Plan A was probably making dinner with her new blonde-haired squeeze right now. I sighed anew but then slapped my mind back into the present and hoped that Julia’s comment proved to be true.
I spent the next hour and a half watching Tom and Julia expertly doing the dinner party waltz, preparing prawn cocktails, lamb rack, veg and dauphinoise while also preening their table until it looked like it had just stepped out of the pages of a glossy magazine. I pondered on the fact they were so grown up while I was, well, not, but then decided I had to get into the headspace of being Mrs Available & Attractive for my date. Attention.
While they prepared, I drank and chatted which meant that by the time the doorbell went signalling the next guests, I was a touch squiffy. I ran to the loo to check my hair and ensure that none of Tom’s crostini had taken up residence in my front teeth. They hadn’t. I heard Tom greeting male voices, so rushed out of the loo to say hi to Andy and Jason, a gay couple I’d spent many an evening being fed and watered with.
“You’re back!” squealed Andy, kissing both cheeks before holding me at arm’s length. “Looking gorgeous too, you fox!”
I loved Andy, he always said the right thing even if it was a total lie. He once told me he loved my hair and I believed him until I realised we were speaking on the telephone.
“Another set-up for you tonight, Jess,” said Jason. He followed up with a double kiss. “Let’s hope she’s as good as the last one – I could do with a laugh.”
Andy and Jason had been together as long as I could remember and they were Julia’s go-to gay couple. Apparently they hadn’t always looked like each other but as tends to happen after a while they’d now managed to morph into one goateed, dark-haired whole, both with flat stomachs, pressed jeans and shiny shoes. They also both owned a ridiculously sharp sense of humour and spent most of the evening laughing at one another’s jokes. Truly a match made in heaven.
“I’ll bring the champagne out as soon as Ange arrives – she’s running a bit late,” Julia said. She ushered us into the lounge.
We all sat down on the dark grey sofas as Tom came in carrying cold beers to accompany the nibbles, then he rushed out again in a blur. In between the boys arriving, Tom had changed into a grey shirt with black piping, very on-trend. Jason moved a coaster along the coffee table towards me, knowing Tom would have a cardiac otherwise.
“So you,” Andy said. He nudged me in the ribs. “How are you? How’s being back?”
“It’s good,” I said, through a mouthful of crisps. “You know, challenging at first but I think it was the right move.”
“But what happened with that girl? When we were round here last you were all set with some Aussie, Julia told us – TV exec?”
“I was…” I said. “But I’m not anymore.”
“Well I guessed what with you being here,” he replied.
“So is this move for good?” Jason asked.
I smiled. “Yep – you’re stuck with me now, like it or not.”
“I like! And now we can get back to normal after a break of a few years, right?” Andy said.
“Absolutely – what is a Saturday round here without me being on a blind date?”
“Not a fun one,” said Jason.
Twenty minutes later the doorbell rang and I put down my Stella, ran my fingers through my hair and took a deep breath. I needn’t have worried.
Ange turned out to be a hot brunette with cascading shiny shoulder-length hair and someone I would never approach in a million years. She was slim, just-so jeans, designer shirt and stilettos. Heels and jeans always made me flustered and tonight was no exception. I swallowed hard and shook her hand, gratified as I looked into her darting hazel eyes that she seemed just as nervous as me.
“I’ve heard a lot about you – Julia should go into PR,” she said. I liked the feel of her hand – a firm handshake but soft, cared-for skin.
“Neither of you
I spent the next hour and a half watching Tom and Julia expertly doing the dinner party waltz, preparing prawn cocktails, lamb rack, veg and dauphinoise while also preening their table until it looked like it had just stepped out of the pages of a glossy magazine. I pondered on the fact they were so grown up while I was, well, not, but then decided I had to get into the headspace of being Mrs Available & Attractive for my date. Attention.
While they prepared, I drank and chatted which meant that by the time the doorbell went signalling the next guests, I was a touch squiffy. I ran to the loo to check my hair and ensure that none of Tom’s crostini had taken up residence in my front teeth. They hadn’t. I heard Tom greeting male voices, so rushed out of the loo to say hi to Andy and Jason, a gay couple I’d spent many an evening being fed and watered with.
“You’re back!” squealed Andy, kissing both cheeks before holding me at arm’s length. “Looking gorgeous too, you fox!”
I loved Andy, he always said the right thing even if it was a total lie. He once told me he loved my hair and I believed him until I realised we were speaking on the telephone.
“Another set-up for you tonight, Jess,” said Jason. He followed up with a double kiss. “Let’s hope she’s as good as the last one – I could do with a laugh.”
Andy and Jason had been together as long as I could remember and they were Julia’s go-to gay couple. Apparently they hadn’t always looked like each other but as tends to happen after a while they’d now managed to morph into one goateed, dark-haired whole, both with flat stomachs, pressed jeans and shiny shoes. They also both owned a ridiculously sharp sense of humour and spent most of the evening laughing at one another’s jokes. Truly a match made in heaven.
“I’ll bring the champagne out as soon as Ange arrives – she’s running a bit late,” Julia said. She ushered us into the lounge.
We all sat down on the dark grey sofas as Tom came in carrying cold beers to accompany the nibbles, then he rushed out again in a blur. In between the boys arriving, Tom had changed into a grey shirt with black piping, very on-trend. Jason moved a coaster along the coffee table towards me, knowing Tom would have a cardiac otherwise.
“So you,” Andy said. He nudged me in the ribs. “How are you? How’s being back?”
“It’s good,” I said, through a mouthful of crisps. “You know, challenging at first but I think it was the right move.”
“But what happened with that girl? When we were round here last you were all set with some Aussie, Julia told us – TV exec?”
“I was…” I said. “But I’m not anymore.”
“Well I guessed what with you being here,” he replied.
“So is this move for good?” Jason asked.
I smiled. “Yep – you’re stuck with me now, like it or not.”
“I like! And now we can get back to normal after a break of a few years, right?” Andy said.
“Absolutely – what is a Saturday round here without me being on a blind date?”
“Not a fun one,” said Jason.
Twenty minutes later the doorbell rang and I put down my Stella, ran my fingers through my hair and took a deep breath. I needn’t have worried.
Ange turned out to be a hot brunette with cascading shiny shoulder-length hair and someone I would never approach in a million years. She was slim, just-so jeans, designer shirt and stilettos. Heels and jeans always made me flustered and tonight was no exception. I swallowed hard and shook her hand, gratified as I looked into her darting hazel eyes that she seemed just as nervous as me.
“I’ve heard a lot about you – Julia should go into PR,” she said. I liked the feel of her hand – a firm handshake but soft, cared-for skin.
“Neither of you
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