Page 98 of The In-Laws

‘Were you able to get the house Amanda found to rent?’ Melanie asked.

Ross crossed his fingers. ‘We’ll know tomorrow. I’m praying we will. We all need to move out and move on. It’s claustrophobic.’

‘Amanda needs her own space.’

‘How do you feel about being a dad again?’ Jamie asked quietly.

Ross grimaced. ‘I honestly don’t know. My head is so scrambled. I want to be a father to the child, I don’t want to let them down, but I also need to be respectful of Amanda and Theo. It’s a minefield.’

‘You planted the mines,’ Melanie reminded him. She glanced at her watch. If Xina didn’t come out soon, she’d be late for the girls’ play. Just as she was about to blow a fuse, the door opened and Xina entered.

She was tiny. Like a little doll. She looked much younger than twenty-one. She was pretty in a ‘girl-next-door’ way,but she had presence: you wanted to keep looking at her. There was something magnetic in her persona.

‘I’msooooosorry, I was having, like, a full anxiety attack. I needed to meditate before meeting you,’ she said, in her mid-Atlantic, I’ve-watched-too-much-American-TV-and-now-have-a-weird-accent-even-though-I’m-from-Bristol accent.

Ross went to shake her hand but she recoiled. ‘I don’t do hand touching. The germs are endemic.’

‘Right, sure, well, hello.’ He gave her a half-wave.

Melanie and Jamie did the same.

They sat on the couch opposite her chair, which was placed at quite a distance. Ross asked her about her business and TikTok followers and praised her success.

‘So what exactly do you want the book to be about?’ Melanie asked.

Xina fiddled with the sleeve of her jumper. ‘My life.’

But your life consists of you in your bedroom. How on earth can that be a book? Even if it was seventy per cent photos, they’d all be of you in that room.

‘Right, and I believe you want it to be very image-heavy?’ Melanie prodded.

‘Yeah, totally. My fans love aesthetics. So, lots of make-up and fashion and hairstyles.’

‘Okay, I can tell you that any editor who takes this on will want to shoot at different locations to make it more interesting and visually appealing.’

Xina’s eyes widened in horror. ‘I don’t do outside.’

‘Well, would you do inside locations?’

‘Only hotels because they’re cleaned daily.’

‘That could possibly work. What is your message going to be? What do you want your readers to know?’

‘That they can be beautiful and on trend and fiercewithout having to spend lots of money. That self-care is just as important as the air we breathe.’

Or not, in your case, as you never go out.

‘Amazing message, young people will eat that up. You’re an inspiration to so many.’ Ross laid it on thick. ‘I’m more over the whole social-media and media side of the agency, so I’d probably be a better fit for you than Melanie, although I know you requested a female agent. Melanie covers more of the literary side of things.’

Ross was welcome to her. Melanie worried that she would struggle to connect with Xina. She reminded her a bit of the twins. Melanie had trouble ‘getting’ young people. She didn’t understand their need for constant affirmation and likes, instant gratification and needing to know where all of their friends were all of the time. She didn’t understand watching a film while scrolling on your phone. She didn’t get why they had to record every single thing they did. That was why she got on so well with Sloane because, although she was young, she was an old soul.

‘Yes, I agree. I think Ross would be a better fit for you.’ Melanie was happy to hand over this one.

Xina’s perfectly shaped brows knitted. ‘No, I want Melanie and it’s not just because she’s a woman. It’s also because she represents Sloane Foyle. I absolutely loved her book. I’ve read it, like, ten times.’

‘Really?’ Melanie tried not to sound as surprised as she felt.

Xina wagged a finger at Melanie. ‘Yes, I read a lot. You of all people should know that you should never judge a book by its cover!’

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