‘What?’ Sam and I reply in unison.

‘Jennifer’s spotted her.’

It’s no good, I have to see what’s going on. I shift my chair around, making sure I’m still partially shielded by Becky. Peering beyond my friend’s shoulder I spy Cassie at the bar where she’s standing with her boyfriend, head thrown back, laughing dramatically. ‘The absolute cheek of the girl. I still can’t believe she’s here. Actually, scrub that, I can believe it. Part of me even finds it quite hilarious that she’s got the nerve to come to my party after what she did. You don’t think she’ll try to speak to me, do you? I really hope not.’

Becky shakes her head and turns back to gape at her. ‘You’ve got to admit, she looks bloody stunning.’

Gallingly, she does. Wearing an almost indecently see-through white lace knee-length dress that fits in all the right places, she’s also dyed her cropped hair pure white to match. ‘I wonder which salon she went to, to have that done,’ I mutter.

Jennifer is now striding across the dance floor, making a beeline for Cassie.

‘I hope there isn’t going to be a scene.’ Becky’s hand goes up to her mouth, and I’m sure I can detect a gleam in her eye. My friend isn’t vindictive, but she’s never been able to resist a bit of drama.

As I watch in horrified fascination, Jennifer taps Cassie on her shoulder. Cassie turns around, frowns, and then smiles at my boss. But Jennifer’s face is stern, her feet planted apart and her hands clamped on her hips. As she begins to give Cassie a piece of her mind, the immediate area around them slowly clears, and I worry that things might turn violent.

Cassie’s face quickly shifts into her fake-apology expression – head tilted, and eyes wide with concern.

But Jennifer’s eyes still haven’t lost their murderous glare. Her tirade isn’t loud enough to be heard over the music, other than sharp snatches of words like ‘Cow!’ and ‘My salon!’. More people are starting to notice, and my heart is pumping way too hard. They’re both going to end up ruining my night, and I don’t know what to do about it. If I go over there, I’ll draw even more attention to the scene.

I notice that Toby and Nick are on their way over. Hopefully they’ll be able to diffuse the situation before it turns into something physical. I don’t think Cassie would want it to go that far, but I wouldn’t be so sure about Jennifer. She’s crimson-faced and fuming. Suddenly, her arm jerks upwards really fast, and Cassie’s hand flies to her face.

Becky gasps. ‘Did you see that? Jen chucked her drink in Cassie’s face! Go on, Jennifer!’

‘Becky!’ Sam and I both glare at her.