‘Just come back when you’re ready and we’ll start the paperwork and have him done within the week,’ he concluded, shuffling his papers into a neat pile.
Meaning, Come back when you have the money.
And soon I would, just as soon as the studio paid my advance on the script. Because Alice’s ten grand had been spent on the kids’ education. As cautious as I was by nature, I couldn’t help but taste the flavour of accomplishment.
It had been years since my last lucrative achievement that was beneficial to my children, and finally I had succeeded. The tiny margin of things going wrong existed, I knew, but for once I wanted to be completely optimistic and oblivious to any chance of it not going well.
My time had come. My book was going to become a movie, and with that giving me confidence, I knew I would manage to find a fourth book in me. All I’d needed was someone to believe in me again, and I now had Luke O’Hara to thank.
*
Before our departure back to England, Luke and Jessica offered to take us to Rodeo Drive.
‘Er, we’d better give that one a miss,’ I said. With T-shirts at four hundred dollars a pop, Chloe was better off eating ice cream on the pier like the rest of us mortals.
Only they pranced around in tiny outfits, all smiley, like guests at a plastic Barbie and Ken party. I’d much rather have been back at home talking to Alf or to Bev, Carol and Deirdre – the Ice Cream Ladies – or Jack and Em, real people. My people.
As we were strolling down the Santa Monica Pier, my mobile rang. It was, what a coincidence, Jack.
‘Hey, how’s it going?’ came his breezy voice. He sounded happy.
‘Jack! Absolutely fantastic! We’ll be home the day after tomorrow.’
‘That’s great, Nina! Did you play hardball?’
I laughed. ‘Yeah, pretty much, although Alice did most of the playing. Luke O’Hara wants me to co-write the script.’
‘Luke O’Hara, the actor?’
‘Yup!’
‘That’s excellent news, Nina. You so deserve this.’
‘I know, but I’m not sure I can—’
‘Nina,’ came his deep voice from across the ocean, making me even more homesick. And it had only been a few days. ‘You’ve got this.’
I smiled. Good old supportive Jack. ‘Thank you. So I’ll fill you in when we get back. How are Minnie and Callie? Thanks for taking care of them, by the way.’
‘They miss you terribly.’
Awh. So did we. I hadn’t realised how much I would miss them, like my own children. I couldn’t wait to wrap my arms around their warm furry bodies and see them yapping for joy.
‘How’s everyone? How’s Emma?’
‘We had dinner last night at my place.’
‘Did you miss us at all?’
Silence. ‘Of course we missed you, Nina. We miss all of you. But we’ll have a nice dinner when you get back, okay? Emma and Chanel will be there and it’ll be like you never left.’
‘I’ll bring something over, too.’
‘Can’t wait,’ he mumbled, or I thought that was what he said.
‘Jack? You still there?’
‘I’m here,’ he reassured me.
‘’Kay then.’
‘Give the kids my love. And why the hell not, Alice too. She deserves it.’
I grinned. ‘She’ll be gushing, then. Bye.’
‘See you soon.’
He and Emma had had dinner without me – that was a first. I hung up with the strange sensation that I had missed out on something by being here.
*
After another day of sightseeing and buying souvenirs for practically everyone in the village, there was nothing left to do but pack up and go home. And wait for the lawyers to draw up a contract.
The morning we were to fly out, Luke and Jessica came to the hotel lobby to say goodbye with snack bags. Proper sweet, old-school kindness. Mine contained Hershey kisses, walnut cookies, Wrigley’s chewing gum and also a small bottle of San Pellegrino water.
‘I noticed how you were savouring it the other day,’ he said with a shrug. Maybe there was hope for this American yet.
‘Thank you.’
‘So… see you when we get to Cornwall,’ he said, shaking my hand. ‘In a few weeks we’ll be in England and getting to work.’
‘See you back in ol’ Kernow,’ I chimed back, mentally raising my eyebrows. That was it? A handshake, after we’d had lunch twice, once in his own home, and our daughters had practically become blood sisters? Must be my Italian temperament. Once we broke bread with someone, we were buddies for life. I guess Hollywood did the opposite to people.
As we were going back up to our room, he called me. ‘Hey, Nina!’
I looked back. He grinned and waved. ‘It’s gonna be great, you’ll see…’
‘I just can’t wait to get started,’ I called back. The start of a completely different life for us.
14
The Bucket List
On the flight home Ben was sick three times, poor soul, and I was about to collapse from exhaustion as I kept waking up from my uncomfortable, constrained position to check on Ben. Chloe had several naps this time, sleeping like an angel, and Alice snored practically all the way home, the lucky cow. I guessed the security of that kind of money coming her way induced her into a deep, serene sleep.
As I was finishing off a delicious cup of coffee, Chloe opened her eyes and looked up at me. I swear she looked like when she was three. ‘Are you okay, darling?’ I asked.
She stretched and nodded.
‘You had a good time with Jess, didn’t you?’
‘Yeah. She’s really cool. I didn’t know a blind person could be that cool.’
I bit my lip to keep from retorting with a moral lesson. It was a miracle she had even told me that much. If not towards me, I noticed that LA had mellowed Chloe slightly. She didn’t snort as
