Baby Be Mine

never drives it. It even has a fairly indiscriminate number plate. Still wide-eyed with relief, I get up and go to the top of the stairs, just in time to catch Lena leaving for the weekend.
    ‘We nearly had a close shave,’ I call down to her.
    ‘What?’ she asks with alarm.
    ‘I can’t drive any of Johnny’s other cars.’
    ‘Why not?’
    ‘The press might spot us and find out about Barney!’
    ‘Oh.’ She looks down and adjusts her bag on her shoulder. ‘Well, you know the Panamera is booked into the garage tomorrow . . .’
    ‘No? I didn’t know that.’
    ‘That light on the dash. I thought we should get it checked out.’
    ‘Oh, right. Yes, I guess we should.’ Bummer. I was planning on going to see Kitty.
    ‘I installed the spare car seat in the Carrera so you’d still have wheels,’ she explains, telling me what I already know.
    ‘Yeah, Dana took it out so she could pick up her friend,’ I tell her with a wry smile.
    ‘Did she?’ She frowns. ‘Couldn’t she use the 911 or one of the others instead?’
    I shrug and Lena surreptitiously rolls her eyes before nodding towards the door.
    ‘See ya,’ I say.
    ‘Have a good one,’ she replies.
    I smile and go back into Barney’s bedroom. It’s the first time I’ve seen Lena openly diss Dana since we arrived. She’s usually so professional. I’m pleased, though. It’s nice to have some solidarity on that point.

 
  Chapter 36  
    I call Bess the next morning, when it’s Saturday evening in the UK. I couldn’t call her the night before because of the time difference, but I desperately want a friend to help me dissect my date with Joseph, and only Bess will do.
    ‘How are you?’ I ask warmly.
    ‘Oh, not so good,’ she replies.
    ‘What’s wrong?’
    ‘I lost my job yesterday.’
    ‘Oh, Bess, I’m so sorry. What happened?’
    ‘Cutbacks. They’re closing the London office. Half of us lost our jobs, the other half are being relocated.’
    ‘That sucks.’
    ‘You’re telling me.’ Poor Bess, she sounds defeated.
    ‘What are you going to do now?’
    ‘I don’t know. Look for another job, I guess. But I don’t know who’s going to want to employ a fat, ugly marketing manager.’
    ‘ Bess! ’ I exclaim. ‘You’re not fat or ugly! I don’t want to hear you talking about yourself like that.’
    ‘I’ve just had a rubbish couple of days,’ she replies flatly.
    ‘What can I do to cheer you up?’ I ask, although I have absolutely no desire to tell her about the shiny new premiere I went to and the sexy man I met.
    ‘Fly me out to LA?’ she jokes.
    My heart jumps. ‘I could,’ I say.
    ‘I was joking,’ she replies.
    ‘But I could!’ I sit up on my bed, my head tingling with excitement. ‘Bess, why don’t you come over? You could come this weekend!’ I cry. ‘You could literally get on a flight tomorrow and come and stay with me!’ I’m getting totally carried away by this idea.
    She doesn’t speak, then she says, ‘I can’t afford it.’
    ‘I’ll pay for you, you ninny!’ I scoff. ‘Well, Johnny will. You know he gave me a credit card with no limit?’
    ‘Get out of here,’ she says with disbelief.
    ‘I’m serious! I haven’t used it yet. But he won’t care! He’ll be pleased I’ve got someone to take my mind off the sexy kung-fu actor I met the other night.’
    ‘Excuse me?’ she says and I know her face has broken into the biggest grin.
    ‘I’ll tell you all about it. Tomorrow. In person.’
    She cracks up laughing and I know I’ve sold it to her. We both start to scream with hysterics, and when we’ve calmed down I take the phone with me to the office and together we check out her flight options.
    I’m still buzzing with excitement two days later when Davey takes Barney and me to collect Bess from the airport. In the end we had to settle for Monday, because it was already Saturday evening for Bess when we talked and she thought she could do with Sunday to pack – and get a bikini wax, she told me with a giggle.
    Johnny spent all of Saturday and Sunday morning with Dana, so I had to wait until the afternoon to reveal my plans. As predicted, he was cool with the idea. He’s never met Bess, to her dismay. She’s been dying to meet him for three years – no, longer than that. She’s been dying to meet him ever since he became famous. When I worked for Johnny the thought of her meeting him used to slightly terrify me. I was shamefully embarrassed by the idea, but now I