London, December 1992

"We're invited to a party for Hogmanay. Think your parents will let us go?"

The journey back to the Walkers' house had given Katrina enough time to sober up. And plenty of time to mull things over. It had been an entertaining evening. Her question about Daisy's parents was politeness, really. Katrina was used to autonomy, but she kind of liked running through the motions with Debbie and Tony.

They almost always said 'yes' anyway.

Daisy's eyes widened and her mouth rounded into an 'oh!'. "Is it one of your clients?" Daisy had got it into her head that Katrina's clients were all wealthy and famous. In reality, the only notable client Katrina looked after was Mrs Dreyfus, and a party at hers would be shit. Mrs D sometimes talked about the gatherings she held—dinner parties, fancy wine, canapes and discussion about politics.

Please.

The two of them were in Daisy's room. Daisy was studying for her advanced A levels. She was due to sit them in the next year and was uptight about it, worried that she'd never, ever fit everything in. Today, she was wearing a scruffy hoodie and a pair of trackie bottoms. She looked a mess.

Katrina retrieved her make-up bag. "Want a wee makeover?"

Daisy nodded. "Yes. I know I look shit. No-one will ever want me!"

It was a wail Katrina was used to. Daisy hadn't been with anyone seriously since Kippy. Now, was the time to find out what had actually happened.

"This party," she began, taking out foundation, brushes, blusher, bronzer and an eye palette and lining them up on Daisy's dressing table.

"...it's at this lassie Lillian's house. Some place in Primrose Hill?"

Daisy raised her eyebrows. "Nice part of town. Must be proper rich."

"She's a friend of Kippy's."

Bombshell. Katrina could see Daisy in the mirror behind her. Her friend hadn't hidden her instinctive reaction quickly enough. Her eyes had widened at first, sparkling and bright, and then she had blinked, her face shutting down and closing off.

"I saw him today," Katrina added, unscrewing the bottle of foundation. Daisy had immaculate, pale-white skin. Granted, it was a wee bit spotty at the moment but nothing a teeny bit of make-up couldn't disguise.

Daisy blinked again, rapidly and repeatedly this time. Katrina guessed she was trying not to cry. She stood up and sat down beside her.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Daisy's hand felt cold in hers. It lay limply there where she'd taken hold of it. "I feel like an eejit. Not working out he was gay till now."

Daisy withdrew her hand. She blew out air, a long, slow exhalation of breath.

"How do you think I felt when I found out? I thought at first..." her voice caught, "at first, that you knew already and that it was some weird 'let the posh, English girl be his girlfriend. She's too stupid to work it out herself' thing."

Katrina grabbed Daisy's hand again, holding tight when Daisy tried to pull away.

"What a fucking stupid thing to think. I'd NEVER do that to you."

At the 'never', Daisy grimaced and then smiled. "Why? Do you like me or something?"

"You know I do." It was a muttered reply. Daisy and her family went in for frequent declarations of love for each other, and more so since Tony had been put in prison. The 'l' word made Katrina squirm. 'Like' was as good as it got with her.

"How is he?" Daisy asked. Longing underscored the question.

"Aye, alright. Bit fat." A wee white lie there, but you didn't want to hear your ex looked bloody fantastic, did you? The ex was meant to suffer, their looks draining away slowly like the sand in an hourglass timer. By the law of karma, Kippy should be fat, spotty and greasy-haired. If Daisy did agree to come to this party, with any luck, it would be so jam-packed with people she wouldn't bump into him and see just how glorious he looked now.

"You'll come to this party with me, though? Even if Kippy's there?" Katrina asked. "There'll be loads of folk at it. Hot lads and all that."

"And Mick?" Daisy looked sly now, like someone who had regained the upper hand. As it so happened, Kippy had told her Mick was going in a friend of the host's friend way. He'd probably be going with Dee and her team. They had something to celebrate. Filming had been confirmed. It was to start in the new year, and the programme was scheduled to go out in the spring.

Katrina had never known anyone on the telly before unless you counted that old TV detective who had bought himself a house just outside Kirkcudbright years ago to escape the madding crowd.

"Yes, Mick. Probably too famous to pay attention to me now." Huge, huge concession—admitting to Daisy that she cared.

Daisy picked up the unscrewed bottle of foundation and dabbed a tiny amount of it on her face.

"You've got two days to make yourself so flippin' gorgeous no-one will be able to turn you down. But the biggest challenge is me. You've got to make me look so shaggable even a gay guy might have his regrets," she turned to face Katrina, a cheeky grin hiding hurt.

"Are you up for it?"