effusively, but she seems to want to stay with me.
“Let me get you some coffee, Ava,” she says kindly, ushering me through the throng. “I expect you’re overwhelmed! I remember my first Harriet’s World Expo. I thought I’d died and gone to heaven. I was six,” she adds with a laugh. “Hardcore fan here.”
“How long have you been an ambassador?” I say, trying to make polite conversation.
“I started the YouTube channel five years ago.” She smiles reminiscently. “But I’ve only been full-time ambassador for three years. It’s gone stratospheric,” she adds with satisfaction. “Matt must have told you.”
“Not really,” I say, and Genevieve’s eyes flash in slight annoyance.
“Well, it has. I can say this to you….” She leans forward as though imparting a delicious secret. “My commission is through the roof. There are some very big celebrity collectors. And I mean huge.” She hands me a cup of coffee. “You’d be amazed if I could tell you. Obviously I can’t, but let’s just say, household names. Let’s just say, private jets.” She shakes her hair back and checks her reflection in the back of a teaspoon. “There’s one celebrity I assist with her collecting—I mean, if you knew who it was, you’d die.”
“Wow,” I say, trying to sound suitably impressed. At once Genevieve’s eyes narrow, as though she suspects I don’t believe her.
“I can show you what she wrote to me,” she says. “I can’t show you her name, but I can show you the kind of relationship we have. I’m not just her Harriet’s House consultant, we’re friends.”
She whips out her phone and finds a page, then shows it to me, one manicured thumb plastered firmly over the name at the top. There’s one text, and it reads: Thanks, babe.
“See?” says Genevieve triumphantly. “I can’t tell you her name, but that’s an A-lister.”
Plainly, she’s waiting for a reaction. What am I supposed to do, fall to my knees and kiss the phone?
“Amazing,” I say politely. “Well done you, for knowing celebrities.”
“Well.” Genevieve gives a self-deprecating laugh. “In a way, I am a celebrity. In an itty-bitty way.” She laughs again and smooths down her hair. Clearly what she means is “in a gigantic, colossal way.”
I’ve really had enough of this conversation, and I glance around to see if Matt is nearby. But to my dismay, Genevieve grabs my arm as though we’re best chums.
“You’re the one with the dog, aren’t you?” she says cozily, as though Matt has ten girlfriends, all with different pets. “I heard how you ripped my face to bits.” She tinkles with laughter. “So funny.”
“It was an accident,” I say, and Genevieve smiles kindly at me.
“Please. Ava. You don’t need to feel threatened. You mustn’t feel threatened! I said this to the last girl too. I said, ‘Look, I’m close to the family, I understand the family, I dated Matt for longer than any other girlfriend…but at the end of the day, what does that mean? That I’m still in the frame? No! It’s his life. He’s out there, having fun before he…’ ” She gives an easy shrug. “You know.”
Her words are shimmering through my head and I’m trying to unpick them, but she’s such a pink, toxic presence, it’s hard.
“No, I don’t know,” I say at last.
“Oh my God.” Genevieve puts down her coffee, blinking innocently. “I’m not saying he’s going to end up with me. That’s not what I’m saying. Who am I? I’m out of the picture! Biscuit?”
“No thanks,” I say, trying desperately to catch sight of Matt.
“His parents still keep in touch, though, isn’t that sweet?” continues Genevieve in musing tones. “They actually fill me in on his love life, which is hilarious. The girl he dated straight after me? The one he met doing martial arts? She was loopy.” She gives me a conspiratorial smile. “Elsa was straight on the phone to me: ‘Genevieve, what am I going to do?’ And I said, ‘Elsa my love, relax, it’s just a fling—he’s not going to marry her.’ And then of course it ended so acrimoniously.” She smiles sweetly. “I’m sure Matt’s told you.”
Her eyes are probing me as though to find a weakness. As though she already suspects I know less about Matt’s past than she does. Well, she can sod off, because who had sex with him last night?
“Actually, we don’t look backward,” I reply in pleasant tones. “Because we have so much to look forward to in our beautiful future together. In fact, Matt’s so uninterested