Page 128 of Shout Out To My Ex

Giving Elle and Leo a few moments alone, I follow Paloma back into the conference room, finding a hum of activity. Cassie and Nasrin have their heads together, Marie is working on her laptop, sucking on her ever-present cigarette, Saskia is taking a call, and Anita has joined us and is taking coffee orders. I ask for a flat white.

Saskia waves Paloma and me over.

‘Brilliant, Anjali, thank you. Speak soon and love to Gordon and the children.’ She ends the call. ‘Nouveauis on board.’

Paloma, showing a minor chink in her typically flawless armour, is visibly relieved. ‘Oh, thank god.’

‘Anji loves the idea and has promised she can get Amelia Windsor to sign off.’

‘And the leaked photograph?’

‘Their website and socials have lit up since this morning. The leak actually worksforus.’

‘Brilliant. Thank you, Sask. That could have been the fly in the ointment.’

‘Sorry, could you possibly fill me in?’ I ask, taking extra care not to sound stroppy. ‘I feel like I’m missing something.’

I’m missing all of it, as I have no idea what they’re talking about other than a new item on the recently wheeled-in whiteboard that reads ‘Nouveau’ and is underlined three times.

‘Soz, Poppy,’ says Saskia. ‘Anjali is the features editor atNouveauand our old school chum. She’s the one who’s been helping us on this case.’

‘Mmm-hmm.’ I knew that part. ‘And what exactly have we asked Anjali to do?’

‘Nouveauis changing their approach to the Bliss Designs–Lorenzo feature,’ Paloma explains. ‘They’ll embrace the long-lost love angleandthey’re bringing forward the publication date. It will go out in the summer issue in June.’

‘Wow, nicely done.’

Paloma smiles, clearly chuffed. ‘Why, thank you,’ she says with a modest head tilt. ‘Now we just needHello Britainto fall into line. We’ve asked for a spot on this Saturday’s show.’

‘This Saturday?’ I ask, thinking of Jacinda’s plan to move Shaz into Lauren’s (whether she likes it or not).

‘Yes, is that a problem?’ Paloma asks.

I give them my Poppy-the-Professional smile. ‘Not at all. I just need to move a couple of things around.’ As in, move the moving of my bestie into her girlfriend’s flat. Jacinda will not be pleased but, despite our new understanding, Paloma is still ‘The Crow’ and that makes her even scarier than Jass.

‘Sask,’ says Paloma, ‘I’ll need your help on a contract for Leo. He’s signing over his publicity management to me in the interim.’ Saskia was once a solicitor and I’m reminded yet again the breadth and depth of the skills in our small (but mighty) team at the Ever After Agency.

As I’m basking in thoughts of how very special we are, in walk our clients – accurate now that Paloma is signingLeo. ‘Hello, you two,’ I chirrup. ‘Let me fill you in.’

‘Fill us in?’ asks Elle, looking to Leo. ‘We were just with you two minutes ago.’

‘Ah, yes,’ says Nasrin, swivelling in her chair, ‘but things move quickly when we’re on the case.’

As if she’s been cued, Ursula pops her head in.

‘How are things with the “Elle and the Shoemaker” case?’ she says loudly. ‘Need anything?’

I can tell the exact moment she realises that both Elleandthe shoemaker are present.

‘Oh, my apologies.’ Ursula’s face may be immobile, but her complexion is not impervious to blushing and she turns a fantastic shade of red before scuttling away.

I stifle a laugh right as Elle says, ‘Poppy, who was that woman and what did she say about a shoemaker?’

38

ELLE

After Poppy explains the ins and outs of case names and Ursula’s attachment to fairy tales (Elle and the Shoemaker – how clever!) she updates me and Leo onNouveau.

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