'And Sasha!' I laugh. 'I've never seen her move so fast!'

'I know she never used to get this psyched about her modeling jobs, did she?'

I shake my head, thrilled that she's found a pa.s.sion.

'She's worked so hard,' Zo acknowledges.

'What about you? You've been slogging your mules off in a diner all week and yet you've pulled together the most perfect theme for the party it's inspired!'

Zo can't help but puff with pride. 'It's funny, isn't it? I worked for a charity for four years and it never once occurred to me to try and come up with any fundraising ideas because that wasn't my job. I was all about the paperwork. Now I think I might have missed my calling!'

'It's not too late,' I remind her.

'I know!' she gives me a megawatt smile. 'The Dyspraxia Foundation isn't going to know what's. .h.i.t them when I get back!'

'Then you're staying with them?' My heart boings with joy.

'I'll leave when I feel I've really achieved something,' Zo tells me, looking uncharacteristically virtuous. 'I haven't given them all I have to give yet.'

'Oh, Zo,' I cheer.

'Don't, I'll cry and we've got a special guest of honor coming, I don't want to mess up my make-up!'

'Not Eddie Powers?' I gawk.

'Noooo!' Zo tuts. 'Although maybe I should've got him along to do a tune he could have sung Wild Thing every time someone made a donation ...'

'It should really be Tom Jones singing What's New p.u.s.s.ycat?' I joke.

'Or better yet, the Stray Cats!' Zo counters.

'What about the Super Furry Animals?' I hoot.

Zo's creativity is contagious. Maybe if I brainstorm long enough I'll come up with a solution for the B&B. Just a few hours to go before I have to call Mum. I am so in denial.

'Zo! Can you find Ty and get him to turn on the floodlights people are starting to arrive!' Sasha swirls past, again at 100mph.

'What can I do?' I grab Zo before she tears off.

'See if you can get any of the guests to adopt a cat they'd get full visitation rights and get to feed them the food that they purchase!'

'Will do!'

'Get Helen to help you!' Zo calls back.

I take a moment to get my head around the evening's event. It's a much bigger deal than I imagined. I think I was just expecting a handful of potential sponsors, like Carrie's contacts from San Francisco apparently they're here somewhere ... Carrie herself is over at the makeshift photo booth setting up the backdrop so people can get a Polaroid with Theo or Maxine in return for a $10 donation. I'm definitely getting one of those. Maybe I'll get it framed and label it 'The California Cub'!

I sigh. I wish I could feel I'd made more of a contribution. Still the night is young and judging by the people streaming through the gates there's a good many guests to accost. I'll get a donation out of them even if I have to pick their pockets.

In amongst the strangers I recognize the odd face particularly odd in the case of the neighbors from Zo's apartment building. Then there's Todd and Betty from the diner, Sunset sheathed in tiger-striped sequins and my heart does a quick loop-the-loop Joel.

'Lara,' he purrs. 'How's my little s.e.x kitten?'

'I'm fabulous!' I'm surprised to hear myself say. I could've sworn I was miserable.

'Nice outfit!' He eyes the pair of pawprints faux-tattooed just above my cleavage in homage to rapper Eve.

'You like?' I peer down at them. 'I used real tiger paws to make the print.'

'Oh really? How about we use my real hands on your-' He goes to grab my rear.

'Joel!' I stop him with a hearty shove.

He grabs me into a hug. 'So tell me, did the cat get the cream?'

My face falls. 'If you mean Elliot, no, she didn't.'

He heaves a dissatisfied sigh. 'That's no good. I'm going to have to have a word. Where is he?'

'No idea. n.o.body knows.'

'Really? I can't believe I was wrong about him about the two of you. I'm never wrong-'

'Joel!' Three older guys sporting baseball hats, beards and beer bellies bowl up. Judging from the a.s.sortment of movie logos they're sporting they're Hollywood big shots. (Just as well they're wearing the logos or the diner starlets wouldn't know to fawn over them.) 'These are my friends,' Joel seems to be using inverted commas around the word friends. I suspect he means: These are the richest guys I know.

I shake hands with them all. One of them says, 'Nice tats!'

I force a smile. 'The bar is over to the right,' I usher them through.

Gosh it's good to see Joel. Every time we part I think it's going to be for the last time. And every time it's not just feels such a bonus.

There's a small cough in my ear. 'Ms Russell?'

I recognize that Russian rumble Boris!

'h.e.l.lo, honey!' he greets me with raised arms as if about to do a jig. 'Please, I want you to meet my daughter Natasha...'

'h.e.l.lo,' I smile at the striking woman beside him. 'Thank you so much for coming.'

She smiles warmly back. 'I am so pleased to be here!'

'And this is little Cory, my grandson.'

'Are you Zo?' he gawps up at me.

'No, I'm her friend Lara,' I tell him. 'Do you want to say h.e.l.lo to her?' I beckon Zo over: she's looking kid-friendly as ever with a bottle of beer in each hand.

'Are you Cory?' she asks, homing straight in on him.

He nods back wide-eyed, instantly as smitten at his grandfather.

'So you two are brothers, right?' she teases, pointing between Cory and Boris.

'Noooooo!' he gurgles.

'Oh! So you must be his dad!' Zo addresses Cory.

'Noooo! I'm his grandson!' Cory a.s.serts.

'Ohhh! My mistake. You look very grown up for your age, how old are you again?'

'Seven!' he states proudly.

'Same age as me!' Zo whoops.

'No you're not!' Cory protests, twisting around in delight.'

'Okay, maybe I'm a little bit older but not much. Do you want get your picture taken with a tiger cub?'

Cory looks to Boris for approval.

'Of course. Yes! Yes!' Boris encourages him.

'Where is it?' Cory claps excitedly.

'Over here. Shall I lead the way?'

'Will you get one too?' Cory needs to know.

'I will if you'll be in it with me,' Zo tells him. 'I'm a bit scared of tigers. Are you?'

'Don't be silly they're just baby ones!' he reprimands her.

'Oh okay. If you say it's going to be fine, I'll do it.'

An hour later Zo returns, beaming. 'I'm in love with Cory!'

'I think the feeling's mutual!' I smile.

'He's got the best manners, that kid how often can you say that these days?'

'Almost never,' I admit.

'And he's so smart. Boris said he's been asking a million questions about tigers and now he's got it all down pat, like a mini Rainman! Apparently he's like that about basketball knows everything there is to know.' Zo takes a swig of beer and looks contemplative. 'It breaks my heart that kids like that get ridiculed for being different.'

'Lucky he's got such a great family,' I note.

Zo nods. 'Shame he's an only child I know this boy back in England, William, he was diagnosed with dyspraxia really young and he has an older brother Alistair who must be twelve now and he's just so bright, always reading, but at the same time has all this life energy and you know what boys that age are normally like about having to hang out with their younger siblings, but not Alistair. He totally embraces William. Apparently his dad, who dotes on the pair of them, made an agreement with him he'd cut him some slack provided he watches out for William. And he does. You know that no matter what, he has William's back. No fuss, no complaints, it's just second nature to him because it's his brother.' Zo's voice quavers. 'You should see them together!'

'I'd like to,' I say. I mean it. 'We should try and see more of each other when we get back.'

'I was just thinking that!' she nods vigorously.

'How about once a month you come to me, once a month I come to you?' I suggest.

'Sounds great,' Zo approves, then nudges me. 'Sister!'

I smile and hug her tight. We're back in each other's lives! Not that we were ever really gone but all the same, I wouldn't want to keep drifting as we had been on the rare occasion we would meet up we'd spend all our time reminiscing. Now we have so much new stuff to discuss.

Suddenly I frown. 'I didn't realize Josh Hartnett had made any animal movies,' I muse over Zo's shoulder as an extremely convincing lookalike loafs past.

'He hasn't. But as coorganizer I get a few perks,' Zo winks.

'He's good, that guy got the hair mussed up just right, same look of poetic purity in his eyes ...'

'That's cos he's the real thing.'

I look at her.

'He's the guest of honor I mentioned.'

I blink in disbelief.

'Boris knew the makeup artist working on his current movie,' Zo explains.

'You're saying that's the real Josh Hartnett?' She's got to be kidding.

'Yes! Shola asked him along and he said, Why not! Thought it was a good cause.'

'You sound so blase!' I reel. 'How come you're not dangling from his neck, trying to get him to do his amazing shy-boy smile?'

Zo shrugs. 'He's cool but I prefer his lookalike ...' On cue, she waves across at Josh number two, currently opening a bottle of beer with his teeth.

'His name's Chip,' she sighs as he gives an extended burp.

'Oh my G.o.d, he's like white trash Josh!' I gawp. 'You chose that doofus over the real thing?'

'He's too clever.'

'Who's too clever?' I bleat.

'The real Josh too deep, too wise, old head on young shoulders all that stuff.'

'Really?'

'If you spoke to him, you'd know what I mean. He hasn't got that "it's all about me" thing going that movie stars are supposed to have. He's all questing and thoughtful and was talking about writers I've never heard of.'

'And that's a bad thing?'