“I’d like to stay and look at the books, if that’s okay?”

“Sure. They look great, don’t they? Piles of pure joy. I’ll see you on the stand tomorrow. Nighty night.”

“Night,” she said, and waited for him to leave the room.

When the door swung shut, Liv exhaled. Every tendon in her body grew looser. She helped herself to a wedge of the bookplates and a Sharpie pen and tucked them into her handbag before switching off the light. She stared straight ahead as she strode across the lobby, not wanting to catch the eye of the receptionist.

Outside the door of Essie’s suite, she gaped at the things piled there: a teddy bear, Dubrovnik guidebook, a tote bag, box of chocolates and a small bouquet of white roses. There were a few envelopes with Essie’s name on the front and she opened a card. “Dear Essie. You are the most talented writer, ever. We can’t wait for Georgia’s 20th story. With love from your biggest fans ever xxx”

The note was signed with lots of names.

Liv gathered up the gifts, struggling to hold them in her arms. When a group of girls dressed as Georgia Rory suddenly appeared around the corner, she quickly opened the suite door and heaved the presents onto the bed. Chattering sounded outside the room for a while, and she ignored the knocks sounding on the door.

“Esssiiiiieeee,” someone shrieked. “Is Georgia in there?”

Liv kept quiet. Did they actually think the character was real?

The talking died away after a few minutes. When Liv’s phone vibrated, she was pleased to see Jake had messaged her and she sat down on the bed to read it.

Do you know where Johnny’s long blue sports socks are?

Liv gritted her teeth and tried to remember. Perhaps they were in the bottom of his PE bag, or still in the laundry basket. The boys had a habit of asking her before looking for themselves. She was about to reply with suggestions when her gaze fell upon the roses. Could Essie’s mystery man be here in Dubrovnik?

She lifted and smelled them. If her family could see her now, in her luxury suite, perhaps they wouldn’t take her for granted so much. Was it such a big deal if Johnny had to find his own socks, or borrow some off Mack?

I’m enjoying myself, thanks for asking, she replied. Missing you all x.

Her stomach rumbled as if congratulating her. Navigating Essie’s world had made her ravenous, and she called for room service.