‘You never have to worry about that,’ I reassure. ‘I’ll always make sure you’re both taken care of.’

‘It’s good to have friends in high places,’ Celia jokes.

‘Talking of friends in high places,’ I say. ‘Cassie Barrington has an appointment at the salon next week.’ Even saying her name makes my body tense up.

‘Barrington?’ Celia frowns. ‘Any relation to Myra and Geoff Barrington?’

‘She’s their daughter,’ I confirm.

‘Cassie Barrington?’ Madeline sits up straighter. ‘The reality TV star? Is she really your friends’ daughter, Celia?’

I turn to Celia. ‘I didn’t know you were friends with Myra and Geoff. Cassie used to be my best friend at school, but then she landed a spot on that TV show and now she lives in London.’

‘Why did I never know about this?’ Madeline looks intrigued.

‘Because I’ve never talked about her.’

‘Geoff Barrington was an old boyfriend of mine,’ Celia says airily.

‘Ooh, Celia.’ I nudge her arm. ‘Spill the gossip.’

She tuts. ‘There is no gossip. We went out a few times, but I lost interest. Tell the truth, he was a bit of a bore.’

Madeline and I burst out laughing.

‘What?!’ Celia’s cheeks are quite pink. ‘He was. I much prefer my Malcolm.’

‘Aww.’ Madeline and I both coo over Celia’s love for her husband.

‘So, Zoe, are you going to be cutting Cassie Barrington’s hair?’ Madeline sounds impressed.

‘Yes. But I’m not sure why she’s coming to Waves. We don’t keep in touch and she doesn’t live round here anymore.’

‘Maybe she’s moving back to the area,’ Madeline suggests.

‘Maybe. I’m not looking forward to seeing her though. She’s not exactly my favourite person in the world.’

‘No? Why’s that?’ My sister-in-law leans forward. I love Madeline, but she definitely has a weakness for gossip. It’s probably her only flaw. I should never have mentioned Cassie. News of her return will be all over town by tomorrow.

‘Oh, it’s nothing. We just drifted apart.’ It was actually a lot more than just drifting apart. Back then, Cassie made it quite clear that our friendship wasn’t high on her list of priorities.

‘Maybe she wants to build bridges,’ Celia says. ‘She’s probably quite a different person now to the one she used to be when you were children.’