‘I hope I pass muster,’ she said, suddenly nervous. Although Luke’s reaction told her that she did.
‘This is Hattie, everyone,’ said Luke to a circle of smartly dressed men and women who were drinking champagne in the foyer.
‘Hey! Luke!’ said one of the men. ‘No wonder you’ve been keeping her hidden away.’
His wife dug him in the ribs. ‘Jason! How rude!’ Then the woman smiled. ‘I’m Carole. Jason is my husband, the architect. I’d better do the introductions as Luke is terrible with names.’
Hattie smiled and nodded and repeated the names as Carole said them. The men all looked a bit uncomfortable in their DJs but their wives had obviously enjoyed dressing up. There were fake tans, fake lashes and a lot of cleavage. Hattie felt her own decolletage was quite tasteful in comparison and she looked forward to reporting this to Mary. And she couldn’t help noticing that they all looked at Luke with slight longing. Hardly surprising, she decided. He was definitely the most attractive man in the group.
‘Here,’ said Luke, taking a glass from a passing tray. ‘Have some champagne.’
‘You’re a bit behind the rest of us,’ said one of the women. ‘When is it OK for us to get Hattie on her own and really find out about Luke? He’s always so mysterious!’
Hattie, who was still holding Luke’s arm, gave it a tiny squeeze.
‘Give the poor girl a chance to get to know everyone first,’ said Luke.
Hattie sipped her champagne. She didn’t want to overdo it – she had a very early start in the morning – but a glass of bubbles might make her feel less shy. She was never shy, she reflected. She could talk to anyone. Why did she feel so vulnerable and exposed now?
‘So, Hattie,’ said one of the women. ‘Where have you been hiding all this time? Why hasn’t Luke brought you down to Cornwall to meet us all before now?’
‘Obviously I can’t speak for Luke—’
‘I don’t know why not,’ said one of the woman. ‘I often speak for Charlie!’
Hattie smiled. ‘I do work rather a lot, and can’t easily take time off.’ This was a bit of an exaggeration.
‘They’re calling us in,’ said one of the men. ‘Has anyone found where we’re all sitting?’
‘I might pay a quick visit to the Ladies,’ said Hattie. ‘I don’t want to get hemmed in and have to squeeze past everyone.’
‘Good idea. I’ll come with you,’ said Carole.
‘So,’ she said as soon as they were away from the group. ‘How long have you and Luke known each other? We none of us thought he knew any women.’
She was about to say, ‘Years and years,’ when she realised she didn’t know what Luke had said about this. ‘I’ve known him from a distance for ages,’ she said. ‘But I’ve got to know him a bit better recently.’
‘Oh? Whenever the lads are working on the estate and chatting, Luke gives the impression you and he have been an item for a while.’
‘Oh,’ said Hattie, not sure what to do with this information. ‘So what do you do? If you’re on site with the lads? I’d love to hear about it.’
‘Actually, I am just going on what Jason said. Here’s the Ladies. Then we’d better get seated.’
Hattie took a moment to wonder how she should play the next few hours. She didn’t want to make Luke look silly but without knowing what he’d said, it was hard to know how she should behave. She’d have to find an opportunity to ask him.
Luke stood up as she reached the table and pulled her chair out. She smiled her thanks and thought again how very attractive he looked. It wasn’t, she realised, because the dinner jacket was so flattering, it was because she just wasn’t used to seeing Luke looking so different. Perhaps he was seeing her in a new light too thanks to Mary’s dress?
Hattie was good at finding people interesting, but her abilities seemed to fade as everyone around her, apart from Luke, got more and more drunk. They all knew each other well but probably didn’t often have the chance to relax and take advantage of free alcohol and food. She was sure they didn’t mean to be rude, but she did feel a bit excluded. She couldn’t tell if she’d have had more fun if she had been drinking herself. But she didn’t dare have very much because she had to leave the hotel by seven at the latest, and had to be on top form to be the dutiful, helpful daughter for her parents’ big celebration.
‘So, what is it you do again?’ asked one of Luke’s fellow builders, slurring his words but trying to concentrate.
‘I find houses for people,’ Hattie had told him before, in more detail, but couldn’t be bothered to go through it all again.
‘But why can’t they go on Rightmove and find their own houses, for nothing?’
‘They can! But some people need a bit of help. They may not be local and can’t check out properties in real life. I also sometimes get to hear of properties before they go on the market.’
‘I wouldn’t bother if I was moving. I’d just find the house on Rightmove. Job done.’
