on for the last few months? Surely you can see what she’s like. I don’t know what Daniel sees in her. He’s way too good for her.’ Her eyes narrowed. ‘I always thought—’
I interrupted her. There was no way I wanted her going down that road. ‘Emily’s not that bad.’
‘Olivia. Yes she is. She’s one of those girls who are always on the lookout for their next victim. She’d be out on-the-pull the night before her wedding, just in case. Has she ever not had a boyfriend?’
Kate was being unnecessarily harsh. Although on reflection, in the time I’d been sharing with Emily, she’d always had someone in tow, some overlapping occasionally.
‘No,’ I said trying to be fair. ‘But that’s because of her mother’s disastrous marriages. She’s very insecure.’
‘Huh, she hides it well.’ Kate’s face said it all.
‘You don’t know her that well. Her mum’s had two husbands walk out!’
Kate sniffed with a marked lack of sympathy. ‘What was it Oscar Wilde said? “To lose one, may be regarded as a misfortune, to lose two seems like carelessness.”’
‘Kate, you are so heartless.’ I pretended to be shocked. She grinned at me. Was it my imagination or was she spikier than usual these days?
‘Sorry,’ she said unrepentantly. ‘Tell me about your speed-date. Barney says you made quite an impression on one of the guys.’
‘Did he now? That would be the Barney that blatantly ignored the fact that I didn’t hand in my card.’
Kate grinned.
I had wondered if she hadn’t put him up to it. Now I knew she bloody had.
‘Barney must mean Ned, the guy with ESP, who worked out my email address all by himself,’ I observed dryly. ‘He was quite nice. I’m thinking of meeting him for a shop-lifting session.’
‘Pardon?’ She raised her eyebrows and, giggling, I told her about the email which then led on to a lengthy digression about what shoes we’d steal. Kate was firmly in the Christian Louboutin camp and had seen a pair of the red-soled beauties in Selfridges for a snip at £750. My hankering was for a pair of Jimmy Choos, drop dead gorgeous black courts which even in the outlet village were still £300. We agreed stealing them was our only option because, as Kate pointed out, how many people can really justify spending the cost of a small holiday on a pair of shoes, no matter how lovely?
It wasn’t until we’d downed a whole bottle of white wine and a couple of caesar salads that Kate steered the conversation back to Ned.
‘So, Olivia, are you going to meet this guy?’
I shrugged. ‘I might meet him for a drink … but that’s all. So don’t get excited and start telling Mum or anyone.’
She looked at me over the rim of her glass. ‘You should go for it. It’s well past time you started seeing people properly again.’
‘Why?’ I held her gaze.
‘To prove you’re over Mike.’
‘I am,’ I said indignantly.
Mike! Give me a break. I hadn’t thought about him in years even though he had done the dirty thoroughly. She was dipping her toes in the wrong ocean. Mike, love of my life in my university days, had been well and truly eclipsed by someone else.
‘Olivia!’ she said crossly.
I pointedly avoided meeting her eyes. If she said another word I would start humming. Childish, I know, but I hated talking about Mike. Not because it still hurt, but because it was totally embarrassing. How could I have been so stupid?
In exasperation she slammed her glass down, the dregs of her drink splashing over my hand that was busily shredding a beer mat.
‘For God’s sake. You’re so stubborn. Don’t pretend. It still bothers you.’
‘I have to go,’ I said coolly, gathering up my mobile phone and purse, shoving them into my handbag. ‘Early start tomorrow. A meeting in Derby. I need to leave early. I’ll call.’ After Daniel’s words the other night I was still feeling a bit raw. I couldn’t handle a heart-to-heart session with Kate just now.
‘That is
I interrupted her. There was no way I wanted her going down that road. ‘Emily’s not that bad.’
‘Olivia. Yes she is. She’s one of those girls who are always on the lookout for their next victim. She’d be out on-the-pull the night before her wedding, just in case. Has she ever not had a boyfriend?’
Kate was being unnecessarily harsh. Although on reflection, in the time I’d been sharing with Emily, she’d always had someone in tow, some overlapping occasionally.
‘No,’ I said trying to be fair. ‘But that’s because of her mother’s disastrous marriages. She’s very insecure.’
‘Huh, she hides it well.’ Kate’s face said it all.
‘You don’t know her that well. Her mum’s had two husbands walk out!’
Kate sniffed with a marked lack of sympathy. ‘What was it Oscar Wilde said? “To lose one, may be regarded as a misfortune, to lose two seems like carelessness.”’
‘Kate, you are so heartless.’ I pretended to be shocked. She grinned at me. Was it my imagination or was she spikier than usual these days?
‘Sorry,’ she said unrepentantly. ‘Tell me about your speed-date. Barney says you made quite an impression on one of the guys.’
‘Did he now? That would be the Barney that blatantly ignored the fact that I didn’t hand in my card.’
Kate grinned.
I had wondered if she hadn’t put him up to it. Now I knew she bloody had.
‘Barney must mean Ned, the guy with ESP, who worked out my email address all by himself,’ I observed dryly. ‘He was quite nice. I’m thinking of meeting him for a shop-lifting session.’
‘Pardon?’ She raised her eyebrows and, giggling, I told her about the email which then led on to a lengthy digression about what shoes we’d steal. Kate was firmly in the Christian Louboutin camp and had seen a pair of the red-soled beauties in Selfridges for a snip at £750. My hankering was for a pair of Jimmy Choos, drop dead gorgeous black courts which even in the outlet village were still £300. We agreed stealing them was our only option because, as Kate pointed out, how many people can really justify spending the cost of a small holiday on a pair of shoes, no matter how lovely?
It wasn’t until we’d downed a whole bottle of white wine and a couple of caesar salads that Kate steered the conversation back to Ned.
‘So, Olivia, are you going to meet this guy?’
I shrugged. ‘I might meet him for a drink … but that’s all. So don’t get excited and start telling Mum or anyone.’
She looked at me over the rim of her glass. ‘You should go for it. It’s well past time you started seeing people properly again.’
‘Why?’ I held her gaze.
‘To prove you’re over Mike.’
‘I am,’ I said indignantly.
Mike! Give me a break. I hadn’t thought about him in years even though he had done the dirty thoroughly. She was dipping her toes in the wrong ocean. Mike, love of my life in my university days, had been well and truly eclipsed by someone else.
‘Olivia!’ she said crossly.
I pointedly avoided meeting her eyes. If she said another word I would start humming. Childish, I know, but I hated talking about Mike. Not because it still hurt, but because it was totally embarrassing. How could I have been so stupid?
In exasperation she slammed her glass down, the dregs of her drink splashing over my hand that was busily shredding a beer mat.
‘For God’s sake. You’re so stubborn. Don’t pretend. It still bothers you.’
‘I have to go,’ I said coolly, gathering up my mobile phone and purse, shoving them into my handbag. ‘Early start tomorrow. A meeting in Derby. I need to leave early. I’ll call.’ After Daniel’s words the other night I was still feeling a bit raw. I couldn’t handle a heart-to-heart session with Kate just now.
‘That is
Similar Books
