shopaholic goes to manhattan

been so hoping we'd pull up together in Luke's flash car, I suddenly realize. She must have been so wanting to prove Janice wrong. And instead, here I am, on my own again...

'He'll be here,' I say, almost to reassure myself. 'He'll be here any minute.'

'Of course he will!' exclaims Mum brightly. 'And as soon as he turns up - well, then everyone will have to eat their words, won't they?'

111 The doorbell rings and we both stiffen, staring at each other.

'I'll get that, shall I?' I say, trying to sound casual.

'Why don't you?' agrees Mum, and I can see a tiny shine of hope in her eyes.

Trying not to run, I hurry down the stairs and, with a light heart, fling the front door open. And it's . . . not Luke.

It's a man laden with flowers. Baskets of flowers, a bouquet of flowers, and several flat boxes at his feet.

'Wedding flowers,' he says. 'Where do you want them?'

'Oh,' I say, trying to hide my disappointment. 'Actually, you've got the wrong house, I'm afraid. They need to go next door. Number 41.'

'Really?' The man frowns. 'Let me just look at my list .. Hold that, would you?'

He thrusts the bridal bouquet at me and starts rooting around in his pocket.

'Honestly,' I say, 'they need to go next door. Look, I'll just get my--' I turn round, holding Lucy's bouquet with both hands, because it's quite heavy. And to my horror, Angela Harrison is just arriving at the foot of the stairs.

She stares at me, and for a moment I almost think she's going to kill me.

'What are you doing?' she snaps. 'Give me that!' She wrenches the bouquet out of my hands and brings her face so close to mine I can smell the gin on her breath.

'Listen, ,young lady,' she hisses. 'I'm not fooled by