The sun is just setting, casting a pink glow over the magnificent London skyline. I crack open the bottles of Totally Tropical and hand one to my sister. We swig in unison.

‘This stuff tastes better, the more you drink of it,’ she decides.

The water rushes below us. The wind lifts our hair. We tuck into the canapés that I’ve purloined.

‘This was going to be our year,’ I remind her.

‘Fine fucking mess we’re making of it.’

I sigh and it’s snatched away from my mouth. ‘What are you going to do about Jude?’

‘Leave him.’

We drink from our bottles then wipe our mouths with our orange gloves.

‘What are you going to do about Greg?’

‘Love him,’ I say.

‘And Peru?’

‘I don’t know,’ I say. Is there any point in having a dream when no one else cares whether you achieve it or not? At this moment, I’m too drunk, too dazed, too disorientated to be able to come to a conclusion.

Chapter 73

Chapter 73

We’re nearly at the bottom of our bottles of Totally Tropical and, to be honest, it’s not true that you can never have too much of a good thing.

‘I feel sick,’ Lauren says, just as I’m thinking exactly the same.

Surely this torture will be over soon. The boat turned ages ago, so we must be coming near to the dock again before long.

‘We should think about getting down from here and finding our clothes,’ I say to my sister. Do I sound a little slurry too?

I can’t even stand up in this damn suit. My feet scrabble on the floor and, try as I might, I can’t get the necessary leverage.

‘Here, let me help,’ Lauren says.

‘I’ve got it.’ I tip myself over until I’m on my knees on all fours. Then I take a bit of a breather, before hoisting myself upright. ‘Is it me or are these costumes getting heavier?’

Grabbing Lauren’s hands, I haul her to her feet, both of us panting alarmingly.

‘Think we can tackle the ladder again?’ Oh, it seemed like such a good idea when we climbed up here! Now it seems to be swaying alarmingly.

‘I’ll go first,’ Lauren says, and she waddles towards the edge of the roof in a slightly unnerving and wobbly way.

‘Be careful,’ I say. I might only be a couple of minutes older than Lauren but I still think of myself as the big sister.

She swings her legs over the side and starts down the ladder. There’s a lot of huffing, puffing and swearing. I peer over the side anxiously until she’s nearly at the bottom, out of harm’s way.

The boat sways enthusiastically as I make my way towards the vertical ladder, holding on tightly to the railings. I can see the dock coming into view now – thank goodness!