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it.
    ‘I’ve always done my own stunts,’ he says firmly.
    ‘Yeah, well, that was before you had me around to nag you,’ I point out. ‘It’s not just you that you have to think about anymore,’ I add.
    ‘I guess we’ll have to add this to our list of things to talk about,’ he says meaningfully.
    That shuts me up.
    He leans forward to give me a quick peck on my lips. ‘Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine.’
    I give him a wry look and then go to the curtains. ‘You ready?’ I ask.
    His brow furrows. ‘Yes?’ he replies uncertainly, not knowing what I’m going on about.
    And then I pull back the curtains.
    ‘Wow,’ he says.
    The view out of our window is stunning, gently undulating snowy hills reaching for miles. There are no leaves on the trees at the moment, but I can already imagine how beautiful it will be in
the spring. I hope he’s here to share it with me.
    ‘Come and see downstairs,’ I say eagerly.
    Home is a large thatched house, dating back to the mid-sixteenth century. It was once a farmhouse and is still set within five acres of land, with barns which have conversion potential should we
ever need the extra space. Joe could probably do with a high-tech gym and a kickboxing studio to work out in, keep his famous martial arts skills up-to-scratch. Then again, we could just get a
bunch of animals. You know, for fun. Joe would
love
a puppy. I remember his late dog Dyson with a sad smile. How he adored him. I wonder if I could get him one as a Christmas present? Oh
my God, I am so tempted. Obviously I’d have to look after it… Hmm, might not be very practical.
    Joe’s amazed at everything I’ve managed to do in such a short space of time. But I did have movers and packers to help me, and I have been walking around interior design shops for
weeks, using the credit card Joe’s PA Melanie sent me. I’m so relieved he likes everything. It’s all for him.
    We sit at the kitchen bench table and I make him a freshly ground coffee while our croissants are heating up.
    ‘Now, are you sure you can eat these?’ I tease, bringing the pastries out of the oven.
    He rolls his eyes, but chooses to ignore me. ‘What time do you think Jessie and Emily will come over?’
    ‘I don’t know. Sometime this afternoon, I imagine.’
    ‘They seem nice,’ he comments.
    ‘You were very good with them,’ I reply. ‘Do you find it weird, people reacting to you like that?’
    ‘It still freaks me out sometimes,’ he admits.
    ‘In that case, you’re a good actor.’
    ‘Well, thank you.’ He smiles at me, then his face becomes thoughtful as he sips his coffee.
    ‘What is it?’ I ask.
    He reaches for a croissant, trying to play it down. ‘Nicky thinks I could be up for an Oscar this year.’ Nicky is his agent. I spoke to him once, years ago, when I tried to track
down Joe. I still haven’t met him in person.
    ‘No way!’ I squeal excitedly. ‘For
Magnitude Mile
?’
    ‘Yeah.’
    ‘Well, I’m not surprised. It’s the best movie I’ve ever seen.’
    He laughs with embarrassment. I was in LA with him during the summer holidays when it came out. I went to the Hollywood premiere, and it was one of the most surreal moments of my life, walking
down the red carpet hearing people chanting his name. But after that I felt a bit lost, because not only could I not arrive with him, I couldn’t even sit next to him. Naturally I felt
incredibly proud of him, but overall it was quite a lonely experience. Not that I told him that.
    ‘Ooh, does that mean you’ll get to go to the Oscars?’ I ask.
    ‘Yeah.’ He tuts. ‘At long bloody last.’
    His last two films,
Night Fox
and
Phoenix Seven
, were both nominated for various awards last year. People thought it was a travesty that he wasn’t nominated for Best
Actor for at least one of them, so it seems an Oscar might put that right this year.
    I feel a sting. How I would love to go with him… Actually
with
him… But that would mean letting go of