Page 8 of You Spin Me Round

‘I just got off a Zoom with Jack. Live from his hospital bed.’ She sighed. ‘Come in. I’ll put the kettle on.’

They walked down a tight hall to a living room with a kitchenette. Erin went and filled the kettle while Leigh perched her bum on a shabby sofa. She looked around her, a little shocked. This was a known actress, and she was living worse than Leigh.

Erin brought over two cups of tea and put them on a worn coffee table. ‘I know what you’re thinking. How have I ended up in this shit hole?’

‘I wasn’t thinking that,’ Leigh lied.

‘My money is… Our accounts were joint, which was never an issue until a few months ago. Isabelle got her shitbag lawyer to freeze me out. I didn’t even know she could do that. Now she pays me anallowance. And as you can see, it’s a pittance.’

Leigh was horrified. ‘Jesus. She sounds…’ Leigh stopped, realising she was about to cross a line.

‘Please say what you were about to say,’ Erin pled.

‘Like an arsehole,’ Leigh said hesitantly.

Erin smiled. ‘Thank you. No one else will say it. I reckon they’re worried I’m gonna get back together with her and report back what they say.’ She paused. ‘Does that sound a bit paranoid?’

‘Not really,’ Leigh replied honestly. ‘I guess people are kind of scared of her?’

‘I always thought it was just professional intimidation. Now, I wonder.’

Leigh nodded. ‘I find you really get to know someone in a breakup.’

Erin nodded. ‘You said it.’ She seemed sad for a moment but shook it off. ‘Right, so. What’s the deal here?’

Leigh thought of everything she’d rehearsed in the car, how to sell herself, and a list of her accomplishments. But the thought of giving some speech about how great she was felt absurd. She threw the plan out the window.

‘Well, I’ve been Jack’s assistant for five years, and I’ve just been promoted. But only because Jack’s heart gave out. So that’s the deal. I’m here, I’ll do my best, I’ll work hard. But it’s your call.’

‘What I need around me right now are people I can trust,’ Erin said. ‘People have been disappearing as of late. And I recently lost a job that had been booked for a long time. I feel… Nervous. I haven’t felt nervous like this in years. I thought I’d gotten far enough that it couldn’t just all go away. And now, I don’t know.’

‘What job did you lose?’

‘A period drama, I was third billed. I was excited to do it. It was such a great role.’

‘You think she had something to do with it?’ Leigh asked.

‘Maybe? I don’t know. But the timing is just a bit suspicious.’

‘But no one knows yet. About the split.’

‘Friends do. People who work for us… Forher. They know. And people talk, so… It’s probably an open secret at this point.’

‘So, you think the job fell through because people know…’

‘That I’m about to have a reputational disaster,’ Erin finished.

‘But it’s just a divorce. I mean, notjust—’

‘She thinks I cheated,’ Erin said flatly.

‘But you didn’t?’ Leigh asked carefully.

‘No,’ Erin said, a little anger slipping into her tone. She took a moment to calm down and continued. ‘But she wouldn’t listen to me. A friend told her some bullshit, and that was all it took. She took a picture of me having a perfectly innocent conversation with someone, and that was it. Fifteen years down the drain.’

‘A picture? Do you have it?’ Leigh asked.

‘No.’

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