Page 53 of The Wife
It’s no good, I have to see what’s going on. I shift my chair around, making sure I’m still partially shielded by Becky. Peering beyond my friend’s shoulder I spy Cassie at the bar where she’s standing with her boyfriend, head thrown back, laughing dramatically. ‘The absolute cheek of the girl. I still can’t believe she’s here. Actually, scrub that, Icanbelieve it. Part of me even finds it quite hilarious that she’s got the nerve to come tomyparty after what she did. You don’t think she’ll try to speak to me, do you? I really hope not.’
Becky shakes her head and turns back to gape at her. ‘You’ve got to admit, she looks bloody stunning.’
Gallingly, she does. Wearing an almost indecently see-through white lace knee-length dress that fits in all the right places, she’s also dyed her cropped hair pure white to match. ‘I wonder which salon she went to, to havethatdone,’ I mutter.
Jennifer is now striding across the dance floor, making a beeline for Cassie.
‘I hope there isn’t going to be a scene.’ Becky’s hand goes up to her mouth, and I’m sure I can detect a gleam in her eye. My friend isn’t vindictive, but she’s never been able to resist a bit of drama.
As I watch in horrified fascination, Jennifer taps Cassie on her shoulder. Cassie turns around, frowns, and then smiles at my boss. But Jennifer’s face is stern, her feet planted apart and her hands clamped on her hips. As she begins to give Cassie a piece of her mind, the immediate area around them slowly clears, and I worry that things might turn violent.
Cassie’s face quickly shifts into her fake-apology expression – head tilted, and eyes wide with concern.
But Jennifer’s eyes still haven’t lost their murderous glare. Her tirade isn’t loud enough to be heard over the music, other than sharp snatches of words like ‘Cow!’ and ‘My salon!’. More people are starting to notice, and my heart is pumping way too hard. They’re both going to end up ruining my night, and I don’t know what to do about it. If I go over there, I’ll draw even more attention to the scene.
I notice that Toby and Nick are on their way over. Hopefully they’ll be able to diffuse the situation before it turns into something physical. I don’t think Cassie would want it to go that far, but I wouldn’t be so sure about Jennifer. She’s crimson-faced and fuming. Suddenly, her arm jerks upwards really fast, and Cassie’s hand flies to her face.
Becky gasps. ‘Did you see that? Jen chucked her drink in Cassie’s face! Go on, Jennifer!’
‘Becky!’ Sam and I both glare at her.
‘Sorry. But you have to admit she deserved it.’
Jennifer turns on her heel and strides away. She sweeps her bag off the back of a chair and exits the room. After a decent interval, Cassie’s boyfriend puts an arm around her and leads her away. Hopefully Cassie has now got the message and is going home.
Toby and Nick never made it over to them. I think they’ve come to the conclusion that they’re no longer needed. I bet they’re relieved. I notice that Nick seems to have lost quite a bit of weight. His suit is hanging off him and his cheeks are hollow. I hope he’s okay. Maybe he had that bug that Madeline was talking about a few weeks ago.
Toby’s gaze lands on me, and he mouths to ask if I’m all right. I nod and we both roll our eyes and shake our heads at the close call.
‘I still think it would’ve been great if Jen had punched her,’ Becky muses.
‘You’re such a troublemaker,’ I retort.
‘I’mnot the troublemaker,’ she quips.
‘Well, I for one am glad there isn’t going to be a fist fight at our ten-year wedding anniversary, that I’ve spent weeks organising, thank you very much.’
‘The night’s still young.’ Becky laughs and Sam elbows her in the side to be quiet, although he’s also trying not to laugh.
I cross my arms on the table and sink down over them. ‘It’s not even nine o’clock yet and my nerves are shredded.’
‘Aw, babe. Don’t worry about it. Looks like they’ve both gone now.’ Becky stands and pulls me to my feet. ‘Knock back your drink and let’s dance. I love this song.’
I do as she suggests and the two of us totter onto the dance floor where we’re instantly joined by a raucous posse of my other friends, some from the salon, others from my schooldays, as well as a group of school mums. Everyone’s really made the effort to dress up, and we pull out all our cheesiest dance moves.
Toby comes up behind me, slipping his arms around my waist. I turn around and my stomach flips at how handsome he looks in his suit. ‘Having fun?’ he murmurs in my ear.
‘I am now that Fight Club’s been averted. Did you see the look on Jennifer’s face?’
‘I did. Nick and I were terrified. Thought we’d have to intervene. We didn’t fancy our chances against either of them.’
I give him a playful push. ‘Don’t even joke about it.’
The smile slides off his face. ‘Okay, stay calm, but I think Cassie and Whatshisface might be coming over.’
My stomach gives a flutter of dread. ‘What?!I thought they’d gone home.’
‘Apparently not. Want me to head them off and ask them to leave?’
