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“Oooh, a kiss.” Vicky takes a quick intake of breath. “He’s SO into you.”
“But how did he know your shoe size for Christ’s sake?” Louise asks curiously.
I shove up, making room for Tina, then explain how I’d lost my shoe at the Taverna in Cyprus during a drunken Greek group dance. They all roar with laughter when I recount how I landed in Daniel’s lap when my shoe went flying. And go all mushy when I tell them how he found it under his table after I’d gone and handed it in to the manager.
“He must’ve made a mental note of my shoe size then, I suppose.” I pick up my wine glass from the tray, my attention momentarily snatched by a group of young people at a nearby table who’ve just erupted in laughter. “But I’m not going out with him, of course. I’m going to text him tomorrow and politely say no.”
“Why not?” Tina says in a high-pitched voice, “Seriously, Audrey, is he a real minger?”
“No!” Vicky jumps in, “He’s bloody gorgeous. And charming. And successful. If only I were single,” she sighs, gazing forlornly at a sea of patrons at the bar, beer clutched to her chest. I feel a little miffed by that remark, has she forgotten that George is my brother? “Forget Nick, it’s over,” she insists with a slight slur. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, I really did like him, he always made me laugh, actually.” I suck my lips in. Tina and Louise exchange glances. “But, anyway, he’s history now.” She takes a swig of beer. “You should go, Audrey, you’re bloody mad if you don’t.”
“Go where?” comes a familiar voice from behind me mingled with laughter from the noisy group.
“Jess,” I squeal. “You made it.” Numerous silver bangles chime near my face as she stretches her arms across my chest; a bottle of Sol and her mobile phone wedged between her gem-adorned fingers. It’s always good to see Jess, but the heady smell of spicy musk and the whiff of stale cigarettes almost knocks me out as she presses her cold cheek against mine and blows several noisy kisses into the air.
I look over at Louise who’s smiling dotingly at her daughter. No doubt she isn’t aware of Jess’s new cigarette habit. She’d have a fit if she knew, what with being so anti-smoking. Which is why, I presume, Jess has drenched herself in a gallon of cheap perfume. Something I did as a teenager to mask the smell of tobacco, only I used Mum’s expensive Chanel No5.
“What time do you call this, young lady?” Louise points at her watch.
“I found her lurking by the bar. Texting, would you believe.” Tina throws Jess a wry smile, whirling the ice in her vodka and tonic clockwise. Jess’s hand is permanently glued to her phone, her fingers expertly whizzing over the keypad. She’s the only person I know who can hold a conversation and text at the same time.
Jess pulls a face at Tina. “I was on Snapchat, actually.” There’s an exchange of playful tongue poking then she places her beer bottle on the dark wooden table in front of us, sticky with ring marks and crumbs from our earlier feast of crisps.
“I thought you lot would be outside,” Jess groans, pulling up a chair. “What’re you doing cooped up in here like a bunch of oldies? And I hope there’s no vodka in that, Mum.”
Louise gives Jess a quick, tight smile then says, “Er, it is October, Jessica.” She leans forward, arms on table. Red-face and his girlfriend have gone. Three young men have taken their place, sipping from their pints and intermittently glancing in our direction. I’m not interested whatsoever but I can see Tina eyeing the bait.
“Never mind that, Jess,” I exclaim, “What’ve you done to your hair?” It’s transformed from long, golden, soft curls to a black shoulder length bob with a bold statement fringe. She looks like she’s just stepped off the set of Cabaret the Musical.
“I know.” She strokes her glossy hair, her oversized silver hooped earrings lost in the dark mass. “Do you like it? Sky thinks it’s sexy.” I’m not quite sure if I do, to be honest. The new style makes her look older; and with those heavily made up eyes and red, glossy lipstick, a bit burlesque. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if all she’s wearing beneath that biker leather jacket, black winter shorts and opaque tights, is nipple tassels and a pair of French knickers. This Sky person seems to have a lot of influence over Jess - the new look, the smoking. He sounds like a bit of a renegade to me. I’m going to have to have a quiet word.
Louise and Vicky spend the rest of the evening in a heated discussion about pregnancy and child rearing, while Tina, having edged herself closer to the three men at the adjacent table, laughs and does lots of hair flicking whenever one of them speaks.
Jess and I leave them to it and huddle together on the red squishy seating for a good old catch-up. She tells me about her life at university, she’s made new friends, may even leave home and share digs with them at some point to save on travel expenses and lap up the experience; then maybe take a year off once she’s finished her exams and go travelling. It isn’t long before we get round to the subject of men and my new admirer.
“The shoe gesture is very romantic and everything but I’m not ready to start dating again, Jess. I’ll just text him,” I say lightly, smiling up at a young barmaid, arms stacked with empties. “I’ll return the shoe, of course.”
Jess protests at first, says I should give him a chance, that he might just be my Prince Charming. But I’m too cynical for romance and eventually she backs down, telling me not to delay replying, though, that it’d be unkind. Jess is such a lovely, thoughtful girl.
“So, have you heard from that wanker?” she snarls. Oh, and did I say, she’s also very loyal.
“No,” I reply, grabbing a strand of my hair and winding it around my finger, “Thank God.”
“Good. Fucking tosser. At least he’s done one thing right and stayed away.” Jess takes a swig from her beer bottle. “Bloody twat.” She shakes her head and her earrings swing against her shiny black hair. “Mum was right about him all along, wasn’t she?” Louise had warned me about Nick shortly after she and Gerry started dating.
Apparently, Gerry had slipped and told her that Nick was having after-work drinks with some of the models. I didn’t mind him socialising with his colleagues, but Loulou said there was one girl in particular. Her name was Steph.
I plucked up the courage and confronted him about it shortly after Louise’s tip-off and we had our first major row. After I accused him of sleeping with half the female population behind my back, he threw his arms up in despair, told me that if I didn’t trust him then we may as well call it a day. In the end, he managed to convince me that Louise was being jealous and overprotective. “Can’t you see how controlling she is?” he said. “She doesn’t like you being close to anyone else. She’s trying to break us up.” And because Louise has always been a bit overprotective, because she complained only a week before that I’d changed since I started going out with him, that he was taking me away from my friends, I believed him. Louise and I didn’t speak for six months after that.
“Yes, Jess, your mum was right,” I sigh, “As always. But anyway, that’s all in the past now.”
“That arsehole is so lame.” Jess shakes her head in disgust, staring through Tina and the three men. One of them clocks her, gives her the eye, but she completely blanks him and returns her attention to me. “Oh, and OMG.” She grabs my forearm tightly, her blue eyes widen. “You do know that Gerry’s seen him, don’t you? The bloody Judas.” My heart almost stands still. I didn’t know. Louise hadn’t mentioned it. I look over at her but she’s heavily engrossed in conversation with Vicky, shaking her head furiously in agreement with whatever Vicky’s saying. My lips twitch. Has he been round to her house? Do they know about the baby? Have they been having cosy dinners with his new girlfriend? I want to scream.
“Yeah, he’s out of hospital. Gerry’s been round to visit him a few times,” Jess clarifies, and I let out a small sigh of relief. “Mum doesn’t want him in the house, though. She was like, if you want to carry on seeing him then do it in your own fucking time. I don’t want him round here. Well, she didn’t say fucking, but you know what I mean.” My eyes moisten. I throw Louise an affectionate, grateful smile. She clocks me in mid-flow of her conversation and grins warmly before averting her eyes to Vicky. I suppose she didn’t tell me Gerry had seen Nick because she wanted to spare my feelings, didn’t want to hurt me. I’m so lucky to have such wonderful friends who look out for me.
“Well,” I sigh, gathering my bag and coat. It’s ten-thirty. I have to get home, and besides, much as I love Jess, I’m not in the mood to talk about Nick. “I can’t stop Gerry from being his friend,” I lay a hand on Jess’s shoulder, “but I don’t ever want to see or hear from him again.”
And later that night, before I switch off my bedside light, I take Jess’s advice and text Daniel: Thanks 4 lovely thought. Sorry can’t do dinner. Pls let me know how 2 return shoe. Audrey. I hesitate for a moment, biting the inside of my lip, and then firmly press ‘send’.
