Free The Foster Husband by Pippa Wright Page A

atmosphere, admiring each other’s party outfits and initiating flirtations they hoped might end in the chill-out tent later, aka snogging central. Over at a table in a dark corner of the
marquee, Leila had already set up her dispensary; every few minutes a colleague would approach her and conduct a furtive transaction before disappearing off to the bathrooms.
    Towering above all of us, beyond the DJ decks, past the buffet tables, stood a vast and imposing Christmas tree, its topmost branches brushing the canvas roof.
    Sarah’s eyes lifted to the top of the tree, where a white-winged decorative angel looked down over the dance floor. ‘Look,’ she said. ‘I’m just saying that you and
me, we’ve got reputations to uphold here. Bad ones.’
    ‘Okay,’ I agreed grudgingly. Over in a far corner, a familiar sight caught my eye.
    ‘Oh crap, the cameramen are all here,’ I muttered to Sarah. They stood in a huddled mass at the bar, in their best T-shirts and trainers. Jay had broken ranks to wear a festive
jumper with a snowflake theme, and it was clear from the howls of laughter around him that his friends weren’t about to let him forget it.
    ‘Really?’ Sarah asked, opening her eyes enormously and suspiciously wide. ‘I wonder who let them in?’
    I turned to glare at her. ‘Sarah, no one ever looks that innocent without being very very guilty. This is your doing, isn’t it?’
    ‘Not exactly,’ she lied, beaming over at Jay. He looked relieved to see someone who might save him from his piss-taking mates. ‘But I might have mentioned that the party was on
tonight. And that they’re not very strict on the door.’
    ‘I thought you said you’d stopped seeing Jay after Lagos?’
    ‘I have,’ she said, not meeting my eyes. ‘Except on special occasions. Parties.’
    ‘Weekends?’
    ‘And, er, week nights,’ she admitted with a sheepish smile.
    ‘God, I don’t believe it. And you’ve kept it to yourself all this time?’
    ‘I don’t know what you’re so annoyed about, just because you and Chris never turned into anything doesn’t mean that Jay and I can’t give it a shot.’
    ‘Ooh, so it’s Jay and I now, is it?’
    ‘You can take the piss all you like, Kate,’ said Sarah, giving Jay a flirtatious wave across the room. ‘I really like him and you’re not going to put me off him just
because you’re always running away from relationships.’
    ‘Running away? Hardly, you would too if your only option was Chris, and you know it.’
    Sarah shrugged. ‘Fair enough. I’ve never known what you see in him; I’ve hardly ever heard him say more than five words in a row.’
    I snorted with laughter. ‘I don’t even know if I have, to tell the truth.’
    I looked over to where Chris was studiously ignoring me in a manner designed to draw attention to himself.
    ‘Then aim higher, okay?’ said Sarah. ‘You deserve better than that. You deserve a proper relationship with someone who really likes you. It’s about time you found someone
nice.’
    I started laughing. ‘Jeez, Sarah is this like when you wouldn’t get a tattoo unless I promised to get one done at the same time? Do I have to have a relationship just because
you’ve got one?’
    ‘You said you wanted a tattoo as well!’ Sarah protested, punching my arm crossly. ‘And fuck off, will you? I just want you to be happy.’
    ‘I am happy, you lunatic. I’ll be even happier when I beat you at the cunning stunt tonight, though.’
    ‘You reckon?’ said Sarah, looking at me challengingly. ‘We’ll see. I’m off to see Jay. Coming?’
    I considered it, but once you got talking to the cameramen it was hard to get away, and it was best not to get trapped with them this early. Not when there were so many other people to talk to
first. I needed to get a few words in with our boss Richard, who found this kind of work function – where he wasn’t fully in charge – stressful. And my assistant Kirsty was still
new enough to