She shook her head. ‘We aren’t, you know, like that,’ she said. No, even more embarrassing. She should just have laughed and ignored what he’d said. ‘But the quail’s eggs do sound delicious and I will go for them. And for main I’ll have the cod,’ she said quickly, to try to stop any more garlic comments.
‘Good choice,’ Joe said, winking again. ‘I’ll come back toyou, sir, when I’ve taken the ladies’ orders and given you some time to look through the menu.’
‘Thank you.’ Dan opened the menu. ‘So this is great,’ he said to Evie, looking up. ‘I’ve never been to Vegas before and so far it’sexactlywhat I always imagined.’
‘I know,’ Evie said. ‘Literally down to the Elvis impersonator who sat next to me in the bar earlier. Amazing sideburns and flares.’
‘I’m very pleased to hear that,’ Dan said. ‘So how’ve you been?’
‘You need a drink, Dan,’ Sasha interrupted. ‘And you need to drink faster, Evie.’ She filled Dan’s glass from one of the jugs and sloshed more pink cocktail into Evie’s glass. ‘Do you think we should play some drinking games?’
‘Absolutely not,’ said Angus, overhearing her. ‘God. It’s going to be carnage on Sasha’s own thirtieth.’
‘But fun,’ Evie said.
‘Are you ready to order now?’ Joe had made it all the way round the table and was waiting in front of Dan, pencil poised above pad.
‘Yeah, for my starter, I’m hesitating between the prawns and the pâté,’ Dan said.
Evie held her breath. What was the point of her being un-garlicky if Dan was going to be garlicky? What? Where had that come from? What was she even thinking? There was definitely going to be no kissing between them. All that stuff had just been one evening in time. She was still holding her breath, though.
‘I think I’m going to go pâté,’ Dan told Joe. ‘And ribs for main.’
Evie smiled and took another large sip of her cocktail.
‘Grrrreat choice,’ Joe said.
By the time they all had their starters, Sasha had them all going on a drinking game.
Evie downed half a glass while everyone shouted, ‘Three fingers,’ and said to Dan, ‘Honestly. Your sister.’
‘Your best friend. You can choose your friends but not your family.’
‘I actually love Sasha so much.’ The alcohol was leaving Evie with a warm, fuzzy feeling as it spread through her body. ‘I’m very lucky to have her.’
Dan laughed. ‘Me too.’
‘Your turn.’ Evie clapped as Dan started to recite the Fuzzy Duck rhyme.
It was a bad idea to drink a lot, and Evie definitely wasn’t going to drink too much this evening, but these cocktails were delicious and she was feeling sooo relaxed andhappynow.
Halfway through their main courses, Joe brought jugs of two different cocktails. They’d finished all the pink ones.
‘They’re blue and green,’ Evie said. ‘Unusual colours for drinks. Very…bright.’
Dan nodded, very seriously. ‘Thoseareunusual beverage colours.’
‘We need to try them.’
Dan nodded again. ‘You’re right.’
‘I’m going to be thirty tomorrow,’ Evie told Dan. ‘That’s abigone.’
‘Yes,although, I hear that forty’s the new thirty. So maybe thirty’s the new twenty.’
‘No.’ Evie took a long drink of blue cocktail and then shook her head. ‘I’m a lot older than I was when I was twenty. I’m ten years older.’
‘Great arithmetic.’
