Mini Shopaholic

‘Becky …’ Luke is surveying me with a perplexed frown. ‘Is something up? Are you upset about something?’

‘What?’ I jump. ‘No! Nothing! Don’t be silly.’ I grab my glass of wine, take a swig, them beam at Luke as convincingly as I can. ‘Nothing’s up. It’s all good.’

Keep it together, Becky. Just keep it together. Less than twenty-four hours to go.

People Who Know About Parti

Me

Suze

Tarquin

Danny

Jess

Tom

Mum

Dad

Janice

Martin

Bonnie

Those three women who were listening at the next-door table

Gary

Janice’s plumber

Rupert and Harry at The Service

Erica

Marketing directors of Bollinger, Dom Perignon, Bacardi, Veuve Clicquot, Party Time Beverages, Jacob’s Creek, Kentish English Sparkling Wine

Cliff

Manicurist (I was so stressed out, I had to talk to someone, and she promised not to blab)

165 invited guests (not including Brandon C lot)

500 readers of Style Central

Elinor

Ritz waiter (I’m, sure he was listening)

Elinor’s staff (6)

Caterers (how many actually know? Maybe only one or two?)

35 Brandon C staff

10,000 Brandon C contacts

97,578 users of You Tube. (In fact, 98, 4-71 – has just gone up)

1.8 million readers of Daily World

Total = 1,909,209

OK. Don’t panic. As long as they all keep quiet until tomorrow.

TWENTY

And suddenly it’s three clock on the day of the party. Less than four hours to go.

I haven’t sat down all day and my legs are aching and my wrist is stiff from clamping my phone to my ear … but we’re there. We’re really there. Everything’s in place and it all looks breathtaking. Everyone’s in position. The team-leaders have had their final meeting. Elinor’s in overdrive. She and Jess have become a sort of sub-team, ticking off lists and double-checking every detail obsessively together. In fact there’s a competitive spirit growing between them, as they locate all the glitches and find solutions as fast as possible, like crack party troubleshooters.

Jess keeps telling Elinor that she’s a talented woman, and she should come out to Chile and use her organizational skills for something worthwhile, and has she ever thought about voluntary work? To which Elinor just puts on that blank, stony expression. (I couldn’t help retorting to Jess yesterday: who says a party isn’t worthwhile?)

Luke is still with Sage on her movie set at Pinewood and she keeps sending me updates by text. Apparently everyone’s in on the secret, the whole cast and crew. They confiscated his new mobile phone as soon as he arrived, and plonked him on a director’s chair with earphones. When he got restless, they showed him around all the sets and trailers. Then they gave him lunch. Then Sage made up a load of stuff to complain about. Then they plonked him back on the director’s chair. Every time he tries to speak to her she says ‘Shh! I have to concentrate!’ or the director tells him off.

So basically, he’s taken care of until six o’clock. Then Bonnie is going to ring him and say she sent over a vital contract to the house by mistake and it needs signing today, so could he go and sign it and fax it to her? And the car will bring him back here. And I’ll greet him at the door. And then …

Every time I think about it I get goosebumps. I can’t wait. I can’t wait!

The caterers are scurrying about in Janice’s kitchen. The marquee is lit up like a spaceship. Janice’s garden is like a festival of bunting.

Now I just need to have a bath and do my nails and get Minnie ready …

‘Hello, Becky, love.’

Mum’s voice nearly makes me drop my cup of tea all over the floor. She must have let herself in without me hearing.

My stomach flips with apprehension as she comes into the room. I’m not ready for this. The only communication I’ve had with Mum has been cryptic back-and-forth texts during the last few days via Janice’s mobile.

It all kicked off when Janice asked Mum and Dad for drinks before the party, whereupon Mum replied that if her own daughter wasn’t going to invite her then she wasn’t going to come. Janice texted back that she was sure Mum was invited, didn’t she have an invitation? Mum replied touchily that she’d been disinvited. So I told Janice that Mum was only disinvited if she wanted to be. And Mum said that she wasn’t going to impose herself where she wasn’t welcome. Then Dad chipped in and rang Janice and said we were all being ridiculous. And that was kind of where it was left.

‘Oh.’ I swallow. ‘Hi, Mum. I thought you were still at The West Place. Where’s Dad?’