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Cara laughed. ‘True, but that’s a long way off – I hope!’
‘Can you imagine us when we’re old, grey, and wrinkly?’ Pete sucked in his bottom lip, as though he’d lost his teeth, then hunched his back, pretending to walk awkwardly with a walking stick. ‘Can you pass my false teeth, honey?’ his croaky voice said, and Cara burst out laughing.
‘God help me if you really end up like that.’ Cara lifted a hand to her forehead, pretending to faint. They embraced in laughter, and Cara realised she was quite possibly the luckiest woman in the world.
THIRTY-THREE
Life Makeover Principle #11:
Surround yourself with positive, like-minded, and supportive PEOPLE.
Eat your heart out, Barbie!Miranda flashed a smug grin as she successfully zipped up her silver satin dress that she’d bought in the January sales last week from ‘Budget Glam’. She would have liked to have worn her ill-fated Leona Edmiston dress, but it had taken up residence on her dining table, having been converted to placemats by her mother after the devastating cutting incident.
Should this dress come to an unfortunate demise as well, at least she’d only be out of pocket sixty-five bucks, unless her shoes were damaged too, somehow. The silver sequinned peep-toes cost more than the dress, but she wasn’t about to skimp on footwear this time.
Miranda latched a diamanté necklace around her neckand slid on a pair of matching earrings. Their understated elegance stood out, and Miranda’s hair twisted neatly into a chignon completed the look. After a few extra sprays of perfume to hide the smell of fake tan she’d lathered on last night, she was ready to go.
As if on cue, the doorbell rang. Glad for the absence of stairs in her home, she simply walked out of her room to the front door, and opened it.
Matt stood on her porch, the sunlight giving a glossy sheen to his thick hair, his black suit perfectly supported by his well-proportioned frame. ‘Well, hello there.’ He smiled his infectious smile.
‘Hello, yourself.’
‘Silver’s your colour, you look stunning.’
Miranda needn’t have applied blusher to her cheeks; warmth escalated throughout her face, no doubt providing their own colour. ‘Thank you.’ She resisted a strange urge to curtsey.
‘Shall we?’ Matt held out his hand, and Miranda took it. ‘Now, try not to slip,’ he said, as she stepped off the porch.
‘Ha ha.’ She smiled. ‘There’s no way I’m falling over tonight, look.’ Miranda lifted her foot behind her, revealing something attached to the sole of her shoe. ‘Non-slip shoe patches. A friend gave them to me as a little joke after my fall (God bless Trisha!). It would have been nice to know about these things before that disastrous night though.’
‘Oh, I don’t know about that. I’m sort of glad you didn’t wear them that night.’
Miranda looked into his eyes, and a spark rippled through her body. When they’d had lunch together back in December, she wasn’t sure if he had feelings for her, butsomething in the way the corner of his mouth curled when he smiled at her, and a sparkle in his eyes, told her he did.
Matt opened the car door for Miranda, got into the driver’s seat, and headed towards the busier-than-usual city traffic. With some of the roads closed for the evening’s celebrations, the trip took longer than Miranda was used to, but Matt had picked her up at the exact time they’d arranged, making up for the extra travelling time.
After utilising Miranda’s staff parking privileges, they got into the elevator, and when the high-pitched ding sounded, they stepped into the lobby of Harbourside Towers. The stairs to the first level were cordoned off with gold rope, and a man with greying hair stood nearby, marking people’s names off a list, before letting them through. Miranda waved to Pedro, looking glum at the reception desk, then approached the stairs with Matt. They each received a Harbourside stamp on their wrist, ensuring them entry to the Ballroom above.
At the top of the stairs, David Oaks was in line with a woman hanging from his arm. As Matt and Miranda approached, the couple turned around. It wasn’t Martini with David this time.So much for the future of Brandy, Tequila, and Scotch, she thought.
‘Miranda, you look lovely. I’d like you to meet India.’ His girlfriend nodded a hello.
India ... nice name. So, David’s given up the alcoholic beverage in favour of a country now.Miranda imagined their kids might be called Peru, China, or even Turkey. But, if the relationship didn’t last, maybe next time he’d date someone named after a sports car.Porsche, Mercedes, or perhaps Holden – now that’d be a first.
Miranda proudly introduced Matt, andthey made their way into the ballroom. Before taking in the beautiful ambience, Miranda quickly checked the seating arrangements.I knew it!David and India were to be sharing a table with her and Matt. When booking into the ball, they’d had the option of listing the names of friends they wished to be seated with, so Miranda listed Trisha and Shane, and Pete and Cara. Each table seated eight, however, making room for two more people.
Glancing around to make sure no one was looking, Miranda discreetly snatched the name cards belonging to David and India, swapping them with a couple of others from a table nearby. Mr Gordon Bannister and Mrs Barbara Bannister would now be joining Miranda and her friends, while David and India made new friends with the poor buggers on the other table.
‘Making a few adjustments to the seating arrangements?’ enquired Matt.
‘Sorry, I used to work with David, and I’d rather not sit with him. We don’t exactly get along.’ Miranda hoped Matt wouldn’t think of her as petty or snobbish.
‘Fair enough. He did seem like a bit of a tosser, to be honest.’
Miranda laughed. ‘I love your honesty. Oh, there’re my friends, c’mon, I’ll introduce you.’ She hooked her arm under his, and headed towards Trisha and Shane.
After introductions and handshakes, Trisha winked at Miranda in approval, mouthing ‘he’s gorgeous’ while Matt talked to Shane. Miranda mouthed ‘Shhh!’ back to her.
