in a few hours. Then she held out a plastic bag decorated with Christmas baubles. ‘I have this too.’
Carole reluctantly pulled out a long, red dress. It was strapless with one hell of a side split and she knew it would look fabulous on Steph. She watched her friend, eyes shining like a child’s with a new toy, and once again wished she could have half of what she had. Steph Ryder was a lucky bitch.
‘You got something new?’ Steph interrupted her thoughts.
Carole shook her head, brown curls shaking frantically. ‘I thought I’d wear my old faithful dress again.’ Besides, she thought, nothing would ever make her look that beautiful. She looked away in embarrassment.
Steph immediately took pity, but for the wrong reason. She knew that Carole and Shaun had ploughed so much into The Orange Grove that there was never any spare money. She studied Carole with sympathy in her eyes. Carole was thirty-eight, a month younger than Steph but, to anyone who didn’t know her, she seemed far older. Her hair was in need of a good stylist. She wore clothes on her plump frame that had seen better days – white shirt and black trousers – but they were practical for working in, she supposed. Steph glanced down at Carole’s feet: she would never be seen dead in flat shoes, especially those.
For once, feeling sorry for her friend, she smiled encouragingly. ‘Want to borrow something?’
‘No!’ Carole cried. She caught Steph’s shocked expression. ‘I mean, I daren’t. What if someone remembers that you wore it first?’
Steph rummaged through some of the bags. ‘I have loads of stuff that I haven’t even worn yet, silly. A lot of them still have tags on. You should come and look.’
‘Hmm, maybe, if I have time later.’ Carole looked around, praying that someone would be needing her assistance rather than have to sit here feeling like a failure. But the only two customers left were putting on their coats, having settled their bill earlier.
‘Ah, here it is.’ Steph undid a bottle top and squirted perfume into the air. ‘Smell this.’
‘Nice,’ Carole commented. ‘Beats smelling of garlic all the time. What is it?’
‘ Diamonds ,’ said Steph. ‘Well, they say they’re a girl’s best friend.’ She held up her empty wine glass. ‘Any chance of a top-up?’
Carole couldn’t hold her tongue any longer. ‘You are one ungrateful cow, do you know that?’ She leaned in closer and whispered. ‘I’d give anything to have what you have and you’re prepared to throw it all away for that freak , Phil Kennedy.’
Steph shrugged. ‘My life isn’t all good.’
‘No?’ Carole sighed. ‘Be careful, Steph. Terry won’t stand your nonsense forever.’
‘Oh, don’t mind him. He’s a pussycat. He’ll do anything for his Stephanie.’
Carole bit lightly on her bottom lip. ‘Yeah, right.’
‘Go on, spit it out, woman,’ Steph urged. ‘What are you dying to say?’
‘One of these days, you’ll get what’s coming to you.’
‘Yeah, yeah. And I suppose you’ll be there to pick up the pieces.’
‘What’s that supposed to mean?’ Carole gulped nervously.
Steph glared at her, the easy nature of the conversation turning sour all of a sudden. ‘You know very well what it means. I see the way you look at my Terry. The way you chat and giggle around him. The way you blush and throw yourself at him.’
‘I don’t do anything of –’
Carole saw Steph’s eyes flick behind her.
‘Hi, Shaun. Come to give this miserable cow a hand?’ Steph stood up and gathered her bags. ‘Honestly, she’s such a moody bitch. Can’t you cheer her up every now and then?’ She grinned at Carole to show that she meant no malice and gave her a hug. ‘See you later, babe.’ She turned back as she got to the door. ‘But leave the attitude at home, yeah?’
CHAPTER SEVEN
The doorbell tinkled and in a flash Steph was gone. Her friend’s words still ringing in her ears, Carole gathered up
Carole reluctantly pulled out a long, red dress. It was strapless with one hell of a side split and she knew it would look fabulous on Steph. She watched her friend, eyes shining like a child’s with a new toy, and once again wished she could have half of what she had. Steph Ryder was a lucky bitch.
‘You got something new?’ Steph interrupted her thoughts.
Carole shook her head, brown curls shaking frantically. ‘I thought I’d wear my old faithful dress again.’ Besides, she thought, nothing would ever make her look that beautiful. She looked away in embarrassment.
Steph immediately took pity, but for the wrong reason. She knew that Carole and Shaun had ploughed so much into The Orange Grove that there was never any spare money. She studied Carole with sympathy in her eyes. Carole was thirty-eight, a month younger than Steph but, to anyone who didn’t know her, she seemed far older. Her hair was in need of a good stylist. She wore clothes on her plump frame that had seen better days – white shirt and black trousers – but they were practical for working in, she supposed. Steph glanced down at Carole’s feet: she would never be seen dead in flat shoes, especially those.
For once, feeling sorry for her friend, she smiled encouragingly. ‘Want to borrow something?’
‘No!’ Carole cried. She caught Steph’s shocked expression. ‘I mean, I daren’t. What if someone remembers that you wore it first?’
Steph rummaged through some of the bags. ‘I have loads of stuff that I haven’t even worn yet, silly. A lot of them still have tags on. You should come and look.’
‘Hmm, maybe, if I have time later.’ Carole looked around, praying that someone would be needing her assistance rather than have to sit here feeling like a failure. But the only two customers left were putting on their coats, having settled their bill earlier.
‘Ah, here it is.’ Steph undid a bottle top and squirted perfume into the air. ‘Smell this.’
‘Nice,’ Carole commented. ‘Beats smelling of garlic all the time. What is it?’
‘ Diamonds ,’ said Steph. ‘Well, they say they’re a girl’s best friend.’ She held up her empty wine glass. ‘Any chance of a top-up?’
Carole couldn’t hold her tongue any longer. ‘You are one ungrateful cow, do you know that?’ She leaned in closer and whispered. ‘I’d give anything to have what you have and you’re prepared to throw it all away for that freak , Phil Kennedy.’
Steph shrugged. ‘My life isn’t all good.’
‘No?’ Carole sighed. ‘Be careful, Steph. Terry won’t stand your nonsense forever.’
‘Oh, don’t mind him. He’s a pussycat. He’ll do anything for his Stephanie.’
Carole bit lightly on her bottom lip. ‘Yeah, right.’
‘Go on, spit it out, woman,’ Steph urged. ‘What are you dying to say?’
‘One of these days, you’ll get what’s coming to you.’
‘Yeah, yeah. And I suppose you’ll be there to pick up the pieces.’
‘What’s that supposed to mean?’ Carole gulped nervously.
Steph glared at her, the easy nature of the conversation turning sour all of a sudden. ‘You know very well what it means. I see the way you look at my Terry. The way you chat and giggle around him. The way you blush and throw yourself at him.’
‘I don’t do anything of –’
Carole saw Steph’s eyes flick behind her.
‘Hi, Shaun. Come to give this miserable cow a hand?’ Steph stood up and gathered her bags. ‘Honestly, she’s such a moody bitch. Can’t you cheer her up every now and then?’ She grinned at Carole to show that she meant no malice and gave her a hug. ‘See you later, babe.’ She turned back as she got to the door. ‘But leave the attitude at home, yeah?’
CHAPTER SEVEN
The doorbell tinkled and in a flash Steph was gone. Her friend’s words still ringing in her ears, Carole gathered up
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