Linda returns
Mick arranges a surprise birthday for his wife’s 40th – will it help get their marriage back on track?
The Carters love any excuse for a kneesup, and what better excuse than Linda turning 40 this week? But as Mick throws himself into arranging a surprise party for his missus, he couldn’t look more nervous if the Queen were calling round.
And that’s because a lot has happened since Linda last popped back from Watford, where she’s been looking after her poorly mum, Elaine. For starters, frosty Fi is now hanging around The Vic like a bad smell, on account of the freehold being sold to Grafton Hill. And, of course, Mick has misbehaved and played tonsil tennis with daughter-in-law Whitney.
‘Distance has already put a bit of a wedge between Mick and Linda, and now there’s Mick’s guilt over his and Whitney’s kiss thrown into the mix,’ reveals our Walford insider. ‘He desperately wants to get things back on track, and thinks that if he can make the party perfect, it will go a long way to putting things right.’
As Mick throws himself into the arrangements, Shirley picks up on her son’s stress, and tries to help by suggesting an idea for Linda’s present. With her support, he starts to calm down
– but events take a turn and he’s back on edge again.
As the Carters later gather in anticipation of
Linda’s return, Mick’s stress levels are sky high, and it doesn’t help when Fi makes a sudden arrival.
Will the big bash go as Mick has hoped – or will it send the Carter marriage further into the mire?