sequel?’
‘Yes, the sequel, the war movie,’ yelled Jess.
‘Oh my god, I’m so proud of you!’ Andie squealed, forgetting herself for a moment and jumping up and down. She turned and looked at James, who was laughing.
‘Come over and we’ll drink Diet Coke, talk shit and celebrate me and my awesomeness,’ said Jess.
‘I can’t,’ said Andie, although she could think of nothing better.
‘Why not?’
‘I just can’t, I’ll call you and tell you why later.’
‘Aw,’ said Jess. Andie could hear the pout in her voice. ‘But you’re my BFF! If you can’t celebrate with me, who will?’
‘I’m really sorry,’ said Andie, and she was. ‘I swear I’ll make it up to you. I really have to go now, though.’
‘Okay,’ said Jess in a small voice. ‘Bye.’
‘Bye, Jess. You’re awesome. Congrats again.’ Andie hung up and put her phone away.
‘Big news, huh?’ asked James.
Andie thought he looked older than his twenty-one years. More worn around the eyes than a twenty-one-year-old should be. ‘Yeah,’ said Andie. ‘She got a part.’
‘You sounded excited for her,’ he smiled.
‘I am,’ said Andie, smiling. She was so happy for Jess.
They stood in silence for a moment.
‘Come on over and have a seat,’ he said, pulling himself up on his crutches again. He moved slowly across the floorboards.
Andie followed him over to the L-shaped sofa, watching carefully in case he needed a steadying hand.
‘So, let me tell you a little bit about your role,’ James said as he sat down awkwardly on the leather sofa and put his foot up. He sighed with relief. ‘Basically I have to start the publicity campaign for the film I’ve just done. I also have a bunch of scripts to go through and a stack of fan mail I haven’t answered.’
‘Okay,’ said Andie.
James pointed at his foot. ‘It’s not exactly a great time for this to have happened, but my life was pretty chaotic anyway. Maybe these things happen for a reason. This could be a good chance to get on top of things.’ He smiled philosophically, but Andie felt sick again.
‘So yeah, I need you to run errands, organise my schedule, deal with my agent and my manager and …’ He paused. ‘And I hope it goes without saying that I’m expecting complete confidentiality.’
‘Of course,’ said Andie. She may run from the scene of a crime, but she could keep a secret.
‘So I have a bit of an issue with my ex-girlfriend at the moment,’ he said, running his hand through his hair.
No shit, Andie thought.
‘Anyway, we broke up a while ago but she still hassles me a lot,’ he said. ‘I need you to be my … gatekeeper for a while. She’s having a hard time letting go,’ he said, frowning. ‘Can you do that?’
Andie could think of nothing better than shutting down Nikki Morgan. She tried to contain her glee as she gave a serious nod. ‘Of course. Breakups are tough for everyone,’ she said. ‘I totally understand. I just went through it myself.’
Why would you say that? she admonished herself. Shut up Andie, just shut up.
‘You broke up with someone?’ James asked.
‘Yes, back in Australia,’ she said.
‘I’m sorry to hear that. Did you break it off, or him?’ he leant forward and clasped his hands.
‘I did,’ Andie said quietly.
‘People think the person who breaks it off has it easy,’ said James. ‘But I think it’s sometimes way harder for us.’ He looked at her with so much sympathy in his sparkling eyes, even though he didn’t know her at all. Her heart started to beat triple time.
She looked into James’s eyes and finally understood why writers wrote about love. What poems had expressed for hundreds of years – what it was like to fall in love with a single glance.
Andie’s eyes filled with tears as she remembered discovering Marissa and Cameron in bed together. She’d gone to say goodbye to him, and there they were, lying under his Greenpeace doona.
They were broken up, Marissa had tried
‘Yes, the sequel, the war movie,’ yelled Jess.
‘Oh my god, I’m so proud of you!’ Andie squealed, forgetting herself for a moment and jumping up and down. She turned and looked at James, who was laughing.
‘Come over and we’ll drink Diet Coke, talk shit and celebrate me and my awesomeness,’ said Jess.
‘I can’t,’ said Andie, although she could think of nothing better.
‘Why not?’
‘I just can’t, I’ll call you and tell you why later.’
‘Aw,’ said Jess. Andie could hear the pout in her voice. ‘But you’re my BFF! If you can’t celebrate with me, who will?’
‘I’m really sorry,’ said Andie, and she was. ‘I swear I’ll make it up to you. I really have to go now, though.’
‘Okay,’ said Jess in a small voice. ‘Bye.’
‘Bye, Jess. You’re awesome. Congrats again.’ Andie hung up and put her phone away.
‘Big news, huh?’ asked James.
Andie thought he looked older than his twenty-one years. More worn around the eyes than a twenty-one-year-old should be. ‘Yeah,’ said Andie. ‘She got a part.’
‘You sounded excited for her,’ he smiled.
‘I am,’ said Andie, smiling. She was so happy for Jess.
They stood in silence for a moment.
‘Come on over and have a seat,’ he said, pulling himself up on his crutches again. He moved slowly across the floorboards.
Andie followed him over to the L-shaped sofa, watching carefully in case he needed a steadying hand.
‘So, let me tell you a little bit about your role,’ James said as he sat down awkwardly on the leather sofa and put his foot up. He sighed with relief. ‘Basically I have to start the publicity campaign for the film I’ve just done. I also have a bunch of scripts to go through and a stack of fan mail I haven’t answered.’
‘Okay,’ said Andie.
James pointed at his foot. ‘It’s not exactly a great time for this to have happened, but my life was pretty chaotic anyway. Maybe these things happen for a reason. This could be a good chance to get on top of things.’ He smiled philosophically, but Andie felt sick again.
‘So yeah, I need you to run errands, organise my schedule, deal with my agent and my manager and …’ He paused. ‘And I hope it goes without saying that I’m expecting complete confidentiality.’
‘Of course,’ said Andie. She may run from the scene of a crime, but she could keep a secret.
‘So I have a bit of an issue with my ex-girlfriend at the moment,’ he said, running his hand through his hair.
No shit, Andie thought.
‘Anyway, we broke up a while ago but she still hassles me a lot,’ he said. ‘I need you to be my … gatekeeper for a while. She’s having a hard time letting go,’ he said, frowning. ‘Can you do that?’
Andie could think of nothing better than shutting down Nikki Morgan. She tried to contain her glee as she gave a serious nod. ‘Of course. Breakups are tough for everyone,’ she said. ‘I totally understand. I just went through it myself.’
Why would you say that? she admonished herself. Shut up Andie, just shut up.
‘You broke up with someone?’ James asked.
‘Yes, back in Australia,’ she said.
‘I’m sorry to hear that. Did you break it off, or him?’ he leant forward and clasped his hands.
‘I did,’ Andie said quietly.
‘People think the person who breaks it off has it easy,’ said James. ‘But I think it’s sometimes way harder for us.’ He looked at her with so much sympathy in his sparkling eyes, even though he didn’t know her at all. Her heart started to beat triple time.
She looked into James’s eyes and finally understood why writers wrote about love. What poems had expressed for hundreds of years – what it was like to fall in love with a single glance.
Andie’s eyes filled with tears as she remembered discovering Marissa and Cameron in bed together. She’d gone to say goodbye to him, and there they were, lying under his Greenpeace doona.
They were broken up, Marissa had tried
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