there,’ she instructed.
‘Well, we’ll definitely pay for the cab then,’ Josie said. ‘And all the chocolate.’
Nell shrugged on her jacket. ‘And that alone will be a small fortune, if I’ve got anything to do with it,’ she laughed.
Once Lisa had paid, they strolled out of the restaurant, arm in arm. As well as aching feet and a feeling of having drunk far too much for one day, there was another reason Josie wanted to go back to Lisa’s – to check for messages. She’d called home a couple more times that evening, only to keep getting her own answerphone. Pete’s mobile had been switched off too, every time she’d tried it. Where were they?
Josie kept telling herself that everything was sure to be fine, they’d just got caught up having a great time somewhere or other and hadn’t managed to call her, but it felt horrible, not being able to say good-night to the boys.
She slipped her arm out of Nell’s and checked her mobile again for messages as they walked – ahh, and there was a text from Pete. At last! She must have missed the phone’s bleep when it came through. She read it quickly.
Sorry – missed yr calls. All fine. See u tomorrow.
All fine. Thank goodness. Oh, thank goodness! It was only then that she realized how much she’d been worrying about them, how tense she’d felt. She tried dialling his number but it switched straight to voicemail. Maybe he was having an early night. It was gone eleven now, after all.
She put the phone back in her bag, and took Nell’s arm again. ‘I am having such a good time,’ she blurted out, as she was flooded with joyful drunkenness. ‘I am so happy that I’m here with you two. My two best friends.’ For a second, she thought she might cry. ‘Life is great, isn’t it? Life is just great.’
Back at Lisa’s, Josie stepped out of her boots and sank into the sofa, massaging the balls of her feet thankfully. Lisa lit some stout white church candles on the mantelpiece and put on a CD. ‘We should really be drinking Baileys now if we’re going to indulge in the complete nostalgia trip,’ she said, ‘but I don’t know if I can face it. What does anyone else fancy? Tea? More wine?’
Josie bit off the end of a Twix and crunched it. ‘I could go another bottle of wine,’ she said. Hell, why not? Now that she was curled up on Lisa’s squashy sofa with chocolate melting in her mouth, and her bed only a stair-climb away, she could feel a second wind coming on. It wasn’t as if she had to drag herself out of bed to make the boys breakfast at six-thirty the next morning, after all. For once she could lie in bed until midday if she felt like it.
‘Go, Josie!’ Nell cheered. ‘Me too. Sorry, Lise, we should have picked up another bottle while we were out.’
‘No worries,’ Lisa said easily. ‘How about something bubbly? I’ve got some champers in the fridge. I meant to open it earlier but we ended up drinking all that red instead.’
‘Champagne would be just lush ,’ Josie said, resting her head on the back of the sofa. ‘Oh, Lise, do I have to go home tomorrow? Can’t I just come and live with you instead? I’ll do all your cooking and cleaning . . .’
Lisa laughed. ‘I’ll get some glasses,’ she said, and left the room.
Nell was staring into the candle flames from where she was curled up at the other end of the sofa. ‘Everything all right?’ Josie asked, nudging her with a foot.
Nell nodded. ‘Just thinking,’ she said, without looking at Josie.
‘About Gareth?’ Josie prompted before she could stop herself.
‘Kind of,’ Nell replied. She leaned against a cushion and closed her eyes. ‘It’s been a bit of a mad few weeks. I—’
She stopped abruptly as Lisa came back into the room with a fat green bottle misted with cold, and three champagne flutes clinking between her fingers. ‘Right – who wants to pop the cork?’ Lisa asked.
Josie flicked her eyes across to Nell, a little irritated that Lisa had
‘Well, we’ll definitely pay for the cab then,’ Josie said. ‘And all the chocolate.’
Nell shrugged on her jacket. ‘And that alone will be a small fortune, if I’ve got anything to do with it,’ she laughed.
Once Lisa had paid, they strolled out of the restaurant, arm in arm. As well as aching feet and a feeling of having drunk far too much for one day, there was another reason Josie wanted to go back to Lisa’s – to check for messages. She’d called home a couple more times that evening, only to keep getting her own answerphone. Pete’s mobile had been switched off too, every time she’d tried it. Where were they?
Josie kept telling herself that everything was sure to be fine, they’d just got caught up having a great time somewhere or other and hadn’t managed to call her, but it felt horrible, not being able to say good-night to the boys.
She slipped her arm out of Nell’s and checked her mobile again for messages as they walked – ahh, and there was a text from Pete. At last! She must have missed the phone’s bleep when it came through. She read it quickly.
Sorry – missed yr calls. All fine. See u tomorrow.
All fine. Thank goodness. Oh, thank goodness! It was only then that she realized how much she’d been worrying about them, how tense she’d felt. She tried dialling his number but it switched straight to voicemail. Maybe he was having an early night. It was gone eleven now, after all.
She put the phone back in her bag, and took Nell’s arm again. ‘I am having such a good time,’ she blurted out, as she was flooded with joyful drunkenness. ‘I am so happy that I’m here with you two. My two best friends.’ For a second, she thought she might cry. ‘Life is great, isn’t it? Life is just great.’
Back at Lisa’s, Josie stepped out of her boots and sank into the sofa, massaging the balls of her feet thankfully. Lisa lit some stout white church candles on the mantelpiece and put on a CD. ‘We should really be drinking Baileys now if we’re going to indulge in the complete nostalgia trip,’ she said, ‘but I don’t know if I can face it. What does anyone else fancy? Tea? More wine?’
Josie bit off the end of a Twix and crunched it. ‘I could go another bottle of wine,’ she said. Hell, why not? Now that she was curled up on Lisa’s squashy sofa with chocolate melting in her mouth, and her bed only a stair-climb away, she could feel a second wind coming on. It wasn’t as if she had to drag herself out of bed to make the boys breakfast at six-thirty the next morning, after all. For once she could lie in bed until midday if she felt like it.
‘Go, Josie!’ Nell cheered. ‘Me too. Sorry, Lise, we should have picked up another bottle while we were out.’
‘No worries,’ Lisa said easily. ‘How about something bubbly? I’ve got some champers in the fridge. I meant to open it earlier but we ended up drinking all that red instead.’
‘Champagne would be just lush ,’ Josie said, resting her head on the back of the sofa. ‘Oh, Lise, do I have to go home tomorrow? Can’t I just come and live with you instead? I’ll do all your cooking and cleaning . . .’
Lisa laughed. ‘I’ll get some glasses,’ she said, and left the room.
Nell was staring into the candle flames from where she was curled up at the other end of the sofa. ‘Everything all right?’ Josie asked, nudging her with a foot.
Nell nodded. ‘Just thinking,’ she said, without looking at Josie.
‘About Gareth?’ Josie prompted before she could stop herself.
‘Kind of,’ Nell replied. She leaned against a cushion and closed her eyes. ‘It’s been a bit of a mad few weeks. I—’
She stopped abruptly as Lisa came back into the room with a fat green bottle misted with cold, and three champagne flutes clinking between her fingers. ‘Right – who wants to pop the cork?’ Lisa asked.
Josie flicked her eyes across to Nell, a little irritated that Lisa had
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