Free The Waitress by Melissa Nathan Page A

of something to look forward to. Day Two the tingly feeling had grown into a tingly feeling with tense undertones as the reality of a date with Dan crept nearer. Day Three onwards, no tingly feeling left, just tension.
    As soon as she opened the front door and hefted her luggage in, she heard voices in the lounge. She struggled in. There were Sukie and Jon sitting companionably on opposite sofas. Sukie’s eyes lit up on seeing Katie.
    ‘Aha! The wanderer returns!’
    Jon smiled a greeting as Katie collapsed on to the sofa. ‘Next time I decide to take the car instead of the train,’ she said weakly, ‘someone chain me to my bedroom.’
    ‘How long have you got before your date?’ asked Sukie.
    Katie shut her eyes. ‘Do you know,’ she said, savouring the stillness. ‘I don’t even know his surname. Or what he studied at Oxford.’
    ‘Your family all well then?’ smiled Sukie.
    ‘How could I possibly go on a date with someone if I don’t even know his surname?’ continued Katie. ‘Haven’t I heard of date rape?’
    ‘Cup of tea?’ asked Jon.
    Katie smiled and nodded.
    ‘Did you tell your mum,’ asked Sukie, ‘that after a snog like that you wouldn’t care if his surname was Marmaduke?’
    Katie grimaced. ‘Nobody snogs that well,’ she muttered. She sat up and grinned at her friend. ‘This is a nice surprise. How was your weekend?’
    ‘Absolutely terrible. That’s why I’m here.’
    ‘You can tell me all about it while I try on my entire wardrobe and then decide to wear what I wore last week.’
    Which is exactly what they did.
    ‘So you see,’ concluded Sukie, watching Katie struggle out of her third outfit, ‘I needed serious CV and letter-writing help. And then I remembered that Jon is your expert CV writer.’
    Katie turned to show her friend the fourth outfit. Sukie shook her head and Katie added it to her Charity Shop pile, so called because they would only accept it out of charity.
    ‘Has he said yes?’ asked Katie.
    ‘I’m still trying to persuade him. He says he’s busy, what with writing his book and all your CVs.’
    ‘Don’t terrify him into it,’ said Katie, ‘he’s easily terrified.’ She suddenly gasped and then came and sat next to Sukie on her bed.
    ‘I know what you can do for him in return!’
    ‘I’m not that sort of girl.’
    ‘He keeps getting invited to meet agents who love his writing, but he’s too shy to go.’
    ‘Mmmm?’ said Sukie dubiously.
    ‘He needs help with pretending to be more confident than he is!’
    ‘How can I help with that?’
    ‘He needs acting lessons!’ Katie cried. ‘You’re the perfect person! You
have
to help him!’
    To her surprise, Sukie started nodding slowly. ‘Maybe then he’ll help me with my letters. I’ll put it to him.’
    Then Katie voiced her doubts about her date. ‘I mean,’ she explained to Sukie, ‘Geraldine was still clearly emotionally attached to him at the party.’
    ‘It didn’t stop you getting off with him,’ pointed out Sukie.
    Katie grimaced. ‘I know. Am I terrible? I just couldn’t help myself.’
    ‘Of course not!’ said Sukie. ‘All’s fair in love and war. You didn’t do it to hurt Geraldine. You fell for Dan.’
    ‘I did,’ nodded Katie. ‘But I know how I’d feel if I was in Geraldine’s shoes.’
    ‘Tall,’ said Sukie. ‘And you know she’d do the same to you in a flash. Dan would be with her if he wanted to be. He wants to be with you.’
    When Jon brought in Katie’s tea, Sukie offered to give him free acting lessons in exchange for his CV and letter writing.
    ‘And I’ll do your makeover,’ added Katie. ‘With both of us helping you, you’ll be batting off agents with a stick.’
    ‘What’s in it for you?’ asked Jon.
    Katie shrugged. ‘Rent reduction?’
    ‘If I get a book deal,’ said Jon, ‘I should be able to afford it.’
    Half an hour later, while Katie was making her final adjustments to what she’d worn last week, adding perfume, accessories