Page 119 of The Wedding Forecast

Then I lie awake, not arguing, but letting the truth of her words wash over me and feeling sick, feeling terrified.

36

I CALL MAC that night at 2 am. I can’t sleep, I’m still mad at Hayley, and my mind is spinning. Hayley’s words won’t leave my head. It’s midday his time.

‘Anna?’ he answers, sounding worried. ‘Are you okay? You’ve never called me this late before.’

‘Well I’m doing it tonight.’

‘Are you drunk?’

‘Do I sound drunk?’

‘A little?’

‘I’m not. Just tired.’

I’m actually wired and jittery, not tired.

‘Okay. Are you okay?’

‘Yes. I just need to talk to you.’

‘About what?’

I don’t know what to say, how to even start the conversation I think I want to have, so I just plough in. ‘Where do you see yourself in five years?’

‘Where do I…What are we talking about?’

‘We’re talking about the future. Where do you see yourself?’

‘Um. I don’t know. Probably back in LA. Working on an Emmy-award winning TV show for HBO. Or trying out for a background scene in a streamer movie no one will see. One of those two.’

‘And that’s it.’

‘That’s it.’

‘Okay. Great.’

‘What’s going on?’ he says.

‘Bobbi wants to open a second shop. She wants me to manage it.’

‘Hey, that’s great.’

‘It is.’

‘Are you going to do it?’

‘I am,’ I say.

And it feels like a relief to say it out loud. And also a sadness.

‘That’s exciting,’ he says.

‘You think so?’

‘I mean, yeah. You’ve got a promotion. You’ve got a book coming out. This is everything you wanted.’