‘Mum, we can’t come over to Tara’s,’ she said firmly.

‘Oh Minnie, don’t be ridiculous, Tara wants to see you, and she said to bring your friends, didn’t you Tara? … Oh, well she wants to know how many of you are there?’

‘Four of us,’

‘Four of them, Tara … yes, that’s fine, she says come.’

Minnie felt her skin getting hot. Clare pulled the last curler into place and sprayed a cloud of setting spray over her head.

‘Is Quinn going to be there?’ Minnie asked quietly.

‘I don’t think so, why? Do you want to see him?’ Connie asked.

‘No, I just wouldn’t want him to think I was – um, following him around London.’

‘Tara, Minnie wants to know if Quinn’s coming over?’ Connie yelled.

‘Oh god, don’t ask her!’ Minnie sank down into the chair and put a hand over her eyes. Pleased as she was that her mother had a new friend, it wasn’t ideal that this friend happened to be the mother of the man she’d just been ghosted by.

‘No, he’s at some conference all day. So you don’t need to fret about running into him without your lippy on, Minnie.’

Half an hour later, the four of them were standing outside Tara’s house, each modelling impressively bouffant 1950s hairstyles.

‘Jesus – this is her house?’ said Leila. ‘It’s bigger than my whole block.’

‘You know, if I lived somewhere like this, I’d probably never want to leave the house either,’ said Bev.

‘Shhh,’ Minnie hissed as they stepped up to the front door and rang the bell.

Tara answered the door.

‘Minnie, well look at you? You look gorgeous. I used to wear my hair that way once upon a time.’

Tara was wearing gardening gloves and a green apron over a grey shift dress. Her skin was sun-kissed and her eyes twinkled with life.

‘Are you sure we’re not intruding?’ said Minnie. ‘We won’t stay long.’

‘No, no, come in, come in. Oh my, how colourful!’ Tara said, on seeing Leila and her rainbow hair. ‘What a jolly way to be.’

Minnie introduced Tara to her friends and they all followed Tara through to the kitchen where Minnie’s mother was scowling at a laptop. Leila and Bev both gawped at Tara’s palatial interior with undisguised awe. Minnie mimed closing their gaping mouths at them while Tara was looking the other way.

‘Oh Minnie, you look like a young Elizabeth Taylor,’ said her mum. Minnie did a double take at such a compliment from her mother. ‘And Fleur, a touch of the Bette Davis. What’s this all in aid of?’

‘Hair trials for Leila’s wedding,’ Minnie explained.

‘Right, show me this blog you need setting up?’ said Fleur, pulling up a stool next to Minnie’s mum.

‘Well, we haven’t got past the first page,’ said her mum, shaking her head.