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‘I guess. You get used to things pretty quickly here. I love this place, the portions are huge and it’s cheap, but everything comes covered in icing sugar. It’s weird for an Irish spud like me.’

‘And a Liverpudlian like me,’ said Roxy. ‘What I wouldn’t give for a plate of scouse! I haven’t been home for ages.’

‘How are your folks?’

‘Me mam and dad are still fighting like cats and dogs, our Sheila is getting married to that lazy fella of hers – she wants me to make her dress. What about yours?’

‘You’d think this was Sodom and Gomorrah the way Mammy goes on about it. She keeps telling me not to talk to any strange men – all the men are strange in LA,’ she laughed. ‘So, tell me about Milan.’

‘Oh my God, it’s wild, Italians are just crazy, the men all have mistresses and the women all look a million dollars until they reach fifty, and then they all turn into widows wearing nothing but black.’

‘Seriously?’

‘I’m kidding – just. I love it there, Shauna.’

Roxy had beaten four other interns to the much-coveted role of fashion apprentice at the house of Missoni in Milan. So far, her job seemed to involve inventorying the fabric and making copious amounts of strong coffee for the design team.

‘I’m learning so much. Everyone there is super-creative.’

‘I’m happy for you, Roxy. It’s just what you wanted.’

Their food arrived, giant portions steaming as the waitress placed the plates in front of them. ‘Enjoy. Have a nice day.’

‘This would feed my entire family.’

‘I’ve given up trying to finish the portions here, I’d end up as fat as a house if I did.’

‘I hate you, Shauna O’Brien, you can eat what you like and never put on an ounce.’

‘So can you. You’re as tall as a basketball player.’

They tucked in and after a few mouthfuls. Roxy returned to the subject of Milan. ‘It’s really hard work, we have to work long hours for a pittance, but the clothes are mind-blowing, and the men … well, let’s say I’m taking an accelerated course in Italian!’

They both giggled.

‘So, how about you?’

‘I feel so lucky, Roxy. It’s taken me a while to make friends, but we never have any time for socializing anyway.’

‘It’s funny how things turned out, both of us landing up in our dream destinations.’

‘Yes, if that accountancy firm I worked for after uni hadn’t opened an office in LA, I would still be slogging away in a dreary office in Tottenham Court Road, rather than in Hollywood.’

After her finals at university, Shauna had applied to work for large firm of accountants in London. It was as dull as she had thought it would be, but when the company opened an office in LA, Shauna had badgered her boss to let her relocate there for a year. He liked her and agreed. Her first few months had been an eye-opener. It felt like she’d stepped into a movie: Hollywood seemed to be full of roller-skaters sailing along the sidewalks with huge earphones clamped over their ears, cute dogs trotting along beside their Lycra-clad owners, agitated taxi drivers argued noisily with other drivers at the lights … Best of all, you could get pizza and Chinese food delivered to your home, something unheard of in Ireland. Shauna had also discovered that Americans tended to be hardworking, ambitious and upbeat. Everyone and everything seemed larger than life.

She had got herself noticed and after a year in the LA office followed one of her colleagues when they moved to a large production company based in the city’s financial district. Shauna had worked hard; she was always the first to arrive and the last to leave. She put herself forward for extra duties, networked like crazy between departments and had managed to move sideways into location work, assisting the location manager on shoots, helping keep a tight rein on budgets. She shared a tiny apartment with another girl who worked at the same company, though they never seemed to see each other much as they were always working.

‘What about this movie you’re making?’ Roxy said with a mouthful of pancake.

‘Don’t talk with your mouth full, Roxy. I’m not involved with making the movie as such; my job is just to try to stop us going over budget. But, Roxy, it’s incredible. Tom Cruise is the star, and he’s amazing. Works harder and longer than anyone else. It’s being directed by Dan Jackson – it’s his first really big-budget movie and he’s so intense and meticulous when he’s working, but when he isn’t, he’s the nicest fella.’

‘Shauna O’Brien, your eyes are shining! This Dan Jackson must really be something!’

‘Oh, don’t be silly, it’s nothing like that. He’s so inspiring, that’s all. I’ve learned so much about movie-making even in the small amount of time I’ve been allowed on set.’

‘How are the acting classes going?’

Shauna blushed. ‘How did you know?’