‘Happy New Year.’ He leaned down to give Kitty a kiss on the cheek, before kissing Cesca’s lips and ruffling her hair. ‘Have I missed anything?’
‘Not really, unless you’re keen on tales of woe,’ Kitty told him.
‘I love tales of woe, especially when I’m not involved in them.’ Sam shot her a smile. ‘So what gives? Have you heard from this douchebag or what?’
‘Sam!’ Cesca tapped him on the arm. ‘You can’t call the man she loves a douchebag.’
‘Hey, who said anything about a man I love,’ Kitty protested. ‘I didn’t say I loved him.’
‘Well, you’re certainly not indifferent to him,’ Cesca told her. ‘You’ve lost, what, eight or nine pounds in a week. You’re moping around as though the world’s about to end. And you’ve started to talk about moving back to London when we all know you’ve always dreamed of living here in LA.’
‘Sounds like somebody else I know,’ Sam said. ‘Didn’t you fly back to London and mope after we fell out?’
‘Yeah, but I had every right to,’ Cesca said, her voice playful. ‘You really were an asshole.’
‘An asshole you were in love with,’ Sam corrected.
‘Yeah, and that just proves my point.’ Cesca looked back at Kitty. ‘You don’t react this way about someone who just sparks a bit of interest. I should know. Remember how I told you it was all over and he meant nothing to me?’
‘Lies, all lies.’ Sam smiled, a dimple forming in his cheek. ‘We all know it was love at first sight for you, babe.’
‘I don’t think so. More like hate at first sight.’
He slung his arm casually across the back of Cesca’s chair. Everybody was still staring at him. ‘There’s a thin line between hate and love.’
‘Yep,’ Cesca agreed. ‘And I think Kitty and Adam crossed it a long time ago.’ She caught Sam’s gaze, the two of them smiling at each other. The warmth between them made Kitty’s heart ache.
‘I am here, by the way,’ Kitty said, ‘before you two go all lovey-dovey and forget about me.’
‘We wouldn’t forget about you.’ Cesca turned to look at her. ‘Now let’s get back to this internship. Are you still waiting on any replies?’
Kitty thought back to the ever-growing pile of rejection letters. She’d added another two this morning. ‘A couple,’ she said, ‘but I’m not holding my hopes up.’
‘Then you’ll have to let Sam help you.’
Sam nodded encouragingly. He was pretty much at the height of his fame – a word in the right ear could secure her a position in a second.
But no. She didn’t want that at all.
‘I want to make it on my own merit,’ Kitty told them. ‘Not because Sam puts in a good word, or knows somebody who knows somebody. I want to be employed because I’m good enough.’
‘You are good enough,’ Cesca said gently. ‘But sometimes you need a helping hand.’
Kitty looked at them both for a moment, taking them in. Her beautiful, talented sister, and the gorgeous man she was in love with. They were like a fairy-tale couple, no wonder they were constantly followed by the paparazzi. A photograph of the two of them together was a sure-fire seller for the gossip rags.
‘You’re both very lovely,’ she began, screwing her face up to find the right words, ‘and it’s wonderful to know that you’ve got my back. But this is my mess and it’s my life, and I want to be the one to clear it up. I’ll go and see my supervisor on Monday and ask him for his help in finding an internship. OK?’
‘Are you sure?’ Cesca asked. She looked desperate to help.
Kitty nodded, feeling more resolute than she had in a long time
. ‘I’m sure,’ she told her, a tentative smile creeping across her face. ‘Try not to worry about me. I’ve got this.’
And maybe if she said it enough, she might even start to believe it.
32
True hope is swift, and flies with swallow’s wings