Almost choking on a piece of chicken kebab, Henri threw a fork at him.
‘Peter, please! Not while we are eating.’ Eva shook a finger at him.
‘Have I been a naughty boy, Eva?’ He winked at her and blushing, she told him to shut it.
‘Speaking of boys, how is poor Rodney?’
Henri felt sick at the thought of Jess punching him. ‘Nice that he didn’t press charges.’
‘And that he went back to London,’ Jess growled.
‘He had it coming,’ Peter said. ‘Trying to mess with Zohan here.’
Eva giggled. They’d obviously been discussing Jess’s luxurious head of hair. Henri didn’t care. That hair felt incredible when she ran her fingers through it.
‘So,’ said Jess, changing the subject. ‘Back to the New York show next week, Peter?’
‘Actually, I wanted to talk to my sister about that.’
Henri groaned. ‘I told you, I am not coming back. You’re too, well, you. I can’t be associated with you professionally. Plus, Rae’s station is really taking off. I can’t desert her.’
‘That show is one night a week. What are you going to do for the rest of week?’ Peter smirked and pointed at Jess. ‘Him?’
A spoon followed the fork. It landed in Pete’s rapidly slimming lap. Eva was keeping a tight hold on him, that’s for sure. He’d never had chosen that salad he was scoffing on his own.
Eva piped up. ‘You know, there is one way everyone can win.
‘Jess is already winning.’ Peter continued, unabated.
‘Will you shut up!’ Henri punched him.
‘God, you’re violent. Maybe Jess likes that?’
‘As I was saying,’ Eva glared at Peter pointedly and he shut up, ‘this could be a win win. Henri could come back to MNC, but with a contrasting format to Peter’s. You get both sides of a problem – focus on equality.’
‘You mean do a nice and nasty Ten Reasons?’ Peter looked thoughtful. ‘Could work.’
‘But that would mean excluding Raelene altogether.’ No way was Henri doing that. After all, the girl had given her Jess!
‘Raelene could be involved too – she’s cute, right?’ Eva glanced at Peter, who confirmed with an enthusiastic thumbs-up. ‘So it will be a new format, two girls and this.’
Peter pretend sulked. ‘Now I’m just ‘this’. Boy, that honeymoon period was shorter than I imagined.’
‘I think it is a great idea,’ Jess said. ‘Henri is a professional, she’s bigger than a bingo hall or garage radio station. And so, for that matter, is Raelene.’
‘She’ll flip at the offer.’ Henri couldn’t wait to tell her.
Eva checked her watch. ‘Well, we have a meeting with the L.A. publicist, but I’ll call you tomorrow about contracts and things, Henri.’
Giving Eva a huge hug, Henri whispered her thanks.
‘No,’ Eva said. ‘Thank you!’
Although for what, Henri couldn’t imagine. As the couple walked away, Peter could be heard saying: ‘Shame I’m with you, Raelene would have made a nice little distraction.’ A loud slap followed, and then the words ‘Ooo, baby.’
‘I’m glad you’re not my brother.’ Henri said to Jess, wincing at Peter’s words.
Jess took her hand. ‘Me too, Hen. Me too.’
‘How about we make full use of that hotel room. There’s about four hours until our plane leaves?’
‘Boy, you really are reformed, aren’t you?’ Jess joked.
‘Watch it!’ Henri said. ‘That cutlery I threw at my brother is fully recyclable.’
But as they walked off, hand in hand, Henri wondered why it had taken her so long to find a man she actually wanted to sleep with.
Whatever the reason, she had bingo, alongside her obnoxious brother, to thank for Jess.
And the conversion to a fully-fledged woman.
THE END.
The Revenge Date/Ten Reasons to Say I Don't Bundle (Romantic Comedy) Page 26