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‘Sally, have you seen Kit?’

Sally smiled indulgently. All the girls had heard about for weeks now was Kit.

‘Not yet. But I’m sure he’ll be here.’

‘I hope so. How do I look?’

‘Smoking! He won’t be able to resist you.’

‘That’s the plan. You’re looking pretty hot yourself,’ Tara remarked, looking her up and down. Sally was wearing a silver metallic mini dress which showed off her slender figure and great legs, her sleek bob and heavily mascaraed eyes made her look like an icon from the Sixties. ‘Oh, perfect timing,’ Tara grinned, as she saw her brother, Bill, and his best friend Harry making their way towards them.

‘Wow, sis, I never knew you were so popular,’ Bill said sarcastically, looking round at the heaving crowd.

‘It’s called having friends. You should try it sometime. Nothing better to do on a Saturday night than hang out with your little sister?’

‘I came to see Sally, not you,’ Bill retorted, slinging his arm around Sally and pulling her closer. Sally looked delighted and snuggled against him, as Tara watched in bemusement. She couldn’t imagine anyone fancying her brother, and didn’t know what Sally saw in him. But Sally was one of the few people who saw Bill’s good side and tolerated the bad. Having grown up with the weight of Lord Oliver’s expectations, Bill appreciated Sally’s undemanding acceptance of him. That, and she had a cracking figure.

‘Hi, Harry,’ Tara greeted him, leaning in for a kiss. He was eating her alive with his eyes, and tonight he looked good, with his thick mop of dark hair and rugby player’s physique.

‘Where’s your bit of Manchester rough?’ Bill asked.

Tara glared at him. ‘You utter snob! He’s not here yet. But he will be.’

‘You’re obviously just doing this to try and wind up Dad.’ Bill rolled his eyes. ‘Could you imagine if this guy whisked you up north to whatever godforsaken mining town he’s from, and Dad had grandchildren with northern accents?’ He guffawed at his own joke.

‘You’re such a philistine, Bill,’ Tara shot back. ‘Perhaps if you weren’t such a dick, people would like you more.’

Bill opened his mouth to reply, but then Tara spotted Fliss across the room. The two had barely seen one another recently – Tara had been out every evening because of the play, and Fliss was up and out early, working long hours in her new job. They had been like ships in the night.

‘Fliss!’ Tara called, beckoning her across. For a split second, a strange expression crossed Fliss’s face, like dread or nervousness. But before Tara could work out what it was, it had gone.

‘This is crazy,’ Fliss laughed, looking around at all the people. ‘You know how to throw a party, Tara.’

‘It’s in the genes. My mother was legendary for her dinner parties in the Seventies. Have you seen Kit?’

Once again, something flickered across Fliss’s face. ‘No. No, I haven’t,’ she said, too quickly. ‘I mean, I don’t think he’s here yet. I haven’t seen him.’

‘He’d better be here soon.’ Tara took a slug of champagne, her eyes glittering at the prospect of what was to come. ‘Tonight is the night I make him mine.’

In Tara’s excitement, she didn’t notice the discomfort on Fliss’s face.

‘So when are we going to meet your mystery man?’ Sally teased Fliss.

‘What’s this?’ asked Bill, his ears pricking up at the prospect of gossip. In his world, information was currency.

‘Fliss is staying out every weekend and glowing like she’s getting some,’ Tara giggled.

‘You’ve got the wrong idea,’ Fliss protested. ‘It’s not like that. Anyway, I need to get a drink,’ she added hastily, disappearing into the crowd, as Tara watched her thoughtfully. ‘See you all later …’

Kit walked up the steps to the enormous white stucco house, dressed in his usual jeans and a fitted white T-shirt, his trusty leather jacket over the top. Despite the confidence he exuded, he felt like an imposter; Ladbroke Grove was one of the most expensive parts of London, and Kit knew the property must be worth a small fortune. It only reinforced to him what a different world Tara came from. This was just one of the houses in her parents’ property portfolio, and it allowed her to live rent free in one of the fanciest areas of the capital. It couldn’t have been more of a contrast from his tiny studio flat across the other side of the city in Hoxton.

Kit could hear the music pumping, ‘Crazy in Love’ by Beyoncé, with laughter and loud conversation drifting out onto the night air. He was carrying a bottle of Cristal champagne and a bunch of flowers for Tara, but there was a sinking feeling in his stomach. Kit knew that tonight was going to be hard – he desperately wanted Fliss to agree that they should tell Tara about their relationship. He had wanted to come clean straight away, but Fliss had sworn him to secrecy, and Kit had respected her wishes. After all, she was the one who had to live with Tara, and they both knew how volatile she could be, liable to fly off the handle if things didn’t go her way. It made sense to keep quiet whilst they were doing the play together, but he and Fliss had been seeing each other for a while now and Kit didn’t want to hide any longer.

The situation was awkward; Tara had made it obvious that she fancied him, and Fliss had confirmed that was the case, though Kit suspected she had held back on the details. Neither he nor Fliss had expected to fall for one another, but he wasn’t going to deny how he felt about Fliss to spare Tara’s feelings. He had the impression that Tara was spoiled and used to getting what she wanted – but that wasn’t going to happen with him. Of course, he liked her and the two of them got on great; she was fun and sexy and doing the play together had been an intense, life-changing experience. But that didn’t mean they were destined to be with one another. Whatever Tara was thinking, they weren’t going to be the next celebrity power couple.

Kit pressed the doorbell, unsure if anyone would hear it over the noise, but someone he had never met before did hear it and let him in. The house was jampacked with people dancing, drinking, kissing, pressed up against one another in any available space.

He made his way through the crowd, aware that he was attracting looks from some of the girls as he glanced around trying to spot someone he recognised. He saw Fliss’s friend from university, Katie, who he had met when she came to see This Is Us. He waved at her and kept moving.