‘Superhero?’ Aiden asked before it finally clicked. ‘Oh shit, you were Mother Earth! I didn’t recognise you, I’m so embarrassed.’
Erin laughed. ‘Don’t worry about it. The makeup department were amazing.’
‘I didn’t see those films,’ Tara said to Aiden, lowering her voice. She speared a mushroom off Aiden’s plate. ‘Were they any good?’
‘They were excellent,’ he replied, whispering back. ‘Idris Elba was the lead villain.’
‘And you did that indie film with Jennifer Coolidge,’ Becky said. ‘God, she’s a legend.’
‘She’s lovely,’ Erin replied. ‘We went drinking in Soho, she’s hilarious.’
‘What’s Idris Elba like?’ Tara asked. ‘Can’t believe you’ve been in the same breathing space as that hottie. It would be the first thing I told everyone. I’d be telling people who hadn’t even asked.’
Everyone looked at Aiden who lifted his palms off the table. ‘I mean, she’s not wrong.’
‘Super nice,’ Erin replied. ‘And yes, he’s just as handsome in real life.’
‘Have you done any stage work?’ Christine asked. ‘Any theatre?’
Erin nodded. ‘Lots actually, mainly in my twenties.The Mousetrap, some Shakespeare, though it isn’t my favourite thing. I did aRocky Horrortour when I was twenty-six, playing Janet – that was probably the most fun. Funnily enough, that’s when I first started dating Scott.’
‘Was he in the show?’ Becky asked.
‘God no, he wasn’t theatrically minded at all, he just catered for film and TV sets. I’d met him briefly on my first film, just before I went on the tour. Turns out he was friends with the actress who played Magenta,’ she informed them, leaving out the small yet not insignificant detail that Scott and Magenta were actually engaged at the time. No point adding ‘homewrecker’ to her CV, she thought. ‘Anyway, we have the whole weekend to catch up. Please, eat, drink and leave some room for dessert!’
‘How tall is he? He looks tall.’
‘Who?’
‘Idris!’
‘Oh, dear God, he’s about seventeen feet tall, Tara. I’ll ask him to bound over a mountain for you later.’
Alex thought the rest of dinner was a delight, despite the fact she had nearly disappeared into a black hole of shame. For dessert they had the most divine strawberry pavlova, followed by cheese, biscuits and some coffee with Scottish tablet. And as much as she laughed and conversed with her friends, she struggled to keep her thoughts away from the man on the opposite side of the table who, as his eyes met hers and his face flushed, seemed to be struggling too.
