‘I can’t wait, even though I have to admit, I’m not sure I’ll make the best waitress. I’m the clumsiest person ever and am always dropping stuff or tripping up. Remember when we were at university, and I got sacked from the pub on campus after the plate of spaghetti I was holding slipped into the lap of the woman wearing the white dress?’ Ella rolled her eyes. The manager had sacked her immediately and at the time Ella thought she’d never work again.

‘Oh my God, don’t remind me of that now!’ Callie burst out laughing. ‘You can’t go throwing spaghetti over the diners at The Lakehouse.’

‘I’ll do my best.’ This was what Ella had missed, old friendships full of banter. Even though her debts were weighing heavily on her mind, she knew being here with Callie would do her the world of good.

‘Hindsight is a wonderful thing.’

‘And love has a lot to answer for, Callie. What’s that noise?’

Their conversation was interrupted by the sudden sound of singing coming from the balcony below them. Ella raised her eyebrows.

Callie was chuckling. ‘That’s Dolores! She’s amazing. I absolutely love her and you’re going to absolutely love her too. Come and meet her – you’re in for a treat.’

Ella took another sip of wine before following Callie down the stairwell to another duck-egg blue door. There was no answer after Callie rapped on the knocker, so she pushed down the handle and walked straight inside.

‘Dolores, it’s me, Callie,’ she shouted over the noise of the music.

Wide-eyed, Ella thought she’d walked into some sort of hall of fame. The walls were lined with faded photos and magazine cuttings of Dolly Parton, and there was an old-fashioned olive-green telephone on a small round table with a brown velvet stool tucked underneath it.

‘Dolores, it’s me,’ Callie called again, competing with the warblings that were belting out from the balcony. ‘She’s a huge fan of Dolly – I mean fangirl!’

‘No shit, Sherlock,’ whispered Ella, still staring at the walls in the small hallway and wondering what she was going to find on the other side of the door.

‘Is that you, Callie dear?’ Suddenly the music was turned down.

‘It is. I’ve brought a friend to meet you.’ Callie pushed open the door and walked into the living room.