“You have no idea. Anyway, enough about all that. Chloe, what is going on with you—other than being madly in love and already surviving your first scandal.”
“Are we calling it a scandal?” Chloe asked. “I don’t know if that’s the right word.”
“Yeah, more like a shitstorm,” offered Jules. Chloe nodded her agreement, but Lucy threw Jules a look. “What? What would you call having your name dragged through the mud on social media?”
There was a moment of silence. “A scandal,” Jules and Chloe said in unison. They laughed and Lucy tutted.
“Sorry, Luce, you were right,” Jules conceded.
“Yes, I know. Now can we please get back to Chloe’s news?”
“Right, my news. So, just before we got the call about Madison and the Twitter scandal, Archer and I were talking about the film—you know, the Capels’s story—and he asked if I’d ever thought about producing, and of course, I’m like, ‘Uh, no, it has never even crossed my mind.’ Anyway, he told me he has this producer friend, Fi, who I should talk to, so he set up a call for us. Actually, I ended up speaking to her in the departure lounge at Heathrow.
“And oh, my god, she is ah-mazing. We talked about my professional experience, and she had all these questions about my skillset and my goals and then she told me all about what she does. And she said that if Archer’s film does get the go ahead, she’ll be producing it and she’ll take me on, sort of like an apprenticeship.”
Lucy pressed her hands together and clapped them lightly. “Oh, Chloe! That’s amazing. I’m so proud of you.”
Chloe beamed. “I know! It’s … I have no words. It’s beyond my wildest imagination, and if I think about how I met Archer … I mean, seriously, this is all like something out of a movie.”
“Especially the part with the scandal,” offered Lucy.
“Uh, yeah, right.”
Lucy scrutinised Chloe’s face. Was she just pretending to be fine with everything? “Chloe, are you sure you’re all right?”
“Yeah. Why, what do you mean?”
“Well, it’s just that only a couple of days ago, your face and your name were splattered all over the internet.”
“Well, yeah, that was awful—still is in some ways. I mean, the dust has barely settled. And, sure, if I think about it too much, then it can be a little overwhelming. But I love him, so …” She shrugged.
“I just wish we’d been there for you,” said Lucy.
“I know you do. And that’s exactly why we’re all here. I needed my girls. I need my girls.”
“Me too,” said Jules. “I still can’t decide if us swapping Christmases was the best idea we’ve ever had or the worst.”
“How so?” asked Lucy.
“Well, it’s just that so much happened—for each of us—but we weren’t there to share it. And that thing with you and me, Luce … Maybe that wouldn’t have happened if we’d all been together.”
“Hmm, maybe.” They were quiet for a moment and Lucy guessed that the others were contemplating “what ifs” the same way she was. What if she’d stayed in England and had Christmas with Chloe? Then she and Will would never have got together. She shuddered at the thought.
“Sorry,” said Jules. “I didn’t mean to be a Debbie Downer. Chloe’s got more news, by the way,” she prompted.
“Oh, right. I almost forgot!” exclaimed Chloe and Lucy perked up with anticipation. “So, after New Year’s, Archer is flying to LA to meet with the studios—that’s how they say it—‘meet with the studios’—love it!” she sing-songed. “Anyway, all going to plan, they’ll start shooting mid-year and …” she paused for effect. “I will be based in London for the duration.” She gaped at Lucy, her mouth and eyes wide with excitement.
“You’re moving to London? You’re moving to London!” Lucy leapt off the sofa and jumped up and down, clapping her hands.
Chloe grinned up at her. “Well, a bit like with Jules, there are a lot of things that have to fall into place, but that’s the tentative plan.”
Lucy sighed happily and plopped back down onto the sofa. Then she had a thought. “But what if the film falls through? I mean, it probably won’t because it’s Archer, but he is a first-time director, and what if they say no?”
“Well, we’ve talked about that, of course, and even if it does fall through, we’ll still want to be together. And at this stage, it seems like London makes the most sense.”
The sob erupted from Lucy without warning. “Hey, Luce?” she heard Jules ask. “Are those happy tears?” She nodded, then shook her head, and tried to stop the sobs. Yes, of course, she was happy for Chloe and that one of her best friends would be living in London. But all this talk of plans—Jules moving to Australia, Chloe in love with Archer and making a life with him—only shone a light on the fact that she and Will hadn’t discussed any.
And it would be New Year’s in a couple of days and then she’d have to go home to England. The thought turned her stomach upside down and the sobs started up again. She was only vaguely aware that Chloe was now perched on the end of the sofa and Jules had drawn close to her other side. They both petted her and made soothing sounds, but what was she going to do?
This was what it felt like every time she travelled with her two best friends, and it got closer and closer to the end of their holiday—only a thousand times worse. And she knew it was too early to know what her feelings for Will even were, or what they could become, but at the bare minimum, she adored him—and fancied the pants off him.
Actually, she adored fancying his pants right off him. She choked out a laugh at her own terrible joke, but it did the trick. The sobs started to subside and she was left ragged and
