The Bedroom Assignment. Sophie Weston

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СКАЧАТЬ not coming?’ she demanded, outraged. ‘Tonight is going to be the North London party of the year. He can’t chicken out.’

      Zoe set herself astride a gnarled branch and looked down. She had done this many times before and she was dressed for it: thigh-hugging cycling shorts, elderly tee shirt that didn’t matter if it got torn. She had added flexible surfing shoes before coming out of the house. They improved her grip on the gnarled branches of the apple tree. Her soft brown hair was coiled round in a rough bun and skewered into place so that it did not catch on a branch. She leaned forward cautiously, holding out a hand.

      ‘Pass me up the lights. He didn’t chicken out.’

      Suze handed up a worn wooden wheel. A cable of fairy lights was coiled round it like New Age barbed wire. The wheel was on a central pivot, and Zoe hooked the ends into the sling she had tied around her body for the purpose.

      ‘Oh, don’t tell me,’ said Suze. ‘When you returned him to store you told him he was off the guest list tonight.’

      Zoe took a moment to replace a long hairpin more securely. Her wild curls never stayed in place, no matter how ruthlessly she restrained them.

      ‘We both agreed we could do with a breathing space,’ she said defensively.

      ‘Oh, that’s what it was, was it? Honestly, you’re hopeless.’

      Zoe clambered among leaves and twigs, uncoiling the lights. ‘It seemed best,’ she said in a muffled voice.

      ‘Okay, I know you only want men on a short lease,’ said Suze, unheeding. ‘But you could at least have held onto Simon until after our party. That’s only common sense.’

      Zoe was startled into a grin. She paused and stuck her head through the leaves to look down at her friend. ‘Suze Manoir, you’re an exploiter of the defenceless,’ she said reprovingly. ‘I can’t use Simon like that. It’s not fair.’

      Suze was unimpressed. ‘Who needs to be fair? We’ve got three disco balls to set up.’

      ‘We don’t need a man to do that. I can put them up. No problem.’

      But Zoe hesitated. She sat back, letting the leaves close around her. The afternoon sun, where it struck through the lush leaves, was sensuously hot on her skin. It was a beautiful day. It would be a perfect evening for a party.

      But just now, in the hot stillness, there was no party. Just her and Suze. And Suze was her best friend. She had to tell someone the truth. It was beginning to suffocate her. If she couldn’t tell Suze, who could she tell?

      From her hiding place among the branches she began, ‘Suze, there’s something…’

      But Suze did not hear. She was looking up, squinting against the sun, and laughing. ‘You are so practical. You were born to be an entrepreneur.’

      Zoe gave up. It was easier. You couldn’t really bare your soul when one of you was sitting halfway up a tree and the other was on a pre-party high. She retreated among the foliage and carried on playing out the cable, placing the lights evenly along the very tips of branches.

      And Suze did not even notice that Zoe had been on the point of sharing something. She was still contemplating the party.

      ‘Of course you can put them up. Is there anything you can’t do?’

      Zoe parted the leaves again. They were greeny-gold and smelt wonderful, slightly damp and full of vegetable energy. She pushed them away from her face.

      ‘Haven’t found it yet.’

      Suze shook her head. ‘I can never think why I’m the one with the business career and you’re still messing about temping.’

      ‘Hair,’ said Zoe calmly. ‘Curly brown hair just doesn’t go with a career. People don’t take curls seriously. Whereas you’ve looked like a tycoon since you were four.’

      Suze was a wide-shouldered blonde, with a habit of haughty impatience and legs to die for.

      Now she sniffed. ‘You could always get the hair straightened. Put in streaks, maybe.’

      ‘I suppose so,’ said Zoe, fixing lights fast.

      ‘I’m serious Zo. It’s two years since you left college. Don’t you think you ought to stop messing about?’

      ‘We’re not all natural-born businesswomen,’ said Zoe without rancour. ‘I get by.’

      ‘Sure, you get by. You earn your bread and you have a great life.’ Suze struck the ladder with her fist to emphasise her point. ‘But what about the future?’

      Zoe looked down again at her, mildly surprised.

      ‘Don’t forget, I’m the one who still has a life,’ she teased gently. ‘When did you start to sound like your father?’

      Suze gave a sharp sigh. ‘I know. I know,’ she said ruefully. ‘Being a financial success is not all joy. Have you finished?’

      ‘Yup. Now, if you can just stop shaking that ladder…’

      ‘Sorry,’ said Suze with a grin. ‘Concentrate, Manoir. Concentrate.’

      Zoe secured the last light and climbed rapidly, hand over hand, down through the branches. Clutching the trunk, she felt around for the top of the ladder with her foot. Suze reached up and directed it onto the top step.

      ‘Thank you,’ said Zoe. She slid to the ground and unhooked the wheel, with its residual cable. ‘There we are. One tree dressed to welcome summer.’

      ‘You’re the business,’ said Suze, admiring.

      Zoe retrieved the ladder from her and retracted the extension. She clicked it back into place and hiked the ladder under her arm, turning back to the house.

      ‘Who needs a man?’ she said lightly.

      Suze padded after her. ‘Okay. Okay. You don’t need a man to hang your party lights. What about the other stuff?’

      And suddenly there it was again. Another ideal opening. Go for it Zoe. Tell your best friend the truth.

      But she found herself prevaricating. ‘What other stuff?’

      Suze made a wide gesture, embracing the whole world of romance. ‘Hanging together. Holidays. Giving each other breakfast in bed with the newspapers on Sunday morning.’

      Zoe changed the ladder to her other side. It was quite unnecessary. The thing was not heavy. But it meant she didn’t have to answer.

      Not that it mattered. When Suze was into one of her ‘Why You Ought to Live Like I Say’ homilies, she was impossible to deflect anyway.

      ‘I mean, with Simon you knew where you were. He’s practical, too.’ A thought struck her. ‘And we were relying on him to pick up the booze, weren’t we?’

      ‘It’s being delivered,’ said Zoe hastily.

      ‘I should have known you’d get СКАЧАТЬ