Personally, I Blame My Fairy Godmother (34 page)

9. You’ve decided to take the ultimate couples test: going on holiday together. Does he…

A) Let you do all the booking and organising, then the day before you’re due to travel, just when you’re getting a spray tan, he calls to cancel, claiming he has a work project that he just can’t get out of.

B) Suggest that you go to Paris, but not for any romantic reason; it’s because there’s a Six Nations match in the Stade de France that weekend. Might as well kill two birds with one stone.

C) Insist on booking a last minute, cheap and horrible package on a charter flight that leaves at 2 a.m. and leaves you about sixty miles from your hotel. Because it’s such good value.

D) Secretly discover that you’ve always wanted to visit
Thailand, so he books the most fabulous hotel you both can afford and then pulls every string he can to get you both an upgrade on the flight out.

10. You take him out to meet your old childhood friend, a guy you’ve been pals with since you were in primary school and who’s almost like Buttons to your Cinderella. Does he…

A) Feel threatened that you have such a close male friend and do everything he possibly can to be rude to him.

B) When he discovers that your pal isn’t really a sports nut, he immediately tries to convince you that he’s gay.

C) Get jealous then spend the night questioning him closely and when you go to the ladies, asks him straight out if you and he ever had a drunken fling.

D) Insist on taking you both to dinner and make a point of really getting to know your old friend. Because any mate of yours is automatically a mate of his too.

THE RESULTS

Mostly A’s: Cinderella says…oh dear. I’m sorry to be the one to tell you but this guy is such a slimy frog that it’s a wonder he doesn’t catch passing flies with his tongue. Nothing to be done here but avoid, avoid, avoid and if you see him on the street, run in the opposite direction. Very fast.

Mostly B’s: Cinderella says…hmmm. He’s fanatical alright, but about Sky Sports and not you. Could possibly be worked on and sanded down over time, but is that what
you really want? To invest all that time and energy into changing a guy?

You, the hot stuff reading this, can do so, so much better.

Mostly C’s’: Cinderella says…he’s passable, there’s no doubt about that, but being brutally honest, you’re not really dating Mr Right, are you? You’re dating Mr Ah Sure He’ll Do. Which is an interesting way to pass the time, but supposing you miss The One in the meantime?

Mostly D’s: Cinderella says…congratulations! You’ve hit the jackpot and have arrived at the dating world’s Holy Grail…Prince Charming. Enjoy every minute of this, babe, you deserve it!

Huge thanks, as always, to my agent and dear friend Marianne Gunn O’Connor. What would any of us do without you? And to Pat Lynch…you are amazing!

This is my first book for HarperCollins and I can’t thank the team at Avon enough for the warmth of their welcome; from day one it’s been a pure joy to work with every one of you. Joining Avon feels like joining a family and believe me, I know how privileged I am to be a part of it. A very special thank you to the wonderful Kate Bradley, for all her terrific thoughts, ideas and suggestions for this book. Massive thanks also to Sammia Rafique, surely the most patient woman on the planet! And to Caroline Ridding, Claire Power, Keshini Naidoo and Charlotte Wheeler…somehow chatting with you ladies never, ever feels like work!

Moira Reilly, you are incredible and it’s a delight to be on ‘Team Moira.’ Thanks also to Tony Perdue who works so hard. And a very special thank you to a very special lady who first brought me to Avon, Maxine Hitchcock.

Thanks also to my wonderful family and friends for their continued support; you know how much you mean to me and I apologise here and now for driving you all mental when I’m in the middle of writing…I know, I know, I’m a complete scourge and bless you all for putting up with me!

Finally, thank you to all my readers who’ve been kind enough to write and say nice things about my books; it means the world to me that you’re enjoying them.

I’m ridiculously proud of this book and I hope you enjoy it too.

Claudia Carroll was born in Dublin, where she still lives and where she has worked extensively both as a theatre and television actress.