Her phone vibrates and she angles it towards her to look at it. It’s Scarlett again. She sees the first few words of the message but doesn’t open it:Do you need me? I can…
Zach throws her a questioning look.
‘Mum again.’
‘Oh yes,’ he says. ‘What does she want?’
‘Just asking if we were having a nice time?’
‘And?’ he says. ‘Are we?’
The question is loaded and she waits a beat to reply. ‘Yes,’ she says. ‘We’re having a lovely time.’ And she puts out her champagne glass to his and says, ‘Cheers.’
She can feel the night crumbling. She can tell that small talk has become impossible and that they will either sit here in silence or they will talk aboutthemand either outcome will ruin the evening. So she hands him a prawn and says, ‘Go on. Peel it for me, will you? I’m too lazy,’ and she hits him with the best smile she can muster. He rolls his eyes affectionately and takes it fromher and for a moment it feels as if the cordial atmosphere might have been restored. But then her phone buzzes again and he tuts and says, ‘Fuck’s sake.’
‘Probably my mum, because I didn’t reply to her last one.’
‘Well, go on then,’ he says crossly, wrenching the head off the prawn.
She switches on her screen and clicks on Scarlett’s message. Then she types in quickly:He’s in a bad mood. I don’t think it’s going to happen.
Scarlett replies:Plan B?
Tallulah takes a deep breath and types back:Yes. Plan B.
Part Four
52
June 2017
Scarlett strides into the bar, trying and failing to look natural and nonchalant. She stares hard at Tallulah, and Zach glances at her, then does a double take before looking at Tallulah, and she sees something fall into place.
He turns to her and says, ‘What’s going on?’
‘What?’
‘You and that girl?’
‘I don’t know,’ she says. ‘Nothing.
Scarlett is heading towards them. She pulls across a chair from another table, sits down, sticks a chip into a dish of mayonnaise and eats it. ‘Hi, Lula,’ she says. ‘How are you?’
Tallulah nods and says, ‘I’m fine. I’m sorry I didn’t say hello earlier. You were with all your friends and I didn’t want to interrupt.’
‘Oh, it’sfine,’ Scarlett replies breezily, picking up another chip and sticking it back in the mayonnaise. ‘I understand. Anyway …’ She waves her hand across the display of seafood and the champagne bucket. ‘Special occasion?’
‘No,’ says Tallulah, ‘not really. We just haven’t been out for a while.’
‘Ah, that’s nice.’ She picks up a third chip and puts it to her nose. ‘Is this one truffled?’ she asks. Zach nods stiffly and Scarlett says, ‘Nice,’ before eating it. ‘I didn’t quite catch your name?’ she says to Zach.
‘It’s Zach.’ His face is brittle with rage.
Scarlett is acting cool, but Tallulah can see the manic energy pumping through her.
‘You know Tallulah from college?’ Zach says.
‘That is correct. Lovely, lovely Tallulah.’