‘You can pull this look off, I can’t,’ said Minnie, shaking her head. Leila dropped her pyjama bottoms on the floor and stepped into the yellow skirt. ‘Hang on, what do you mean “love life”? This isn’t anything to do with my love life, this is just me meeting the man my mum’s been comparing me to my whole life. Right, I’m going to call Greg now.’

Minnie dialled his number. Greg didn’t like speaking on the phone, he preferred text, but this didn’t feel like a text conversation. It went straight to answerphone. ‘Hi Greg, it’s Minnie. Just ringing to say, I didn’t go home without you last night, you were the one who went home without me, and anyway … wait, someone else is calling me … maybe it’s you, no, it’s an unknown number. Hang on, I’ll call you back, I was just calling to say I’m alive – bye.’

Minnie quickly switched callers to take the incoming call. It was her landlord, Mr Buchanan, saying he could meet her at the flat to give her a spare key.

‘You’re going now?’ Leila asked, once Minnie put the phone down. ‘What about lunch?’

‘I have to go and feed Lucky. I’ll go now then come and meet you out.’ Minnie stood up and pulled her friend in for a hug, ‘Thank you for rescuing me.’

Leila’s lips twitched as she watched her friend leave, ‘This better not just be a ploy to change out of that dress,’ she called after her.

*

Mr Buchanan was waiting for Minnie on the street. He was busy inspecting her wheelie bin when she arrived. He was in his mid-sixties with bright white hair and he spoke with a lisp. When he saw Minnie in her polka-dot dress he did a double take.

‘Thank you so much for meeting me,’ Minnie said breathlessly, running up the street to meet him. ‘I couldn’t afford a locksmith call-out, especially on New Year’s Day.’

Mr Buchanan started inspecting some of the peeling paintwork on the front door frame, picking at it with a fingernail to see how easily it came away.

‘Yes, about your finances Miss Cooper,’ he said, flaring his huge hairy nostrils at her. ‘I see you’re behind on your utility bills again.’

‘I know, cash flow, but I’m on it, don’t worry,’ said Minnie, making two firm hand gestures with her fists to hammer home how on it she was.

‘They tell me when a tenant falls into bad credit you know,’ he said, turning back to face her with a squint. ‘And we spoke about this before, I believe?’

‘Oh yes, I know, but … ’

Minnie looked up and saw Lucky pawing the glass at her. She gave him a little wave.

‘What are you waving at?’ Mr Buchanan asked.