Three Amazing Things About You (25 page)

‘Are you talking about the party now? Or the buffet?’ It was a standing joke that Bea had once been distraught to discover she’d missed the last of the home-made Scotch eggs.

‘How can you even ask that?’ Filled with indignation, Bea said, ‘Both!’

‘Come on then, let’s go, we don’t want to be late.’

This was especially rich coming from the girl who’d never been on time for anything in her life.

‘Two more minutes,’ said Hallie. It was still only ten to eight.

‘
One
more minute.’ Bea emphasised her point with an index finger raised. ‘People could be over there finishing the Scotch eggs as we speak.’

Hallie turned back to the mirror above the fireplace, unable to resist admiring her reflection for a few seconds more. God knows, it didn’t happen often these days, but this evening was getting off to a good start; by some happy accident, she was actually looking . . . well, not too bad at all. The fitted primrose-yellow dress suited her figure and gave her some shape. The sun had shone for the last week and she’d got a bit of a tan, which definitely helped. Best of all, her short hair had gone right when she’d dried it this evening, and with Bea’s assistance her make-up was extra-flattering. BB cream, blusher and mineral powder had made her skin look flawless. Her eyes were huge and luminous, the violet shadows beneath them expertly disguised with concealer, which made a big difference. Together with the smoky eye make-up Bea had proved so adept at applying, the end result was . . . good.

For once, she actually gave the impression of glowing with health.

‘Ready?’ said Bea.

‘I look nice.’ It wasn’t the kind of thing you could say in front of just anyone, but Bea was her best friend.

Bea’s expression softened; she understood. ‘Better than nice. You look stunningly beautiful.’

Also, normal. Well, if you took away the oxygen tubing. And the wheelchair.

‘OK, let’s go.’ Tapping her watch and reverting to bossy-boots mode, Bea grabbed the handles of the wheelchair. ‘Get in.’

As if she were a harassed mum ordering her naughty toddler into a buggy.

Hallie sprayed herself with scent and did as she was told, disconnecting the tubing from the in-house supply and plugging it into the portable oxygen tank that would be accompanying them to the party. As they left the house, she twisted round in the chair and looked up at Bea. ‘Is this really about not missing out on the Scotch eggs, or is something else going on?’

‘Ha, can’t get anything past you, can we, Sherlock? Anyway, don’t bother asking any more questions, because I’m not giving anything away.’ Pushing her out on to the pavement and closing the front door behind them, Bea added gleefully, ‘It’s a surprise!’

The celebrations were already in full swing when they arrived. Marilyn was up on stage with the band, looking like Tina Turner in a fringed silver dress and six-inch heels. Practically everyone in Carranford was there, filling the pub and spilling out into both the connected marquee and the long garden beyond. The noise level was high, the atmosphere buzzing and there were strings of fairy lights everywhere.

Surreally, too, the party was full of Marilyns – dozens of people were wearing masks featuring her face as they chatted, milled about and strutted their stuff on the dance floor.

Hallie spotted Luke at the other side of the bar and felt her heart do its foolish little flip of excitement, the one it always did when she saw him, the one nobody else knew about. Oh, but he was looking extra nice tonight, with his hair slicked back like that. He was wearing a dark blue linen jacket, a cream shirt and jeans. Best of all, he wasn’t wearing a Marilyn mask, so she was able to see when he noticed her and broke into a warm smile. Raising a hand in greeting, he made his way over.

‘Evening! How are you doing? You look great.’

‘So do I,’ said Bea before Hallie could open her mouth. ‘I’m looking amazing too!’

Luke grinned at her. ‘Absolutely. Goes without saying. You both look fantastic. Can I get you a drink?’

‘White wine, please,’ said Hallie. ‘Frascati.’

‘Make it two. Ooh . . .’ Bea pulled out her phone and read the text that had just arrived. Evidently pleased, she rapidly replied, then watched as Luke threaded his way between a group of cricketers on his way to the bar. She touched Hallie’s shoulder. ‘Going to be fun tonight.’

‘I wish you’d tell me what’s happening.’

‘I wish you’d stop being so nosy. Just have a bit of patience. It’ll be worth it, I promise.’

Hallie knew how Bea’s mind worked; she adored springing surprises. Last year she’d organised a reunion of her father’s school friends for his sixtieth birthday. From the way she was looking and behaving now, Hallie guessed that she had secretly arranged for some of
their
old friends to turn up tonight. Which would be brilliant, so long as she hadn’t invited Martin Ormerod, who had made such merciless fun of Hallie’s coughing fits and had called her Fag-Ash Lil all the way through school. For him, the joke had never stopped being hilarious.

Basically, because he was a dick.

Twenty minutes later, Hallie discovered that the down side of brilliant surprises was automatically assuming they were intended for you, when this wasn’t necessarily the case.

Like now.

As everyone else partied on around them, Bea had continued to monopolise Luke, chatting away to him as if he were the only man in the room, and doing it with such vivacious intensity that there was no way he could escape.

At first Hallie had been puzzled, wondering what was going on. Then her attention had begun to wander, because the plethora of Marilyns was more entertaining than having to listen to Bea’s endless questions about cholesterol.

The moment of realisation came when her gaze drifted from the boisterous group of cricketers demonstrating their twerking skills on the dance floor – really
not
a pretty sight – to the woman who had moved across the room and was now standing just a few feet away from Bea and Luke. She was wearing one of the Marilyn masks and clutching a drink, but it was the legs that gave her away: fine, elegant, shapely . . . and recognisably belonging to—

‘Well,
hello
,’ Bea exclaimed, breaking off her conversation and making a poor attempt at pretending to be surprised. She even did an over-the-top double-take. ‘Oh my goodness, I don’t believe it! Fancy seeing you here!’

Hallie’s heart sank as the new arrival lifted the Marilyn mask from her face. She saw Luke’s expression change, amazement giving way to delight as he said, ‘Wow, this
is
a surprise! Look at you!’

And then she was forced to sit and watch them greet each other with hugs and kisses, trapped and unable to escape because her wheelchair was hemmed in from all directions. Was Luke just being polite, or was it more than that? Was Christina glad she’d taken the plunge and come to the party?

And was this really Bea’s idea of a completely brilliant surprise?

The answer to this last question was evidently yes, as Bea was now clapping her hands. Beaming down at her, she exclaimed, ‘Ha, was this the best plan ever? Isn’t it great? I
knew
you’d love it too!’

Hallie, who wasn’t loving it at all, marvelled at her own ability to put on a good front. Because somehow she
was
managing to smile and look delighted while inside her ribcage a sensation like slowly setting cement appeared to be pressing down on her lungs.

As if they weren’t already useless enough.

And now other people were turning, recognising Christina, nudging each other and pointing to the happy, just-reunited couple. Christina was clutching Luke’s shoulder, laughing at something he’d just said and shaking her head in disbelief. Up on the stage, the real Marilyn had spotted what was going on and broke off from singing ‘River Deep, Mountain High’ in order to yell, ‘Ooh, I say, look who’s here! Hello, lovely Christina, long time no see!’

Hallie kept the happy expression plastered on her own face as Christina first waved back at Marilyn then turned to smile at other people she recognised and hadn’t seen for months. It wasn’t just Luke;
everyone
seemed thrilled to see her again.

Oh God.

It was like the prodigal daughter returning home.

‘Come outside.’ Slipping her hand into his, Christina whispered in Luke’s ear, ‘I’ve got something to show you.’

Together they left the pub by the side door. Christina led him across the crowded car park. In the far corner, he recognised her red Audi. The next moment a volley of high-pitched barks emanated from it and he saw a small dog leaping up and down as if the passenger seat were a particularly bouncy trampoline.

‘OK, I don’t know how to break this to you, but there appears to be a dog in your car.’

Christina grinned up at him. ‘I know.’

‘Well, should we dial 999? Or call the zoo? They could probably send out keepers with nets and stun guns.’

She unlocked the car, opened the passenger door and caught the dog as, wriggling with delight, it scrambled into her outstretched arms.

‘I don’t believe this,’ said Luke.

‘What can I tell you?’ Christina beamed as the little dog licked her cheek. ‘I’m a new woman. His name’s Daley and he’s the best thing that ever happened to me.’

This was definitely a seismic change. ‘And he’s OK with snakes?’

‘No more snakes. They’re gone.’

‘
Really?
’

‘I know.’ She laughed at the look on his face. ‘It was never going to work. You know I loved my snakes, but I ended up giving them away because I loved Daley more. Basically, he’s the light of my life and I couldn’t imagine being without him.’ Pausing to nuzzle the dog and waggle his hairy paws, Christina said, ‘Could I? No I couldn’t, because you’re my beautiful baby, aren’t you? Oh yes you are!’

‘He’s cute.’ Luke stroked Daley’s soft, wriggly body; it still seemed nothing short of amazing, but he could see how Christina had been won over. ‘Can I ask how Bea came to be involved in you turning up tonight?’

Her eyes sparkled. ‘I bumped into Bea and Hallie the other week at Denleigh. We had a lovely chat about all sorts of things . . . Daley . . . life in general . . .
you
. . .’

‘Right. And what were you saying about me?’

‘It wasn’t me, it was Bea! She told me you hadn’t been out with anyone since we broke up. And I said I hadn’t either. Then they just started saying what a perfect couple we’d always been and wasn’t it a shame we weren’t still together and did I ever regret what happened?’ Christina paused, gazing directly at him. ‘And I said yes, I did.’

‘Right.’ Lost for words, Luke realised he was repeating himself.

‘Sorry, you know I’m not usually this blunt, but I thought I may as well come straight out and say it. What with it being the truth, basically.’ Tucking a strand of hair behind her left ear, she went on, ‘So anyhow, Bea and Hallie seemed to think there was a good chance you might be feeling the same way. They were keen to drop some hints and see if they were right. And because I was kind of curious to know too, I said they could do it, so long as they were subtle. They were so excited about it!’ She smiled, shaking her head at the memory. ‘And I was too. Until I got a call the next morning telling me my mum was in hospital.’

‘Oh no. What happened? Is she OK?’ Christina’s mother Annabel was a nice woman who had lived alone in Edinburgh since the death of her husband three years ago.

‘She’s fine now. Just fell off a ladder clearing her guttering and broke a leg. Nothing too terrible, but she couldn’t manage on her own at home. Which meant I had to race up to Scotland and look after her.’ Christina pulled a face. ‘Which wasn’t a problem, except I had to call Bea and tell her and Hallie to put the campaign on hold. It would have been a bit pointless having them drop all those hints about me when I was hundreds of miles away. But I’ve done my duty now. Mum’s on the mend and I’m back home. And when I texted Bea to let her know, she reminded me about Marilyn’s birthday bash. She knew you’d be here and it was her idea for me to turn up and surprise you. Then you could see how you felt when you saw me again.’ Pause. ‘And so could everyone else.’

She stopped, her clear gaze flickering away from him. After briefly burying her face in Daley’s neck, she raised her head once more and said, ‘So I guess that’s the big thing now.
Are
you happy to see me again?’

What a question. What could he say? How was he meant to reply?

‘Of course I’m happy to see you again.’ Time seemed to slow down as Luke spoke the words, whilst inside his head his thoughts were going at a million miles an hour. It was true: there was no reason at all not to be pleased about seeing Christina again. He’d assumed she would have moved on with her life, met someone else by now, but apparently this hadn’t happened. And as far as she was aware, he was in the exact same situation. She had no idea – because nobody had any idea – that he’d developed feelings for another girl. But nothing could ever happen there, so really it was a spectacularly irrelevant situation to be in. And now it seemed that Hallie and Bea had together actively
encouraged
Christina to make the first move in an attempt to resurrect their relationship.

Plus, the snakes had gone. Which, it had to be said, was a pretty big bonus.

‘Oh Luke. I’ve missed you so much.’ Christina was exhaling with relief, as if that was it, all sorted.

What?

Then again, maybe this was what he needed to sort himself out. Being single hadn’t helped him overcome his feelings for Hallie, had it? Indeed, it might even have encouraged them.

So theoretically, getting back together with Christina could be the answer.

And if that didn’t sound hugely romantic . . . well, maybe now that the snakes were out of the picture, the situation might change. They’d had fun together in the early days, after all. There’d been laughter, parties, adventures. They’d shared some great times. And love could return, everyone knew that. There was a chance, wasn’t there, that they could get together and create their own happy-ever-after?