‘Maybe.’ I shrug. But the thought of seeing Cassie Barrington again makes me anxious. Doubly so because it will be at my place of work, where I’ll have to be professional and friendly. Apparently, when she made the appointment, she asked for me by name. I asked my boss Jennifer if Cassie could be given another stylist, but there was no one else available for that timeslot. I’m even toying with the idea of calling in sick that day, but I know when it comes to it I won’t do that – I can’t let my other clients down, or my boss.

I’m probably overreacting. Like Celia said, Cassie and I were friends a long time ago and we’re both different people now. I’m not the pushover I used to be. I’m a working woman, the wife of a councillor, and the mother to two gorgeous children. I’m respected in the community, with lots of friends and a loving family. But I don’t trust Cassie, and despite the self-assurance I’ve built up, the thought of seeing her again unsettles me.

Celia, Madeline and I agree to stop chatting for a while to make a note of our favourite canapés before the alcohol dulls our taste buds. With the savoury selections finally made, we order coffees and wait for the dessert trays to be brought out. I’m not used to eating so much at lunchtime, so I don’t know how I’m going to be able to fit any more food in. Maybe I’ll ask for a doggy bag and get Toby and the kids to help me choose the desserts.

Madeline drains the last drops of the second wine bottle into her glass. ‘Ooh, Zoe, before I forget, are you still okay to have the girls next week while Nick and I are away?’

It takes me a moment to register that my sister-in-law is talking to me. I think I’ve had a bit too much to drink. ‘Sorry, what? The girls? Yes, of course. Lucky you, having a birthday night away.’

‘I can’t wait. Beth’s grumpy about it though – she wanted to come and stay with us in a posh hotel too.’ Beth is Madeline’s eldest daughter from her previous marriage, but she’s only ever known Nick as a father. She was a toddler when Nick and Madeline got together, and Nick adopted her as his own, as her biological father was out of the picture. She’s always been a sweet child, but right now she’s more like twelve going on eighteen, and Madeline’s having a tough time with her wanting to grow up too fast.