Page 8 of The Lucky Winners

There’s a pause. ‘O-kayyy… go on, then.’

‘I mean it. It’sinsane.’

She sighs. ‘I’m listening!’

‘OK. Well … we’ve won the house.’

‘What?’

‘The house, Paige! We’ve only gone and won that bloody mansion in the Lake District!’

Paige says nothing, so I carry on. ‘You remember the prize draw Dev entered? The ticket I told him was a complete waste of money? Well … we won.’

There’s absolute silence at the other end.

‘Paige?’

‘So … this is a joke, right?’

‘I swear on my life. We found out this morning. It’s all real. Reporters, photographs, we’ve had the whole shebang today.’

A beat. Then at last –

‘Oh. My. God.Merri!’ A little screech bursts out of her and then she’s laughing. It’s the kind of laugh that bubbles up when you can’t quite process what you’re hearing. ‘You’re telling me that you –youof all people – have just won amansion?’

‘Yes,’ I say, still breathless. ‘It still doesn’t seem real. But it is. It’s real. Can you believe it?’

‘Er, no! I can’t!’ She lets out another stunned laugh. ‘Bloody hell, that’s totallyincredible. Seriously. I’m so happy for you both!’

My chest loosens, warmth flooding in. I feel bad doubting her now. Of course she’s happy for me. This is Paige, my best friend, the person who’s often my unpaid counsellor.

‘Listen. We need to celebrate,’ she says. ‘Let’s meet for a few drinks this weekend, if you can.’

‘God, yes. I need a few strong cocktails after today.’ I rub my forehead, still trying to wrap my brain around it all. ‘I’ll know much more by then. We’ve got to visit the place first, find out all the details.’

‘What will you do about work?’

‘I – we’ve not even talked about that yet. It’s crazy. The DreamKey people have only just gone.’

‘I’m so happy for you, I am, but I don’t think I’ll be able to stand working there without you.’

‘Oh, don’t,’ I say miserably. ‘I can’t even think about leaving you behind. But listen, let’s meet up. Saturday night at our usual place?’

‘Deal.’ She pauses, then says again, ‘Merri. Amansion.’

‘I know.’ I let out a disbelieving laugh. ‘How the hell has this happened …to us?’

She chuckles. ‘No clue. But I can’t wait to hear every single detail over cocktails.’

Dev swigs the last of the champagne straight from the bottle. ‘So the footie lads want to know if we’ve got a ninety-inch flatscreen yet so they can come and watch the cup final.’

‘No chance.’ I laugh. ‘Paige was so excited. She wants to meet up for a few drinks on Saturday. I love that everyone is happy for us.’

Dev nods and grins, but he’s already staring again at the DreamKey Lake District home on his iPad – the same iPad he was getting ready to sell on eBay just last week.

His face is animated, his cheeks flushed. His eyes dart hungrily across every millimetre of the screen, soaking in each tiny detail of his good fortune.Ourgood fortune. ‘I just … I still can’t get my head around this. I mean, can you believe it?’ He spins around to face me, his eyes shining with excitement. ‘Our own house in the Lake District! It’s like something out of a fairytale. I can’t wait to see it tomorrow. I’m picturing the landscaped gardens, maybe even a library … I’m going to have space for a home gym!’

He flops down on to the couch beside me and looks at me expectantly. Waiting for my face to mirror his excitement.