Frankie shook her head. ‘Dominic looks as straight as a die and if he’s coming with Wesley, no one will bat an eyelid.’

Joey breathed a sigh of relief. ‘Who did you invite? I asked a couple of other boys in the Berwick. I hope they don’t turn up – I barely know them.’

Frankie laughed. ‘I invited Stacey, Demi and Paige. I can’t remember who else, I was a bit pissed. We better warn all of them not to mention the Berwick Manor. Mum and Dad think we went to Stacey’s after the pub, remember?’

‘You tell the girls to keep schtum and I’ll tell the lads. Did you invite that John?’ Joey asked.

Shaking her head, Frankie applied some lipgloss. ‘Nah. I’m not even sure if I’m gonna see him again.’

‘Frankie, Joey, everyone’s waiting for you down here.’ Jessica yelled. She was getting more annoyed by their no-show by the minute.

‘Come on,’ Joey said, dragging his sister away from the mirror.

Considering it had poured with rain the day before, the weather was glorious. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky and the sun was scorching.

Eddie sat out in the grounds with his uncle, brothers and Dougie.

‘Where’s Raymondo?’ Paulie asked.

‘He’ll be here soon, so will Gary and Ricky,’Eddie replied.

Desperate to meet her son’s posh girlfriend, Joyce was up and down like a yo-yo.

‘Will you sit down and come away from that bloody window, woman,’ Stanley scolded her.

Joyce gave him one of her looks. ‘No, I won’t. Now shut your face, you miserable old goat, and drink your bleedin’ beer.’

Gary and Ricky arrived and handed Jessica a big bunch of flowers. ‘We brought the twins something, but these are for you,’ Ricky told her.

‘You shouldn’t have. Your dad’s in the garden. Thanks, boys,’ she said, kissing them both on the cheek.

Joey hovered nervously in the hallway.

‘What’s the matter, love?’ Jessica asked him.

‘Nothing. Just waiting for my friends to arrive,’ he replied anxiously.

‘You’re acting like a right twerp. Have a couple of drinks, for fuck’s sake, else you’ll give yourself away,’ Frankie whispered to him.

‘All right if me and Joey have another drink, Mum?’ Frankie said, already topping up their glasses.

‘I suppose so. It is your birthday party, but don’t go too mad. How was your night out? You haven’t said much about it,’ Jessica asked.

As she screwed the lid back onto the vodka bottle, Frankie smiled. ‘It was a bit boring, to be honest, Mum.’

The ringing of the doorbell stopped Jessica from prying any more. ‘Get that, Joey!’ she yelled.

Joey’s heart leaped as he answered it. ‘Come in, Dom. All right, Wes? Say hello to me mum, boys,’ he said, as calmly as he could.