“That’s how most of my relationships start out.”

Okay. “Where are you based?”

“I’m in Brighton, but I can travel to you. I understand you’re in Balham, which I could get to in a bit over an hour. I can come and see you this weekend if that’s convenient?”

Abby cast her mind forward to the weekend. She had a barbecue at her friend’s house on Sunday, but Saturday could work. “Can you do Saturday morning?”

Jordan didn’t hesitate. “I can. I’ll connect on WhatsApp. Then I can fill you in on my services, and we can start from there.”

It sounded almost plausible. Not like this was a made-up service. “Sounds good.” She paused. “Tell me, Jordan, how many brides have you been a fake bridesmaid for?”

“Twenty-seven so far. With another five booked for later in the year. You were lucky I had a cancellation, so I can fit you in. But like I say, only if you want it to happen.”

That figure stopped Abby in her tracks. “Twenty-seven? Wow. That’s a lot of bridal help. Who knew there was so much need?”

“You’d be surprised,” Jordan replied. “Does 10am work? I like to leave plenty of time for an initial consultation, at least two hours. Think of it as having a coffee with a friend. Just chatting, getting to know each other. At the end of that, you’ll know whether we can work together. Does that sound okay?”

Abby nodded. “It sounds almost normal.”

Jordan laughed. It had a deep timbre to it which made Abby smile.

“I’ll see you Saturday,” Jordan said. “And I promise to try to be almost normal.”

Chapter 5

Jordan arranged to meet Abby in Pinkies Up, a recent addition to the café culture on Balham High Street. She’d contacted her friend Sean who lived in the area, and he’d told her this was the local hotspot. He wasn’t wrong. The place was a sea of white wooden tables with matching chairs. The walls were painted a shimmering pink, adorned with ample plants in holders whose leaves fell casually everywhere her eye could see. Jordan liked the effect. Plants calmed her, made her feel at ease.

She was early, because that’s who she was. Jordan sat and let her gaze sweep the room as she sipped her Americano with hot milk. The café was busy, with the usual mix of parents and kids, along with an array of people typing furiously on their laptops. Jordan had never understood that tribe until she started her own business. Now she got it. The chance to work outside the four walls of your own home, with the hum of human interaction. Although after a long job like the one she’d just done, she craved solitude for a few days. Her business dealt with the public, and that was never an easy ride.