Weâve all done it.â
âOh!â said Rhi, her eyes opening a little wider. âI did click on something recently.â
âMe too,â said Polly. âThat must be it!â
Lila took her invitation out of her locker again and reread it. âMaybe,â she said, sounding doubtful.
Just one more push , Eve thought.
âIf you go,â she said, âyou have to try the lobster. Itâs incredibly expensive, but worth every morsel.â
âDinner is included,â Lila said. She cocked her head thoughtfully. âIt doesnât say anything about not including extremely expensive lobster. Iâve never had lobster.â
âThereâs a pool and a spa,â Polly said, biting her lip. âOne bad experience shouldnât put me off Heartwell Manor, should it? I never even stayed the night. Their beds are supposed to be the softest in the world.â
Eve could tell her friends were wavering.
âYou only live once,â she said, putting her bag over her shoulder. âGo and see what itâs like. You might never get another opportunity.â
Turning her back on her friends, she headed down the corridor and into the darkening afternoon. If this didnât work, she thought ruefully, she was in for a lonely night.
Â
Heartside Manor was looking particularly lovely in the clear evening light. Eve sat tensely by the fireside in a big blue wing chair, sipping her juice and checking her watch. Sheâd arranged everything for her friends in connecting suites at the top of the hotel, with views over the gardens. Gifts, food. Everything except the truth. That this was her attempt at apologizing, and getting her girlfriends to like her again.
She heard Lilaâs voice first, echoing through the tiled foyer beyond the bar. Eveâs heart leaped. She knew no one entering the hotel could see the person sitting in this particular chair if they curled their legs up and kept very, very still. She did exactly that.
âHello, can I help you?â
Eve heard the sound of the invitation being plonked on to the reception desk. âUm, yes, I hope so,â Lila said. âWe got these invitations today.â
âWe donât know who theyâre from,â said a second voice.
âWe think maybe itâs a competition?â said a third voice.
Eve closed her eyes gratefully. Lila, Polly and Rhi had all come. This was going well â so far.
âOf course,â said the receptionist smoothly. âWe are expecting you Miss Murray, Miss Nelson, Miss Wills.â
Eve heard Pollyâs explosion of giggles. She snuggled a little deeper into the wing chair, listening.
âWeâll take your bags up right away,â the receptionist continued. âHere are your keys. Have a pleasant stay with us at Heartwell.â
âThis isnât a key,â Eve heard Rhi say in surprise as her friends passed the high back of her chair. âItâs a credit card.â
âItâs a key card,â said Lila. âHavenât you ever seen one before? I am so having lobster tonight.â
Eve waited until the elevator door slid shut with an expensive purr. Then she uncurled her legs, tried to calm her loudly beating heart, picked up the carrier bags she had stowed by her feet and took the elevator to the third floor.
Suites 304 and 305 were the best rooms in the hotel. Eveâs dad was always recommending them to visiting business associates. Eve herself had once spent a Christmas Eve in Suite 305, watching TV and bickering with Chloe while their parents dined downstairs.
She paused outside Suite 304, her key card in her hand. It was stupid, feeling this nervous. Eve straightened her back.
âRoom service,â she said bravely, opening the door and stepping into the pale pink carpeted room.
Rhi, Lila and Polly stared at her, open-mouthed. Polly had already put on her hotel bathrobe.
âWhat are you doing here,