Suddenly, her phone rang. She returned to the table and eyed the whirring device with suspicion, almost afraid to look. From the corner of her eye, she saw that it was Ed. Thank God.

“Ed, hi,” she said, sighing with relief at the same time.

“Hey, Sis, how’s it going?”

“Fine, yeah, you? How’s the book coming along? Should I start calling you Mr. MacKenzie already?”

“Yeah, soon enough, I think. Right now I’m immersed in the gripping world of editing my already-perfect words to suit potential customers, and by customers I mean readers.”

“Right. Sounds like fun. Listen, would you like to come over for dinner? I haven’t seen you properly in… I don’t know, it feels like ages.”

“That’s why I’m calling. I’m meeting everyone at the bar later.”

“Really? Everyone? Has Tess managed to extract herself from Fin’s bed? And without needing surgery? That’s unbelievable.”

“Don’t be a bitch and give her a break. It’s the first flush, you know how it is. So, we’ll be seeing you at seven?”

After agreeing about the time and place, Cat hung up and walked straight to the pantry. She opened the bottle and poured herself a generous amount. The first flush. Was she at that stage with Sam? Ed seemed to think that they were. But how was that possible, when she was fucking Frankie on the side?

Last night she had tried to get dressed and leave Frankie’s apartment at once, but she hadn’t counted on the blonde woman following her.

“Frankie, I need to go,” she had said, not wanting to turn around.

“I know.”

“She can’t get home and not find me there.”

“I know.”

Now, she had commanded herself, leave. But there had been something about having Frankie up close, with that needy look in her eyes, and the distracting amount of skin that she had been showing. The blonde had hugged her, placed an arm around her shoulders and pressed her lips to the top of Cat’s head.

This was tearing her apart – in two pieces, actually. She gulped down the glass of wine and poured herself another. Then, she heard the front door open and close. Sam, of course. Cat wiped her upper lip with the back of her hand and went to sit at the table.