Page 127 of The Last Kiss Goodbye

‘That looks great,’ said Anna, sitting down at the dining table, which looked terribly big for just the two of them.

‘What a great night,’ smiled Abby, sticking her fork into the runny yolk.

‘It was a brilliant day. I loved it.’

‘Good. You deserve it.’

‘Did you have a good time?’

Abby grinned as she nodded. ‘I haven’t laughed so much in ages.’

Anna sipped her juice and looked at her friend. ‘So are you going to tell me what was going on with you and Ginny?’

‘What do you mean?’ said Abby, glancing away.

‘Did you two have an argument? I just noticed an atmosphere.’

‘It was nothing.’

‘Really?’

Abby didn’t want to tell her. She still couldn’t believe that Ginny had tried to sabotage her marriage, and didn’t want that information to get out to their mutual friends.

Ginny had finally apologised for what she had done and admitted that all her attempts at orchestrating a reconciliation between Nick and Abby were, in part, to do with her guilt.

It was small comfort to Abby, who couldn’t help wondering whether Nick would have been unfaithful if he hadn’t taken what his sister had said as gospel. Ginny’s words had cut deep in

another way too.

Then why are you getting divorced? she’d asked, and that question had echoed around Abby’s head as she’d finally fallen asleep.

‘Pass that book over,’ said Abby, wanting to change the subject. ‘I didn’t have a chance to see it last night.’

‘Let’s sit on the sofa and have a proper look,’ said Anna, grabbing her mug of tea.

The two women sat down and opened the photo book between them.

‘I can’t believe how thin I was at university,’ screamed Anna, flipping through the earlier pages.

‘I can’t believe someone put a picture of Sam Charles in the bloody book,’ said Abby, pointing at a photo of the Hollywood movie star Anna had had a fling with just before she got together with Matt.

‘I think it’s Suze’s idea of a joke, but I can’t show the damn thing to Matt now.’

Abby grinned. ‘You don’t have to feel guilty that you still find Sam sexy. He did appear in People magazine’s most beautiful in the world list. Twice.’

‘Is it that obvious?’ Anna winced. ‘Gosh, I’m horrible. Here I am, a very happily about-to-be-married woman, and I’m secretly leching over a Hollywood superstar. I don’t know if I’m immoral or a middle-aged cliché.’

‘I’d say you were just human,’ smiled Abby.

‘So’s Nick,’ said Anna quietly.

‘Is he coming to the wedding?’ asked Abby after a moment.

‘Of course not.’

‘He was invited.’

‘He was your guest.’