‘They’re worth a lot more than anything you’ll find on that Roadshow.’
‘So I’ll have a word with my friend about your brooch,’ Jamie continues, ‘and see if Harry knows anyone that might be an expert in such matters, you know, fakes rather than the real thing.’
‘That’s very kind of you.’ I smile at them both. ‘I’m so glad I came to Tiffany’s today. I should haveknown it would help me in some way.’
‘You never know,’ Jamie says, ‘you might be able to help us out too. This could make a good story, if you were interested in being on
Morning Sunshine
.’
Hmm … at least it would be on a different channel, and I’d actually be appearing as myself this time.
‘Of course I would. Sure, that sounds great.’
‘Right, well, let’s swap numbers and I’ll be in touch.’ Jamie gets out his iPhone. ‘It seems like bumping into you today, Scarlett, could be pretty beneficial for both of us.’
Ten
That evening, to make upfor ‘abandoning me’ during the day, Oscar takes me for dinner at Serendipity 3, the eclectically decorated restaurant made famous in the movie of the same name. This, of course, pleases me greatly.
‘What are you doing on that phone, Scarlett?’ Oscar asks, putting down his menu for a moment to see what I’m up to. ‘For heaven’s sake, you’re supposed to be choosing your rather yummy, by the looks of this fabby menu, dinner.’
‘I’m seeing if there’s a Wi-Fi signal in here,’ I say, furiously tapping at my iPhone.
‘Why do you want Wi-Fi in a restaurant, darling?’
‘Because I haven’t tweeted today, and I want to find out what’s goingon back home. I’ve had to switch off data roaming while I’m here, or it will cost me a fortune.’
Oscar looks amused. ‘The last time I used anything called “data roaming” over the internet I met a Greek chap called Cosmo. He didn’t speak much English but he had a very big—’
‘Oscar!’
‘I was going to say kebab shop, actually. Just off the Edgware Road.’
‘Hmm …’ I narrow my eyes at him. ‘Moving on … how was Jen?’ I almost say this through gritted teeth. But I manage to turn it into a smile of sorts.
‘She’s very well, thank you. She’s working as a PA to the boss of one of New York’s top fashion houses now. Oh, you should see her, Scarlett, she does look the business in all her finery. Very Carrie Bradshaw, she is. I’m so proud.’
My menu suddenly becomes infinitely absorbing. I give up on the internet and put my phone back in my bag. I’ll tweet later on the hotel’s free Wi-Fi. ‘That’s great. Good for her. Let’s order, shall we?’ I say with newfound enthusiasm, keen not to talk about the ‘fabulous’ Jen any more.
‘So, darling, what did you get up to today?’ Oscar asks after we’ve studied the sumptuous menu for a good few minutes and finally placed our order. ‘Were you a tad lonely all by yourself?’
‘Actually no, I had a lovely time strollingalong Fifth Avenue in the morning, and then in the afternoon I met some people outside Tiffany’s.’
‘Oh
yes
?’ Oscar pricks up his ears. ‘Outside Tiffany’s, eh? Were they rich and dripping with diamonds?’
‘Hardly. They work in television.’
Oscar opens his eyes wide and blinks at me. ‘Television, how fabulous! Are they famous American stars?’
I laugh now. ‘No, they’re both from the UK, actually; they work for one of our breakfast TV shows.’
‘God, not the one you were banned from?’
‘I wasn’t banned! I was just asked to leave the building on that occasion.’
Oscar opens his eyes even wider. ‘OK, OK.’ He holds his hands up in submission. ‘I’m not going down that U bend with you now. So who are these TV types, then?’
‘They’re not from
Wake Up Britain
, they’re from the other one,
Morning Sunshine
, and they were filming a piece outside Tiffany’s. I helped them by answering some questions.’
‘Cool.’ Oscar takes a first sip from his glass
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