Juliette walked all the way down through the big old house, across the stripped pine floor of the hallway and into the kitchen. She switched on the fairy lights with her phone, and as the whole place twinkled and glistened, she stood back and gazed at it all. Another thing to be grateful for. Everything looked pretty just as she had wished for - she just hadn’t wished for the stress of the boating accident. The pale eggshell cupboards with their brass cup handles were now lit from underneath, fairy lights draped over the dresser displaying her Emma Bridgewater china and a huge, oversized willow heart she’d spied in a shop in Seafolly, and waited until it had gone on sale, was now fixed to the wall at the end.
To top it all off, the old table she’d painted pink when she’d moved into Seapocket Lane slotted beautifully in the corner. It sat there with a huge vintage jug of old roses from the garden in the centre, and as she stood there observing it all she actually broke into the faintest smile at the sight of the Smeg fridge. Oh, how I lusted after that fridge, how I wished for it, she thought. And now it’s mine.
Juliette pulled open the utility room door and opened a cupboard where a menu for Pretty Beach curry house was pinned to the back of the door. Even though she had a top-secret Deepa curry stashed at the back of the freezer, she was going to get a curry delivered and spend the evening lazing. She would snuggle up and shuffle between a pile of books, Netflix and having a nose into the latest goings-on in her Christmas junkie Facebook groups. Bliss.
Just as she fully opened the door to the utility room and was studying the curry menu, trying to decide between a biryani and a rogan josh, her text pinged. It was from Leza - her friend Dr Leza from Pretty Beach Natural Beauty. Juliette sighed and opened up the text.
‘I told you I was coming round if you didn’t invite me, and today is the day! We’re here and we’re outside. Don’t even think about not letting us in. We have supplies. We are in trackies.’
Juliette tutted and sighed. The last thing she wanted to do was see anyone. At least the house was tidy. She heard the doorbell ring from the front of the house and considered trying to pretend that she wasn’t in and that she hadn’t seen the text. She could just slide down onto the floor of the utility room, keep really quiet and stay there until Leza had gone. The text had said ‘we’ so it wasn’t as if Leza was alone. Leza was bringing her boys round too. What was she even thinking?
Juliette stomped down the hallway and could see the outline of a few people through the glass of the front door. She flicked back the bolt on the door, turned the latch, pulled it open and there in pyjama bottoms and a grey hoody stood Leza with a huge pot of what smelt like curry in her arms. Holly stood beside her in a purple velour tracksuit with a designer’s name splayed across the front in gold lettering, a large bottle of Baileys in her hand, and a present wrapped in bright red shiny paper. Xian in fluffy pink socks tucked into sliders and a huge puffy jumper with teddy bear ears on the back was closing the gate with a large bottle of her special drink out in the open for everyone to see.
‘Hey!’ Holly called out.
‘Hellooooooo, yoohooo,’ Xian said, shuffling along the path, the sliders flapping against the tessellated tiles.
‘Woah, you do look tired! We’re coming in. You’ve no choice in the matter,’ Leza said and pushed past Juliette with the huge cast iron pot in her arms. ‘You needed the troops and we’re here.’
Xian held up the drink. ‘Juliette, you need this. My very special concoction. Known and loved by all in Pretty Beach. I’ve used it on all sorts of people over the years. It works wonders!’
‘Known and loved! You’ve nearly killed people with that Mum. I’ve even thought about insuring it, or you, somehow,’ Holly exclaimed.
Juliette couldn’t help herself from breaking into a smile. ‘Xian, the day I drink that stuff ever again really is the day I know I’ve completely lost the plot. I’m tired, but I don’t think I’m quite in need of your special drink yet, though give me time.’
Xian shook the bottle near Juliette and started to shuffle towards the kitchen. ‘This stuff is mystical. It gets you out of all sorts of trouble.’ She then proceeded to shout something in Vietnamese at Holly. Holly shooed Xian into the kitchen and all four of them sat down while Holly took bits and pieces out of her bag.
‘Deepa brought this in when she came in for her bread this morning. It’s been under lock and key since.’ Holly laughed and took the lid off the pot.
‘I must be drained if Pretty Beach has sent the troops over with Deepa’s Locals Only curry and Xian has an extra-large batch of her special drink with her.’ Juliette kidded.
Leza took her phone out of her bag and hung her bag on the back of her chair. ‘I was tweaking Holly’s face in the week and we decided it was time. We decided you needed some of Pretty Beach’s best friend therapy. You need to recharge.’
They all turned around as they heard the back door handle click and Daisy walked in smiling.
‘Ahhh, so you’re the culprit who told them I was home alone and in peace for
