Hello? Grace? Are you there?
Sorry. I’m in shock. Did you just ask if I want to come to the Hotel Royale Christmas Ball?
Yes, I did. You want to come?
OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG YES YES YES YES YES YES YES
Haha! Good! And you get a plus one if there’s anyone you want to bring
THIS IS SO AMAZING
I’ll call you tomorrow
THIS IS THE BEST EVER. I CAN’T COPE
Night, Grace xxx
I’M LYING ON THE GROUND AGAIN
The day before the ball, I was sliding down the bannister of the main staircase, minding my own business, when I flew off the end, straight into Cal Weston. We tumbled to the floor, landing at the feet of the London mayor, who very kindly helped me up.
‘Nice to see you too,’ Cal grumbled, scrambling to his feet, as Audrey escorted the mayor through to the restaurant with a pointed glare at me over her shoulder.
‘You shouldn’t come round corners so fast.’
‘You shouldn’t be sliding down the bannister.’
I awkwardly picked carpet fluff off my jumper as he bent down to pick up a folder he’d been carrying. I hadn’t spoken to him since the page-turning conversation. He definitely hadn’t been getting in anyone’s way at the hotel lately – in fact I’d barely seen him in the midst of the Christmas Ball lead-up chaos.
The hotel was now officially a Christmas wonderland, with the big tree up and decorations everywhere you looked. Mum had even put aside an evening to decorate the flat with me, which hadn’t happened in years. Sure, our decorations were not quite as elegant as the hotel’s, but, in my personal opinion, you can never have too many fairy lights. I’m not sure Fritz agrees. When I turned them on, he got such a fright that he barked madly at them, and now he just sits underneath the mantelpiece for hours, staring at the wires across it suspiciously until I switch them on and the barking begins again. For his (and Mum’s) sanity, I’ve been keeping him out of the flat and he’s been chilling in reception with Matthew, greeting guests dressed in his Santa’s Little Helper suit. It goes down a treat. A picture on Fritz’s Instagram of him in his outfit posing with Prince Harry got 47,000 likes.
Since that response, Fritz had become quite the diva. He turned up his nose at a crisp I offered him and then later on that day I found him downstairs munching on a plate of salmon that Sasha had prepared especially for him.
‘I was actually looking for you,’ Cal admitted, when I’d finished brushing myself down. ‘I didn’t quite expect you to launch yourself at me but –’
I rolled my eyes. ‘I didn’t launch myself at you, you got in my way.’
‘I wanted to tell you that I came second. In the journalism competition. Runner-up.’
‘That’s . . . amazing!’
‘I was pretty shocked. I wasn’t expecting to get anywhere with it.’
‘Cal, that is so great! I can’t believe Matthew didn’t tell me!’
He looked down at his feet. ‘I told him not to.’
‘Oh.’ I nodded, looking down at mine. ‘Sure.’
‘The ceremony is tomorrow night. I have to go and collect my award from Nicholas Huntley.’
‘Wow, you are going to be so star-struck.’
‘Yeah.’ He smiled. ‘Although, I’m sad to be missing the ball.’
‘The ball! Right! That’s tomorrow.’
‘I’ll try to make it for the fireworks. They’re always the best bit.’
