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Back Just for December Save as PDF
Chapters (54)
  1. Cover
  2. PRAISE FOR LAURA JANE WILLIAMS
  3. Dedication
  4. 1
  5. 2
  6. 3
  7. 4
  8. 5
  9. 6
  10. 7
  11. 8
  12. 9
  13. 10
  14. 11
  15. 12
  16. 13
  17. 14
  18. 15
  19. 16
  20. 17
  21. 18
  22. 19
  23. 20
  24. 21
  25. 22
  26. 23
  27. 24
  28. 25
  29. 26
  30. 27
  31. 28
  32. 29
  33. 30
  34. 31
  35. 32
  36. 33
  37. 34
  38. 35
  39. 36
  40. 37
  41. 38
  42. 39
  43. 40
  44. 41
  45. 42
  46. 43
  47. 44
  48. 45
  49. Acknowledgements
  50. Publishing Credits
  51. Keep Reading …
  52. About the Author
  53. Fiction by the same author
  54. About the Publisher

Downstairs, the mood is merry and bright. The place is packed, with everyone from cast and crew in high spirits, and gloved waiters carrying trays of drinks and hors d’oeuvres, but he instantly sees who he is looking for. She’s resplendent, dressed up in a way he’s never seen her. She’s wearing a calf-length beaded skirt – it might be sequins – in silver, with a matching silver top that ties at the neck and falls open to show off her back, so that with one false move, it would be boob city. Duke thinks about those boobs. Actually – one false move and all his Christmases might come at once. Her hair is piled high on her head, and she’s got a simple pair of studded earrings in. Her lips are festive in red, and when she sees him too Duke thinks: This is how it is supposed to feel, spotting your person across a crowded room. He waves, and then is accosted by Malcolm, an arm across his shoulders and a hot, heavy breath laced with vodka saying things urgently about margins and windows of opportunity.

‘Yes,’ Duke agrees, panicking as he loses sight of her. She’s all he’s here for. See you tonight, they’d said. She knows they’re on a tight deadline. She knows what is happening – he made sure to get the message to her. Kayla, in make-up, said she’d find her and tell her personally that he was with Daphne working, but he’d be down when he could as promised.

‘Hey, can we circle back on this later?’ Duke interrupts Malcolm, weighing down on his shoulder, right as the producer says, ‘In fact, let’s see if we can get LA on the phone right now. They’re using a guy in Toronto too, so let’s all confab together. Come on. We won’t be long. Half an hour, tops. Daphne! We’ve got a call!’ he barks in her direction, and when she comes running willingly, without protest, it’s all Duke can do to look back to let Evie know he’ll be back soon. But she’s disappeared from view.

40

Evie

Evie taps the mic.

‘Right then,’ she says into it. ‘I lost a bet with my best friend, and that’s why I’m up here.’ She gives a nervous chuckle, and everyone is kind enough to nervously chuckle with her.

‘Get it, girl!’ Magda shouts across the room of people, and Evie shakes her head. She’s had three shots and ten minutes with a meditation app in order to be able to do this, but that was the dare: Evie lost a game of rock, paper, scissors over something so stupid she can’t even remember now, and the forfeit was to sing a song at the wrap-party karaoke … and dedicate it to Duke.