Free She Goes to Town by W M James

 
     
    ' Jesus, Legs,
it ' s not like you to be late. '
    Annette was sitting at the table sipping a cocktail.
Her cheeky pink lips curled up smugly as she set down her
wide-rimmed glass. She wore her hair in a stylish up-do, oriental
pins holding it in place: every single hair in
place, of course, because that was Annette.
    ' I was starting to think
you were going to stand me up, ' she went
on, without a pause. ' But that would mean
missing a meal, and we both know that ' s
never gonna happen, eh? '
    Despite herself, Tanya felt her cheeks begin to
darken. Nobody could do this to her quite like Annette. Resisting
the urge to roll her eyes, she pulled out her chair and sat. It was
a relief to get the weight off her feet: her thighs were still a
little shaky from earlier.
    ' Nice to see you, too,
Netty, ' she responded wryly.
    She glanced around, taking in her surroundings. The
restaurant was filling up steadily, but there were still a couple
of free tables. Of course, Annette would have planned the dinner to
the nth degree, even knowing exactly the best time to arrive: wait
for atmosphere, but get in before the kitchen staff are run off
their feet. Tanya felt a smile well up inside her: Annette was
always a step ahead.
    A handsome young waiter arrived with smiles and
menus.
    ' Must be two, three years
since I was last here, ' Tanya mused.
    Annette was watching her intently, her eyes
narrowed. It was never a good sign.
    ' Legs, ' she began, her tone speculative. ' What ' s going on? '
    Tanya frowned and scoffed, exactly the wrong
reaction: she knew it at once. Give Annette a reaction like that
and she would dig, dig, dig until she got to the truth. She was,
after all, a prodigy, a polymath, a self-taught student of human
behaviour. Oh, and, if that wasn ' t enough,
she was a gobshite lawyer as well.
    ' What ' s going on is I ' m starting
to remember why we don ' t have dinner more
often, ' she tried. She knew it
wasn ' t enough of a deflection. Annette was
going to be all over this like a terrier.
    To Tanya ' s surprise,
Annette shrugged and put down her menu. ' Anyway, ' she sighed
dramatically. ' Aren ' t you going to ask me my big news? '
    ' Shit, Netty, I ' m sorry. ' Tanya laid her
hand on her sister ' s wrist. ' I ' ve been a bit preoccupied
lately. Lots of pressure at work and Ben away … it ' s all been weird. You
know I want to hear your news. Please. '
    Annette cocked her head, relishing the moment of
attention. She lifted her cocktail and arched her eyebrows over the
rim of the glass. Very deliberately, she took an exaggerated sip,
making a great show of savouring it. Tanya let her eyes roll this
time. This was so Annette.
    ' Well, you know that
promotion I've been fretting about for months? I applied.' She
couldn't keep the grin off her face, even though she was clearly
trying to. 'And I got it. '
    Tanya ' s heart surged with
pride. She sprang out of her chair, hurried round the table and
caught her sister up in a big hug. Annette was, of course, cool as
ice on the surface, but Tanya knew she was fizzing with excitement
on the inside.
    ' What does Malcolm
say? '
    Annette wiggled her shoulders nonchalantly. ' Oh, you know. He ' s worried about how I ' ll
find time to cook his dinner. And how will it affect his golf and
all that shit. You know men. '
    Tanya grinned, standing back to look at her clever
sister.
    ' Now sit the hell down and
tell me what ' s going on with
you, ' Annette demanded, in the manner of
an old-time duellist delivering the coup de grâce.
    ' Oh, you sneaky,
underhanded little shit, ' Tanya replied,
scowling at her sister. Her heart tripped a little. This was her
opportunity to open up about Andy. She couldn ' t deny she had thought about it, had even hoped it
might come up. Damn sure there was nobody else she could talk to
about her fling. Well, nobody apart from Andy himself. A smile
tugged at her mouth as she made her way back round the table to her
own seat. He was a good friend, so easy to