Starstruck (42 page)

I
can do nothing but blink at him. My ears must be deceiving me.

‘They’ll
give you a decent job and I’ll help you find somewhere to live.’

‘They
want to print my magazine?’ I ask, still stunned.

‘Yes!’
he exclaims. ‘And if we go over there now, we can sign the contract.’

‘Let’s
go!’ I tell him, without moment’s hesitation or a doubt in my mind. And let’s
go quickly, before they change their minds.

We
arrive at Scoop HQ and are instantly shown to Mr Boyes office. Inside waiting
is Jasper and Mr Boyes himself, and on the table is a huge bottle of Champagne.

‘Wow,
you look great,’ Jasper tells me. ‘After the night we had, I expected something
far uglier.’

‘Thanks,
I think. If it’s any consolation, I feel how you look,’ I tease back.

‘Feisty.
We like it,’ Mr Boyes says, interrupting our minor flirt-fest. ‘Now, Frank
explained the deal to you? You’re happy with it?’

‘I’m
more than happy, I’m just surprised,’ I confess.

‘Don’t
be surprised, that piece you wrote was fantastic. And the headline!’ he
exclaims.

I
knew he’d like that.

‘Brilliant.
After reading that, I had a proper look at your magazine online, it’s good
stuff. We don’t want to change a thing about it, not even the name, and you can
help pick your own team.’

‘Sounds
perfect.’

‘I
will be assigning Jasper to work with you, as this is his area, and he‘ll help
you settle in, show you the ropes and what not.’

That
sounds perfect too, but I don’t say that. I just nod.

‘I’ve
saved you a desk next to mine,’ Jasper tells me, with a wink.

I
think I’m going to like working here.

I
called Luke to tell him the good news as soon as we left Scoop HQ. He was out
when I called him, but he promised me he would be home before me, and then
we’re off out to celebrate. I invited Jasper, obviously, and I’ve called Kelly
– I might even give Dylan a ring.

As
we’re driving back to Luke’s flat, a million thoughts are vying for my
attention.

 ‘We’ll
get Christmas out of the way, and then we’ll find you a place to live. You’re
ok with Luke until then?’ Frank asks.

‘I’m
sure it will be fine.’

‘On
the wage they’ll be paying you, we’ll be able to find somewhere nice,’ he
assures me.

I
need to call my parents and tell them the good news. Jake too, in fact I’ll
call him now.

‘Hello
stranger,’ he answers. ‘I was just reading about you.’

‘Oh
really? All good I hope.’

‘It’s
all good, but that writer is clearly in love with you. She even has the same
name as you.’

I
laugh, and tell him the full story. How I proved my innocence, my new celebrity
circle of friends and my amazing job offer.

‘The
only thing is, I’ll have to live here,’ I say.

‘Well
I’ll miss you, but you have to go for it. I can come and stay, right? Put in a
good word with Kelly Parker for me.’

‘Naturally.’

‘I
saw Emily today,’ he tells me, the tone of his voice changing to a more serious
one.

‘Yeah?’
I say, sounding like I don’t give a damn – although I probably do. We were such
close friends for years, I can’t just forget that no matter how betrayed I
feel.

‘She
feels terrible about what she did, she didn’t mean any harm, you know.’

‘I
know.’ But that doesn’t mean it wasn’t a stupid thing to do, does it?

‘Do
you think you can ever forgive her?’ he asks.

‘Maybe
one day.’ I sigh. ‘Look, let’s not talk about this now. Happy times,’ I remind
him.

‘Happy
times,’ he repeats back to me. ‘Go enjoy your moment.’

‘I
will! Have a drink for me later. And one more thing.’

‘Yes?’
he asks ever so slowly, like he’s bracing himself.

‘Thank
you - for everything. I wouldn’t have got through this without you. My
behind-the-scenes man.’

‘She’s
a minor celebrity, and suddenly she thinks she’s an actress too.’

We
laugh together for a moment.

 ‘I’ll
pop you an autograph in the post,’ I jokingly assure him.

‘Please
do,’ he replies. ‘Just make sure it’s Kelly’s.’

Frank
drops me off outside Luke’s, but he doesn’t come up.

Tonight
we are celebrating, so I have no choice but to spend the next four hours
getting ready. I’m going spent at least one of those hours in the bath because,
for the first time in weeks, I feel like I am capable of actually relaxing. The
truth is out, I have a fantastic job and I’m working things out with my friends
– I don’t think things could get much better.

‘Honey,
I’m home,’ I call out and as walk through the door. Luke comes running out of
his room to greet me, and listens patiently as I tell him the full details of
my day, and how I plan to relocate here.

‘You’ve
been great letting me stay here, but I won’t be cramping your style for much
longer.’

‘You
never cramped my style.’

‘Well,
maybe there’s a place in this building,’ I joke.

‘Sit
down,’ Luke insists, suddenly quite serious.

As
instructed, I take a seat on the sofa and Luke sits next to me, taking my by
the hand.

‘I’m
glad you’re staying,’ he says, squeezing my hand.

‘I’m
glad I’m staying too.’ I smile, unsure what he is going to say next.

‘You
were the only one who looked after me when I had my...’ he pauses, wracking his
brain for the appropriate word. ‘Accident.’

‘You
helped me as much as I helped you, Luke.’

‘I
love you, Nicole,’ he blurts out. ‘I mean, I am in love with you.’

‘Have
you bumped your head again?’ I ask. A joke always serves me well in awkward
situations.

He
laughs. ‘I’ve told you before and I’m telling you again. I want to be with you
- properly. Is there any chance you might want to be with me?’

Of
course I would, he’s the big crush, the one I’ve lusted after for years. But, he’s
also not the kind of guy who settles down. Then again, neither was Dylan, and
look at him now, married with kids - I never thought I’d see the day.

‘Don’t
go silent on me.’ He laughs awkwardly. ‘Is there any chance you might want to
be with me, Nicole?’

‘I’d
be willing to give it a go,’ I tell him, ever so slowly. If Dylan can change,
then so can Luke. He’s really been there for me these past few weeks, and he
stood by me when most people didn’t even want to know me.

He
leans toward me and kisses me gently. My heart flutters. It’s not the mad,
passion-fuelled kisses we’ve shared before, but it’s just as wonderful.

‘Let
me give you your Christmas present!’ he says excitedly, jumping over the sofa
and heading towards his bedroom. ‘If this conversation hadn’t gone well I was
dreading having to return it.’

‘Ooh!
Is it something saucy?’ I call after him.

‘Wait
and see,’ he calls back. ‘Now shut your eyes, and hold out your hands. Both
hands.’

‘Is
it a big one?’ I ask.

‘Yes.
But you’ll need both hands for the present,’ he warns me cheekily.

I
laugh and do as I am told.

‘Ok,
take this very carefully,’ he tells me, gently placing something in my hands.
It feels so soft and warm and it’s wriggling. If I wasn’t so curious about what
it might be, I’d probably make a filthy joke.

‘Open
your eyes,’ he says softly.

‘Oh,
Luke!’ My heart melts as I look down and see two big brown eyes gazing up at
me.

‘This
little chap is all that is missing from you weird celebrity checklist,’ he
teases.

‘I
can’t believe you remembered that!’

I
bring the tiny blonde Chihuahua puppy to my chest and cuddle him gently. We
always had dogs growing up, and I miss our golden retriever, Harley, just as
much as I miss my parents and my brother. I know I make jokes about wanting a
“handbag dog” but I will raise this puppy as though I had given birth to it
myself.

‘What
are you going to call him?’ he asks.

‘Buddy.’
The name instantly springs to mind. ‘As in Buddy Holly. His dark little eyes
remind me of Buddy’s glasses.’

‘It’s
perfect for him,’ Luke laughs. He’s probably just relieved I don’t want to call
him Tinkerbell or Bambi or some other Disney name he wouldn’t want to call out
in the park.

‘I’m
in love with him already,’ I gush. ‘Well, now I’m going to have to find a
Chihuahua-friendly place to live, aren’t I?’ I say to the dog.

‘You
can live with me. Both of you can.’ He tickles Buddy’s ears.

‘Seriously?’
I ask.

‘Of
course. Nicole, I want to be with you. And to be honest, I’ve got used to
having you around, you can’t leave me now.’

I
bite my lip and think hard. ‘Are you sure?’

‘I
wouldn’t ask if I wasn’t sure.’

‘In
that case, we’d better get tidied up. We’ll have to celebrate here tonight, I’m
not leaving little Buddy here all on his own.’ I hold my baby up to my face and
kiss his nose.

‘Barking
orders like a proper little wife,’ he jokes. ‘I’ll get on the phone to the
guys.’

Sitting
on the sofa, I cradle Buddy in my arms and tickle his tummy. I can’t believe
how tiny he is. In no time, he’s fast asleep, snoring so quietly I can only
just about hear it.

‘I
think we’re going to be alight here,’ I whisper to him.

‘Oh
Nicole,’ I hear Luke call out from the bedroom. ‘Our guests will be here at
eight, time for me to show you that big one you were asking about.’

‘Shh!’
I call back. ‘You’ll wake up the baby.’

More by the author…

Between a Rockstar
and a Hard Place

They say when you can’t find something the
first thing you should do is look for it in the last place you remember seeing
it – but what if the thing you have lost is a super-famous rockstar, and the
last place you saw him was on stage performing some of his greatest hits in
front of 50,000 screaming fans?

Dylan King is best known for being the lead
singer in The Burnouts. He is less known for being journalist Nicole Wilde’s
best friend. When their schedules see them working at the same outdoor music
event it isn’t long before Nicole is taking on her usual extra responsibilities
– making sure Dylan behaves, carries condoms, has at least a little blood in
his alcohol stream, oh, and attempting to track him down when he vanishes into
thin air after the show.

With his record label on the brink of
dropping him for being a liability, Nicole has just 24 hours to try and find
Dylan, following him from girl to girl all around the strange little town where
they are staying.

Join Nicole on her adventure to find Dylan,
which sees her visit some interesting places, land herself in some awkward
situations and meet some very interesting girls… and a boy, too.

If you enjoyed this book, check out the
tie-in novelette, Between a Rockstar and a Hard Place

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