Page 77 of Losing the Plot

‘Ten minutes till the speech,’ he says into her ear, and she waits for him to recognise Cassandra. But he probably has so many fans who’ve randomly stopped him in restaurants. Or maybe a touch of face blindness.

‘You remember Cassandra?’ she says eventually. ‘From that pub in Godalming?’

‘Of course,’ he says, instantly all charm. ‘Nice to see you again.’

Jess sees it then – the look in Cassandra’s eyes, part admiration, part attraction, part disappointment and crushed hope. She feels a little sadness on her behalf, but only a little. They’ve worked at their relationship, she and Alex, in the last year. Jess has memorised Alex’s family tree and visited all of its branches; she’s tried her hardest not to suppress difficult emotions and to face difficult conversations that need to be had. Alex almost never leaves in the middle of arguments anymore, and the combination of meds and therapy has helped get his anxiety in check. Their relationship is good, and not just in the bedroom. Not even just in the writing department, though they’ve already been signed up for a second book together. They’ve learned and grown, and they’re both better people as a result. Lily was right – relationships aren’t easy, and this one hasn’t always been, either. But even in the rough moments, something about Jess and Alex feelsright.

‘Nice to see you too,’ Cassandra says, recovering her composure and her bright smile. ‘I can’t wait to read this book.’

‘We hope you like it,’ Alex says, putting his arm around Jess. Jess tries not to think about why he is doing this – to mark his territory, to spell out he’s taken, or simply as a mark of affection that she’s overthinking.

Nathan taps a spoon against a glass then, calling them all to attention.

‘Thank you, everyone, for coming. We’re delighted to be launching Alex Maxwell and Jess Martin’s joint debut. It’s been a long time coming, but we hope you’ll think it’s been worth the wait. It’s getting great reviews –The Independent’s called it:The start of an exciting new partnership, and theSunday Timeshas said thatAlex Maxwell is back, and he’s better than ever. I think we all know why that is.’

Nervous laughter from Alex, dawning realisation and accompanyingoohsin the crowd. Raised phones for photos, Bookstagrammers enthusiastically vying to be the first to share this particular bit of tasty publishing gossip now that it’s official.

‘And I’m thrilled to announce – and Jess and Alex don’t know this yet – that the book will be straight in at number two on this week’sSunday Timesbestseller list.’

‘Two?’ Alex mutters. ‘I suppose that’s not bad for a book that’s not about murders.’

But there’s a buzzing in Jess’s ear, and she barely hears him. She didn’t hear anything afterSunday Timesbestseller. She doesn’t even think before she puts herarms around him, hugging him hard, and then – sod it – kissing him. She’s been at enough book launches to know this isn’t the done thing, but it’s hard to care in this moment. Nathan laughs, with perhaps a little bit of second-hand embarrassment. Phones are unashamedly raised even higher now, the crowd leaning in at just the right angle to get the best photograph, the one they might even be able to sell.

Jess doesn’t mind.

It’s been a long road, getting here. With the book, with their relationship. Both of those things deserve to be celebrated.

And if other people want to celebrate, too – whatever that looks like: champagne, selfies, gleeful Instagram posts – then let them, she thinks. Let them.