Welcome to the Evening Echo’s annual feature — Summer Soap. Now in its third year, Summer Soap is a daily fictional serial run over 12 parts. Called Work Wives, in this eighth episode, it’s fun all the way for Kelly, but not for her pal

Episode 8

Wednesday 20th June, 9:34

Sand,

I see you got to work on time, unlike some (namely me and Naomi. I’m expecting her to have a pile of donuts with her when she finally arrives).

Did you have fun last night? You disappeared so early! You were barely in Havana’s at all and you seemed a little off at the Shelbourne. Is something up or did the drink just hit you the wrong way? I hope Dave came to pick you up and that you didn’t make your way home alone.

Let me fill you in on Havana’s since you missed all the fun. So as you know we had the purple bar, which was amazing!! Jerry’s wife ended up joining us. By then we’d had about three rounds of tequila and he was not doing well. Mateo loved him. Turns out older and chubbier men are his type, who would have thought it

Jerry’s wife, Mel, was so amused when she arrived to Mateo and Jerry twerking on each other. Instead of being mad though she just joined in. She’s about 5ft tall and was wearing the most adorable pink puffy dress with princess shoes but my god she was giving it socks out there with the lads. I sat down with her after to have a chat and she is the loveliest woman alive. Did you know she and Jerry have three adopted kids that are all biological siblings?! How amazing is that?! She said Jerry was so excited to come out last night because they never get the chance to go out together and that she helped him pick his outfit. At 3am I saw them slow dancing in the corner while Dua Lipa was blaring in the background.

Mateo ended up with a handsome Harry Potter look alike when he realized that Jerry was still madly in love with his wife. Harry Potter was showing Mateo how to cook an Irish breakfast this morning in the kitchen so I assume that they really hit it off. They didn’t stop giggling the whole time James and I were eating our cereal and toast this morning.

Speaking of James, he arrived around midnight with some of his engineering friends who had a ball flirting with my old college pals and Naomi in the booth before they eventually paired off as the alcohol really hit. which was perfect because it meant that I finally got to show James my fantastic dance moves. I’ve never seen someone laugh so hard.

I couldn’t even be insulted because he has the best laugh and on our first two dates I did enough laughing for the two of us.

He could tell I was embarrassed so he went up to the DJ, pointed at me, and the next thing I knew the DJ announced “Happy birthday to Kelly who turns 25 today. Here’s a song requested for you from a secret admirer” and Can You Feel The Love Tonight by Elton John started playing (I made James watch The Lion King with me the other night he slept over).

Then he ran over and started twirling me around and slow danced with me. He’s ridiculous. At the end of the song he said: “I really like you, Kell” and so I took him straight home of course! And that’s all you need to know until I see you at lunch. Don’t want to leave a paper trail of the intimate details of my extraordinary life!

We have the same break today, I checked. Lunch is on me.

Kelly

9:37

Kell,

Sorry about last night. I suppose it must have been the mixed drinks but I wasn’t as high on life as everyone else.

I could tell you were in good hands with Jerry, Mateo, Naomi, and your college friends so I just left a few minutes after we got to Havana’s. I’m so glad you had fun though. You were beautiful in your red dress.

I’ll take you up on the free lunch offer. You owe me enough after all the shots I bought you last night and I can’t wait to hear more details about your night.

Sandra xx