Yes Chef, No Chef - By Susan Willis Page 0,109
thought of the embarrassing time in the greenhouse with Sam and headed into her bathroom to get ready for the party.
Her behaviour she decided had resembled a sixteen year old leading a guy on and then pulling away frightened to go all the way and of course she’d done the same with Doug the butcher. Christ, she had to get a handle on things or she’d end up with an unpleasant reputation as a tease and tried to remember the days before she’d met Tim when she’d been full of confidence with men. Smoothing on a smoky green eye shadow she wondered if this was a typical reaction to being dumped and maybe the floundering was simply a result of her self-confidence taking a tumble. She’d talk to the girls later about it she thought, slipping her dress carefully over her head.
Sarah had rung to say she was running late and would meet them on board but Lisa was waiting for her at Canary Wharf Pier and she gasped in awe when she saw her. She looked stunning in a black, Bern Shaw evening dress that was off the shoulder and clung to her body leaving very little to the imagination. Katie wore her short, royal blue cocktail dress that shimmered in the dark with hundreds of glittering sequins. She’d piled her hair up with a matching sequin clasp and her silver stiletto heels completed the outfit perfectly while she walked with Lisa onto the boat trying to match her strong confident strides.
"I have a feeling we're in for a really good time tonight," Lisa said walking through a bar full of men. Nearly every man turned to stare at Lisa, and Katie noticed that Lisa’s usual slight air of indifference expression was coming across as provocative tonight rather than aloof - it was obviously driving them crazy. She was just going to comment to Lisa about the number of men in ratio to women when she realised this was normal for a male divorce party and if she had been in the mood to find herself another man, which she wasn’t, then this would be the perfect venue.
Following Lisa they made their way up to the top deck where thankfully there were mixed couples and more women standing chatting in groups.
Lisa spotted Andrew and called out a greeting. He was standing holding the rail on deck staring out to Canary Wharf but turned and swung around to face them when he heard her voice. He smiled warmly when Lisa introduced her.
"Aah, nice to meet you in person," he said pumping her hand and kissing Lisa’s cheek. "Hope you received my payment online?"
She reassured him everything had been collected earlier in the afternoon by his chauffeur and thanked him for his prompt payment while admiring his expensive tailored suit and crisp white shirt. Lisa fawned over him while they chatted then went to talk to some friends leaving Katie alone with him. Within minutes of meeting him she'd decided his air of pomposity and his haughty voice was irritating and couldn’t quite decide whether he was ugly or not - he certainly wasn’t what she would call nice looking.
"So, Katie, will you have some champagne?" he asked clicking his fingers at a passing waiter. "Bring me a bottle of Dom Perignon, not the cheap fizzy rubbish you're giving to my guests.” He bellowed with laughter and drained the glass of whisky in his hand. He was obviously hell-bent on celebrating his divorce big time and she wasn’t sure if she wanted to get into conversation with him but because the girls were nowhere in sight and she really wanted his recommendation she politely discussed her new business plan with him.
“Been there, done that, and got the T-shirt,” he drawled arrogantly. "But, we all have to start somewhere, I suppose."
The waiter arrived with the champagne before she could think of a polite reply and was handed a glass that she sipped from and he gulped at as if he was in a desert. She tried a few times to join in his conversation but found it difficult to get a word in edgeways while he droned on about the size and wealth of his business, and the more he drank the more he talked.
She was beginning to see why his wife had dumped him and run off with an American basketball player to Canada and then an old saying of her mum’s came to her mind, the bigger they are the