Living My Best Life

by Claire Frost

  ‘Her Insta is doing so well. I saw Cosmo did a piece on why you should be following @mi_bestlife and she posted about that photo shoot she’s done for Styler magazine,’ Cosette said.

  ‘I know, but that sounded a bit of a nightmare: they wanted to shoot her in her home, but she didn’t have time to tidy up properly as she’d been doing some stuff with Karina King – you know my friend who just happens to work for the biggest online fashion site in the country?’

  ‘Isn’t that Styleitout.co.uk?!’ laughed her sister.

  ‘Sadly not – although then my boss wouldn’t be asking me to take some photos for the lookbook, would she, so swings and roundabouts, I s’pose. Anyway Millie was late dropping off Wolf. And then the photographer and his team were waiting outside when she got back after the morning school run and wouldn’t let her spruce things up as they wanted to show her “real life”. She’s mortified that you’ll probably be able to see piles of washing-up in the sink and all Wolf’s dirty football kit in the background.’

  ‘Well, her posts are all very warts and all now so at least it will be on brand!’ Cosette laughed. ‘Wolf seemed a very happy chappy when they came round yesterday.’

  ‘His new school is so good for him,’ Bell smiled. ‘He’s almost like a different kid at times, which means Millie couldn’t be happier either. Well, except for Louis being a di—, being an idiot, I mean.’

  ‘Aunty Belly, did you just say dick?’ asked Oli with big round eyes.

  ‘No, she said idiot, as you well know, Oli. Now be quiet and eat your pancakes, please.’

  ‘Sorry!’ Bell mouthed at her sister.

  Cosette rolled her eyes and tried not to laugh. ‘He can’t still be being an idiot about Wolf’s school if he can see he’s so happy?’

  ‘No, thankfully not. And he seems to be sticking to the financial agreement Millie had drawn up, for the moment at least. I don’t think he’s best pleased about Rob, though.’

  ‘But every time I open Heat, Louis is on the pages with a different model or reality star on his arm!’

  ‘I know, but he’s basically a child himself so can’t deal with Millie actually being happy.’ She checked her phone and saw it was full of notifications and texts. She smiled and decided to read them all later when she had a moment to herself. ‘Anyway, enough about him. What are you going to tell me about my party this evening?’

  ‘Nothing!’ Cosette, Oli and Sophie all yelled together.

  ‘Not even a tiny, weeny detail?’

  ‘No,’ replied her sister. ‘Okay,’ she relented when she saw her sister’s wheedling face. ‘I will tell you that Suze is coming over at midday and taking you for a manicure and then you need to be in your glad rags and ready to go at six thirty. Think you can manage that in your old age?’

  ‘Just about!’ Bell grinned.

  *

  ‘Remind me again why I thought it was a good idea to let you all organise my party for me?’ Bell asked as Suze attempted to blindfold her without messing her hair up.

  ‘Because you trust us with your life and knew we’d do a better job than you anyway?’ she replied. ‘Ah, let’s not bother with the blindfold, but you have to promise to shut your eyes whenever I tell you, okay?’

  ‘Okay, fine. Although not when I’m walking down stairs, Suze. I don’t want my Insta post about my amazing fortieth birthday party to be me on crutches in A and E.’

  ‘I know you like social media to be true to life, Bellster, but there definitely is a limit, you know. Let’s take a selfie now before either of us fall down the stairs and I’ll make sure I filter the hell out of it!’

  Once they were in the taxi and Bell was checking through more birthday messages, as well as her notifications, thanks to Suze posting their selfie on all her social media channels and tagging her, Bell casually said, ‘Colin Facebooked me earlier to say happy birthday.’

  ‘Good for him. I hope you told him how much you were enjoying your birthday in the house that now belongs solely to you!’

  ‘Ha! No, I didn’t. In fact, I told him how pleased I was that he and Tina looked so happy together.’

  ‘Bell! I thought you were all about telling the truth on social media.’

  ‘I am. And I am actually pleased he’s happy. Otherwise the past year would all have been for nothing.’

  ‘Er, whether he’s happy or not has got nothing to do with it. It’s about whether you’re happy. And you are, aren’t you?’

  ‘Oh god, yes, I’m absolutely totally ecstatic about turning forty!’ Bell laughed.

  ‘Well, it means you get to have a fuck-off party organised by your kick-ass friends, so I’m glad you’re ecstatic about it!’

  ‘I actually really am, you know that, Suze. But it’s hard not to think about that alternative reality where I’m still with Colin and we’re plodding along nicely as I turn forty, with none of the heartbreak, stress and upheaval of the past year.’

  ‘And also none of the joy, love and fun of the past year! If you think back to what you’ve achieved with the photography class, work and of course the community centre, then it’s hardly been a wasted few months, has it? And what about all your new friends? Once you decided I wasn’t enough for you, you were off making new mates left, right and centre. And not just female mates . . .’ she grinned.

  ‘Colin told me today he and Tina are getting married,’ Bell blurted out. It wasn’t quite the way she’d planned on telling Suze, but she was glad she’d managed to say the words out loud and it hadn’t felt too awful.

  ‘Oh. And what did you say?’ Suze asked curiously.

  ‘I said I truly hoped they’d have a long and happy future together.’

  ‘And do you?’

  ‘Well, I’d be lying if I said I cared that much about his happiness, but turning forty has made me more mellow, so I guess I want everyone to be happy.’

  ‘And it’s easier to say that when you have lovely Ben and a whole gaggle of your best friends and family waiting to scoff cake and drink champagne in your honour.’ Suze smiled. ‘Come on, we’re here. Don’t forget to close your eyes when I tell you.’

  They walked slowly through the gates of the community centre and Suze led her through the corridors until they reached the largest room.

  ‘Ready?’ she whispered.

  ‘Ready,’ Bell replied, a giggle of nerves rising in her throat.

  ‘Then you can open your eyes.’

  ‘Happy birthday, Bell!’ yelled a hundred voices together as she opened her eyes and looked about her. The room had been strewn with more balloons and fortieth-birthday decorations than a branch of Birthdays R Us, and there were banners hanging from the walls, as well as three huge glitter balls suspended above their heads.

  ‘Now!’ someone whispered and the air was suddenly full of shouts and the sound of party poppers exploding their glitter and paper trails across people’s heads and arms.

  ‘Come on, Bell, say hello to your adoring public!’ Suze said, pushing her forward.

  Bell was completely overwhelmed as everyone in her life she truly cared about was standing – or in many cases, dancing – in one room, in the community centre they’d all helped save.

  ‘Millie, this is just amazing,’ she shrieked as her friend bounced over to give her the hardest hug she’d ever had.

  ‘Team effort,’ Millie grinned. ‘Though Wolf is chomping at the bit to show you the banner he, Sophie and Oli made this afternoon. But first, glass of champagne, madam?’

  ‘Don’t mind if I do!’ she laughed. ‘Now are you going to introduce me to this mysterious man you’ve been hiding away these past few weeks?’ She eyed her friend meaningfully.

  ‘I can hardly refuse when the birthday girl looks at me like that!’ laughed Millie. She led Bell over to where assorted children were making each other’s hair stand on end with balloons, but before they could reach the tall, friendly looking man playing a game of tickle with a bunch of overexcited children, Wolf spotted Bell and flew towards them.


  ‘Bell Bell! Happy birthday, I hope you don’t feel too old. Though Daddy always says you’re only as old as you feel and he feels like he’s eighteen so that’s how old he’s decided he is. So hopefully you don’t feel like you’re forty otherwise that would be ancient!’ He beamed at her.

  ‘Thank you, Wolfie,’ Bell laughed. ‘I think I quite like being forty if today is anything to go by, anyway, but you never know when I might change my mind. I’m just going to say hello to Alfie’s daddy, but you must tell me all about your new football team later on.’

  She walked over to Millie, who was now standing next to Rob, and smiled. ‘Rob, I’m Bell, thank you so much for coming this evening.’

  ‘Well thank you for inviting Alfie and me,’ he replied. ‘Have you had a lovely birthday?’

  ‘I’ve had a day of champagne and cake, with hopefully more of both to come, so yes, I think it’s been my favourite kind of day. I’d be quite up for turning forty every day if it was going to be like this. Alfie looks like he’s having fun, too.’

  The three of them glanced over to the little boy, who was giggling giddily as Laura’s daughter Daisy twirled him around.

  ‘Let’s hope I don’t regret letting him have that glass of cola a few minutes ago!’ Rob laughed.

  ‘Oh well, if the worst happens, I’m sure he won’t be the only person to end up vomiting down his front tonight if the booze carries on flowing like this!’ Bell grinned. She looked up and her grin grew even bigger when she saw Ben walking towards them, a bottle of champagne in his hand.

  ‘I noticed your glasses were empty,’ he said as he joined them and topped up their fizz.

  ‘Not anymore!’ Millie giggled. ‘Oh god, Rob, I think we’d better rescue Wolf and Alfie before Daisy mothers them to death. See you both in a bit,’ she winked, leaving Bell and Ben alone.

  ‘Many happy returns, Ms Makepeace,’ Ben smiled, clinking his glass against Bell’s, before removing it from her grasp and placing it on the table next to them. He leaned towards her and softly kissed her on the mouth. ‘Welcome to the forty club.’

  ‘Well, if this is what it’s like to join the club, I’m in!’ Bell murmured, returning his kiss, gently at first, then gradually with more urgency, until a little voice next to them piped up, ‘Bell, are you k-i-s-s-i-n-g Graham’s owner?’

  The pair sprang apart then burst out laughing as Millie came running over to scold her son.

  ‘Wolf! I told you to leave Bell alone. And don’t be rude, use Ben’s proper name please. It will be time for you to go home soon if you don’t stop misbehaving.’

  ‘Don’t worry,’ Bell said, still laughing. ‘It’s probably time we mingled anyhow, it’s getting a bit hot in this corner, isn’t it, Ben?’ She shot him a cheeky grin.

  ‘Yes, I’d best not keep the birthday girl to myself all night,’ he replied, raising an eyebrow, just as Oli ran over and said breathlessly, ‘Bell, Mum’s been trying to get your attention for ages. She says she needs you over there.’

  Bell turned to see Cosette waving madly at her and suddenly there was the sound of adults shushing excitable children. Her niece and nephew pulled her to the back of the room where everyone had started to gather, and she was pushed in between Millie, Suze and Cosette, with Laura and Ellie just behind them.

  ‘Ladies and gentlemen,’ began Suze, stepping forward. ‘First of all, thank you all for coming to this momentous occasion. We invited you because we know how much you care about our friend Bell here and that she would want you to be here to celebrate her reaching the grand old age of forty.’ Bell smiled and everyone cheered, before Suze continued, ‘Before we all carry on drinking ourselves silly, we wanted to give you your present, Bell. Of course, everyone’s brought you a gift – you can’t have missed the huge pile of presents over there, after all – but this is a different kind of present, one that hopefully you can keep for the next forty years, if technology allows. Sheila, roll the tape!’

  The lights were dimmed and the wall to Bell’s right, which had been strangely bare of banners and decorations, suddenly came alive as a large image of Bell when she was a baby was projected on to it. Everyone ‘awwed’ and the Killers’ song ‘Human’ began playing and the video began. There were messages from everyone in the room that evening, from Lisa, Ian, Matt and the rest of the uniform brigade in the skate park near their college, and Rita and Tony with their son and grandkids, to Di and Sarah, filmed at home cross-stitching. There was even an awkward birthday message from the councillors Peter and Michael, which made everyone laugh, and the WI ladies sang a very tuneful version of ‘Happy Birthday’, complete with harmonies.

  Next up were Laura, Ben and Graham the dog, who was sporting a very dapper neckerchief. Bell caught Ben’s eye across the room, and he held her gaze and smiled. Her stomach fluttered appreciatively, before her attention was brought back to the screen, which now featured Cosette, Rich and the kids. At the end of their message, during which Oli and Sophie had referred to her as Aunty Belly, to everyone’s hilarity, Cosette said, ‘And there’s a couple of other people who’d like to send their birthday wishes.’

  Then on the screen, sitting on the veranda of their American home, were a very tanned and happy-looking Janet and John.

  ‘Happy birthday, Arabella!’ they chorused, before her mum continued, ‘I’m so sorry we couldn’t be there with you this evening, but your dad and I wanted to tell you how proud we are of how well you’ve coped this year after you know . . . well, we won’t dwell on that. But both you and Cosette have grown up to be the kind of strong, successful women we dreamed of raising, so thank you and congratulations. Finally, as we couldn’t be there with you, we wanted to contribute to your party somehow, so we’ve told Cosette we’ll pay for the champagne this evening. Enjoy.’

  As her parents disappeared off the screen to be replaced by Suze and Els, Bell glanced at her sister through her welling eyes and saw she too had tears running down her cheeks. ‘I hope you got the most expensive champagne you could find!’ she whispered. Cosette wiped her eyes, nodded and took another large swig from her glass.

  By the time Bell had watched Suze conduct the entire Style It Out office – including Marian – in another rousing rendition of ‘Happy Birthday’, her tears had turned to laughter. Finally, it was Millie and Wolf’s turn and she found she was once again trying to hold back her emotions.

  ‘Bell, it’s no exaggeration to say that meeting you this year has changed my life,’ Millie began. ‘I wasn’t in a great place when I first bumped into you in the pouring rain outside this very community centre, but in the space of six months I’ve gone from harassed mother with no one to turn to, to . . . well, I’m still a harassed mother, but I very definitely have someone to turn to, thanks to you and the local community you led into action. Becoming friends with you has taught me that together we can do anything and no one should have to try to swim through life on their own, especially in a freezing-cold outdoor pool! And that maybe social media doesn’t have to be a constant competition. Though you still haven’t convinced me that all filters are evil. Your support and kindness has helped me and Wolf through some tough times, and if I’m half the woman you are when I get to forty, then I’ll be happy. Now, I think Wolf wanted to say something, didn’t you, darling?’

  ‘Yes, I do want to say something, Mummy, but you said I had to be quiet before. Anyway, Bell Bell, do you remember when I told you that I thought I liked you just as much as I like cake? Well now I’ve knowed you a bit more, I think I might like you even more than cake! Though that doesn’t mean I can’t have any of your birthday cake, does it? Because if so . . .’

  ‘No, Wolfie, I don’t think it means that,’ Millie whispered. ‘Ready? One, two, three, Happy birthday, Bell!’

  The lights came back up and all the adults in the room surreptitiously wiped their eyes with the backs of their hands as they cheered. Millie swallowed hard and cleared her throat.

  ‘We wanted to raise two toasts,’ she said to
the room, her voice a little wobbly. ‘The first is, of course, “Happy fortieth birthday, Bell!” ’ Everyone cheered thunderously and repeated the toast, before whooping madly until Suze shushed them so Millie could continue. ‘And the second toast is very simple. It’s to friendship.’

  Everyone raised their glasses and shouted as loudly as they could, ‘TO FRIENDSHIP!’

  Acknowledgements

  It may have my name on the front (a fact I still can’t quite believe, tbh!), but this book, perhaps more than any other, is a proper team effort. Without the creativity and enthusiasm of Sara-Jade Virtue, Jo Dickinson and Emma Capron, Bell and Millie would never have got to live their best lives – and neither would I. The belief and trust they showed in me is humbling. Emma’s insightful and encouraging editing has made this book easily a million times better, and special thanks go to Bec Farrell for all her brilliant comments – as well as her superior Lion King knowledge. Thank you to my publicist extraordinaire Becky McCarthy and my magic marketeer Amy Fulwood for all their super hard work in getting people talking about this book. You are both amazing – as are the whole team at Simon & Schuster.

  To everyone at Fabulous magazine, past and present, for their eternal belief that one day I would definitely get that book I’d been blathering on about for five years into a bookshop. (And, no, it isn’t erotic fiction, I promise!) The biggest high-fives go to Team Subs (especially my work wife Kirsty) who have lived and breathed every moment of my book journey with me and haven’t once told me to shut up.