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insecurity cross her face.
    ‘Did you have one?’ she asked gently.
    ‘Yes.’
    ‘What happened?’
    ‘He dumped me for a skank TV host.’ Jess took out an ice cube out of her drink and sucked on it.
    ‘Guys are such arseholes,’ said Andie vehemently, and they sat in silence for a moment.
    ‘So, are you acting in something right now?’ asked Andie.
    Jess raised her chin, defensive. ‘I’m just waiting for the right script to come along.’
    Okay… thought Andie. Clearly another minefield to avoid there . She tried to think of a less volatile topic and remembered the foyer full of bags. ‘Why don’t you unpack your shopping?’
    ‘I don’t know. I never care about it once I get it home,’ Jess laughed breezily. ‘I know, right? Crazy. Besides, every couple of months my cleaners get sick of mopping around the bags and unpack them for me.’
    Andie knew she wouldn’t be able to say anything nice about that, so she kept going with the questions. ‘Favourite book?’
    ‘American Vogue.’
    Not a book, thought Andie, but she didn’t bother to point that out.
    ‘Music?’
    ‘House, dubstep and Justin Bieber.’
    Andie was incredulous. ‘Really?’
    ‘He’s amazing if you really listen,’ Jess said firmly.
    Andie paused, trying to think of the right way to ask the next question. She’d wanted to ask it from the beginning, but it wasn’t really something you could open with.
    ‘Your boobs?’
    Jess sat still, an odd look on her face. ‘Enhanced,’ she said finally, silencing Andie with the tone in her voice. ‘Okay, my turn!’ She spun again on her chair. ‘I’m really good at this. Age?’
    ‘Eighteen.’
    ‘Were you homeless in Australia?’
    ‘Huh?’ asked Andie. ‘Why?’
    ‘Because of what you wear.’
    Andie frowned. ‘It’s called vintage.’
    ‘Sorry, that was rude,’ said Jess, looking genuinely remorseful. ‘I need to learn not to say what I think all the time. All right, let me think.’ She paused. ‘Do you have a boyfriend? I’m guessing not, with the “Guys are assholes” comment before.’
    ‘I dumped him before I came here.’
    ‘How come?’ Jess asked.
    ‘He cheated,’ Andie said quietly.
    ‘What an asshole.’
    ‘With my best friend.’
    ‘Oh my god. That sucks.’
    Andie said nothing.
    ‘Are you a virgin?’ asked Jess.
    ‘No,’ said Andie. Just thinking about Cameron like that made her skin crawl now.
    Andie looked up at Jess suddenly. ‘Are you?’
    ‘Your questions are used up,’ said Jess tartly. Then she relented. ‘But what do you think?’
    Andie looked at her and then nodded. ‘Yeah, I reckon you are.’
    Jess leant closer, eyebrows raised, her egg-chair tilting at a precarious angle. ‘Why do you say that?’
    Andie shrugged. ‘Classic over-compensation.’
    Jess’s eyes narrowed. Then she brightened, grinning widely. ‘I like you,’ she said with a firm nod. ‘You’re gonna be my new best friend forever.’
    Only in LA, thought Andie.

3

    Andie went back to Cece’s several hours later. She’d had two more Diet Cokes and an amazing lunch of smoked salmon on rye, served up by Jess’s attentive housekeeper. Andie’s appetite was definitely back. Or maybe she just felt guilty at the idea of all that expensive salmon going to waste.
    After lunch, Jess had shown Andie the episode of True Hollywood Story about her life. She gave a running commentary. Who the hell has a TV biography at eighteen? wondered Andie. It made her own life seem pitifully unaccomplished.
    As Andie walked inside her aunt’s house, she saw Cece on the phone in the living area. She waved to Andie, who nodded and continued up the stairs to her room.
    Cece said goodbye and hung up her phone. ‘How was your day?’ she called. Andie’s stomach twisted again. She sounded so much like Mum, despite that slight American twang.
    ‘Fine,’ said Andie, turning around.
    ‘How was the car?’
    ‘Great. Thanks so much again.’
    There was a silence between