Page 92 of Doc Hollywood

‘Can you get time off work to attend the premiere of Dreamless Sleep?’he asked.

‘I’ll do my best. When and where?’Clara replied.

‘LA. July 15th.’

Clara stared at the message. America, the premier was in America. She had assumed it would be in Australia, where it was filmed. There was no way she could go. Her budget was tight and if she wanted to pay off Jack’s debt in the time she planned, she couldn’t throw money away on trips.

Although, she did grab her computer and check the price of flights, just to see. She winced when she saw the total; she had figured that if it was under a thousand, she could maybe swing it and stay in a cheap hotel. Even after searching for a while, she couldn’t find anything under three grand.

Leaning back on the sofa, she sighed. That was it. She wasn’t going, and with that realisation, her dreams of seeing Taylor again shattered.

Another message from Damien arrived.‘Have you ever flown first class?’

Clara quickly changed her search to see what first-class flights would cost. The figure was so large it made her feel queasy.

Staring at her phone for a few minutes, she debated how to answer, eventually typing,‘No. First class is a little out of my budget.’

‘Fantastic, you’re going to love it.’

She blinked at her phone in bewilderment, finally replying.‘I’m sorry. I won’t be able to come.’

‘Oh, that’s a shame. If you change your mind, let me know, and I’ll book your airline ticket.

She read and re-read the message. Was he saying that he wanted to pay for her to go? Her fingers hovered over the screen of her phone before she typed.‘You want to book me a ticket?’

‘If you want to come to the premiere, we’re paying for your flight and hotel. No arguments. Without you, there would be no premiere.’

Clara stared at the text; she didn’t want to appear greedy, but it was her only chance to see Taylor. Her hand hovered over the screen until she decided to be truthful.‘Thank you. I would love to come. I declined due to the cost.’

‘Excellent. Louisa asked if you could try to come a few days before the premiere so she can take you dress shopping, and we’d like you to come over for dinner.’

‘I won’t need to go dress shopping. I’ll bring something with me.’

Clara thought about the dresses hanging in her wardrobe. She had one from medical school graduation and one from when she attained her consultancy and went to the graduation ceremony.

When her phone pinged again, she expected it to be Damien asking her to confirm dates, but it wasn’t. It was Louisa.

‘I need pictures of the dress you’re bringing.’

Clara sighed, pulled herself up off the sofa, and headed to her room, grabbing both dresses out of her wardrobe, hanging them up and taking a photo of each. She sent them to Louisa, hoping that one would pass muster.

‘Put on the red one and send me a photo. You’re not wearing the green one. It’s not your colour.’

Clara scowled at her phone. They had only met once, and Louisa was already telling her that things looked terrible on her. But she still did as she was told; pulling the red dress on, she looked in the mirror and cringed. It was the one she had worn to her medical school graduation, and it didn’t fit anymore. It was tight in very unflattering places and gaped in strange spotsthat she couldn’t remember it gaping in before. She took a selfie, hoping it didn’t look as bad as she thought it did.

It obviously did, as Louisa stopped and started a message multiple times before she finally sent.

‘I love shopping. Please let me buy you a dress, my treat. And before you object, my husband is alive because of you. I want to buy you a dress.’

Clara stared at herself in the mirror, about to decline the offer of a dress, when she sighed in defeat. She needed a new dress, and it wasn’t in the budget, so she accepted the offer.

‘Thanks Louisa, that would be amazing.’

‘Wooo. Shopping!’

Clara stared at the message on her phone. She was going to America, staying in a hotel, attending a premiere, wearing a new dress, and seeing Taylor. She flopped back onto her sofa and grinned at the ceiling.

Her phone rang, shattering the silence. When she checked, it was Taylor on FaceTime. She stayed where she was and answered it.

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