Page 61 of The Day After Christmas
‘Oh, don’t be so silly,’ said Felicity, waltzing out of the room before Andrea could say no again. Then after a moment she stuck her head back through the office door. ‘Don’t happen to know any celebrities, do you?’
Andrea was sitting at her desk, head in her hands. She didn’t look up. ‘Nope.’
‘Ah well, never mind, I’m sure we’ll think of someone,’ said Felicity.
‘Animals, children and celebrities. What could possibly go wrong?’ muttered Andrea.
She had a point.
CHAPTER 30
Three days later, they were no nearer to finding a celebrity or even anyone who had any links they could shamelessly exploit. Now it was more like what kind of minor C-list barely-a-celebrity would be available at such short notice.
They invited Harry and Tristan over for dinner the next day, hoping that some of the delicious Thai takeaway from down the road would be enough to butter them both up so they could ask them if they knew anyone. They only needed one of them to come good, after all.
‘So, Harry. I need to ask a favour,’ said Felicity when they were almost through the soup course. She was warming to this man, slowly. She couldn’t think of him as her father quite yet, but if she didn’t think about The Day When He Walked Out she could pretend he was just a new friend she’d made and that was sort of okay-ish.
‘Name it,’ said Harry, slurping his tom yum happily.
‘And remember before you answer, please, that you are banging my boss and I’m allowing that to happen right in front of my eyes, more or less…’
‘Gross,’ said Tristan.
‘Indeed,’ said James.
‘So you owe me. I’m serious.’
Harry nodded, his mouth now full of prawn wonton. ‘I do owe you,’ he mumbled.
‘Yes, you do,’ she said primly.
‘So…?’
‘So I was wondering if you happen to know anybody famous? For the open day. We were trying to think of a celebrity or an influencer we could invite along, you know, to get the numbers up, rally the troops to donate, maybe even get the press along.’
‘This bloody open day,’ said Harry, but he was smiling as he said it.
‘I love that you’re not asking me,’ drawled Tristan. ‘Theatre types not good enough for you, eh?’
‘Look, you’re an amazing director… er, I’m sure.’ Felicity’s words caught in her throat as she realised she still hadn’t been to see one of her brother’s rather worthy and overly long plays. She made a mental note to sort that out at some point. ‘But we need someone a bit more well-known, I’m sorry.’
Tristan threw his father a look.
‘Well, if it’s well-known you want…’ he said, nodding in Harry’s direction.
‘What are you talking about?’ said Felicity. And then, to her father as hope rose in her chest, ‘Do you know someone, Harry? Are you holding out on us?’
‘In a manner of speaking…’ said Harry.
‘In which manner of speaking?’ replied James.
Harry gave a long sigh and then threw Felicity a slightly pained expression.
‘What is it? Is it your ex-wife or something? Please don’t tell me she makes a living from YouTubing her car interior or something inane like that?’
Harry smiled enigmatically. ‘No, it’s not her…’
‘Who then?’
