seems to include copious amounts of broccoli, beetroot, and hard boiled eggs. Two of them have lost quite a few pounds already.”
Sarah gently shook her head in disbelief and her girlish face twisted in puzzlement. “Jeez, how can professional women be so gullible to believe that such a food plan will actually make them lose weight?”
Lisa sipped her wine and visibly relaxed with pleasure. “I know, I told them to follow my example and eat grilled mackerel.” She said smiling proudly. “Of which, I’ll have you know I’ve now managed to cook twice on the grill pan without it sticking.”
Sarah giggled at her. “Hey, Lisa, that’s great. I’m soooo proud of you.”
Sarah started to tell her how to cook salmon in the oven and they both giggled at the look of horror on Lisa’s face at the mention of actually using her oven, and Katie slipped her feet out of her stiletto heels, which were pinching, to wiggle her toes, relishing the relief of pressure.
Their food arrived just as Sarah was asking about plans for the weekend and Katie smiled in pleasure at the sight of her salad. She told them she would be finishing sorting cupboards in the new kitchen and then burst out laughing when the waiter unfolded Lisa’s napkin and with an exaggerated flourish and placed it somewhat intimately over her lap. She tucked into her chicken Caesar salad with relish because the mornings activities had given her a huge appetite. The green cos leaves were crisp and the croutons crunchy, the strips of white, tender cooked chicken made her mouth water with pleasure and the parmesan shavings and Caesar dressing were the perfect compliment.
Licking her lips she sighed with contentment. "Oh God, this salad is fab! How’s the seafood?" she asked Lisa in between mouthfuls.
Lisa grinned mischievously. "As fresh and tasty as the waiter who brought it!" she said, winking at her with a sly look at Sarah as they both waited for her reproach.
But Sarah didn't even look up from her bowl. She continued to push the fettuccini pasta around with her fork looking miserable as if she’d just had an upsetting memory flash back into her mind.
"Sarah?" Katie asked gently. "You OK?"
She looked up and forced a false bright smile onto her face. "Oh sorry, yes I'm fine."
Lisa looked at Katie over Sarah’s bent head with a quizzical expression on her face in obvious ignorance of the problem. Lisa asked, "Is the pasta OK? Because it looks to me as though you're just moving it around the bowl."
"It’s fine, Lisa," she said, "I'm just not that hungry." In an obvious effort to change the subject and shift the attention away from herself, she asked Katie, "So, what colour is the new kitchen? When we were there on Monday night it was still all in boxes."
Obviously, Sarah didn’t want to talk about whatever was upsetting her and she knew her well enough to back off and wait until later. So, she described the black granite work tops, the island in the centre, the huge American fridge which would be a godsend when the business was up and running, and the set of orange Le Creuset pots her mum had bought for a moving-in present.
"Didn’t you used to have that range?" Lisa asked draining her glass of wine.
Katie shifted awkwardly. "Tim and I did. I mean, it was one of the things from the apartment that I always loved to cook with," she said.
Sarah tilted her head compassionately. "You know, you shouldn’t have left without splitting your things up fairly. Why couldn’t he have offered you some of the household things?"
"Because he’s a selfish bastard, that’s why!" Lisa railed, topping her glass up with wine.
Suddenly, she felt a lump in the back of her throat. "Well, at the time I thought because his dad had given me so much money it would seem calculating of me to ask for some of the household essentials. But I wish I had because it’s all the little bits and pieces that are costing a fortune to stock the kitchen with,” she said and breathed deeply. Sometimes it still hurt just to hear or say his name and decided she might have PMT today because she did feel a little over wrought, unless of course it was the tiredness suddenly hitting her.
Tetchily she said, “And, I was still in my technologist’s job at the time and I suppose he wasn’t to know that I’m setting up my own business. He