Free Isabella's Last Request by Laura Lawrence Page B

and tick things off we’d done. Ollie noticed we had “Vegas” and “The Grand Canyon” on the list and asked us when we were going there. Unlike Josh, Ollie has never been but always wanted to have a road trip there. He told me his boss loved Isabella’s photos and wanted to do a daily blog of her story. Apparently it’d really hook their regular readers. His boss told him to take some time off to spend with us, as long as he emailed an article or two every day. So Izzy and I decided this would be a great time to blitz through the rest of the things for Orlando, before heading over to Las Vegas with the boys. I was a bit worried Isabella wouldn’t go for it, but that was a bit stupid really. Why would Izzy want to go away and leave her new boyfriend, the new love of her life behind?
                  So it was settled, Josh booked a holiday from work, Ollie wrote a handful of articles about Isabella’s back story ready for his boss to start putting in the paper. Doing it this way meant Ollie actually had a few days of relaxing before his next deadline. Whilst the boys were tying up their loose ends, Izzy and I sent half our stuff home to our parents, and rushed about finishing the Orlando tasks on the list.
    I completed the “Sunbathe until you change colour” task from the list, and cried as Ollie rubbed after sun into my pink skin. Isabella has a great tan now, whereas mine just blistered and peeled away leaving another layer of pasty, white skin below. I hate being blonde and pale sometimes. My mum tells me it’s because I’m an E nglish Rose, with my pink cheeks and sparkly blue eyes.
                  By the time we started our long journey for Las Vegas, five of Ollie’s articles about Isabella had gone out. Ollie’s boss rang to say they’d had more feedback and support for Isabella than about anything else they’d ever done. He’d even been called by a couple of studios who wanted to display her photos, if she could get them framed or stretched onto canvases.
    Ollie’s new tenant has agreed to live rent free while we’re away, providing he manages all of Ollie’s business. Including; booking tourists into the flat, sorting out which of Isabella’s photos should be published and dealing with studios, taking payment, etc. Ollie has become Isabella’s manager and both of them love their new roles.
    Ollie’s tenant, Peter, has also arranged for every copy of Florida Times to be set to the UK for Isabella’s mum. This was his idea, and such a lovely thing to do. We met briefly before the trip, he’s very sweet. Closer in age to Isabella and I, and at just 23 he’s just a few months younger than Josh.
     
                  We arrived in Vegas yesterday and had a lazy day relaxing in the hotel, and seeing some of the amazing scenery. We’re staying in the Bellagio Hotel, where Oceans 11 was filmed. It’s really expensive, but when Ollie’s boss heard we were travelling to Vegas, he called the manager to swap some free publicity for a free stay for us. Isabella has taken loads of photos of the hotel and the legendary water fountain outside. Ollie managed to have a quick meeting with the manager of the hotel, who’s agreed to Isabella selling her photos of the hotel as long as they get to choose their favourites for the lobby.
    When I said we had a lazy day, I meant all of us except Ollie who seems to be constantly working; trying to better his career and life. It’s a trait I wish I had; I don’t even know what I want to be when I grow up.
     
                  We started gambling at 10am today, after a hearty breakfast. Today is the day we’re aiming to do our challenge of gambling for 24 hours. I think this will be harder than we initially imagined, we’ve only been playing for seven hours and I already want to go shower and get changed. But no, we have to stay.
    The service is brilliant here; they have drinks and anything you could possibly want to