‘That’s great news, Shaheena, but it’s not going to work,’ said Jemima.

‘What? You no likey money?’ said Shaheena. ‘Jem, this is it. You’ve made it. There’s nothing standing in our way.’

‘Yeah,’ said Jemima, ‘about that.’

Chapter 45

Meagan

Meagan watched her printer slowly spew out each page of Simi’s Clash of the Crown contract. All the while, behind her she could hear Simi fidgeting.

‘Still no furniture?’ Simi said into the void.

‘Oh my God, I’ve been robbed,’ Meagan gasped sarcastically before snatching Simi’s contract from the printer.

Though she wished she could verbally eviscerate her, Meagan had to keep Simi onside. After Todd declared himself out of the lawsuit earlier in the week, she was her last ally.

Meagan pasted on a rigid smile and handed the contract over. ‘You set for filming on Saturday?’

‘They’re flying me to Dublin tomorrow afternoon,’ Simi said looking around for a flat surface, eventually smoothing out the paperwork on the nearest wall.

Meagan watched Simi jiggle her pen to draw down the ink, embarrassed. She didn’t even have a horizontal surface for clients to sign a few crumby papers on. This is what her life now amounted to – a shitty, deskless vacuum.

‘Just sign pages three, eight and ten. I can fill out the rest,’ said Meagan suddenly wanting Simi to leave.

‘I’ll fill it out. You don’t know my new address,’ Simi said, shuffling through the contract.

Meagan frowned. Who was this efficient, business-like Simi and what had she done with her bubbly, fun friend?

‘So, are you excited?’ Meagan asked.

‘No notes, okay?’ said Simi eyes still on her paperwork.

Meagan swayed, momentarily speechless.

‘I… I…’ she stammered. ‘All I was going to say was, having Crown on your CV will impress your new reps.’

Had this been any other client, Meagan would have left a size-four footprint on their arse as she booted them out of her office.

‘I don’t have a new agent,’ Simi confessed, handing back the signed papers.

Meagan’s tummy fluttered.

‘I see,’ she said searching for what to say.

‘Well, I better get going. Got to pack,’ said Simi slipping her handbag into the crook of her arm.

Meagan shifted her weight. Part of her wanted to tell Simi good riddance. She wanted to point and laugh from the bleachers as Simi tried to make it with no agent, but even Meagan knew that was coming from her hurt.

‘If you don’t have a new agent… I can still, you know,’ Meagan hazarded.

‘Meagan…’

‘No more notes. Promise. My only job will be making sure the world knows how brilliant you are and once they meet Cake, they will,’ said Meagan.

Standing in the middle of her bare office, she had never been surer of anything. She loved the woman standing in front of her and would do whatever it took to keep her in her life. She wasn’t going to let ten years of friendship slip away just like that.

‘And we’ll keep business and friendship separate. It got messy but we can clean that up. I want you as my client and I need you as my friend. You’re the best, you frigging idiot,’ said Meagan as tears flowed.