‘Remember when she told us, like she was going to clinch our agreement to do it, that she’d have full-body pictures of us on the back of London buses and we’d be famous,’ Matt said.
‘Yeah. And when she told me that I was perfect because people liked to seerealwomen.’ Lily had tried to take it as a compliment but hadn’ttotallysucceeded. ‘Remember those bras she showed us. Your face washilarious.Yeah, when you think about it, you’retotallygoing to be designing something naughty.’
‘Yep, I am.’
When they were together, Matt would now have said something outrageous and she’d have giggled and then they’d have grabbed a quick snog right here while no one could see them. And probably more.
She was looking at him and he was looking back at her with an unreadable expression in his eyes. After a few seconds, Lily couldn’t take the tension she could feel building between them any more, and shifted her gaze back to the water feature. Neither of them said anything. She stared at the water feature for too long and then looked back at him and then away again.
‘So we should probably get back to the others,’ Matt said, after, really, ages.
‘Yes, we should,’ Lily said. Why hadn’t she suggested that? Why hadn’t she thought of it? Why had her basic social skills deserted her? ‘So you’re still working as an architect?’ she asked as they made their way back towards the rest of the party. She knew he was. He’d set up a firm with a couple of partners three or four years ago and seemed to be doing very well. She’d googled him from time to time over the years,obviously, and the last time had been a few weeks ago when it had occurred to her that she’d probably see him at Tess’s wedding. And then obviously she’d done a cheeky extra google two nights ago because who wouldn’t when they’d just seen him again.
‘Yep. I’m lucky enough to have been able to set up a business with a couple of colleagues and we’re all loving it.’
‘That’s so cool. What you always wanted to do.’
‘Yeah, really lucky. I feel blessed if I’m honest. And what about you?’ They both took some fried octopus on cocktail sticks from a waiter holding a large platter. ‘Still working as a midwife?’
‘Yes, three days a week, and then the rest of the time I’m also lucky in having been able to start my own business.’
‘Midwifery-related or something else?’
Before Lily could answer, Carole popped up in front of them, waving an open bottle of champagne. ‘What were you two doing all the way over there? Let me top your drinks up.’
‘Norm was showing us the water feature. He really likes it,’ Matt said.
‘I bet he does, the saucy bugger,’ Carole said. ‘I saw you all coming out from behind.’
Lily and Matt both laughed out loud as Carole continued, ‘Let me introduce you to everyone else.’ Disturbingly, Lily wasn’t sure whether she was disappointed or happy to have her one-on-one conversation with Matt ended. Clearly she should be happy. But she’d kind of been enjoying being with him.
‘Come on.’ Carole inserted herself between them and put her arms through theirs.
An hour later, Lily and Aaliyah were chatting to Tess’s parents – and Lily was, honestly, concentrating very well on the conversation, and, honestly, not distracted at all by the hum of Matt’s low voice as he chatted to some of his cousins a few metres away – when Meg, followed by a smiling Pythagoras, came out of the house, looking very un-Meg-like in an apron.
Meg clapped her hands. ‘If everyone could take their seats at the tables now, that would be fab. Tess has done a seating plan but basically it’s Tess’s generation on the tables in the middle, kids over there, and adults over here.’ Lily hadn’t noticed before, but several round, white-cloth-covered tables had been set up near to a long rectangular, drinks-and-crockery-laden table on the continuation of the terrace to the side of the house.
‘Adults?’ Tess’s mother said. ‘Are none of you adults?’
‘I’m definitely an adult,’ Aaliyah said. Meg had apparently shooed her out of the kitchen so that she could sit down and enjoy the meal given how busy she normally was. ‘I didn’t spend my whole life cooking, cleaning and nagging children and a husband when I was a kid.’
‘Things will improve,’ Tess’s mother told her. ‘It’s hard when the kids are little.’
‘Yes they will,’ Aaliyah said. ‘I’m making some changes when I get home.’ She downed the rest of her champagne and smiled at them all.
‘Good for you.’ Tess’s mother downed her own champagne and coughed. ‘If I’d been born a generation later, I’d have done things differently too.’
‘You would?’ Tess’s father was staring at her as though she’d just announced she was changing her name to Shirley Valentine and staying on in Greece by herself.
‘Yes, I would.’ Tess’s mum took his hand. ‘Dinner. Come on.’
‘So what changes are you going to make?’ Lily asked as she and Aaliyah made their way over to the tables to find their seats.
‘Kick the husband out and have the kids adopted.’
‘Er?’ Lily said. The way Aaliyah had been recently, anything was possible.
‘Joking. Obviously.’ She turned round and looked at Lily. ‘Oh, okay, that’s how pissed off I’ve seemed. Iwasjoking. I love them all. But I’m going to up my hours at the surgery and use the money to pay for a cleaner and a bit of childcare and I’m pretty sure I’ll be amuchnicer wife and mother then. I might also suggest to Patrick that we start going on some date nights even though when school mums use that expression I just want to slap them. I want to start enjoying the kids and my marriage again instead of drowning in chores and sleep deprivation.’
