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‘You look incredible,’ said Jess, turning to Trish, who was at the bar. ‘Trish, come and look at Hannah.’
Trish walked back to their table, her eyes widening. ‘Oh my fucking GOD. What the hell happened? You look SPECTACULAR.’
Hannah blushed. ‘Thanks, guys. Did I really look that bad before?’
‘Of course not,’ laughed Gaynor, twiddling her finger to prompt Hannah to give them a twirl. ‘But we always said you needed a little makeover. Why didn’t you ask one of us to come with you?’
‘I had help,’ said Hannah, ‘from my friend Sam. He’s really into fashion.’
‘Does he charge?’ asked Jess. ‘I’d totally hire him.’
‘Yes,’ said Hannah quickly.
Trish returned to the bar and came back a minute later, manoeuvring her way through the crowd with a tray of drinks.
‘I’ve just ordered a round of Pornstar Martinis. Do you want one?’
Hannah nodded, having no idea if she wanted one or not. She felt a bit giddy, if she was honest. On the way home she’d stopped at a homewares store and bought the first full-length mirror she’d ever owned. She’d lugged it up the stairs to her bedroom and tried on all her new outfits again, feeling more excited than she had in ages. Sam was right – it HAD been fun, and she could feel good about herself in something other than leggings and tennis skirts.
‘So are you coming?’ asked Jess excitedly, as they found their way to a table by the window. ‘Please tell me you haven’t gone to all this trouble just to blow us out.’
‘I’m coming,’ said Hannah, prompting happy whoops from Jess and Gaynor. ‘But let’s wait for Trish to get back, because I have some conditions.’
‘Uh oh,’ said Gaynor.
‘I can’t believe what a difference your haircut has made,’ said Jess, leaning round to look at the back. ‘It’s totally changed the shape of your face.’
‘I’m really pleased,’ said Hannah. ‘I can’t stop touching it.’
‘I’m SO jealous,’ said Trish, arriving with another orange drink and a shot of prosecco. ‘You’ve had a movie makeover day. I bet it was really fun.’
‘To Club Colina,’ said Jess, tipping the shot of prosecco into the glass and holding it up. Hannah followed suit and did a round of cheers-ing, then took a sip, feeling uncharacteristically happy. The drink tasted sweet and foamy and not remotely like booze, which was always a worry.
‘Hannah’s coming with us,’ Jess told Trish. ‘But she has conditions.’
Trish pulled a face. ‘Eek. Come on then, let’s hear them.’
‘OK,’ said Hannah, putting her drink back on the table and looking round at the three women. ‘First of all, I’m not going to be the group mother. You can do whatever you like, obviously, but I’m not going to clean up after all your mess, physical or emotional.’
‘Wow, that’s a brutal start,’ said Gaynor.
‘But point totally taken,’ said Jess, waving her hand for Hannah to continue. ‘Carry on.’
‘If I don’t want to go out drinking or partying, you’re not allowed to give me a hard time about it.’
‘Absolutely. You can also do whatever you like, no judgement.’
‘I can’t just drink booze and eat junk for a week. I need proper food, or I’ll feel awful and play bad tennis.’
‘That’s easy. The food there is great and Gaynor’s vegan, so we can’t just eat any old shite.’
‘Although churros are technically vegan,’ Gaynor chimed in. ‘Everyone forgets that.’
‘Great. Also we play tennis, every day. I’m not going to sit around while you all nurse massive hangovers.’
Jess nodded firmly. ‘Totally. That’s actually one of our own rules. We’ve never missed a coaching session, I promise.’
‘Perfect,’ said Hannah. ‘And finally, you have to support me. I’ve never done this kind of thing before, so it’s a really big deal for me.’
