Page 34 of The Ex Factor

Man, Ashley was pushy. Molly fell a little bit in love right then.

Thirteen

Now

Ashley sat in her kitchen, her knees pulled up to her chest inside a pair of grey cashmere joggers that cost more than her first three guitars combined. In front of her, a cup of matcha tea was going cold.

Her phone was on speaker, resting on the marble island.

‘The London dates are entirely clean, Ash,’ Simon’s voice crackled through the speaker, triumphant. ‘Completely sold out. We’ve seen a six percent bump in the regional arenas since Wednesday morning. The Mail piece did exactly what it was supposed to do. People love a reunion narrative.’

Ashley let her head drop back against the wall, staring up at the spotless ceiling. A six percent bump. That was the price of her dignity.

‘Great,’ Ashley said, her voice flat. ‘So it worked. We’re done.’

‘Well, now, let’s not rush into closing the book,’ Simon said. ‘The initial spike is good, but we want to sustain it through the European leg announcement next month. Plus... I’ve just gotten off the phone with Karen.’

Ashley went rigid. ‘Molly’s agent? What did she say?’

‘She says the paparazzi shot didn’t move the needle for Molly. A couple of red-top sidebars aren’t enough to get her into the rooms she wants.’

Ashley swallowed, her throat suddenly dry. ‘Simon. I can’t do it again. Once was too hard.’

‘I’m sorry to hear that,’ Simon countered, entirely unbothered. ‘But Karen says they need one or two more dates. Something high-profile. Not just a sneaky shot outside a restaurant, but an actual appearance. Somewhere you can be seen arriving together, looking unified.’

Ashley lowered her legs, her feet hitting the cold kitchen floor. She wanted to say no. She should say no.

If this fake-dating circus was making her miserable, she could only imagine what it was doing to Molly. But Simon was right about one thing: it wasn’t fair. Ashley’s pockets were getting heavier while Molly was still unemployed.

Ashley owed her this much.

‘What did you have in mind?’ Ashley asked quietly.

Simon continued as though he’d never doubted he’d get what he wanted. ‘There’s a big premiere next Tuesday. I can get you both on the guest list. You walk the carpet together, do a couple of brief, smiling photos for the line, and then you can slip out the back before the film even starts. What do you think?’

Ashley closed her eyes and imagined it. They would have to talk. They would have to look at each other. That hadn’t worked out so well last time.

But she had started this engine, and she couldn’t turn it off until Molly got what she needed.

‘Fine,’ Ashley said. ‘Book it.’

Five Years Ago

Ashley was holding her phone in the Uber. The map was open; the address was pinned.

Molly had not overcome her amazement yet. ‘You just hijacked my career.’

‘Only a tiny bit.’

‘We’ve known each other about two hours.’

‘And yet somehow I’ve become the responsible one.’

Molly laughed. Ashley liked her laugh so much already. It was throaty, easy, and sexy as hell. Ashley was alarmed by how quickly she’d become attached to hearing it.

‘I’m serious,’ Molly said. ‘I don’t even want this audition. They’ll make me jump through hoops while they barely pay attention.’ She sighed. ‘I might just quit acting now, actually. Yeah. I don’t act anymore. I’m just a barista.’

Ashley rolled her eyes. ‘Read your script pages.’