Oh, forget it.
By half past six, I’m ready. My uncomfortably constrictive control tights work miracles under my little black dress, leaving room only for liquids and lettuce. I admire my blonde hair in the mirror; it’s shinier than usual and I’ve managed to straighten it without frying the ends. Contact lenses are in, smudge-proof lippy applied and after a quick spray of perfume, I slip my feet into my kitten heels and pour a glass of wine. For the first time in a long time, I don’t feel like just a mum, or just that woman from the café. I feel like me. I manage four sips before I hear Will knocking at the patio window. He’s early. I wanted to be one glass down before I had to deal with him.
‘Good, you have wine. I’ve run out,’ he says, bounding in. ‘I thought I’d bought—’
He stops mid-sentence and stares at me.
‘What? What is it?’
‘Nothing. You just look different with your hair down… and a dress on.’
‘Will, are you trying to tell me I look nice?’
‘No… I mean yes. Yes, you look fine.’
I laugh. ‘Great. I’ve always wanted to lookfine.’
He grabs a coffee mug from the side of the sink and pour some wine, knocking it back in a oner. ‘Shall we go? I’m starving.’
Before I’ve even replied, he’s back outside waiting for me. I lift my phone and jacket and join him on the patio. Nish passes by and waits for us to catch up. I can see Meg, Russell and the woman who cried about her dog-child fifty feet in front.
‘Hi, Nish, are you well?’ I ask, buttoning my coat. ‘Nice shirt.’
His black shirt has orange flames leaping around the bottom and I hate it.
‘You look lovely, Nora,’ he says quietly. ‘I like your shoes.’
‘Thanks, Nish,’ I reply. ‘That’s very kind of you.’ I see Will glance down at my shoes. If he says they’refine, I’ll kick him. But he doesn’t comment on them at all, he just keeps walking.
Before long we arrive at the main house, softly lit outside, with waiting staff ready to take coats and show us through to the dining room. It’s ridiculously fancy and for once I feel like I fit in perfectly. My dress might be from TK Maxx, but it feels like Valentino couture.
The main hall has been transformed, with round tables dressed in white linen, sparkly lighting and not an incense stick in sight. As I take a seat between Will and Patricia, I spy Brad in a sharp black suit and skinny tie. Damn, that man can dress. Will on the other hand has thrown a suit jacket over his T-shirt and jeans and finished his look with a pair of trainers. I hate that he also looks good despite having made zero effort. Anna, dressed in red, is sitting at the top left table, chatting to Jillian, who has chosen a white trouser suit that’s about thirty minutes away from being spilled on.
‘Wine?’ Russell asks, lifting one of the bottles from the middle of the table. We all nod. Nish, Meg and Allison join us while he pours the white and Will pours the red. I’m grateful that there are no seats left when creepy Paul attempts to sit with us. I can do without him imagining us all tethered while we’re trying to eat.
‘Can I just make a quick toast?’ Allison asks, a cloud of vape escaping from her mouth. ‘Since most of our little group is here, I just wanted to let you know how happy I am to have met you all. Well, most of you.’ She throws a quick glare towards Tim, who is currently chatting with a woman half his age and twice his size. ‘Old cheapskate,’ she mutters under her breath.
‘Anyway,’ she continues, her daggers retreating, ‘here’s to us. May we find the love and financial security we all deserve.’
Will coughs on his wine while we all clink glasses and I make a mental note to find out what happened there. Three glasses of wine should do it.
A waiter appears at the table asking who requires the vegan and vegetarian options while Anna makes her way around the tables, ensuring we’re all ‘peachy’.
‘I can see the growth in y’all already,’ she gushes, placing her hand on Nish’s arm. He smiles awkwardly. ‘And you two. You’re like magnets.’
She stares at Will and me. Wait, she’s talking about Will and me?
‘We are?’ Will asks, a smile slowly creeping on to his face. ‘But don’t magnets repel each other?’
‘They do,’ she replies. ‘But only if they’re alike. Opposites attract, my sweet, it’s as certain as gravity… enjoy your meal, everyone.’
She glides off to the next table while everyone giggles and makesoohing noises in Will’s direction. I can tell it’s making him uncomfortable, like theoohing might somehow reach his wife’s ears and ruin any hope he still has of a reconciliation.
‘Oh, relax, everyone,’ I say quickly, deflecting the attention away from him. ‘Will and I only get on so well because we both… erm… we both—’
‘We met in rehab last year.’
I kick Will under the table. Rehab? What the hell is he saying?
