Page 15 of The Plot Twist

Allie held up her hand to cut Jess off. She remembered and didn’t need to be reminded of it, or of their long walk home after the Uber driver had subsequently refused to drive them and given Jess such a bad rating that for months she had had to use black cabs. ‘Dominic was sober, you were not.’

‘Well, he’s an arsehole. I always said he was an arsehole.’

‘No, you didn’t,’ Allie replied indignantly.

‘Not to you maybe,’ Jess bristled, ‘I was trying to be supportive.’

Allie looked down at her drink. ‘Is he though?’ she pondered. ‘An arsehole, I mean? Or is he just deeply disappointing?’ She exhaled. ‘I’m already looking back and wondering what I was thinking when we started dating. I just, I guess, I feel like I’ve lost my way a bit, do you know what I mean?’ Jess nodded her head supportively. ‘I feel like a romance writer ought to be better at picking boyfriends.’ Jess stifled a giggle. ‘No, it’s OK, it’s fine to laugh. It’s stupid, isn’t it?’ Allie smiled wanly. ‘But what if this is all connected? What if I can’t write because I can’t find my Mr Right? What if I’m doomed to a life of mediocre lovers and blank pages?’

Jess considered this. ‘I think that’s unlikely. I definitely think you deserve better than Dominic, and all the other ones. Hey, speaking of which, hot waiter from last night? Maybe some action with him will get you over Dominic and back into that writing groove?’ She waggled her eyebrows suggestively, making Allie laugh. She much preferred Jess’s take on the situation, than the ‘told you so’ she feared she would get from Martha.

‘You’re thinking about him, aren’t you!’ crowed Jess, seeing the smile on Allie’s face.

‘Maybe?’ Allie gave her a sly sideways grin. ‘I mean, hewasreally hot. But as I’ll probably never see him again, there’s no point in thinking about him. Unless… I canusehim as inspiration for a new book.’ A smirk played about her lips.

‘Eww!’ Jess protested. ‘If you do, please tell me because I will NOT be reading that section.’

‘Prude,’ said Allie, swatting Jess’s arm, safe in the knowledge that, of course, Jess would be reading whatever Allie wrote, because firstly she loved to dissect the sex scenes, and, secondly she was Allie’s greatest and most vocal fan. Allie just needed to write a new book for her to fangirl over.

Jess leaned forward on the table, putting her chin in her hands. ‘Couldn’t you ask someone at Brinkman’s about him?’

‘Seriously?’ Allie asked, incredulous. ‘What part of how behind on deadline I am did you not understand? Do you really think anyone there wants to hear from me other than if I’m sending in my new book?’

Jess stretched back up from the table. ‘They might if you fessed up. Told them you can’t write but that you think a date with the hot waiter might get your creative juices flowing.’ She gave Allie a wink.

‘Jess!’ protested Allie. ‘Now who’s being crude?’

Jess tipped her head back and laughed. The very act of seeing her bestie laugh so loudly made Allie do the same, a surge of love for her friend forcing out all her dark thoughts.

‘You know, sometimes, when you make me laugh like this, I wonder why I ever bother with dating. I’d much rather be out with you, than on a second-rate date with a disappointing man.’

‘Only sometimes?’ Jess joked. She raised her glass. ‘To my greatest love, to us!’

Allie’s heart squeezed tightly and she felt the prick of tears in her eyes. ‘Idiot,’ she said, brushing her fingers under her eyes, wiping away the tears before her mascara ran. ‘Don’t let Tom hear you say that,’ she said warningly.

‘Oh he knows. I’ve always been completely upfront with him. You and Timothee Chalamet beat him every time.’

‘Glad you have standards. Where do I rank against Timothee?’ Allie asked.

‘Don’t push your luck, Edwards,’ growled Jess. Allie laughed, she’d take that. It wasn’t as if she expected to get upstaged by Chalamet anytime soon.

‘Where is Tom anyway?’ Allie asked, glancing at her watch.

‘God knows. Working late. They’ve got a new artist they need to pitch to and apparently they’re the next big thing.’

‘Doesn’t he say that every time?’

Jess nodded and sipped her wine. ‘Yup. But there’s no point telling him that. He truly believes it, until the next big thing comes along.’ Jess turned to Allie and pulled a horror-stricken face. ‘D’you reckon that’s what he’s doing with me? Waiting for a better, younger, less in need of Botox, version to come along?’ She pulled her cheeks back and up and pushed her face up close to Allie.

‘Don’t be an idiot.’ Allie pushed Jess away, laughing. ‘Tom is far too scared of me to dump you,’ she laughed.

‘I think you’re right. Maybe you’re the only reason we’re still together?’

‘Oh shut up!’ Allie protested.

There was a kernel of truth here. Jess and Tom had met through Allie, Allie and Tom having been next-door neighbours when they were growing up. They’d done all the usual stuff: play dates and sleepovers and getting locked in the shed by Tom’s slightly psychotic older brother. Playing naked in the paddling pool before getting to the age where they quickly pretended that this had never happened and in fact they didn’t actually know each other at all.

Allie had lost touch with Tom over the years. Around Christmas time she’d get an update from her mum who still exchanged Christmas cards with Tom’s parents. But she didn’t pay him much mind, still dealing with unresolved trauma from interactions with his older brother. And then, completely out of the blue, several years ago, Tom had turned up at one of her book signings. It was in a bookshop, just around the corner from his office. He had seen her name in the window and wondered if it was the same Allie Edwards with whom he used to skinny dip in the paddling pool, and so there he was, stood in front of her asking her to sign his book.

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