Page 30 of Take Me Away

Fix this. As if speaking the truth is something broken.

A former co-star: Hey babe, this will blow over. But maybe stay low for a bit? Need to distance myself publicly, hope you understand xo

My publicist Simone: You need to get in front of this narrative NOW. Love you, babe, you can beat this…

The phone slips from my fingers, landing on the duvet with a dull thud. I stare at the ceiling again, but now Australia has morphed into something that looks more like an abyss.

My phone rings, vibrating against the bedcovers. I don’t move to answer it. Let it join the sixty-eight other missed calls.

But it rings again. And again. And again.

Finally, I pick it up. I plan to switch it off, but the image I have saved as Piper’s contact photo is blinking at me, and needing to talk to someone, to ease this emptiness, wins out over the echoing silence I’ve subjected myself to.

‘Piper?’ There’s a catch in the back of my throat as I say her name – a floodgate that opens and allows a wave of loneliness to carry me away.

‘No, it’s Meryl Streep. Yes, it’s Piper. The only person on your team who apparently hasn’t completely lost her mind.’ Her rapid-fire delivery is so familiar, so normal, I blink fast and swipe at my cheeks. ‘Where the hell are you? And don’t say “off-grid” again, because I swear to God, Isla, I will hunt you down and⁠—’

‘I’m in Sea Salt Bay,’ I interrupt.

There’s a pause. ‘Salt the what now?’

‘Sea Salt Bay. It’s a little coastal town in Cornwall where my grandmother lived. Remember, I inherited her cottage, I spoke to you about it?’

‘…You’re in Cornwall.’ Her tone suggests I’ve announced I’ve moved to Mars. ‘As in quaint little villages and cream teas and absolutely no cell service Cornwall? You said you were going off-grid, not to the land of career suicide.’

‘I didn’t know where else to go, and’—my voice wavers—‘and I wanted to be here.’

‘Why? Babe, I told you I’d have people sort that for you. Listen, Isla, you need to get your ass back to London immediately. Richard said the Vale legal team is on the warpath, Simone is freaking out because everyone is cancelling your bookings, and you’re what – making sandcastles?’

‘I’m not making sandcastles,’ I mutter, though honestly, that sounds more productive than what I’ve actually been doing.

‘Whatever. I’m coming to get you.’

‘Piper, no⁠—’

‘Piper, yes. I’ve got three different crisis management strategies prepared with Richard. But first, I need to physically lay eyes on you to make sure you haven’t completely lost the plot, dyed your hair black and taken to wearing capes.’

‘I don’t need rescuing.’

‘Your Instagram silence begs to differ. You haven’t posted in eighteen days. Do you know what people are saying? That you’ve had a breakdown. That you’re in rehab. That you’re pregnant with Reid’s baby and hiding out.’

I snort despite myself. ‘Not pregnant.’

‘No shit. But the point is, you’ve gone AWOL at exactly the moment you need to be visible and controlled. So I’m coming. Text me the address. I’ll be there in four hours … which is longer than it takes to have my hair done. It better be the most picturesque place I’ve ever seen.’

‘Piper—’

‘Not negotiable, Quinn. Address. Now.’ There’s a pause, and her voice softens slightly. ‘Look, I know you’re going through it. That’s why I’m coming. Someone needs to have your back right now. You need to be strong, if not for you, for all the women your story is helping. Talking too. Hiding tells them to hide too.’

The unexpectedly gentle tone almost breaks me. Makes me want to cry tears that will never end. I swallow hard.

‘I don’t know how to be strong for them. I just feel…’ I whisper.

‘Like a used car dumped by the side of the road. Address?’

My eyes are stinging like a goddamn bitch. I give her the details for Salt Cottage, warning her about the narrow lanes and unreliable GPS.

‘Great. I’ll see you this afternoon. Try not to drown yourself in the sea before I get there.’