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‘But she just walked in.’

‘Exactly. So now she can scarper before anyone even registers that she was here.’

Leigh snorted. ‘Yeah, right. Erin might not get the paydays that your woman gets, but no one is going to miss her presence. I can assure you of that.’

Alex rolled her eyes. ‘Well, I can’t ask Isabelle to skulk out just because her soon-to-be ex is here.’

Leigh crossed her arms and regarded her nemesis. ‘Then we’re in a quandary. Because neither one of us wants to get them photographed being weird with each other. It’s not good for either of us.’

Alex opened her mouth as though to agree but then closed it again. A slow smile spread across her face. ‘You know what? Don’t worry about it. Stay. Enjoy.’

Alex walked away. Leigh watched her go, partly because she was hypnotised by Alex’s swagger but also because she was trying to figure out what the bloody hell Alex was up to. If she was good with them staying, she had some scheme in mind.

Leigh quickly changed her mind. She needed to get Erin and get the fuck out of here, stat. No good could come from them being here now.

Leigh looked around, but she couldn’t see Erin. Shit. She was here, she was tipsy, and she was about to fall into a spiderweb.

She moved around the room, trying to look casual while she frantically looked for Erin. It took several minutes before she found her, chatting to a woman she didn’t know. She kind of looked like Erin.

‘Hi,’ Leigh said. ‘Erin, can we—’

‘Oh, great, you need to meet Jenny,’ Erin said, barely slurring. ‘I can’t believe it. I just found her. Amazing.’

Jenny waved. ‘Hi.’

‘She was my stunt double inTomorrow and Tomorrow,’ Erin explained.

Leigh gave her a polite smile. ‘Cool.’ She turned to Erin. ‘Erin, can I grab you for a sec?’

Erin’s mood dropped. ‘What? No. Why?’

Leigh gave her a stained smile. ‘I just need a quick chat.’

Erin raised an eyebrow. ‘Anything you want to say to me, you can say in front of Jenny. She’s a friend.’

Jenny looked at Erin. ‘I haven’t seen you in four years.’

Erin shrugged and smiled, and Leigh could see she’d managed to sneak in a couple more drinks since they’d come in. She’d been at about a six on the drunk idiot scale before. Now it was about an eight.

‘Yeah, but you were basicallymefor six months. That doesn’t end,’ Erin said, her eyes struggling to keep focus.

Jenny, who was a rather straightforward type, replied evenly, ‘It does. When I get a new job.’

Erin was shocked. ‘Jenny! You almost broke yourbackfor me. Are you telling me you’d do that for anyone!’

‘Yes. That’s my job. Though not forthatdirector again. That shoot was dodgy. That’s the last time I take a job in Vladivostok.’

‘But the movie was good, though, right?’ Erin said.

‘I wouldn’t trade it for my spine,’ Jenny said philosophically.

‘Spines come and go, Jen,’ Erin said. ‘Good cinema lasts forever.’

‘The movie has forty-three percent on rotten tomatoes,’ Jenny informed her.

Erin clutched her chest. ‘It does?! But I spent six months perfecting my accent. Do you haveanyidea how hard it is to learn a Louisiana Creole accent?’

Jenny’s eyes widened. ‘That’swhat that was? I thought you were German.’