This Time Next Year(3)

Lucy threw her head back and gave a half-snorting, half-silent laugh, then she clutched Greg’s arm, as though she might fall over.

‘You must have an absolute hoot with this one, Minnie.’

Minnie nodded, though she wondered if Greg’s hilarious newspaper headlines might be starting to get annoying.

‘Mins is in the food world too,’ said Greg, standing a little taller. ‘Runs her own catering business in the charity sector.’

‘That sounds interesting,’ said Lucy, looking over Minnie’s shoulder and waving to someone behind her.

‘I don’t think making pies for the elderly counts as being in the “food world”, but thanks for bigging me up, hun,’ Minnie said, rubbing Greg’s back.

‘Do you cater events? Maybe I’ve come across you?’ asked Lucy, turning her attention back to Minnie.

‘No, we just do pies for the elderly. The company’s called No Hard Fillings, it’s a bit like Meals on Wheels.’

Lucy blinked her eyes a few times.

‘No hard feelings?’ she said.

‘No,’ said Minnie, ‘No Hard Fillings, as in pie fillings. It’s um, supposed to be funny.’

‘Oh, I see. Ha-ha,’ Lucy said, wrinkling her nose and giving another silent laugh. ‘Well that must be very … fulfilling.’

Greg let out a snorting cackle. ‘Good one Luce,’ he tapped his elbow to Lucy’s. ‘See, the thing is, Minnie’s company would be a lot more successful if she didn’t keep giving stuff away for free and employing a load of time bandits with zero work ethic.’

‘I don’t, and that’s not true,’ Minnie said, bowing her head.

‘Well, it sounds jolly rewarding,’ said Lucy. ‘I find old people so sweet, don’t you?’

‘Some of them are sweet, some of them are total knobs, same as the rest of us,’ said Minnie. Greg coughed loudly and Minnie gave him a firm pat on the back.

‘But you’re planning to branch out, aren’t you Min?’ Greg said, recovering his composure. ‘That’s her current customer base, but she could easily expand; do weddings, corporates, high-calibre events, all sorts. Maybe Lucy could hook you up with some contacts?’

‘Sure, sure, happy to help,’ Lucy said, waving at someone across the room and starting to move away. ‘Listen, I must go mingle. Make yourselves at home; drink our champagne – we ordered way too much. And don’t worry about arriving late, the party’s hardly started.’

Lucy cocked her head and flashed them both a well-rehearsed hostess smile, then with a swish of long silky hair she turned to go. Minnie watched Greg’s eyes follow her across the room.

Seeing them standing empty-handed, a waiter came over to offer them champagne. They both took one and went to clink glasses but missed, Greg’s champagne flute bumping into Minnie’s wrist. He quickly retracted his hand and took a large swig of drink.

‘Happy New Year,’ said Minnie.

‘Happy New Year,’ said Greg, then after a pause, ‘and Happy, er, Birthday. I, um, I have a present for you back at my flat. Sorry, I didn’t have a chance to wrap it.’

‘Don’t worry. I said not to get me anything.’

Greg shuffled his weight between each foot, his eyes flitting around the room.

‘She’s a useful person to know, Lucy Donohue, I told you it would be worth coming tonight. She knows everyone who’s anyone in your sector. You should never underestimate how far good contacts will get you in life, Minnie.’

‘I doubt she knows everyone who’s anyone in the pie sector,’ Minnie said, then, affecting a posh voice, ‘unless it’s pastry chefs making choux pie-ettes out of foie gras at la petite rue de la frenchy french.’ She stuck out her tongue and then laughed.

‘I don’t know why you always do that,’ Greg said. ‘I’m trying to help you.’

‘You’re right, I’m sorry,’ said Minnie, feeling chastised. She didn’t need Greg to point it out. She could always hear herself sounding bitchy when she felt insecure and ultimately it only made her feel worse. She bit her lip and fiddled with the pendant on her necklace. Greg pouted, a muscle twitching in his jaw.

‘Well, you appear to have made it to midnight without turning into a pumpkin, or whatever it is you were worried about.’

‘The jinx doesn’t end at midnight, it’s the whole of New Year’s Eve night and New Year’s Day. And I’m not worried about “turning into a pumpkin” – it’s the little stuff like getting puked on or losing my coat on the bus on the way here. I’m just unlucky around New Year.’

‘Well, someone spilt beer on my shoes, and I missed most of my friend’s party because I was stuck at your eccentric friend’s house. Maybe I’m jinxed too?’ Greg finished the sentence with an overly animated smile, a smile that said, ‘I’m joking so you can’t get offended.’ His eyes dropped down to Minnie’s chest.

‘Is the vest top really obscene?’ she asked with a wince.

‘Well, you know I love that view, Min, but maybe the rest of the room would rather look at something else,’ Greg nodded.

‘Right, I’ll go to the bathroom and try to salvage my shirt.’

On the way to the bathroom, Minnie checked her phone. She had a text from Leila.