Sam in the Spotlight

by Anne-Marie Conway

  “Hurry up, Sam,” she called out. “I really need your help with something.”

  I crossed over to meet her. “What’s going on?”

  “Look at this,” she said. “I was leafing through the local paper at work this morning and there are some chocolate-brown Labrador puppies for sale right near here!”

  “And?” I looked at her, confused.

  “And I’ve always wanted one of course! So anyway,” she went on, practically pushing me into the car. “I called the woman, her name is Mrs. Dale, and she said we could come and have a look today.”

  “Do you mean you want me to help you choose?”

  She ran round to the other side of the car. “Yes! I want you to help me choose,” she said, climbing in. “Isn’t it so, so exciting!”

  We drove along, chatting about school. Aunty Mags wanted to know all about my new Year Eight teachers; who I liked best and what we were doing in each subject. I thought about asking her a few questions of my own – like what my mum actually said to Crystal on the night of her eighteenth birthday party – but I was having such a nice time I didn’t want to spoil the mood.

  “Now be strict with me, Sam,” said Aunty Mags as we drew up outside the house. “I’m only buying one, however cute they are.”

  Mrs. Dale opened the door with one of the puppies clasped to her chest. It was the most adorable thing I’d ever seen in my life! It had the softest brown fur and was easily small enough to fit into the palm of my hand. I thought Mrs. Dale looked quite familiar for a second, but I wasn’t sure where I’d seen her before.

  “Come in, come in,” she said, leading us into the living room. “It’s a complete tip, I’m afraid, but find yourselves somewhere to sit down and you can meet the pups. This is their mum, Carla.” She patted a big, chocolate-brown Labrador. “She’s feeling very proud of herself and very protective, but she won’t mind you having a cuddle.”

  The rest of the puppies were squashed into an old dog basket filled with blankets and quilts. Carla lay down by the basket and three of the puppies hopped out, clambering over each other to snuggle into her and feed.

  “How on earth are we going to choose?” cried Aunty Mags. Her eyes were bright with excitement and I half-wished I was getting one of the puppies myself. Not that Bella would be very impressed! She already thinks she’s Queen of the Household, so I don’t expect she’d take too kindly to a puppy.

  “Here, have a cuddle,” said Mrs. Dale, holding out the little ball of fur in her arms. “This one here’s the runt of the litter. That’s why I’m carrying him around. He keeps getting squashed in the basket and pushed out of the way.” I reached out for the tiny puppy and he snuggled into me, trying to climb right into my coat. “This is the one, Aunty Mags,” I said. “He might be the smallest but just look at his eyes and little paws and his tiny tongue and…” Just then the front door slammed.

  “Oh, that’ll be my youngest home from school. Come in and say hello,” she called out. “Some people are here choosing a puppy. I’ll just go and put on the kettle,” she said to us.

  Mrs. Dale’s son came straight into the living room to see who was about to steal away one of his precious puppies. I looked up to say hello but my mouth dropped open.

  It was Adam.

  Mrs. – Dale’s – son – was – Adam.

  “Oh hi, Sam,” he said, as if it was completely normal to come home from school and find me sitting in his living room cuddling one of his puppies.

  “W-what are you doing here?” I stammered.

  “Erm, I’m not sure… Oh yes, I know, I live here.”

  “You live here? With Mrs. Dale?”

  “Well, she is my mum,” he laughed.

  I could feel myself start to burn up. I sounded like a complete idiot. No wonder I thought I recognized Mrs. Dale when she opened the door.

  “This little one’s called Riley,” said Adam, squashing down between us on the couch.

  “Hello, Adam,” said Aunty Mags. “That’s funny – you two knowing each other. Have you got a favourite?”

  “It’s the one Sam’s holding actually, although I don’t think her cat would be too happy about it.”

  “Oh no, it’s not for me,” I said. “It’s for Aunty Mags. I’ve just come along to help her choose – not that I know much about dogs. I know loads about cats though. My cat’s a Persian Blue. She’s called Bella. That actually means ‘beautiful’ you know, in Italian. She’s really old now – she just sleeps all the time – but she used to win first prize in all the cat shows…” I trailed off, feeling more stupid than ever.

  Adam lifted Riley off my lap and carried him over to Carla. As soon as he put him down, the poor little pup nuzzled into her and started to feed. “He needs as much milk as he can get, but the others keep pushing him around and he doesn’t get a look-in!”

  Just then two of the other feeding puppies nudged Riley firmly out of the way. He sat back, looking dazed, and we all burst out laughing.

  “I’m totally smitten, I’m afraid,” said Aunty Mags.

  Mrs. Dale came back in from the kitchen with some mugs of tea and a plate of biscuits. “This is Sam from drama, Mum,” said Adam. “Didn’t you recognize her?”

  “Well the last time you saw me I was a deadly virus and I was wearing a black and green mask, so it’s not very likely,” I said.

  “Oh, you were fantastic,” laughed Mrs. Dale. “I remember. But you look much prettier with your mask off.”

  I blushed all over again and leaned over the puppies to hide my face. I’d need a mask at this rate, if I was going to turn brilliant red every time I was anywhere near Adam.

  Mrs. Dale explained to Aunty Mags that the puppies wouldn’t be ready to leave Carla for another week or so. We had a few more cuddles with Riley and a couple of biscuits, and then we set off home.

  “See you tomorrow,” said Adam. “I think we’re going to find out our parts, aren’t we?”

  I nodded, mumbled something completely moronic, and dragged Aunty Mags out to the car. I couldn’t believe I’d just spent the afternoon over at Adam’s house – it was crazy, and so embarrassing. I’d babbled on like a total twit. I really needed to talk to Ellie – and fast.

  “I think someone’s got a little crush,” Aunty Mags teased when we were on our way.

  “I have not got a crush,” I said firmly. But my face started to burn up AGAIN. What on earth was happening to me? Maybe I did have a crush – and not such a little one either – but I wasn’t about to tell Aunty Mags.

  I had an even bigger surprise when I got in. Mum and Dad were both home from work and they were drinking champagne. For a crazy second I wondered if they were celebrating Crystal’s news; that she’d actually been in touch and told them about the wedding.

  “What’s going on?” I said.

  “I’ve had a really exciting day at work!” Mum grinned, practically bubbling over with excitement. She took a sip of champagne. “Remember I told you about Sophia Malone getting married…well this woman called Lavender rang – she’s the wedding planner – and she’s only chosen Everything’s Rosy to do the flowers!”

  “You’re kidding, Mum, that’s amazing! Sophia Malone! I saw her in that TV drama just a few weeks ago and she was brilliant.”

  “I’m so proud of you, Rosy,” said Dad, beaming. “Just imagine – Everything’s Rosy doing the flowers for someone so well known. You’ll get tons of publicity.”

  “I know,” said Mum. “It’s like a dream come true.”

  Mum had built up Everything’s Rosy from nothing, all by herself. She’d worked all hours of the day and night, from when it was just a tiny florist on a little alley off the high street to the huge success it was today.

  “Well done, Mum. There’s no stopping you now!” I was really proud of her too.

  “Everything’s rosy for Rosy!” joked Dad and he began to sing some song from years ago, dancing Mum round the room.

  “When is the wedding?” I said as they twirled arou
nd me. “It’s not on Christmas Day or something daft like that, is it?”

  “No, it’s before Christmas.” Mum pulled away from Dad and fished her diary out of her bag. “It’s at the end of November,” she said, leafing through the pages. I fixed my eyes on the diary, desperately trying to remember the date of Crystal’s wedding. It was definitely in November but I couldn’t remember the exact date. What was it? What was it?

  “Here it is,” said Mum. “Saturday the 28th of November.”

  I raced upstairs and pulled out Crystal’s invitation. I kept on staring at it as if somehow by magic the date would change. But no, it was still there, as clear as anything. Crystal and Tyler were getting married on Saturday the 28th of November. I grabbed my phone to call Crystal. My hands were actually trembling and it was difficult to press the numbers properly. I managed it eventually but there was a loud click and it went straight to voicemail. “Call me,” I hissed. “I need to talk to you. It’s urgent – like really urgent!”

  I kept checking my phone every five seconds but she didn’t call back. How was I supposed to keep quiet now? I had to tell Mum. They might be in the middle of some massive row and she might think Tyler was a total waste of space but there’s no way she’d want to miss Crystal’s actual wedding.

  Mum was making breakfast when I came down in the morning.

  “Pinch me to make sure I’m not dreaming,” she said, laughing. “I hardly slept a wink.”

  “You’re not dreaming,” I said. And even if she was, it was all about to turn into one massive nightmare. Sophia Malone and Crystal were both getting married in eight weeks’ time on exactly the same day.

  “I’ve got a little surprise of my own,” Dad announced suddenly. He took an envelope out of his pocket and waved it about in front of Mum’s face.

  “What’s that?” she asked suspiciously. “You know I don’t like surprises.”

  “Paris!” said Dad. “Just the two of us!” He looked over and winked at me.

  “You mean for our anniversary?” said Mum, frowning. “But what about Sam and the shop and—”

  “Rosy! It’s only a week. Our first time away on our own since the girls were born. Bella can go to the cattery. Mags said Sam can stay with her and she’s offered to keep an eye on the shop. I was going to tell you yesterday but you were so excited about the wedding and everything.”

  Mum started to smile. “Well, I have always dreamed about going to Paris,” she said, clasping the tickets to her chest. “And I’ve been working so hard.”

  “So have I!” I complained. “But no one’s whisking me off to Paris for a week!”

  “Ahh, poor Sam,” teased Dad. “Hey, aren’t you finding out your parts at drama today?”

  “Yeah, but I’m not expecting anything that great,” I said as casually as I could. “It’s a brilliant show though. It’s all about ghosts and phantom faces at the window.”

  “Well, just as long as you don’t start letting your work slip,” said Mum. “No big parts – remember?”

  Dad shot her a look. “Come on, Rosy. It’s Saturday, let her think about something apart from school for a few minutes at least!”

  I gave Dad a grateful smile. Then I remembered the Great Wedding Clash and bit my lip.

  “Hey, Mum, you know Sophia Malone’s wedding, will you actually be going – you know, like on the day?”

  “Of course,” said Mum. “We’ll be there all morning dressing the church and then they’re going to whisk us off to some secret location to dress the tables. It’s going to be a massive job. I might need your help actually. You’ll have to miss drama that day if Mandy doesn’t mind.”

  Missing drama was the least of my worries. What about missing Crystal’s wedding?

  I tried to call Crystal again on the way to drama. Where was she? Maybe the wedding invitation really was one big wind-up. That was just the sort of silly stunt she would pull. She’d do anything for a laugh, even if it left everyone else in a total tizz. I left her another message and hurried along the road to drama.

  Ellie was waiting for me outside the hall.

  “You’ll never guess where I went yesterday after school,” I said, giving her a quick hug. “But you mustn’t tell a soul…do you swear?”

  “Swear,” she said, giggling. “Come on, tell.”

  I looked round to make sure no one was listening. “Adam’s house!”

  “Don’t talk rubbish. You went round to Adam’s?”

  “Yes, but I’ll tell you why later. Come on, let’s go up, we’re getting our parts today.”

  “Sam! You can’t just say that and then stop – I’ll go mad. Come on, give me a clue…”

  “No clues,” I said, running up the stairs. “I’ll tell you later, I promise.”

  Adam was already in the hall when we got up there.

  “Hi, Sam,” he said, coming straight over.

  “How’s Riley?” I asked, trying very hard not to blush. I’d actually slapped on a load of extra-light face powder before I left the house to try and tone my cheeks down a bit.

  “Gorgeous as ever. I gave him a great big kiss from you before I left this morning.”

  My face started to burn up. There was no way the powder could hide my blushes now. Did he have to mention kissing?

  “Who’s Riley?” said Ellie, her eyes so wide they were practically popping out of her head.

  “We’d better go and find your bag,” I muttered, grabbing her arm and steering her away from Adam.

  “I haven’t lost my bag!” she said, stumbling after me. “Did you fall on your head or something?”

  “I fell on my head once,” said Monty B, coming up from behind us. “I was trying to see what I looked like upside down in the mirror, but when I bent down to put my head between my legs I tipped right over.”

  “I want to know everything,” hissed Ellie, ignoring Monty B. “Who’s Riley? And what were you doing round at Adam’s?”

  But just then Mandy called us over.

  “I’ve sorted out all the parts,” she said, when we were sitting in a circle. “It wasn’t easy and I’ve even had to add an extra character, but it’s done and I’m happy so let’s get on with it.”

  “I’ll explain everything at Phoebe’s,” I whispered to Ellie. “You are still coming, aren’t you?”

  “Course.”

  I’d hardly thought about the show for days – my head had been so filled up with Crystal and the wedding. But I was still desperate to be Laura, whatever Mum thought about it. Mandy grabbed her folder from the piano and was about to read out the cast list when Arthur came bursting in, looking a bit frantic.

  “I’m so sorry to interrupt you, Mandy,” he said. “But I’ve lost something, you see, and it’s vitally important it doesn’t fall into the wrong hands.”

  “Oh dear, what is it? I didn’t see anything when I arrived this morning.”

  “Maybe it’s his breakfast,” Ellie whispered. “Most of it seems to be in his beard.”

  “I can’t actually say what it is,” said Arthur. “It’s very private, I’m afraid. But please, if you find anything at all that you think might belong to me, return it to my office as a matter of great urgency.”

  “It might help if we knew what we were looking for…” Mandy started to say, but Arthur was already halfway out of the hall, muttering something to himself.

  “Never a dull moment,” said Mandy. “Now where were we?”

  “You were just about to tell us about the extra part,” said Phoebe.

  “Oh yes. I decided to write in an extra part and it’s for Sara…”

  “Me?” said Sara, turning pink with excitement.

  Mandy nodded, smiling. “Well, you were so good at acting Laura’s part, I decided to add in a younger sister called Rianna. Laura and Ben’s younger sister, if you see what I mean.”

  “You mean you wrote a part especially for me?”

  Phoebe groaned. “I’ll never hear the last of this,” she said. “Couldn’t she just
be one of the servants or something?”

  “I’ve got a main part, actually,” said Sara, “so why don’t you go off and be one of the servants?”

  “There’s nothing wrong with being a servant,” said Mandy, quickly. “All the parts are important, every single one.”

  “Oh, I know. It’s just that Phoebe’s such a pain. Someone has to put her in her place.”

  “I’ve been saying that for years,” said Monty B.

  “Shut up,” said Phoebe, hitting him.

  “Right,” said Mandy. “So Sara is Rianna, Monty B, you’re Mr. Biscuit the detective—”

  “But I thought you said I wasn’t allowed to be Mr. Biscuit,” teased Monty B. “And that you were going to change his name.”

  “I know, I know, but you were so funny I can’t really see anyone else doing it. But listen to me, Monty B, you have got to stick to the script!”

  Monty B did a silly salute. “I swear on my life, Mandy. Stick to the script. That will be my mantra from this day forward. I don’t mean stick to it like glue, obviously, because that would be stupid. Just stick to it word for word. Listen, I’ll start right now. Stick to the script. Stick to the—”

  Mandy held up her hand. “Enough!” she said. “We get it! Phoebe, you’re Mr. Biscuit’s assistant, Sugar, and Ellie, I’d like you to be Flora the castle cook and maid. Neesha, you’ve actually got two parts because you’re the butler and the butler’s identical twin brother.”

  “Oh my God, yeah, does that mean I’m the murderer?”

  “Well, we’re supposed to think it’s a murder but in actual fact April has fallen in love and run off with the butler’s identical twin.”

  I looked across at Adam. He was showing Catharine something in his script and she glanced up at him, smiling. She was always hanging around him at drama and I wondered if she fancied him as well. I dragged my eyes back to Neesha.

  “So why is there a ghost at the window then, if she hasn’t actually died?” she was saying.

  “It’s not real,” said Mandy. “It’s just April’s face tormenting the butler from the past. That’s why it’s a phantom, not a ghost.”