‘Rebecca’s the one with the weird lisp?’ Simi asked.

‘It’s just a normal lisp,’ said Jemima.

‘You stayed with her in LA, right?’

‘Yeah. She’s been offered a twelve-month contract at their London offices and she’s thinking through her options,’ Jemima said, her words fading to nothing.

Now was not the time to discuss this. She had enough self-made dramas to handle.

‘If she comes to London, I hope she knows, you’re ours,’ Simi giggled, clutching Jemima.

‘One hundred per cent,’ she said before changing tack. ‘So, tell me more about Mo.’

‘Now, are we all happy with our dates? Jem, what do you think of yours?’ Simi asked.

‘Tim? Yeah, he’s nice,’ said Jemima.

‘You are welcome,’ said Meagan with a flourish.

‘And don’t you think he’s a good fit, you know; sweet like you, funny like you and grounded,’ Simi enthused.

‘I’m not sure I got all that from one conversation but he’s definitely nice,’ said Jemima as they skated back to the hut.

Simi’s face fell and Jemima felt bad. But what could she do? For her, this wasn’t about falling in love. This was about a much bigger picture.

‘I bet Jem’s only dating these poor fellas to get ideas for her book. She probably gets home afterwards and taps away at her little laptop,’ Meagan laughed, miming a silly impersonation of Jemima.

‘Don’t be mean,’ said Simi.

Jemima’s face drained of blood. She stopped dead in her tracks thinking, for one horrific moment, she had been found out.

‘Jem’s not that shady. She knows I’m joking,’ said Meagan as she stepped into the warmth of the hut.

‘Course,’ said Jemima, forcing out a laugh.

Despite the Baltic temperature, Jemima was sweating. Hanging back, she quickly pulled out her phone, going straight to Rebecca’s email. She needed to prepare her exit strategy and this might be the first part of it.

I am soooo interested! Jemima tapped into her phone. She hit SEND and followed Meagan and Simi inside.

Chapter 27

Simi

Simi opened one eye and then the other. The bedroom was dark but in the hallway she could see the flickering glow of a TV screen. So, this was Mo’s pad. She looked around the bedroom which was enormous, and, aside from some minimalist furniture, empty. Luxurious, long curtains hung against sliding doors that opened out onto a balcony. At the start of the evening, she never dreamt she’d end up in the bed of a famous actor, yet here she was. The night had started with early drinks and dinner at Nobu which Mo had paid for and Simi still felt guilty about. She wished she were more like Meagan who considered such chivalry reparations for the gender pay gap. Then later, outside the restaurant, when he’d put an arm around her and pulled her to him, Simi had actually swooned. But then she’d had a choice.

‘Want to come to an exhibition I’m opening next week or… you could come back to mine?’ Mo had whispered so close to her ear it felt as though he’d planted the words inside her head.