Page 61 of Private Lives

‘Yes and no,’ he said uncomfortably.

‘Yes and no to what? To being a sex pest?’

‘No! That girl is an old girlfriend from when I was at university fifteen years ago. Yes, we had sex, of course we did. And yes, I was keen on it – who isn’t when they’re nineteen?’

‘I hear that,’ said Eli. Helen just glared at him.

‘But this story makes me sound like some sort of rapist. And there’s no timeline on it, so readers might think it happened last week.’

Valerie shrugged.

‘Clever reporting. It’s what they do.’

‘Can’t we sue?’ said Sam desperately.

‘What for? Turning back time? Anyway, this is all taking us away from the main problem,’ added Helen.

‘Which is what?’

‘That your reputation is in the toilet and it’s open season on you now. With your disappearing act, the media had nothing real to report on, so they went trawling for dirt and it’s no big surprise that they found ex-girlfriends and disgruntled rivals who were happy to take a few quid to say bad things about you. The trouble is, this is going to run and run unless we give them a better story.’

Sam felt his heart start to pound and tried to calm himself. He really shouldn’t have taken that sleeping pill; they always put him on edge the next day. Everywhere he turned people seemed to want to bring him down, ruin all the hard work he’d put in.

‘A better story?’ said Jim. ‘What are you suggesting?’

‘How about this?’ said Valerie, holding up her hands as if she were imagining the front-page splash. ‘“Sam and Jess: The Second Honeymoon”.’

‘We haven’t had our first honeymoon yet,’ said Sam.

‘What I mean is that a reconciliation story could be all we need. All is forgiven, you both get a huge flurry of publicity and we’re back on track.’

‘It’d certainly put an end to all the Sam-bashing,’ said Helen. ‘What do you think, Eli?’

‘Unlikely,’ he said gruffly. ‘I’ve spoken to Barbara, the mother. She’s still talking about wanting Sam’s balls on a platter.’

‘But the buzz on Jess’s latest movie is that it stinks,’ said Jim. ‘If it’s really that bad, she may want a positive spin to deflect the attention.’

Sam’s mouth almost dropped open. He couldn’t believe they were being so cynical about something as important as his life.

‘Look, this is my relationship we’re talking about here,’ he said angrily. ‘It’s not some smokescreen for a box-office turkey.’

Helen turned to him.

‘Do you want to have a career in films?’

‘Of course!’

‘Then you will do whatever is necessary to get back on track. Now, have you spoken to Jessica? Is a reconciliation an option?’

Sam paused for a moment.

‘I don’t think so,’ he sighed. ‘You know I flew to the Cape to see her. Plus I’ve spoken to her friends. It hasn’t changed what she’s saying.’

‘Which is what?’

‘That it’s over.’

‘Well, of course she’s gonna play hardball,’ said Jim. ‘The people who read US Weekly want Girl Power. They don’t want her rolling over too quickly. She’s got to let you roast for a while.’