Trendy Girl seemed so cheap after the exorbitant prices in Boutique Belle. The upmarket Grafton Street shop was well known all over Ireland as being the place for serious fashionistas to shop and be seen. Grabbing Lainey’s outfit, she ran as fast as her high wedges would carry her back to her new job.
‘Hi, Sue,’ she called to her boss.
‘Ah, there you are,’ Sue said, poking her head out of the stockroom. ‘Come and see the new delivery I’ve just signed for.’ Her smile faded. ‘For goodness’ sake, Pippa, don’t come in here brandishing that Trendy Girl bag! That’s hardly the image we want to project to my discerning customers.’
‘Sorry. It’s for my sister. I’ll stash it in the back under my coat. Do show me the new delivery,’ she said excitedly. The huge box with the famous black lettering on the side made Pippa want to dance with excitement.
‘I love this entire D&G collection,’ Sue oozed.
‘Me too,’ Pippa said. ‘The colour popping is just magnificent. You should have these pieces in the window. I know I only put the other stuff in yesterday but the strong colours in this collection are crying out to be on show.’
‘Go for it,’ Sue said, grinning from ear to ear. ‘I think I hit the jackpot when Skye recommended you. How you two are friends is beyond me, but I guess opposites attract. Her father and I are brother and sister. We couldn’t be more different and we don’t get on at all. That home-schooling nonsense just isn’t me.’
‘No,’ Pippa said. She found the whole notion slightly disturbing too. Blood was thicker than water and she didn’t want Sue or even Skye to think she was judging their family.
Her mobile rang. Fishing it out, she saw Jay’s name once again. Hitting the silent button, she knew she was being cowardly, avoiding a conversation with him. She owed him a phone call at the very least because the tickets were still sitting beside the lamp in the living room and she needed to return them. But she couldn’t have that kind of chat in front of Sue. She was too busy trying to become an irreplaceable asset to Boutique Belle. And the notion that she was also a heartless bitch didn’t quite fit in with her shiny new image. Shoving her phone into her handbag, she widened her smile and quashed the guilty feelings inside her.
Pippa turned her attention to the new collection. She felt like a child in a sweet shop as she expertly picked out five gorgeous pieces to display.
‘Did you have a window theme in mind?’ Pippa asked Sue.
‘Just keep it fresh and funky. I’ll get you to do a Christmassy one in a couple of days,’ she said. ‘I’ll let you into a little secret.’ She dropped her voice so the two browsing customers wouldn’t hear. ‘I’ve some Chanel arriving any minute now so I’ll want to promote that big-time. It’s my first collection from them so I need to try and sell it.’
‘Well,’ Pippa said, sidling up close, ‘when Skye and I were in New York I saw the most amazing Chanel stuff. I’m still raging I didn’t take a jacket I saw there. You’ve met the right girl to inject all the love and passion those pieces deserve.’
‘Pippa, where have you been all my life?’ Sue said, throwing her head back and laughing. She went off to serve the customers as Pippa disappeared into the stockroom to find some props to use for the window.
She was having so much fun. Sue was amazing too. So sophisticated and cool. Pippa could barely believe how this week had turned out. On Monday she’d been plagued by awful Sean from the bank and the landlord. Now she was elbow-deep in designer clothes at Boutique Belle and in full view of the admiring glances of passers-by! Skye had promised to have her first month’s rent, along with a deposit, by this evening so Pippa would be able to pay off the rent on time.
Joey was always telling her she was a jammy cow and now she had to agree with him.
The rest of the afternoon flew by as Pippa worked like a demon. ‘Wow,’ Sue said, as they went outside to admire her new display in the window. ‘I love those moons and stars you’ve made from that bright yellow card,’ Sue marvelled. ‘I’d never have thought of doing the midnight-sky effect with the dark fabric either.’
‘I’m so glad you like it,’ Pippa said.
‘Someone was watching over me when you were sent my way yesterday. Now, I told you I’d come up with what I hope is a fair way of paying you,’ Sue continued. ‘I’d love to be in a position to give you shedloads but obviously there’s a recession on.’
‘Right.’ Pippa waited for the dampener.
‘Would you work for the minimum wage with three per cent commission? Aaaand …’ she led Pippa back into the shop and towards the counter ‘… seeing you’re a perfect size eight I’d like to give you these two outfits as well.’
‘Oh, my God!’ Pippa squealed, as she looked at the black D&G dress with the bright orange shrug, and the chocolate Max Mara cigarette trousers with a co-ordinating frothy chiffon blouse with tiny polka dots and pussy bow.
‘They were samples,’ Sue was quick to admit, ‘but I still had to pay for them.’
‘Sue, I’ve never owned anything like these before. Thank you,’ she said, exhilarated.
‘Welcome. Besides,’ she arched an eyebrow, ‘I can’t have my staff looking out of place! Be sure to wear the stuff now. My clients really notice attention to detail so I’d prefer you to look the part.’
‘No problem. I’ll have no issue with looking like I fit in here,’ Pippa said.
On her way back to the apartment, which involved plenty of skipping and squealing, Pippa pulled her phone out of her bag. The missed calls from Jay taunted her. She’d talk to him once she’d had a few minutes to kick her shoes off at home and relax. She jumped as her phone rang.
‘Hi, Mum,’ she said, seeing Huntersbrook’s number flash up. ‘Guess what I’ve been up to!’ She was in danger of exploding with delight. Pippa furnished Holly with the edited-for-Mother version of the past few days’ events. Obviously she skipped the narky phone calls, debts and teetering on the edge of being thrown out of her apartment part.
‘And how did you sort it out with your old boss?’ Holly wanted to know. ‘I hope you went in and spoke to them and explained that you were doing Skye’s auntie this favour because her assistant had been knocked down by a car.’
‘Of course I did,’ Pippa lied. ‘They were sorry to see me go but said they could find someone else to dress as a bumble-bee and sell Christmas hampers of honey at the food hall.’
‘That’s good,’ Holly said. ‘Any other news?’ She was unable to hide a sigh.
‘No. Are you okay, Mum?’ Pippa asked. ‘You sound tired and fed up.’
‘I’m a bit of both, actually,’ Holly admitted. ‘Nothing a glass of wine and a soak in the bath won’t fix. You go on and get yourself home. It’s freezing out, isn’t it?’
‘Baltic,’ Pippa agreed. ‘Chat to you soon and give Dad a hug for me.’ By the time she made it inside the apartment building half an hour later she was shivering. ‘Hello?’ she called, as she let herself in. Skye was thudding about in her room. ‘How are you getting on?’ she asked as the other girl came into the living room.
‘Great, thanks. I moved the rest of my stuff in earlier on and got the bills sorted out. Bin day, in case you were wondering, is Monday and we’ve got the special black bags required. They’re in the drawer in the kitchen.
‘Vino?’ Pippa offered.
‘I’d love a glass. I noticed you always seem to have the essentials in stock – like wine and crisps!’ she added, as Pippa pulled a large packet of sweet chilli Kettle chips from the cupboard.
‘Well, you have to get your priorities right, don’t you know?’ Pippa said gleefully. ‘This is great fun! I’m so glad to have you here. It’s really nice to have someone to chat to when I get home.’
‘Thanks for saving my arse. I couldn’t have spent much longer living with Echo. He’s disgustingly messy and his friends are worse,’ she said, gulping her wine.
Pippa nearly choked. ‘Your cousin isn’t really called Echo, is he?’
‘Don
’t go there,’ Skye said, holding her hand up. ‘Most of my dad’s family are of the hippie-dippy variety, Echo’s father included. In fact, Sue is the only one who wasn’t into the whole alternative lifestyle thing.’
‘How come your dad and Sue are so different?’ Pippa asked, plonking herself on the sofa.
‘Mum and Dad have always been alternative. He and Echo’s dad were the typical spoiled and doted on sons who never really grew up or wanted to find a job,’ Skye explained. ‘They both met their girlfriends around the same time, then Echo and I came along and they all decided to live in a commune together. They figured being Friends of the Earth and doing the whole self-sufficient vibe was a great way to avoid living in the real world. My grandparents were pretty disgusted and never forgave them. It made a real rift in the family, which is sad, I guess.’
‘Wow,’ Pippa said. ‘And what about Sue? Did you see much of her while you were growing up?’
‘Yeah. She did her own thing and didn’t judge her brothers too harshly. I used to go and stay with her the odd time and when I wanted to go to mainstream school she stood up for me.’
‘I must say I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the last two days in the shop with her,’ Pippa said. ‘She’s pretty cool.’
‘I’ve always thought so. By the way, Jay called,’ Skye said. ‘I told him to catch you on the mobile. He sounded really down.’
‘I’m sorry if he disturbed you,’ Pippa said. ‘I need to chat to him and sort out all this mess with the tickets.’ She sighed. ‘He did call all right, but I couldn’t answer because I was in the middle of doing a window display.’
‘Fair enough,’ Skye said. ‘I know I’m only here spitting time and tell me to bog off if you like …’
‘But …’ Pippa grinned.
‘But he’s a really decent guy, Pippa.’
‘Oh, I know,’ she said. ‘Don’t you think I’m feeling guilty?’ she said dramatically. ‘Normally I dump boys and never hear from them again. It’s no big deal. But I wasn’t to know he was going to book that mega-holiday, was I?’
‘Can you imagine how gutted you’d feel if you’d spent thousands on a holiday and he’d dumped you but hadn’t bothered to return the tickets or even call?’
‘We’d have had a crowd complete with pitchforks and flaming torches to hunt him out of town,’ Pippa told her.
‘Pretty much,’ Skye said.
‘I hear ya. I’ll meet him and give back the tickets.’
‘Don’t do it in a bar or anywhere the poor fella can be humiliated any further,’ Skye begged.
‘Okay.’ Pippa was getting a bit snappy. ‘But there’s a fine line that can’t be crossed here. He’s not the right guy for me. There are no fireworks going off. It’s not lurve. I can’t lead him on at the same time.’
Skye shrugged.
‘What about you?’ Pippa asked. ‘Any men on the scene?’
‘Not really,’ Skye said. ‘Anyone I fancy either has a girlfriend or turns out to be gay. I haven’t had much luck with men in recent times. Sometimes I figure it’s safer to be single.’
‘Ah, Jesus!’ Pippa said, shaking her head. ‘That’s so depressing! There must be someone you can aim for. The chase and flirting part is the most fun. I tend to lose interest once I know I have a guy,’ she admitted. ‘For now, though, let’s just have another glass of wine!’ she said, tottering to the fridge.
As they sipped their wine, Lainey texted to say she was heading straight home and would call in tomorrow for her clothes and credit card. Can u bring them into work & I’ll grab them at lunch time? Sorry am knackered & need to get home. Crap day. Lainey x
R u ok? Pippa x
Not really.
Want to call me?
‘Sorry to cut you off, Skye, but this is my sister. She needs a bit of advice. You won’t be offended if I pop into my room, will you?’
‘Sure, go ahead,’ Skye said, gathering up her things at the table.
Putting on her iPod in the docking station to muffle the sound, Pippa answered Lainey’s call.
‘So what’s up?’ she asked, and heard a garbled story about Seth and Facebook and how Lainey had ended up crying at the office.
‘Who cares?’ she said easily. ‘Everyone has meltdowns every now and again. I’m sure nobody noticed. Besides, you’re Miss Together. People don’t view you as a basket case. They’ll have forgotten by tomorrow. If it makes you feel any better, I’m up Shit Creek without a paddle.’
She hadn’t meant to tell Lainey about her debts but it had tumbled out before she knew it.
‘How much do you owe the bank and credit card company in total?’ Lainey asked.
‘Nearly three grand.’ Pippa winced.
‘What? How could you be so irresponsible?’
‘It’ll be fine. I’ve got this new job now. Skye will pay half the rent. Chill,’ she said, wishing to God she hadn’t said anything.
‘Pippa, you need to sort yourself out.’
‘I know that, Lainey. Please don’t nag. I prefer it when you ask for advice on clothes. You sound like Grandma now, wittering on. The responsibility and forward planning speech is probably next!’
‘You need to get your head out of your arse. I was amazed at how you were managing to jet off for a shopping weekend and live the life you do when you barely work,’ Lainey said despairingly. ‘Now I know. You just owe it all.’
‘I had a good job,’ she said defensively.
‘Yeah, more than a year ago,’ Lainey said, not letting her away with it. ‘What have you done since? Got Mum and Dad to pay for an art course while you dressed up as a vegetable at weekends? You couldn’t even do that without getting fired.’
‘Shut up!’ Pippa shouted angrily. ‘We’re not all as perfect as you are.’
‘I never said I was perfect and I don’t want to argue with you.’ Lainey sounded beat. ‘Do you want me to loan you the money to pay off your credit cards and sort your bank account?’
‘Would you?’ Pippa was astonished.
‘It’ll pretty much clear out my savings fund, but it’s yours if you promise to pay me back.’
‘I will.’ Pippa punched the air. ‘Thank you so much, Lainey. You’re the best sister in the whole world.’
‘I’m the only one you’ve got.’ Lainey laughed.
‘Seth was a right creep. Don’t look at Facebook any more. You’re better than that,’ Pippa assured her. ‘You’ll meet someone fabulous soon. I just know it.’
‘Thanks. I’ll see you tomorrow. I’ll call into the shop to collect my clothes and card, and I’ll give you a cheque to clear your credit cards.’
By the time Pippa had said good night to Skye, laid out her clothes for the following morning and fallen into bed, she was wrecked. As she closed her eyes, she tried to imagine where she could be this time next year. Maybe she’d be Sue’s chief buyer. Or perhaps she’d have a shop of her own.
One thing was for certain: she was absolutely determined to turn her life around. She’d messed up big-style over the last while. Now she was going to concentrate really hard on being together and independent.
12
Mary’s Boy Child
He could hear her but Joey wasn’t going to acknowledge Sophia as she performed her usual crack-of-dawn routine. Opening one eye, he took in the time on his digital alarm clock. It wasn’t even five. She was getting worse.
The shower would probably have woken him anyway but Sophia had the radio blaring as well, which he was certain must wake their neighbours too.
‘Morning!’ she said, turning the main light on in the bedroom.
‘You are aware it’s just gone five, are you?’ he asked, burying his face in the duvet to shield his eyes.
‘I need to get to the track. I’m doing a three-day intensive boot camp with a group from the engineering company. It’s good money,’ she said, as she fished her running leggings from the tub of clean washing. ‘This place is getting seriously untidy. I’m working too hard right now so you�
�ll have to sort it. Besides,’ she said easily, ‘your job isn’t as tiring as mine. You’re only sitting at a desk.’
‘Oh, speaking of my job,’ he said, suddenly remembering the promotion, ‘I was talking to Clive last night on the way to the track—’
‘How long did you stay at the track last night? You were very late,’ she interrupted. ‘I waited up, but when you didn’t appear I had to go to bed.’
‘I was back here by nine, Sophia,’ he said crossly. ‘That’s hardly late.’
‘In your opinion,’ she said, as she tied her trainer laces.
‘Anyway I was talking to Clive—’
‘Before I forget,’ she said, standing up and zipping up her running jacket, ‘I need the money to pay for Lanzarote. Can you get it for me by this evening? It’s working out at three grand each, okay?’
‘What?’ Joey said, sitting bolt upright. ‘Three grand? Have you booked a five-star hotel or something?’
‘It’s more of a hostel, actually, but the price includes breakfast and dinner. Not to mention the coaching each day, which is the real reason we’re going there. The coach in this particular camp does one-to-one training sessions with élite athletes during the season. He charges a fortune per hour. So, believe me, if you work it out this is cheap,’ she said. ‘Catch you later.’ She pecked him on the forehead and bounded out.
Joey thumped his pillow. Sophia was making it very clear she wasn’t interested in anything he had to say. What went on in his life was of no consequence to her unless it involved training. If she thought he was paying three thousand euro to spend Christmas in a flea-bitten hostel instead of at Huntersbrook with his family, she’d another think coming. Even if this man was meant to be the most amazing coach the triathlon world had ever borne witness to.
More than any of that, what was with this kissing him on the forehead and nose shit? His grandma did that, for Christ’s sake. If he wanted to live with a drill sergeant who treated him like a minion he’d have joined the army.
Knowing he wasn’t going to sleep now, Joey got up and went into the shower. He’d go to the office and get some work done. At least they appreciated him there.
Driving Home for Christmas Page 13
