Always With Love by Giovanna Fletcher Read Free Book Online Page B

It’s a gesture that, I’m guessing, is either to do with me never getting to Disney or to reassure me that he doesn’t see LA as home, that part of him is now fiercely loyal to Rosefont Hill. Either way it’s soothing.
    ‘Of course,’ Richard replies, smiling at me and throwing a friendly wink in my direction. ‘Pleasure to meet you, Sophie.’
    ‘You too,’ I smile back.
    ‘And you know everyone else.’
    ‘Sure do. Julie, Clive, not so kiddy kids,’ he says, nodding his way around the table with a warm grin. ‘It’s been too long folks. The studio’s not the same without you guys.’
    ‘Richard was exec producer for
Halo
,’ Lauren says in my ear, making the situation a little clearer. Basically, he’s one of the bigwigs in film.
    ‘Any chance we can tempt you back any time soon? I’m working on some great projects.’
    ‘You always are,’ Billy praises back with a laugh, clearly attempting to bat the conversation away.
    ‘True, but you’d be perfect for one of them … it’s a guaranteed smash,’ he teases, smirking at Billy as he tries to suss out his reaction.
    ‘He’s having a little break,’ calls Julie from across thetable, waving her hands at Richard, as though telling him not to bother Billy right now.
    ‘A break, Julie? What’s that?’ Richard laughs, slapping Billy on the back. ‘You just be sure to give me a call when you’re well rested.’
    ‘I will,’ Billy nods, tapping Richard’s elbow.
    ‘Well, I’d better get going, my wife is going to be wondering where I’ve got to. But I’ll see you in a couple of days. We can catch up then,’ he says with a nod, before leaving us as we were.
    Billy throws his mum a questioning look.
    ‘Oh I know you said you didn’t want a fuss made of you being here but I thought, seeing as it’s New Year, it would be nice to have a party. Nothing big and fancy, mind. Just something small and chilled.’
    ‘You don’t do small and chilled,’ says Billy flatly.
    ‘He’s got you there, Mum,’ agrees Hayley, stifling a giggle.
    ‘Remember the low-key party she threw for our eighteenth?’ asks Jenny, causing the other kids to laugh at the memory.
    ‘Or the relaxed Christmas dinner where she ended up inviting fifty people over to join us for our intimate family gathering?’ chimes in Lauren, her expression wide and disbelieving.
    ‘Let’s face it, there doesn’t even have to be an occasion …’ adds Hayley innocently, raising an eyebrow in Julie’s direction. ‘One of us could have simply put the trash out and she’d be there ready to celebrate the mammoth event.’
    ‘Oi!’ Julie reprimands them lightly, though not disagreeing. She turns to Billy, her expression softening atonce. ‘At least this way you’ll get to see everyone in one go. Then you can spend the rest of your holiday in whatever way you wish … Oh, Billy, I’m just so excited to have you here. Please let me just do this one thing?’ she pleads.
    ‘Fine,’ Billy says, shaking his head at her, but unable to stop himself from smiling, clearly quite happy that a fuss is being made of him.
    ‘Sounds lovely,’ I offer, realizing that the last New Year’s Eve party I went to was the one Molly and I threw in the shop. I’m not usually keen on celebrating New Year’s Eve, especially as I feel the whole night is based on the unrealistic promise of new beginnings, but it was lovely to be surrounded by great people. Obviously, I won’t really know people here aside from Billy’s immediate family, but Billy will, and it’ll be nice to understand his Hollywood life a little bit better. No doubt Billy will be the centre of attention, and that’ll give me time to work out the lie of the land while blending into the background, something I’ve always prided myself on being rather good at. ‘I’ll have to do some baking for it,’ I offer, knowing that I’ll love being hidden in the kitchen in the build up.
    ‘Yes!’ hisses Lauren gleefully.
    ‘Dee will