True Colours by Jeanne Whitmee

is it? I haven’t found a rich, handsome husband and I haven’t achieved any dreams – yet. But I’m happy with my job and my little sideline. I lost touch with my brothers back in Ireland when Gran died but now and again Liam comes down to London to see me. He and Shauna split up a few years ago. In the end she did a bunk with some guy she was working with. I think secretly Liam was relieved. He’s with a lovely girl now and seems very happy. Sometimes he brings Declan with him. Dec’s nearly twenty now and at Leicester University. He’s grown up to be a very nice young man consideringwhat a lousy start he had. He’s not bad looking except that he’s got my crazy red hair, poor kid, but he turned out to be quite clever and he’s studying architecture. I often think how proud Mum would have been, God bless her.

    By the time it was ten o’clock my eyes were beginning to smart so I put the sewing away and made myself a cup of cocoa. While I was drinking it I got the card out of my bag and looked again at the numbers and addresses on it. It would be fun to keep in touch with Soph and Fran. Did they really mean it when they said they’d like to meet up again? These things are easy to say in the heat of the moment, but after a few days back in their busy and eventful lives they might regret saying it and secretly hope they wouldn’t hear from me again. I tucked the card back inside my bag. Oh well, time would tell, wouldn’t it? And whatever happens it was lovely to see them both again.

CHAPTER FIVE
    ‘Good morning, Fantaisie Boutique, Imogene speaking. How can I help?’
    Clearly the voice wasn’t Katie’s, as Fran had hoped it would be. ‘I wonder, would it be possible to speak to one of your assistants,’ she asked. ‘Katie MacEvoy?’
    There was a brief frosty silence at the other end of the line. ‘May I ask what it is about? Is it an emergency?’
    ‘Well, no. She’s an old friend of mine and I’ve lost her number,’ Fran paused. ‘It’s not really a personal call. I need an outfit for a special occasion and I know she works there. I was going to ask….’
    ‘Oh, I see. Please hold. I’ll see if she’s free. Can I give her your name?’
    ‘Of course. It’s Frances Grayson.’
    A few minutes later Katie’s voice came over the line. ‘Hi, Fran. How lovely to hear from you.’
    ‘I’m so sorry to ring you at work, Katie, but I’ve somehow mislaid your number.’
    ‘That’s OK.’ Katie tried to ignore Imogene’s eyes boring into her. The boutique’s owner was very strict about personal calls. ‘Maybe I could ring you back in my lunch break. We’re a bit busy at the moment and I’d love to chat.’
    ‘Right. You’ve got my number?’
    ‘’Course. Talk later then. Bye.’ Katie replaced the receiver and glanced apologetically at her boss. ‘Sorry about that, Imogene. She’d lost my number and….’
    ‘So she said.’ Imogene looked over the tops of her glasses. ‘Katie,I hardly need to remind you of my rule about personal calls. It’s most unprofessional.’
    ‘Well
I
know that, but she didn’t. I’ve said I’m sorry. I’m ringing her back in my lunch break.’
    ‘She mentioned that she needed an outfit for a special occasion,’ Imogene said. ‘I hope you’re not giving this number to your dressmaking customers.’
    Katie winced. Her secret had been blown a few weeks ago when the mother of one of her brides had brought photographs of the wedding into the shop to show her. There was nothing Imogene could do about it of course but she’d been throwing out snide little remarks ever since.
    Katie shook her head. ‘Fran is married to a very wealthy businessman,’ she said. ‘If she’s looking for a special outfit it’ll have to have a designer label.’
    The frost holding the corners of Imogene’s mouth down thawed and they lifted slightly. ‘Oh! Well, in that case I hope you’ll do all you can to encourage her to buy it here. Have you any idea what the occasion