Page 35 of The Interview

“Are they the new Gracie Baby’s?” I ask when I spot the wellies sitting under the bench as we pass through the mudroom.

“Yeah, she had them sent out to me last week. Don’t deflect. Is something wrong?”

“Says the queen of deflection.”

G stops in her tracks, turns and looks at me as her hands go to her hips.

“Don’t start with me,” I tell her before she can say anything. “Today’s been a lot, for everyone, so let’s just get a drink, then we can unpack.” I flick my wrist forward for her to keep moving.

“What were you and Cam so deep in conversation about?” she asks, ignoring my unspoken instruction to move. Which, let’s face it, ignoring instructions and doing whatever the fuck she wants is pretty standard Georgia behaviour.

“I was flirting outrageously. Even offered him a blow job, but he turned me down while not being able to take his eyes off you,” I tell her.

She rolls her eyes, then turns and heads into her laundry room before moving through to the hallway of her house.

“Let’s get some alcohol down your throat. Hopefully that’ll loosen your arse enough that you can expel whatever’s crawled up it,” G says as I follow her into her huge, open-plan kitchen and family room.

Ash, Tallulah, and Kiki are sitting on stools at the large centre island. Kiki is on the phone while Ash and Lu talk quietly next to her. They each have a tall glass of something sparkling in front of them. I move straight towards Ash, swipe her glass, and knock back the contents.

“Bitch, what crawled up your arse?” Ash asks as she attempts to grab her glass back.

I twist to the side, avoiding her. Once it’s empty, I hand it back.

“Bit of a day?” Lu asks, although I’m not exactly sure if it’s a question or a statement.

“Bit? Abitof a day? That was…” I trail off while pointing back towards the studio. “Were you expecting all of that?” I aim my question towards Ash, who slowly shakes her head.

“You drank my drink,” she states while looking between her empty glass and me.

I click my fingers in front of her face. “Ash, focus.”

“I am, on my empty glass.”

“Let’s start with the good stuff,” Georgia says as she emerges from her butler’s pantry holding a bottle of Dom up in each hand.

Pulling a couple of glasses from the drawer, she pops the cork and pours us each a glass before topping up Ash’s, then the girls’.

We cheers, and I take a long sip, then let out a sigh.

“I don’t know why I’m angry,” I say. “Should I be angry?”

“What is it exactly you’re angry about?” Georgia asks.

“I’ve ordered pizzas and pasta from Buda Bing. Delivery will be about forty minutes,” Kiki informs us.

“Good, I’m starving,” Lu says.

“Me, too,” Ash declares. “Could eat a scabby horse.”

“Lovely,” Kiks grumbles. “And actually, neither of you are starving. We’re privileged, unlike some, to live a life where we’ll never truly know the meaning of starving.”

“Oh, here we go,” Lu mocks.

“Does anyone ever get to finish a conversation in this house?” I ask. “Or does everyone just talk over each other or rudely interrupt?”

The room falls silent, and four pairs of eyes slice my way, Lu’s with her brows raised and head tilted to the side, exactly the way her dad looked at me earlier.

“Thanks for organising that, Kiki, would be an acceptable response,” she offers.