shouting if she gets aggressive when you wake her up.’
I laugh. ‘She can be pretty grumpy and she has had a tough shift, but she usually sleeps quite well.’ I take a final slurp of my Margarita. ‘I’m going in.’
‘Good luck. If you get caught, I’m going to pretend I’m out.’
‘Yeah right, thanks a lot.’ I smile and go back into the flat and stand outside Erica’s door. I feel a bit furtive actually; I really don’t want to wake her as that would be mean, but I do have to get back to Jess and she is going to be mad unless I can think of a suitable alternative.
Slowly, delicately with the tip of one finger, I push open Erica’s bedroom door. Thank goodness it isn’t old so doesn’t creak. Nothing. There’s no noise other than her steady breathing. Okay, I can just creep across the room to the wardrobe and have a quick look. I did lend her my grey jumper the other day when she had lost hers.
I tiptoe across the bedroom slowly and quietly and go to open the wardrobe door. Erica gives a grunt and I freeze where I am, feeling ridiculous. Of course I’m going to tell her afterwards but this does look a tad weird. To my great relief, she turns over and settles down again. For some reason I have been holding my breath and I take a moment to get myself back together.
The wardrobe door opens smoothly and I peer inside. Unlike mine it’s fairly neat and Erica’s clothes are all stacked tidily in drawers or hung up. Typically though, she mainly wears tops and trousers. There’s barely even any skirts. It’s no good – I’m going to have to give up. Just as I’m about to close the wardrobe door, I notice a scrap of pale pink fabric squashed in the corner of the cupboard. I touch it; it seems to be a long draped skirt or something. I pull it out and shut the door and leg it back to my room. I unfold the fabric, confused. I remember this; it’s mine. It’s a long flowing tie-neck dress that you can wear in different styles. If it still fits, it might just do.
I put it on and try tying the straps up around my neck. The dress looks good. It always was flattering, fitting tightly under the chest and falling nicely to the ground. With a pair of heels it will be perfect. I don’t like the neckline though, it’s not quite right. I wander out to the balcony, feeling overdressed and slightly chilled in the early evening air.
‘Jack?’
‘Any good?’
‘Yes actually, I found an old dress I’d completely forgotten about. Not surprising really though, as for some reason it was in Erica’s wardrobe.’
‘Oh no, not a clothes-stealing room-mate!’
‘I think there might need to be an inquiry into this.’
‘What’s the dress like?’
‘Long, light pink with tie-neck straps, but they don’t look quite right.’
‘Why not?’
‘I don’t know – it just looks wrong.’
‘Can they tie elsewhere?’
‘Yes, they can. That’s the good thing about this dress. I’m going to try one shoulder.’
‘Go for it.’
I dash inside and fiddle about in front of the mirror, tying the strap behind one shoulder and draping it over the other. This dress always was pretty clever. Yep, it’s perfect. I leg it back out onto the balcony.
‘Problem solved.’
‘Just call me Heidi Klum.’
My phone goes … It’s Jess. ‘Oh God, I need to get ready for her hen do.’
‘You’d better go then.’
‘I’m going. If you hear some strange goings-on, it’s only us.’
‘Nothing new there then,’ he says, and I can hear the smile in his voice.
‘Thanks. If you want to join in with the singing feel free.’
‘I’ll tune my guitar.’
Chapter 14
Jack
‘How’s it going then, Jack? You sound pretty upbeat this morning.’ It’s Sam on the phone and he’s right, I feel on top of the world today.
‘Pretty good actually. Although a bit tired. Sophia and Erica had a hen do last night downstairs, so it was late by the time I got to bed.’
‘You went to a hen night?’ Sam asks incredulously.
‘Not exactly.’ I think back to the raucous singing, the loud renditions of ‘Dancing Queen’ and the shaving foam that seemed to land like falling rainbow clouds on the courtyard below, and anywhere else it came into contact with. The moonlight had been amazing, lighting up the city skyline and the dim outline of the flats. Somehow it had all felt like a wonderful distraction, but I’m