Hattie nodded. ‘They called it something else, but yes.’
‘Colleges don’t always have parents’ evenings, as far as I know,’ said Rose.
‘Well, this one did. Anyway, that’s not important. I saw him and I had a vision, which also had Lennie in it. And her Loewe handbag.’
‘But you don’t have his full name?’
Hattie shook her head.
‘Have you googled him?’
‘No! You’re almost as bad as Sheila. She’s got a friend who’s internet stalking Lance.’
Rose nodded, reaching for her phone,. ‘Never mind about Lance now, let’s research your sister’s potential new husband.’
It didn’t take Rose long to find out Mr Saye’s name was Tom and he was roughly the same age as Hattie’s sister. He’d only been at the college for a year so was a relative newcomer to the area.
‘If he’s new,’ said Hattie, ‘he might be more willing to come, to widen his circle of friends.’
‘Possibly. I’m just going to check out his Facebook. He may be Mr Popular already… Ah,’ she said, ‘you can’t get in unless you’re an actual friend.’
‘How unreasonable,’ said Hattie, who had deleted her Facebook account so clients couldn’t harass her after hours. ‘But hey! We’ve got a name. All I need to do now is find out when Lennie can come over from Switzerland so we can choose a date for the party.’
‘Will she come just for a party?’ asked Rose.
Hattie nodded. ‘I think so. I’ll say Xander really wants to see her. She likes a party and will be impressed my upmarket client’s mother wants to give me one. I won’t need to give too many details.’ She paused. ‘She might like to check that Xander really is happy with Luke, although of course he says he is every time she asks him.’
‘Surely it would be better if Xander was staying with you, a bona fide family member.’
Hattie nodded. ‘You’re right. I’ve got feelers out for something a bit larger, where Xander and I can both live.’
‘So, what are you going to wear?’ asked Rose. ‘Something new, I hope.’
‘Or something new to me!’ said Hattie. ‘Let’s have a look on Vinted…’
‘I’m sure Leonie would be checking out Vestiaire,’ said Rose.
‘If you want a vest, go to M&S,’ said Hattie. ‘It’s Vinted for my money.’
By the time Hattie took Rose home, they had found two lovely outfits for the party.
To Hattie’s surprise, her sister was able to make the date Hattie first suggested, despite the very short notice. ‘That would be delightful! I’m quite impressed that a client’s mother wants to give you a party,’ she said.
‘It’s a joint party, for her too. Sheila just thought it would be fun for us to mix up our guests a bit. It’s very good for me, of course. I’ve just added a couple of estate agents I want to get to know better to my invitation list, as well as family – that’s you and Xander – and friends.’
Leonie laughed. ‘I’m really looking forward to it. It’ll give us an opportunity to discuss Mum and Dad’s Golden Wedding.’
‘Oh, that’s not until August!’ said Hattie who’d been putting that family occasion out of her mind for months. ‘I want to concentrate on my party.’ She paused. There was no point in introducing Leonie to Tom Saye if she had found herself a Swiss lover for the summer; she wouldn’t be in the right headspace to fall in love. ‘So, have you met any nice men while you’ve been over there?’ she asked innocently, painfully aware this was not a subject the sisters usually talked about.
‘Hattie! I’m here to work: what are you insinuating? What sort of party is it anyway?’
Hattie was relieved by her sister’s chiding. ‘Probably in the garden with a gazebo. Sheila’s got a lovely garden.’
‘And who’s in charge of catering?’
‘Don’t worry! It’s not me. Sheila is insisting on doing it all so you’re bound to enjoy it.’
‘Great!’ said Leonie. ‘So all we need now is the good weather.’
