Part 36 (1/2)

Annie took her phone out of her handbag. 'I want to see how the other one is doing. You know I think some of the Annie sales genes have been pa.s.sed on in Lana's direction too.'

'No doubt.'

Annie dialled Lana's mobile number and heard the faraway, transatlantic dial tone.

'Mum?' Lana answered.

'Baby! How's it going?' Annie said, so excited to hear her girl she forgot to speak quietly, causing Minnie to stir.

'Great!' came Lana's verdict. 'Dresses flying out! Flying out! We've had to take new fabric up to Brad and he's working all weekend to get us more in stock.'

'Fantastic! That is such good news.'

'Elena's on NBC breakfast news tomorrow it's just unbelievable. They love her Svetlana love-child background. They love it.'

'Did you get good fabric? Good colours?'

'Oh yeah, sea-green silk, just like the colour of your bag. Some b.u.t.termilk ... lots more cotton jersey too because it's so popular. People seem to love the idea of tossing on the dress and feeling comfortable.'

'Brilliant and you, are you OK?'

'I'm great.'

'Forgotten all about ... what's-his-face.'

'Totally.'

'Is there a new what's-his-face?'

'Mum! I'm far too busy. We just work and work and then dash out to Whole Foods for a box of dinner.'

With those words, Annie pictured the walk from the apartment, over Fifth Avenue, down 15th Street to buzzing Union Square, and she felt weirdly jealous.

'Any TV news?' Lana asked.

'Well ... it took a bit of persuading, but Tamsin has suddenly got enthusiastic about doing a celebrity fitness programme. I think she's going to try and speak to Gawain, suss him out a bit more ... but it's all very early stages. She doesn't have an interested buyer yet.' Annie was trying not to sound too downhearted as she said this: 'We'll see.'

'Poor old Mum,' Lana sympathized, before adding, 'Look, I'm going to have to go. I have a lunch date with Sye and Elena.'

'Ooooh is love in the air?'

'Like, definitely!'

'D'you think if Elena married him, she could wear a Perfect Dress wedding dress?'

'Ooh, great idea. I'll tell them over lunch!'

Annie hung up and turned to Ed. The twins were asleep, her phone was quiet, this was their first chance at a conversation so far today.

'How's Lana?' he asked.

'Fantastic,' Annie told him, 'I don't think she'll be too keen to come home, especially as we've not lined up anything else for her to do yet.'

'We'll work on that.'

'Yeah ... and how are you?'

'Not too bad. Not too bad at all,' Ed said, shooting her a smile, 'everyone's being very nice to me at school.'

'b.l.o.o.d.y right!' Annie said.

'I've had letters and cards from some of the parents.'

'That's very nice, but I should b.l.o.o.d.y well think so. You didn't deserve to go through one moment of all that.'

His face serious now, Ed added, 'It's been absolute h.e.l.l. But knowing that you believed in me totally, that was the one thing which kept me going. I hope you know that.' He reached over and squeezed her hand.

'Well ... internet p.o.r.n, it just doesn't seem like your kind of thing. It takes you half an hour to send an email, babes.'

'Back issues of Vogue are more my kind of thing.'

'Oh really ... ?'

'But how are you?' he wondered. 'You come all the way back from New York to find out your son's a p.o.r.n dealer, your husband's suspended and your agent still hasn't signed you up to a new series ... that's quite a lot to deal with.'

'I know. It's rubbis.h.!.+ I wish I was Lana,' Annie said, more loudly than she'd intended, which had the unfortunate effect of waking Micky, who promptly burst into tears.

'That's done it,' said Ed. Then Minnie began to cry too.

Still, Annie knew there were a few things she wanted to air, so she might as well get them said, even if it was over the cacophony of two screaming babies.

'Ed, I miss New York! I really, really miss New York. I feel the way you do after a bad break-up. I dream about it, I can't help thinking about it all day long. I just want to go back.'

Ed looked over at her, clearly surprised at this outburst, but Annie was in full flow.

'It was so glamorous there. So fas.h.i.+on, so career-focused, so go-ahead. I felt as if anything could happen. Any plan could come off if I just tried hard enough. It just felt very me, that's the only way I can describe it. Ed, a big part of me hates the fact that I'm back here, dealing with school problems and the TV standstill and the domestic grind.'