And she couldn’t help feeling a bit proud of the fact that they were visibly impressed.
‘So hang on, is this the nutty one who wants to kill Jeremy?’ said Mavis.
‘Yes.’ Flo pressed a finger to her lips, because the waiter was now leading Lena and her dinner date into the dining room. ‘Sshh.’
Then she looked at Lena’s companion for the first time, and almost dropped her fork.
What, really?
No way.
But it was, it was him. And how ironic, when they’d just been making fun of Zander’s posh name.
Because who should Lena be having dinner with? Why, none other than tomato-soup Giles. And typically, the waiter was leading them to the table right next to their own.
Flo held her breath. It wasn’t until she’d been seated and had made herself comfortable that Lena glanced across and saw her.
Talk about a double-take.
‘Good lord, it’s you. What are you doing here?’
What did she seriously expect by way of an answer? Oh, this is where we come to do our aerobics class . . .
‘Just having dinner with my friends,’ replied Flo.
Lena’s pale blue gaze took in every detail, from Bridget’s hand-knitted peach cardigan to Annie’s wrinkled cleavage to Mavis’s overenthusiastic application of shimmery violet eyeshadow.
‘Right. I see.’ She turned to address Giles, lowering her voice but not enough. ‘I thought it might be some kind of geriatric hen night.’
Annie raised her eyebrows in disbelief. Flo shook her head fractionally, indicating that a stand-up fight here in their favourite restaurant might not be ideal. Luckily, her friends had heard all about Lena, and thanks to their jobs were capable of handling rudeness with humour and grace.
‘I see what you mean,’ Mavis murmured under her breath. ‘What a charmer.’
‘She’s the one I told you about,’ Lena was now explaining to Giles. ‘The one looking after that damn cat.’
‘Right.’ Giles, Flo realised, was giving her a speculative look. ‘You know, I’m sure I know her from somewhere. I’ve definitely seen her before.’
Whoops, this could be interesting. Flo turned her attention to the food on her plate. She’d been sober that evening, so recognising Jaaahls had been easy. Whereas he’d been drinking, which had presumably reduced his own memories to a murky haze.
Oh, but awful though she was in her own way, surely even Lena would be appalled if she knew what an obnoxious lowlife her dining companion really was.
‘We’ll kick off with a bottle of Saint-Émilion,’ Giles told the waiter. ‘And I’ll have a lager too. Bring them both straight away, yeah?’
‘Please,’ Mavis prompted under her breath, marvelling at his lack of manners.
‘You.’ Giles clicked his fingers, and Flo realised he was doing it to attract her attention. ‘It’s bugging me now. Do you work in one of the pubs in Clifton?’
‘Me? No.’ Flo shook her head.
‘Are you in business banking?’
‘Of course she isn’t.’ Lena said it with a mixture of amusement and scorn. ‘I told you before, she wipes old people’s backsides for a living in a care home. Eurgh.’ She shuddered with revulsion. ‘I don’t know how people can bear to do that. Turns my stomach just to think of it.’
Next to Flo, Annie said, ‘Just as well we aren’t all as sensitive as you, then, isn’t it? There’s always going to be people whose backsides need wiping.’ Flashing Lena and Giles a sunny smile, she added, ‘Could be you one day.’
Lena grimaced at the awfulness of this prospect. Giles said, ‘True, true, and good for you. We’re grateful to people like you for doing those sorts of jobs.’
‘I know.’ Annie nodded pleasantly, but there was an edge to her voice. ‘And aren’t we lucky? Sometimes our employers even pay us minimum wage.’
‘Mesdames? M’sieur? Ees everything all right?’ Having noticed the interaction between the tables, the maître d’ had materialised to ensure all was well.
‘Bof, ça va,’ Flo replied politely. ‘Ils manquent un peu de charme et des manières mais vous inquiétez pas, nous pouvons le surmonter. Il est simplement ignorant et condescendant; pourtant nous habituons aux personnes comme ça. Aussi nous avons presque fini notre dîner, vingt minutes de plus et nous allons partir.’
Basically, she’d told him all was well, they could easily cope with two people lacking in charm and manners, and in twenty minutes they’d be out of here anyway. Saying it fast hopefully meant Lena and Giles wouldn’t be able to work out what she’d said.