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the chair next to his for a chat, and every time Jo made a move to get close to him, someone else got in ahead of her. Hannah stayed in her chair, so there was no hope of getting in on the other side either. After everyone had had dessert and coffee, Jo got up to go to the loo. She was standing at the sinks tidying her hair and putting on some lipstick when Hannah came into the bathroom.
    â€˜You must be Jo,’ she said. Her voice was low and quiet.
    â€˜Yes, and you’re Hannah, of course. Nice to meet you properly.’
    â€˜And you. I’ve heard all about you.’ Somehow, the way Hannah said this seemed quite loaded. There was no way to ask what she meant without sounding aggressive though, so Jo smiled and said, ‘I hope you’re having a nice time.’
    â€˜I am. All Lee’s friends seem lovely.’
    Hannah was standing behind Jo to her left, and when Jo looked in the mirror, she could see that Hannah was staring at her pointedly. Jo smiled again, now a little uncomfortable.
    â€˜Well, we all do go back a long way,’ she said.
    â€˜I know,’ said Hannah, and kept standing there, looking at her. Jo turned around to return the look. She wasn’t quite sure what to say, but Hannah filled the silence. ‘I’m sorry if I’m staring,’ she said, ‘but when your new boyfriend tells you about his old, old female friend and describes her by saying, “She looks like a
Sports Illustrated
model, but she’s also funny and creative and clever, and when she smiles, the room lights up,” well, that’s a woman you’re going to want to take a look at.’
    â€˜Wow,’ said Jo. ‘I can’t believe he said that.’
    â€˜
Sports Illustrated
might be taking it a bit far, but you are working that tall blonde look.’
    â€˜Thank you,’ said Jo faintly. Her mum had always told her to be polite if someone paid her a compliment.
    â€˜I love him, you know.’
    â€˜I can see that. I saw the way you look at him. And the way he looks at you. It seems pretty mutual.’
    â€˜I hope so,’ said Hannah, her beautiful face impassive. ‘This relationship means a lot to me, and without trying to sound like a country and western song, I would absolutely fight to keep him.’
    â€˜Fight who?’ said Jo, and then, realising, ‘Oh. Oh God, no, Hannah. There’s absolutely never been anything like that between Lee and me. I just don’t see him like that at all!’
    â€˜Really? How could you not? I mean, have you looked at him?’
    Hannah opened the door to the restaurant, and Jo looked out at Lee, sitting at the head of the table, laughing at something Helen was saying. It was funny. When you knew someone as well as she knew arLee, you stopped really seeing them. In a way, the picture you carried in your head was a sort of faded picture of who they were when you first met, not a clear vision of who they had become. In her head, Lee was still the tall, gangly just-out-of-his-teens boy with crazy hair who wore baggy, multicoloured jumpers his nanna knitted, not because they were cool but because it would hurt his nanna’s feelings if he didn’t.
    But nearly ten years later, she looked at him with new eyes. With Hannah’s eyes. Lee now had his mad hair croppedstylishly short. He had filled out, so that his broad-shouldered, athletic body matched his height. He was anything but gawky and skinny nowadays. He was wearing a fitted charcoal shirt that looked well made and expensive. He was undeniably sexy and handsome. How had that happened? And how had she missed it? With a start, she realised she’d been standing there staring for too long without saying anything, and when she turned back, Hannah’s beautiful face had gone a little paler.
    â€˜He’s all right, I suppose,’ said Jo nonchalantly. ‘But he’s never been my type.’
    She wasn’t sure whether Hannah