Lottie had her romantic evening perfectly planned out – but some furry creatures are more lethal than others
BY LAUREN REBBECK
Tell-tale fifty percent off tags removed from her new lingerie: check. Candles pre-lit and blown out to achieve that Gothic-romance drippy effect: check.
Two bottles of wine chilling in the fridge: check.
Lottie was a planner. A facet of her personality that clashed with being a hopeless romantic.
Only a few hours after Emmett’s relationship status flitted back to single, he dropped her a private message. But she’d fancied him since they’d been baristas together at uni. She still remembered his signature coffee: almond milk cortado, one sugar.
Sophisticated, like him.
So she had to impress him with her own sophistication, even if it was manufactured. She’d been prepping for this for weeks. Tonight was finally their first date. He must really like her to ask her out on Valentine’s Day.
The most romantic night of the year… but first she had to get through the most chaotic day of the year: her nephew’s seventh birthday.
Being the wonderful sibling she was, she’d volunteered to help her stressed-out sister with the party by wrangling the herd of wild school kids.
She took a couple of pre-emptive paracetamol, anticipating the oncoming headache from hyperactive, overstimulated, cake-fuelled children tearing apart the community hall, and headed out the door.
Shrieks and giggled reverberated off the walls of the community centre, the huge soft play area not soaking up any of the noise as seven-year-olds crashed, rolled and clambered over it.
Lottie’s sister Francesca was clutching party bags and desperately trying to get a head count of the children zipping about the room.
“OK, I think I have two extras, in case Jasmine and Michael’s football game is cancelled and they do come!” Francesca explained, jangling the bags at Lottie as she approached.
Lottie smiled, taking the bags from her sister and easing her into a chair. “Breathe, Fran. Why are you so nervous? You’ve thrown a party every year since Isiah was born! This is no different.”
Lottie placed a carton of juice in front of her agitated sister.
Fran took a deep drag from the straw and smoothed back her frizzing hair.
“Truth be told, it’s not the party. It’s the animal man.”
Lottie’s eyebrows shot up into her fringe. “Fran! Have you met someone on those online da
