avoiding things like a big old scaredy cat.
‘
Sorry about yesterday. Didn’t mean to upset you and be an arse. Tried to make an awkward situation lighter, but made it more awkward. You know me! Hope we can talk it through some time, when I’m not claiming territory like an idiot and you don’t smell of puke xx
’
Hmm. ‘I don’t think I want to talk to you at the moment,’ she said, carefully laying her phone down at the opposite end of the sofa. ‘I’m quite happy talking to myself.’
Claudia was sitting cross-legged on the floor with a biro dangling out of her mouth, staring at Cameron Diaz’s beautiful hair in
The Holiday
, when there was a knock on the door. She spat out the biro and pushed aside a confetti of half-written Christmas cards.
‘Who could this be, eh Claud?’ she whispered, heading to the door and pressing the buttons on her huge, gaudy Christmas-tree earrings so they came alive with lights scampering over the shiny plastic. Even if it were one of those pesky men, she felt ready to handle it.
‘Merry Christmas my darling!’ shrieked a petite blonde woman with a year-round tan and the pinkest of pink lipstick. Nick’s
mum
.
‘Christine!’ Claudia exclaimed, enveloped in a hug doused with Ralph Lauren Romance.
‘Hope you don’t mind me stopping by, love,’ she said, shuffling into the house and dropping her oversized handbag on the floor. ‘It’s jolly cold out there you know, the snow’s threatening to stop all the trains but they can’t stop Christine. Oooh, that coffee smells nice, mind if I grab one? Love your earrings by the way, my darling.’
Christine and Claudia were close and could natter for hours, but they rarely hung out without Nick in tow. What was she up to?
Christine reemerged from the kitchen with two steaming mugs of coffee, handed one to Claudia and pulled a huge box of Marks and Spencer chocolate biscuits out of her handbag. She settled down on an armchair and gestured for Claudia to take a seat, too.
‘How are you doing, my angel?’
‘I’m okay thanks, you?’
‘Same old with me, my love. Pilates is going well, though I think the instructor has a thing for me. Looking forward to seeing you all at Christmas for the wedding. But I want to talk about you. I heard about Seth.’
‘Yes. Not the best Christmas pressie.’
‘What a little twerp he is. How are you feeling about it all?’
‘I’m actually okay. I’ve been a bit all over the place, but think I’m coming through the other side now.’
‘That’s good to hear. Been keeping yourself busy?’
‘Non-stop, actually. Some good distractions.’
‘That’s good. Any Christmas parties?’
Claudia eyed Christine with suspicion. Where was this going? ‘Just the one so far, with Nick and Penny.’
‘And did you have a magical time?’
‘Yes … it was
quite
magical.’
Christine was staring at her, trying to make her crack.
Plop
. Three-quarters of her chocolate-coated ginger nut fell into her coffee, after drowning by excessive dunkage, leaving Christine clutching a melting corner in her baby-pink talons.
‘How’s the job?’ she asked, changing tack.
‘It’s okay. Same old. You know I don’t want to be there for ever.’
‘So what are you being a ninny about, then? Take the Royal Ballet job!’ Christine visibly relaxed, a weight off her shoulders. She put down her mug and sat back, worn out by her outburst.
Claudia smiled. ‘Nick told you, then?’
‘Of course he did,’ Christine said proudly. Proud of herself for getting it out of him, rather than of Nick for setting it up. ‘He was all excited and chuffed with himself, banging on about making you happy and getting to work with you every day.’
Claudia munched a biscuit to hide her guilty face.
‘I said to him,’ Christine continued, ‘won’t you three get sick of each other, all day, every day? But he was adamant it would be just brilliant. Why wouldn’t he want to spend as much time as possible with a
‘
Sorry about yesterday. Didn’t mean to upset you and be an arse. Tried to make an awkward situation lighter, but made it more awkward. You know me! Hope we can talk it through some time, when I’m not claiming territory like an idiot and you don’t smell of puke xx
’
Hmm. ‘I don’t think I want to talk to you at the moment,’ she said, carefully laying her phone down at the opposite end of the sofa. ‘I’m quite happy talking to myself.’
Claudia was sitting cross-legged on the floor with a biro dangling out of her mouth, staring at Cameron Diaz’s beautiful hair in
The Holiday
, when there was a knock on the door. She spat out the biro and pushed aside a confetti of half-written Christmas cards.
‘Who could this be, eh Claud?’ she whispered, heading to the door and pressing the buttons on her huge, gaudy Christmas-tree earrings so they came alive with lights scampering over the shiny plastic. Even if it were one of those pesky men, she felt ready to handle it.
‘Merry Christmas my darling!’ shrieked a petite blonde woman with a year-round tan and the pinkest of pink lipstick. Nick’s
mum
.
‘Christine!’ Claudia exclaimed, enveloped in a hug doused with Ralph Lauren Romance.
‘Hope you don’t mind me stopping by, love,’ she said, shuffling into the house and dropping her oversized handbag on the floor. ‘It’s jolly cold out there you know, the snow’s threatening to stop all the trains but they can’t stop Christine. Oooh, that coffee smells nice, mind if I grab one? Love your earrings by the way, my darling.’
Christine and Claudia were close and could natter for hours, but they rarely hung out without Nick in tow. What was she up to?
Christine reemerged from the kitchen with two steaming mugs of coffee, handed one to Claudia and pulled a huge box of Marks and Spencer chocolate biscuits out of her handbag. She settled down on an armchair and gestured for Claudia to take a seat, too.
‘How are you doing, my angel?’
‘I’m okay thanks, you?’
‘Same old with me, my love. Pilates is going well, though I think the instructor has a thing for me. Looking forward to seeing you all at Christmas for the wedding. But I want to talk about you. I heard about Seth.’
‘Yes. Not the best Christmas pressie.’
‘What a little twerp he is. How are you feeling about it all?’
‘I’m actually okay. I’ve been a bit all over the place, but think I’m coming through the other side now.’
‘That’s good to hear. Been keeping yourself busy?’
‘Non-stop, actually. Some good distractions.’
‘That’s good. Any Christmas parties?’
Claudia eyed Christine with suspicion. Where was this going? ‘Just the one so far, with Nick and Penny.’
‘And did you have a magical time?’
‘Yes … it was
quite
magical.’
Christine was staring at her, trying to make her crack.
Plop
. Three-quarters of her chocolate-coated ginger nut fell into her coffee, after drowning by excessive dunkage, leaving Christine clutching a melting corner in her baby-pink talons.
‘How’s the job?’ she asked, changing tack.
‘It’s okay. Same old. You know I don’t want to be there for ever.’
‘So what are you being a ninny about, then? Take the Royal Ballet job!’ Christine visibly relaxed, a weight off her shoulders. She put down her mug and sat back, worn out by her outburst.
Claudia smiled. ‘Nick told you, then?’
‘Of course he did,’ Christine said proudly. Proud of herself for getting it out of him, rather than of Nick for setting it up. ‘He was all excited and chuffed with himself, banging on about making you happy and getting to work with you every day.’
Claudia munched a biscuit to hide her guilty face.
‘I said to him,’ Christine continued, ‘won’t you three get sick of each other, all day, every day? But he was adamant it would be just brilliant. Why wouldn’t he want to spend as much time as possible with a
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