Page 21 of The Riviera House Swap

Bess answered the door in a dressing gown, her hair in disarray.

‘God, is everything alright?’ Nina asked, wondering if she should have called ahead.

‘Do I look that bad?’ her friend replied. ‘Nah, I’m on night shift is all. Just got up.’

Nina looked at her watch. It was 7p.m. ‘Oh, do you have time for…?’

‘Always. Not in till ten and like to make sure I’m fully caffeinated. There’s plenty of coffee in the pot. Plus, Sal’s here already putting the world to rights.’

‘Where are the kids?’

As if in answer to the question, there was a thunder of footsteps on the stairs and two eleven-year-old boys burst into view. They stopped when they saw Nina, then raced forward and gave her a hug that almost knocked her off her feet. ‘Hello Auntie Nina!’ said Thomas, the more outgoing of the pair. ‘Dad took us to McDonald’s for tea!’

‘Well! Aren’t you lucky!’ she said, tousling his hair.

‘And he got us McFlurries!’ added James, grinning up at her.

‘Well, I’m jealous!’ Nina said, smiling.

‘Come on you two, let Auntie Nina come and have a coffee,’ said Bess affectionately. ‘And weren’t you meant to be doing homework soon?’

Laughing, the pair raced back up the stairs. ‘Can’t HEAR you!’ Thomas said cheekily over his shoulder. A door slammed and silence reigned once more.

‘Sorry about that,’ Bess said. ‘Death by cuddles.’

‘Don’t be silly,’ Nina smiled. She always loved the way the boys greeted her when she popped in. It felt a bit like being a celebrity, only with very sticky fans.

‘Anyway, come through,’ Bess said, turning towards the kitchen.

‘Nice of Steve to take the boys out,’ Nina said.

‘Was it?’ Bess arched an eyebrow. ‘Or is he earning all the brownie points from the kids, who don’t actually appreciate the vegetables I spend ages peeling for all their other meals on a daily basis? Easy win if you ask me.’ But she was smiling.

‘Good point. Although they do have veggies at McDonald’s now, so I’m told. Where is Steve anyway?’

‘He’s having a relaxing bath to “recover”,’ Bess said, grinning. ‘He says it was exhausting, but I’m willing to bet he’s just overindulged on Big Macs and wants a bit of space to himself.’

Smiling, Nina followed Bess into the kitchen where Sal was sitting sipping from a mug with a picture of a Teletubby on it. ‘Hi,’ she said, leaning down to give her friend a kiss on the cheek.

‘Hi yourself.’ Sal grinned.

Nina slid out a chair and sat down as Bess poured her a coffee into an enormous mug emblazoned with the wordsWorld’s Best Dad. She then swept a few magazines from the cluttered kitchen table, plonked the mug down in front of Nina and indicated the milk and sugar, already present among the melange of crumb-covered plates, sticky jam knives and half-drunk glasses of milk and orange juice.

‘Help yourself to any delicious delicacies that catch your eye,’ Bess joked. ‘I know you’re partial to a bit of stale bread crust andjam. It’s Steve’s turn to clear up breakfast and I’m holding out for a miracle.’

‘Thanks,’ Nina said, adding a large slug of milk to the very strong concoction she’d been given. ‘I think I’ll resist!’ She took a sip and grimaced. Unlike Bess, she was heading for bed in a few hours, so she should probably go easy on the pick-me-ups.

‘So, what’s up?’ Bess said, picking up a piece of half-eaten toast and biting into the corner. ‘Everything OK?’

‘Why does something have to be up?’ Nina said. ‘Can’t a woman just drop in on her bestie in the evening without causing suspicion?’

‘A woman can. Sal can. You can’t. You’re a bona-fide planner, my dear. Three weeks’ notice is your average, if my maths is correct.’

Nina laughed. ‘Well, maybe this is the new, risk-taking version of me. Spontaneous, rash?’ she suggested.

Bess looked at her pointedly. ‘Nina…’ she coaxed. ‘Unless you’re here to tell us that you do, indeed, have a spontaneous rash (which I sincerely hope you don’t) then you have to let me know what’s up.’

‘Yes, come on!’ Sal said. ‘I need some gossip to distract me after another nightmare day at work.’

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