locking him in her office and having her wicked way with him, and I giggled. All eyes turned to me.
‘Sorry. I was just… sorry.’
Luke smiled warmly. God, could a man really be this beautiful up close? He looked like he didn’t even have any pores. Too handsome to be real, and way better, if even possible, than on screen. He looked thinner. Younger. Sexier. And, because I was sitting right next to him despite Ben’s attempt to offer me a seat next to him, I could literally smell his cologne.
Okay, cut it out, you must be thinking. No one is that perfect. And you’d be wrong. Physically, he was
