‘Risky?’ Madison stares at her.
She shrugs. ‘Listen, I’ve been working on my complexion eversince we got engaged. So I’m not going to ruin it now by going out and gettingwrecked. I mean, I can’t possibly be ablemished bride, can I?’ Shegives a shudder. ‘Imagine the photos.’
‘But your skin’s already perfect,’ I point out.
‘Well, thank you.’ She peers at my face. ‘You might considerexfoliation, Martha,’ she advises, wrinkling her nose. ‘Works wonders on dullskin.’
My hand flies to my complexion. But she’s already back tothe topic of her wedding day.
‘I’m going to look perfect on the day if it kills me.’
‘You only have one chance to be a bride,’ remarks Madison.‘Better make it count, I suppose.’
‘One chance?’ She gives a loud bellow of laughter. ‘Whichthe hell rock haveyoubeen living under, Maddy? Half of all marriagesend in divorce these days.’ She grimaces. ‘Oh, hang on, you’re probably stillin the gooey romantic stage, thinking love will last forever. What’s his nameagain? Jim?’
‘It’s Jack. And no, I’ve never been “gooily romantic”,’snaps Madison. ‘I just don’t have your pessimistic view of life.’
‘Not pessimistic.Realistic.’ She laughs. ‘Expectingeverlasting love in a relationship is just madness. Don’t you think so,Martha?’
I grin. ‘Well, I don’t know. I live in hope.’
Judging by the guys I’ve been out with in the past, I wasrather leaning towards Lila’s view of relationships. Until I met Logan.
Thinking of him, a lovely warm feeling spreads through me.
‘I always introduce my Sean as thefirstMr Wilson,’Lila’s saying. ‘He thinks I’m joking but I’m not. I’m just being practical.’
Madison gives a derisive grunt and I stare at Lila inastonishment, hoping she’s joking.
She shrugs. ‘I tell it as it is and I don’t mind saying so! Moveout of the way a minute, will you?’ She pushes me aside to peer past me and – takenoff-guard – I almost topple off my stool. ‘Christ, is that Kermit the Frog overthere? Whatdoesthat woman think she looks like?’
We both turn. The woman in question is wearing a pair of brightgreen dungarees over a white T-shirt, and shiny, square-toed green boots.
‘I think she looks quite stylish, actually,’ I murmur. ‘Ilike her cropped blonde hair.’
Lila snorts. ‘You need to get your eyes tested.’
I laugh, feeling amused rather than offended. ‘It would beboring if everyone looked the same, though, wouldn’t it?’
She looks my outfit up and down. ‘Well, it’s perfectly obviousyouweren’t aiming for style icon when you got dressed today.’
‘Lila! Don’t be so bloody rude,’ gasps Madison, almostchoking on her drink.
I shake my head. ‘It’s fine. It’s fine. I know my limitswhen it comes to fashion. I likeyouroutfit, Lila.’
‘Thanks.’ She slaps her thighs. ‘Actually, do you know what?I feel like celebrating tonight. I’ve just landed a new job and a few drinksaren’t going to undo the good work, are they?’ She pats her perfect skin with asmug expression. ‘So... what are we drinking, girls? I’ve gotanother four days left as a free woman and I want to make the most of it.’
Her ‘few drinks’, swilled down over the following hour, turninto rather more than a few glasses of wine. Deciding to take a sentimental tripdown memory lane, she starts ordering Cherry B and cider, then moves on totequila (while Madison and I are still on our second drink).
‘Those were the days,’ Lila sighs, as she downs her thirdtequila sunrise. ‘Skipping school and getting rat-arsed on cheap drink thenhitching a lift home from the ice-cream van. I must have bought a massive tubof the stuff as a bribe to get a lift, and next thing I remember I’m waking upin the garden in a pool of melted raspberry ripple.’
She lurches off to the loo, having just labelled me a‘boring saddo’ because I wasn’t a rebellious teenager like her. I watch her goin amazement, and Madison grimaces. ‘Sorry about this. She believes in speakingher mind and she’s even worse when she’s drunk. I bet her friend’s dog wasperfectly healthy. Old Fido was just an excuse to duck out of tonight.’
‘Ooh,’ we murmur in unison, as Lila narrowly avoids collidingwith a girl bearing a tray of dirty glasses.
‘I never thought I’d see the day whenyouwere apologisingfor someone speaking their mind, by the way.’ I smile affectionately atMadison.
She frowns. ‘What do you mean by that?’
