‘Maybe he just needs some time,’ appealed Stella. ‘Maybe he’ll call back when he’s had time to process. Don’t—’
‘I called him back and it went straight to voicemail. He’s ghosting me. I should have known better. It’s probably just another love child to add to his collection. I’m going to have to do this on my own.’
‘Oh Ana, you’ll never be alone,’ sighed Stella, her heart breaking for her. ‘Things always look darkest before dawn.’
‘Well, they can’t get any worse. I trusted that man, I gave up my life for him and he just wanted another notch on his belt and now I have to live with the consequences. My baby won’t have a father.’
‘Ana, I cannot cope with you like this. I’d normally suggest alcohol, but that’s not an advisable idea right now! Have you thought of all the options?’
‘All the options?’
‘Yeah, you know, you don’t have to—’
‘I’m 40 years old in January, Stella! I am having this baby whether I want it or not!’
‘OK, well, in that case, I command you to come to my house where I will cook you an enormous plate of pasta and let you moan and cry all night!’
Ana was silent and Stella wasn’t sure what else she could do.
‘Thank you, Stella, I love you and I appreciate the offer, but right now I need to be alone. My head is exploding with so many thoughts. Please don’t tell Dixie what is going on. I don’t want her worrying. She doesn’t need to know that one of the maids of honour at her upcoming nuptials is a tragic, heartbroken single mother!’
As Stella hung up, she wondered why life had to be so hard. It was such a rollercoaster: did having fun always have to have such shit consequences? She longed for the days when all that any of them worried about was how many shots of tequila they could down before they fell off the bar. That’s why New York had been so liberating, at least for a little while it had been like the old days, but since then reality had caught up with all of them.
As Stella arrived at Slice of Life, she looked around to see if she could recognise Eliza, whom Stella, after her quick google search, expected to be power-dressed like Alexis Colby with better hair. She was scanning the room when she heard a familiar voice calling her name, and she turned around to see Coco.
‘Hola, Stella, over here!’ shouted Coco.
Stella waved whilst wishing the ground would swallow her up. What was she doing here? She was never going to be able to focus on her meeting with Coco there, swishing her shiny hair and giggling like a human vibrator. She was suddenly self-conscious about her clothes, her vain bid to look the part of an ‘editor’. Seeing Coco’s Lycra-stockinged body, she felt like a sausage squeezed into a too-small skin, and she could barely breathe. She was reminded of her first job, work experience in a PR firm. She had to dress as a sausage for the celebration of the launch of the Great British Banger. She had ended up on the 6 o’clock news – to this day it was her father’s favourite story.
‘Coco,’ said Stella, approaching her self-consciously. ‘What a lovely surprise to see you! I can’t really chat. I’m meeting someone here for lunch about a job.’
‘I know,’ said Coco, smiling conspiratorially.
‘Oh right, great, OK. Why am I suddenly wondering if this is some weird set-up?’
‘Stella, always so suspicious,’ cooed Coco flirtatiously, grabbing her arm and ushering her into a seat. Her touch was dry and warm and Stella wasn’t comfortable with how it made her feel. ‘I just started working with Eliza. I’m food blogging. Just like you suggested. It is such an amazing company. Renée and Stef are there too. They’re developing the travel section. Imagine the fun we’ll have!’
Stella shifted uncomfortably in her seat. This was all very convenient – too convenient. What was she getting herself embroiled in?
‘Sorry I’m late,’ said Eliza. She wasn’t a bit Dynasty. Smiling eyes, a firm handshake, late fifties in a no-fuss trouser suit. She was clearly athletic. ‘Traffic was awful and I’ve had the morning from hell. Stella,’ she said. ‘It’s lovely to meet you. I see you have already found Coco. I suggested it might be good if she came along too to tell you more about the company. This isn’t entirely my style, but would you object to my ordering a Bloody Mary? Some days. Honestly.’
Stella liked her immediately. This might be more fun than she imagined. Though Coco’s presence worried her. What if she wanted more from her? She had already told her it was over, why did she want to work with her? Could Stella work with her? Could they just be friends if they did work together? It all screamed danger to her.
‘I know that you two are acquainted, so let’s drink to serendipity,’ continued Eliza.
Stella didn’t know what that meant, and just hoped it didn’t have a sexual element.
‘Yes,’ smiled Stella, going with it. ‘We met in the playground with the children and found a kind of solace from the monotony of swinging.’ Oh God, what was she saying? ‘All those hours watching kids on the swings. You love them, but they can be so boring.’ She ignored Coco’s smirk.
‘I know that feeling,’ said Eliza. ‘My two are nearly ready to leave home! But I remember the playground years. Park Life.’ She laughed easily at her own joke and went on to ask Stella about her family. Stella opted not to mention Jake’s present situation in spite of feeling Coco’s eyes burning into her.
‘So,’ said Stella, trying hard to bring it back to a more work-focused conversation, ‘I would love to hear a little bit more about what it is you are doing.’
Eliza reached down and got out her laptop, and opened a PowerPoint presentation.
‘We want a club, subscription-based and virtual, which builds itself around experts, specifically for women who excel. Women who can lead opinion in the workplace and lifestyles. Influencers have had their time. They’ve sold out. Most of them have no real experience in their fields. We want to bring together people with real experience and real knowledge. All this starts with finding the right team. Taking all the best of female human capital and making it available. To empower, inform and inspire. A safe space for women. A network and a resource.’
‘Wow, I like it, sounds amazing,’ said Stella, flattered that such a woman would settle on her. Her stomach was fluttering.
‘We have secured significant private equity capital from partners who are invested, financially and morally, in the vision,’ said Eliza. ‘There are a number of high-profile women. I can’t mention any names at this stage, but let’s just say that if you leaned into major cultural and sporting events, say Coachella or Wimbledon, you might see some of our partners.
‘But why me?’ asked Stella. ‘You don’t know me. This sounds incredible and something I would love to be involved in, but I am not exactly experienced in this area. I mean, I’ve never even been to Glastonbury, and my biggest sporting achievement is retrieving a dropped éclair in less than three seconds.’
Eliza laughed. ‘You’ve got a good track record, Stella. I’ve done my due diligence. Yes, personal recommendations matter, but I don’t rely on that. You’d be surprised how respected you still are in the industry. I have been following your work at Slop!, and although it’s been brief, it’s been brilliant. I believe you can do this, otherwise you wouldn’t be here.’