Page 112 of Anyone But the Superstar

‘Hmmm?’ Bell flutters her lashes at him. ‘What was what?’

Ignoring the marital squabble, and the knowledge that Bell has seen Elizabeth’s sketch book, I read the next line. ‘Set up meeting with her real dad and my new aunt to meet her.’

Thomas nods, resolute. ‘Elizabeth wants to meet them.’

‘Yes.’ I draw out the words, wondering how diplomatic I have to be to not get punched. ‘But shouldn’tElizabethbe the one to decide if, when and where she meets them?’ I glance at Alice, my biggest cheerleader and ally against my biggestnemesis. ‘We shouldn’t take that decision away from her, right?’

As I hoped, Alice nods. ‘That’s a good point, Felix.’

Thomas, nostrils flaring, is at my side in two strides.

I brace for impact, but instead of attacking me, he aggressively wipes his suggestion off the board with his hand, like a child throwing a mini tantrum.

Alice studies her shoes for a beat before lifting her head with a carefully arranged neutral expression, and helps Thomas wipe dry erase marker remnants off his fingers with his handkerchief.

Having dodged a bullet, or more accurately, a fist, I return to the board, reading under Thomas’ half-smeared suggestion. ‘Hold a family dinner.’

‘That would be my idea.’ Eleanor Moore waltzes into the room.

I lean back, searching for Elizabeth, but she doesn’t appear.

‘Sorry, Felix, but I sent her home.’ She gestures to her sons in a what-can-you-do kind of way, looking elegant and regal as she does.

A battle was lost, but not the war, I tell myself as Eleanor continues.

‘Elizabeth was forever gathering us around the dinner table, even when she was a child.’

‘Even when we wanted to kill each other,’ Chase adds.

Thomas shakes out his handkerchief before folding it twice into the perfect square and sliding it into his pocket. ‘Even when we were less than appreciative.’

The three Moores share a look, this one filled with love and happy memories. Making me remember that most of all, the moments where Elizabeth seemed to open up to me were over the simple, shared meals I made for us in the condo.

‘I love that idea, Eleanor.’

Elizabeth’s mother’s smile rivals her diamonds.

‘However.’

‘Oh God.’ Chase collapses in a huff, laying his forehead on her shoulder. ‘Now what’s wrong?’

I grimace, not knowing exactly how to explain, even though my mother clearly said she didn’t mind people knowing about her addiction. ‘My mother really cares for Elizabeth, even after only talking to her a few times on the phone. And I was hoping that the first family dinner we had would include my mother.’ I shrug one shoulder. ‘But she won’t be available until next week because she’s…’

Eleanor’s slim hand drops on my raised shoulder, easing it back down. ‘Because she is currently doing the brave and healthy thing by taking the time to recover and deal with her illness.’

I nod, grateful for Eleanor’s phrasing. ‘I won’t pick her up for a week.’ I stare Thomas in the eye. ‘And I don’t want to wait that long. I can’t.’

The silence that follows is interrupted by the clink of plasticware.

‘Have you told her that you love her?’ Mary, helmet visor up, pours Dick an imaginary cup of tea.

As unaffected as I am by hundreds of people staring at me while I’m performing – both in front of a camera and on the red carpet – my skin has never felt so hot as it does now when all Moores turn to stare at me, the same straightforward question in their eyes.

‘Um, no.’

Mary shakes her head, her astronaut helmet twisting as she does. ‘I go to a feelings doctor.’ Alice smiles at her daughter. ‘And my feelings doctor says that whenever you feel stuck, you should talk about your feelings.’ She pretends to pour Mike Hunt tea.

Mike hovers over his cup, meowing in disappointment to find it empty.