costume, ‘But if all this yellow polyester caught light it would start a fire that would wreck half the town.’ She poked it with a disdainful toe.
‘You’ve never smoked,’ Millie exclaimed in horror.
‘Keeps the weight down.’
‘Dora, you hardly weigh anything now.’
Dora shrugged. ‘A size zero is the norm.’
‘Oh my God, that’s awful.’ Millie drank her wine in one go as a protest.
‘That’s the reality of acting in the States. If you’re under forty, they’ll only cast you if you’re a lollipop head and, if you’re over forty, they don’t cast you at all.’
‘Just as well you’ve still got another ten years, then,’ Millie observed drily.
‘Fifteen. I took five years off and go backwards a year with every birthday.’
‘What a way to make a living. Just as well they pay you so many squillions.’
Dora giggled. ‘True. And there are other perks. Lovely beachfront house in Malibu, hot chauffeur permanently on call.’
‘Well, it’s no wonder you found Friday night in the White Bear a little plebeian.’
‘You been reading those books again?’
‘Have to get my education where I can. Some of us didn’t make it out of Berecombe.’
Dora was silent for a moment. For all her problems, she had at least escaped to go to drama school and, more importantly, still had both parents. No matter how strained her relationship was with them. Poor Millie had had her entire family wiped out in one cruel second when a drugged-up idiot had driven head-on into her parents’ car. ‘I’m sorry, Millie. I’m turning into a real spoilt LA bitch.’
‘Yes you are,’ Millie agreed, without rancour.
‘Love you.’ Dora saluted her oldest friend with her glass before drinking it dry and holding it aloft for a refill. That was the beauty of a proper friendship; you could pick up where you left off.
Millie topped up Dora’s glass. ‘So, is this just a flying visit again?’
‘It will be if you continue to force me to dress up as a duck,’ Dora complained. ‘I’d hardly got off the plane before you attacked me with a feathered head.’
‘Sorry. Zoe was going to do it, but she’s knee-deep in A-Level revision. So come on, how long have we the pleasure of Berecombe’s most famous export this time?’
Dora paused, took a deep breath, then said, ‘Can you keep a secret, Mil?’
‘Me? You know I can.’
Dora sighed and stared morosely into her glass. ‘Might be back for good, as the sainted Gary Barlow would say. Long story short: ratings plummeted, show pulled. No more made.’
Millie sat up. ‘That’s awful.’ She shook her head. ‘But it’s the most popular thing on the box over here. Zoe loves it.’
‘Well, you’re two series behind, so you’ve still got something to watch.’ Dora fiddled with a long strand of hair, trying to control the urge for a cigarette. She was trying to give up. ‘It’s the way American TV works. As soon as a show gets even a whiff of a ratings drop, it’s axed. You have to admire the business ethic, I suppose. It’s all about the profit.’
Millie wasn’t sure she did. It sounded far too ruthless for her and, besides, she was off anything American at the moment. ‘So, what are you going to do?’
‘Shack up with Mum and Dad for a bit. I haven’t seen much of them over the last few years. Walk on the beach if I can borrow Trevor. Have lazy mornings in bed. Have a holiday, enjoy myself!’
‘Get to know Mikey Love again?’
Dora gave her friend a shuttered look. ‘No way. Not going near that heap of trouble again. Nope. Me and Michael Love belong firmly in the sixth form. I do not intend to rake up all that shit again. Ever!’
Millie thought her friend protested too much. She’d seen the looks flashing between Mike and Dora. And who could resist a man who looked like he did? She finished her wine in silence. Dora and Mike had been besotted with one another when they’d all been in sixth form. They’d been the hottest couple in school. Surely feelings that intense never really went away? In the pub they looked as if they wanted to jump on one another and rip their clothes off there and then.
With them both in town, it was going to be an interesting summer.
The afternoon of the duck race was bright and sunny. Dora, used to the endless sunshine of California, rejoiced. Millie had explained she hoped for a good turnout, for Tessa and Ken’s sake. This new Arts Workshop was their latest venture and they were trying to raise money to renovate a venue in town. It seemed an excellent idea to Dora too. There had never been very much for kids to do in Berecombe. Boredom was one reason why Mike had got into trouble so much. Hopefully an arts centre would help other young people. She was all for it. And at least she didn’t have to dress up as a duck this time.
Checking out her reflection in her old bedroom at her parents’ house, she gave herself the once-over. Dora wasn’t a vain person, never had been, but years of living and working in the most image-conscious city on the west coast had made her able to view her looks objectively.
Still too thin, as her mother had pointed out this morning. Red hair, one of her distinguishing features as an actress, long and waving now it wasn’t being ruthlessly straightened by the studio’s hair department. Bluey-green eyes, which changed colour according to the light and pale, almost translucent, skin. The summer dress she’d chosen, patterned in greens and blues, suited her perfectly. It made her look tall and willowy, when in reality she was only average height. An expert at changing her appearance, today she was going for a demure vicar’s wife vibe. A wide-brimmed straw hat borrowed from her mother and her favourite sunglasses and she was ready.
She dropped her parents off in town and drove down Berecombe’s steep hill, turning off along the lane by the river to find somewhere to park. Concentrating, as she still wasn’t used to driving on the left, she squeezed the Mini into the only space available and followed the crowds to the start of the duck race.
There was a carnival atmosphere, families with small children clutching at balloons and ice creams ran along the riverbank, from where the ducks would be launched. It was fun, she decided. And very, very English. She manoeuvred her way through the crowd and found Millie and Tessa on the wide pebble beach on the bend of the river. A long meadow stretched down to the tree line of willows, which were shading the riverbank. It couldn’t have been more English.
‘Hi Dora, you’re just in time,’ Millie kissed her on the cheek. ‘Tessa’s so pleased you’ve agreed to start the race.’
‘All right, campers,’ Tessa yelled. ‘Last chance to buy a duck and then they’re off. Don’t forget the top prize is a voucher to spend at Millie
