Page 6 of Wish You Were Her

“I am literally a phone call away, like I said,” Roxanne whispered in her daughter’s ear as they hugged goodbye.

“Promise. If your dad gets too hyper-fixated on the festival, and you need someone to vent with, call me. I can get out of any meeting. We’re on summer hours at the office, Fridays aren’t even a real work day anymore. I promise, anything!”

“I’ll be fine,” Allegra assured her. “Honestly. I’m good. Now leave so I can start having fun.”

Her comment had the desired effect because Roxanne laughed and slipped into the driver’s seat. She wound down the window as the engine started. “Love you, kid.”

“Love you, Ma. See you in the fall.”

“I can come get you any time. Or Natalie can. Or Maria. Or David, or Sanchez—”

“Go! I’m fine.”

Her bags had been taken in by an overzealous Simon and as Allegra waved goodbye to her mother, she felt bittersweet. When the car was long out of sight, Grace Lancaster crept out of the bookshop and smiled meekly at her.

“My mum is always coming and going,” Grace said, in an obvious bid to be supportive. “You guys seem close?”

“I haven’t seen my parents in ages,” Allegra said honestly. However, that was all she revealed, as she was feeling private. “So! Show me Lake Pristine.”

The two girls set off into the heart of the town and Allegra slipped her cap and dark glasses back on.

“Can I be brutally honest about something?” Grace asked a little mischievously.

“Sure.”

“The cap and sunglasses may be a good disguise in the city, but they make you stick out like an apple in an orangery here.”

Allegra had to laugh. “Okay, I’ll lose the hat, but the glasses have to stay.”

“A good compromise.”

Allegra regarded Grace. She looked fresh-faced and perfectly at home, with a quiet confidence that made her small frame seem larger and her walk more purposeful. She was pretty.

People waved to her with genial smiles as they passed. She was obviously a beloved member of Lake Pristine. Everyone knew everyone here, it seemed. Everyone was famous. Which, in a wonderful way, meant that nobody really was.

“So, this is Main Street?”

“Yes! So, this is where you come if you want cake, coffee, books, groceries, fabric or to sit in this lovely romantic bandstand. Church is up that little road, and Mrs. Montgomery’s dance studio is over there.

The festival usually sets up all its tents around the maze—there—and the woodland over there.

Then, right up ahead, is the jewel in the crown. ”

“Oh, yeah?”

“My brother’s Arthouse!”

Allegra gazed up at the large picture house and nodded. “Impressive.”

“It is since it’s all been redone. Come inside?”

The girls moved into the cinema and Allegra couldn’t stop herself from gasping in awe at the interior.

They were greeted by a marble lobby with art deco design and beautiful green flashes on the walls, plus a chandelier that would have been at home in a fine hotel.

The concession stand made the large, impersonal cinemas where she had attended premieres look like dumpsters.

None of them had the panache of this small theater.

“Art! Come and meet Allegra!”

Allegra found Grace’s vigor sweet, but she secretly hoped she wouldn’t have to meet too many new faces on her first day in town.

Grace’s brother, in a white tee and jeans, was lifting a crate of champagne onto the back counter of the concession stand. He was objectively handsome: tall with dark hair and a serious expression. He waved politely at Allegra and then did a familiar and comical double-take.

“I’ve seen that face on my screen a couple of times,” he said.

“She’s a massive name, Arthur, don’t be weird,” Grace said, rolling her eyes at the bemusement on her brother’s face.

“Hi, I’m Allegra,” Allegra said, forcing herself to sound casual in the hope that it would read as a cue for Grace’s brother to be normal.

“Nice to meet you, Allegra,” Arthur Lancaster said, reading between the lines beautifully. “Hope you like it here.”

Then he carried his crate into the back of the cinema as if nothing untoward had happened.

“He seems cool,” she said to Grace, and it was true.

“He is,” Grace said, as they left the cinema and set off back toward the center of town. “I have an even older brother, too. He works for the council.”

“And are you in school?”

“I’m hoping to get into dance school. I had my callback last week. Just waiting.”

Allegra watched the other girl pick at her fingernails as she said this. She knew better than anybody how awful it was to await the results of an audition.

“Oh, wow. Good luck. I’m sure you’ll get it.” It was said out of politeness, but Grace gave her a smile of appreciation anyway.

“Thanks.”

As an appropriate silence fell between the two of them, Allegra realized how long it had been since she had last done this.

All of her social interactions for the last few years had been in auditions, rehearsals, read-throughs, interviews and after-parties.

At these, there was always a shorthand, an understanding running through each transaction.

Should anything become too overwhelming she had trailers to escape to and a team to save her.

Now she was just a girl walking along Main Street.

“Grace, could we see the lake?”

As soon as Grace and Allegra headed off toward Lake Pristine, Jonah watched Simon rush back into the heart of the bookshop, where he released an obnoxious yell of triumphant joy.

“God, what?” snapped Jonah, returning the last book to the top shelf before climbing back down his ladder.

“She is so hot. Like, biblically. I cannot believe this is all actually hap—”

“Can you, like, do some work?” Jonah asked bluntly. “I’ve done almost all of the deliveries, I’ve done stock, I’ve cleaned. Please do something.”

“Why? This is fun , Jonah. You know this town gets, like, one new person every six years. Live a little.”

“To live, I must work. Same for you. So get to it.”

“She’s super nice. She’ll totally forgive you for that bad first impression.” Simon’s voice softened as he said it. He regarded Jonah with a look of sympathy.

“Unlikely,” muttered Jonah, but he did soften toward his friend. “I was bad, even for me.”

“I need you to get on with her. Cannot have you feuding with my future girlfriend.”

Though Jonah knew his friend was joking, the remark still turned his stomach.

“That’s so unbelievably gross,” muttered Jonah. “I’m going to work on the mailing list.”

He moved into the back of the shop and knocked on George’s door.

“Enter,” called his employer, sounding thoroughly distracted.

Jonah stepped inside. “George? There’s definitely an increase of people calling the shop, confused about the festival. If we’re not going to have a web—”

“We’re not going to have a website,” George said glibly, not looking up from his ledger.

Jonah let out a slow breath. “As I say, if we’re not going to have a website, someone needs to update socials regularly. And the Lake Pristine Tourist Board need to put more information on their site.”

“I thought you were on socials?”

“No, you took me off for arguing with trolls.”

“Well, I’ll call Courtney.”

“At the PR place?”

“Yeah, she’s a bit of a whizz, you know. She can handle all of that.”

“Well, okay. I just thought hiring a social media person might not be a bad idea. It’s a full-time job. I think your generation underestimates it.”

He thought of his friendly virtual friend and her job in social media management. He briefly fantasized about being able to offer her a job in Lake Pristine. He acknowledged it was a very strange way to feel about someone he hardly knew.

“Do you know any full-time social media managers?” asked George dryly, finally looking at Jonah.

“Not exactly,” Jonah said, “but I can have a look around.”

“Courtney can handle it,” George said, his tone reflecting his desire for this conversation to end. “Thanks for checking in.”

Jonah took the dismissal with a touch of sadness. Months ago, George would have been warm about the whole thing. He would have asked Jonah questions about his personal life. He would have asked what he was reading. Now, nothing. He left the room without another word and returned to the computer.

But to his delight, there was something waiting for him.

[email protected]

to: [email protected]

Subject: New Arrival

Dear Friend (I’m happy with that salutation, if you are.)

How thrilling! A glamorous new arrival in your town!

You’ll be too distracted to converse with me now, I’m sure.

Who are they, what are they like? Nice to hear you’ll have some excitement.

Maybe I’ll get to meet you all at the festival.

I can’t wait to see Lake Pristine. Keep me updated, I don’t want to feel left out.

I would really love to keep finding emails from you each time I glance at my phone.

Curious regards,

Your Friend

“You’re smiling at your phone; are you telling your friends how silly we all are?”

Allegra jerked in surprise at Grace’s question.

The two girls were sitting by the actual lake in Lake Pristine and Allegra had slathered her long legs in sunscreen.

The Lake Pristine beach was not vast, sitting at around two hundred yards long.

But despite its smaller scale, everyone seemed able to find a deckchair and a small space of their own.

It was not cluttered or overcrowded. The sand was like caster sugar, and the size of Lake Pristine was large enough for people to imagine they were really sitting by the ocean.