‘I look a mess, don’t I?’ she said as we sipped a glass of wine.
‘Not at all. A bit tired, perhaps – have you slept?’ I wasn’t going to agree aloud.
She shook her head. ‘No really, not since . . . before.’ I gave her a sympathetic smile. ‘Will your friend mind a miserable face like mine putting a dampener on her night?’
‘Not at all. Kate is quite a character if you remember. She’ll maybe even take your mind off things for a few hours.’ Deep down, I hoped Kate would go easy on Megan. Once we’d finished our wine, we took a cab to the champagne bar in Alderley Edge where Kate was already waiting. In deep contrast to Megan, she looked amazing in a gold skimpy dress, which set off her tumbling ebony waves and tanned skin perfectly.
She was seated in a plush booth with white leather padded seats and a dark glossy table. It was lucky she’d found a table since the place was packed to the rafters, but knowing Kate, there would have been some eyelash-batting involved at the very least. She stood up to greet us as we walked over.
‘Ladies, it’s lovely to see you both.’ She air-kissed us before sitting back down and beckoning a waiter over. I introduced Kate and Megan since they’d only met briefly, and then sat down.
‘Well, don’t you look fabulous tonight?’ Kate said, casting her eye over me. ‘Now don’t let me see you in that jumble of beige and pearls again – or at least not for another forty years.’ She flapped her hands in my general direction before catching sight of Megan, who was looking around the room and adjusting her dress around the chest.
Before Megan had time to see the expression of horror creep across Kate’s face, I pursed my lips and shook my head at her, making sure she saw me. Kate waved a hand at me flippantly just before Megan turned back around to the table. All the arm-waving was starting to make me dizzy.
‘So, Megan, Charlotte told me all about your fiancé. I’m truly sorry. I do understand how hard it is.’ She leant across the table and patted Megan’s hand. To be fair to Kate, she almost did know, as her first husband had left her for another woman – but Kate wasn’t the type to sit around feeling sorry for herself, and I’d always felt the whole situation had been no more than a mild inconvenience to her.
‘Thank you,’ Megan replied quietly before returning to uncomfortable room-gazing.
‘Have you plotted your revenge yet?’ Kate drove her bulldozer right at Megan. I glared at her, and she shrugged as Megan turned back to us and shook her head. ‘No?’ Kate didn’t attempt to conceal her horror. ‘But it’s part of the moving-on process.’ Kate had gone in for the kill with her ex, making sure she squeezed as much money out of him as possible in the divorce settlement. In fairness, she had put her life on hold to be the ultimate ‘trophy wife’ for the seven years they’d spent together. Kate was on track to be some hotshot marketing person when she met Mr Money Bags and it was him who didn’t want a working wife – it wasn’t right for his image.
I tried to soften the conversation as the waiter deposited our drinks on the table. ‘Kate, it’s just been a few days. Megan is still coming to terms with it all.’
‘It’s okay, Charlotte. I have already thought about it. Do I scratch his car, slash his tyres, or publicly humiliate him somehow?’ She sipped her champagne, and Kate cut in, misreading her defeatist tone.
‘Well, it’s a start, but I think we can do better than any of those things.’ Kate tapped her fingers on the table, pondering.
Megan forced a smile. ‘I was just going to say that as I imagined doing those things, I couldn’t imagine feeling any better about myself or the situation. I’d probably feel petty and juvenile. I think I just want to focus on me for now.’
For a brief moment, Kate was silenced.
‘Well, I think that sounds sensible.’ I raised my glass.
‘I think the best way to hurt him is to move on and try to rebuild my own happiness,’ Megan continued, and I nodded in agreement. ‘He’s already begged me to take him back. He still wants to go ahead with the wedding.’
‘The only thing he should be in church for is his own funeral,’ Kate said, scoffing. ‘We could work on that though.’ She winked.
‘I think murder is frowned upon.’ I shot Kate a look – not everyone got her dark sense of humour. ‘You’re right, though. If he thinks you’re moving on, it will really get to him.’ I took a sip of fizz, realising that despite the awful circumstance that brought us together, I was actually having a lovely evening with two people I really liked.
‘Maybe we could get you a hunky male escort to go tile shopping with,’ Kate said wickedly.
‘I’m not sure my finances would stretch to that – my bills are about to double.’ Megan glanced down at the table before looking back up. ‘Besides, I think Mike would see through it and I’d just look pathetic – our bathroom and kitchen are new.’
‘We could start with something simple to cheer you up, like a shopping trip or a makeover. My treat,’ Kate announced. I shot her a look, willing her to avoid mentioning Megan’s appearance. She understood my glare – and ignored it anyway. ‘We can revamp this dowdy look.’ She waved her hands in the general direction of Megan’s dress. ‘And show him what he’s missing.’
We?
