Page 72 of Slow Burn Summer

Kate shook her head, letting Liv entertain herself. “I think that one’s already been done,” she said.

“Meanwhile, in the south of France, a tiger escapes from the local zoo,” Liv said, looking pleased with herself. “It mauls Richard to death. Slowly. Belinda tries to save him and loses an eye. And an ear. She becomes a one-eyed, one-eared widow recluse, penniless because he’s secretly gambled away all the money.”

Kate held her fan up to stop her sister’s flow. “You’re wastedon costumes—EastEnderswould snap you up in a heartbeat.”

“And, of course, every good drama needs a central love story,” Liv said, taking her fan back. “A tall, dark, and handsome stranger who walks into the scene when we least expect him to and saves the day.”

Kate stood and turned her back to Liv. “Unzip this dress, will you, I can’t breathe.” She held the front of the dress against her body as the zip slid down. “And if you’re clumsily trying to shoehorn Charlie in there, you should know that he only came by to tell me he’s leaving for L.A. to work on a rom-com script with his ex-wife.”

“Shit.” Liv made clapboard signals with her hands. “Cut. That wasn’t in the story.”

Kate stepped behind the changing curtain and out of the dress, handing it to Liv. “I’ve changed my mind, I don’t wish I lived in the Regency era anymore. I don’t want to hang around on the edge of my own life waiting for some guy to dance with me or take me to the movies or buy me flowers.”

“Not sure they had movies in those days,” Liv said, hanging the dress up as Kate emerged from behind the curtain in everyday jeans and T-shirt.

“Lucky them,” Kate said. “Rom-coms are a crock of shite anyway.”

39

Dear Kate,

I’m sorry to have gone AWOL—I’ve escaped to my safe place, Formentera, for a while. The T-Rex incident was the final straw.

I’m not sure what to say, I’m genuinely heartsore over how this has rebounded on you and your family. My offer stands—say the word and I’ll reveal my identity. I don’t give a damn what Fiona or anyone else says.

I hope the costume found its way back to the shop safely. What a ludicrous turn of events—my darling girl would have found the whole thing hilarious. Laugh in the face of adversity, she always said.

I hope you can find some humor in the situation, Kate, you seem to be someone who likes to laugh. You share that in common with my late wife. I think you would have liked her very much. Everyone did.

Yours, H x

Dear H,

I’m relieved you’ve been able to get away, that feels like the right thing to do. I’ve been worried about you after the aforementioned T-Rex incident.Getting away helps with perspective, doesn’t it? I found that on a recent trip, like stepping into someone else’s shoes for a while. Or into your own most comfortable ones, maybe.

I genuinely appreciate your offer—I can’t imagine I’ll ever need to take you up on it, but I promise to keep it in mind just in case.

Your wife sounds like sunshine in a bottle. I hope in time you find your smile again. From everything you’ve said, I’m sure your happiness would be her greatest wish. Until then, soak up the sun and try to relax at least.

Speak soon,

Kate x

From:[email protected]

Dear Kate,

Hope you’re well and making the most of the summer!

I wanted to let you know in advance that theSunday Timesbestseller listing forThe Power of Loveis going to be retracted tomorrow because of the controversy around its authorship.

It isn’t a problem in terms of the book, sales continue to be robust. I realize, however, that you may encounter fresh negativity online, so I wanted to make you aware of the situation prior to it being made public.

Please do let us know if we can help at all.

Best wishes,

Prue

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