Page 18 of You Spin Me Round

‘No,’ Alex said and did not expand. ‘You?’

‘No,’ Leigh said. ‘I was in something for a few years, but it didn’t work out.’ That was a bit too much detail. Leigh supposed she had wanted Alex to know she’d moved on from their little moment.

‘Sorry to hear that,’ Alex said, her tone hard to read.

‘It happens. As well you know,’ Leigh said.

What she meant by that was that Alex would know because she worked a lot with celebrities embroiled in difficult breakups. But the second Leigh said it, she knew how itcouldsound. Like Leigh was bitter about what had happened, permanently marked by it.

That wasn’t how Leigh wanted to be. Even if that was true. Especially if it was true.

‘Right, yeah,’ Alex said, breezing right past the awkwardness. ‘Well, just wanted to say hi since we might be bumping into each other soon, and I wanted it to be… cordial.’

‘Cordial?’ Leigh heard herself repeat. She didn’t mean to. But it was such a strange word. ‘Whywouldn’tit be cordial?’

‘Because… You know what? I’m being silly. Ofcourseit would be fine,’ Alex said quickly.

‘If you’re worried about the past, we were kids. I’d forgotten it.’ My god, if ever Leigh had told a bald-faced lie, that was it.

‘Great,’ Alex said, pleased.

Leigh felt suddenly angry. Really fucking enraged, as a matter of fact. Alex thought she was off the hook. Mainly because Leigh had been the one to let her off it. But still, it pissed her off righteously. HowdareAlex sound so relieved? She should have been whipping herself much more in this conversation.

Leigh needed to switch the topic back to work. She could direct her anger into that just fine. ‘Oh, while I’ve got you, can I check that you’re the one that’s been feeding Ivy Coulter all this gold digger rubbish?’

Alex gave a small, shocked laugh. ‘Rubbish? That’s what you think?’

‘I mean, obviously.’

‘You think she just happened to marry someone with more money and fame than her? And then cheat with someone significantly younger than her wife? It’s straight out of the gold digger playbook,’ Alex said easily.

‘She didn’tcheat. Your woman just wanted out of the marriage and found a convenient scapegoat that would leave her the blameless victim in it all.’

‘You doknowthere’s a picture of the infidelity?’ Alex said.

‘Which I’ve heard is pretty weak,’ Leigh retorted.

‘You haven’t seen it?’ Alex asked smugly.

‘No. I will soon, though,’ Leigh said.

‘Only Isabelle has it. And the person who took the picture. And you’d have to prize it out of Isabelle’s cold dead manicure, so that must mean you have the name of the photographer,’ Alex observed.

Leigh paused. Should she admit it simply for the high ground? That might be a mistake. It woulddefinitelybe a mistake.

Fuck it.

‘Yes. I’m going to see her right now.’

‘Oh, well. Give her my regards.’

Something about Alex’s tone intrigued Leigh. ‘Who?’ she asked.

‘Youknowwho,’ Alex replied quickly.

A smile crept onto Leigh’s face. ‘I do. But I’m starting to wonder ifyoudo.’

There was a pause that was so satisfying that Leigh wanted to take a bath in it. ‘Maybe Isabelle doesn’t trust you enough to tell you? Oh well. I’m sure you’ll get there with her,’ Leigh said cheerfully.

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