canal and the driver, in trying to fish them out, ended up crashing into the side of 7 Ponti Bridge.’
‘Oh no!’ Mila winced.
‘Oh yes. Structurally it’s fine but it’s more paperwork to deal with. Not to mention, one of the idiots who jumped is now threatening to sue us.’
‘For what?’ Mila cried, outraged.
Noah gave a weary shrug. ‘Reckless endangerment? Negligence? Whatever a lawyer thinks they’ll be able to get away with.’
Lee handed him his drink. ‘Fuckers,’ she said sympathetically.
‘Yeah.’
She went back to her spot on the kitchen table, watching Mila chop. Jasper was jumping around the sofas, swishing his lightsaber dramatically with his shadow.
‘Anyway, how about you, busy lady?’ Noah asked her. ‘I’ve been seeing posters for your upcoming exhibition everywhere.’
‘Have you?’ She felt another spike of nerves.
‘Yeah, me too,’ Mila chipped in. ‘There’s one outside the office.’
‘It’s next week!’ Noah said, incredulous. ‘Aren’t you supposed to be flat out and frantic with last-minute preparations? I’m feeling deeply honoured you’re hosting us tonight.’
‘Well, clearly I’m a woman of limitless capabilities and abundant energy,’ Lee quipped, giving a lackadaisical shrug from her spot rooted on the table. ‘Mila, are you sure I can’t do something?’
Mila shot her a wry look. They all knew Lee’s idea of ‘help’ was to open another bottle.
The sound of the front door slamming shut made them all jump. ‘Relax! I’m here!’ a voice called from downstairs. Lee and Noah both looked over at Mila, who had dropped her knife and was checking under her eyes for smudged mascara.
A moment later, Liam’s handsome face appeared. Blessed with a boyish look, he was tall and lean, with soft light-brown foppish hair and backlit blue eyes; he looked as good in trackies as in a narrow suit and cashmere scarf, and he couldn’t walk down a street without women stopping to turn and stare. He was too pretty for Lee’s tastes but Mila practically wilted in his presence, although thankfully Liam appeared to be unaware of his effect upon their friend. ‘How are we all?’ he grinned, clearly already loosened with a few drinks.
‘Ready to kick off now you’re here,’ Lee replied with a smile. Things were always amusing when Liam was drunk. He had an enviable contacts book and a taste for gossip. As Lee was constantly trying to tell Mila, it was far better being his friend than girlfriend.
‘You look stunning tonight, Mils,’ she heard him saying with a note of surprise. ‘That colour really suits you . . . No, wait – is it the make-up? What’ve you done that’s different?’
Mila tucked her hair behind her ear, blushing madly as Liam scrutinized her, trying to pinpoint the change.
‘Haircut,’ Lee said, putting them all out of their misery.
‘. . . Oh yeah!’ Liam said brightly, before realizing what a dramatic haircut usually signified; God only knew, he’d been behind enough such makeovers himself. ‘Oh Mils, I’m sorry. What was it this time?’
‘A wife.’
‘Ah, babe,’ he said, sweeping her up in a tight platonic hug. ‘He’s a tool not to see what a good thing he had with you. You’re an amazing girl. The best.’
Lee and Noah glanced at each other.
‘He’ll be sorry once he sees that new look on you, I guarantee it.’ Liam put her back down again and looked at the others. On to the next thing. ‘So – who do I have to sleep with to get a drink round here?’
‘That would be me, you lucky sod,’ Noah drawled, getting up to pour him a drink before Mila could offer.
‘Hi Jazz!’ Liam waved at the little boy. ‘Cool saber!’
‘So how was your drinks party?’ Mila asked, looking almost trepidatious to hear the answer.
‘It was good, actually,’ he said, taking the stool next to Noah and swinging idly in it, his long legs outstretched. ‘I’m glad I looked in. It was an old uni friend’s thing – a bit of a reunion. Ten years, I think. Saw lots of old faces I’d not seen in years.’ He chuckled. ‘No one’s doing what you thought they would – this one guy, who was top scholar, primed and schooled his whole life to take on his father’s company, jacked it all in and is now working as a potter. A potter!’ he laughed, genuinely amused. ‘And another guy who literally didn’t attend a lecture in four years is now a bestselling author. His book’s sold, like, two million copies.’
‘Oh, talking of books, I had a funny thing happen this week,’ Lee said as Noah handed Liam his