Prue put it down. ‘I’d better go.’
‘Before you do…’ She made sure Ruby was well occupied with Kaisha. ‘I wanted to talk to you about Ruby.’ She took another step away so they wouldn’t be overheard. ‘She’s been a bit…’ She wasn’t sure how best to phrase it. Bolshy? Rude? Off? ‘She’s been a bit out of sorts lately.’
‘She seems happy enough to me.’
‘I mean she’s been strange with me, not anyone else.’
‘And you want me to talk to her, is that it?’
Actually it was the opposite. It was most likely Prue being in Ruby’s ear that had caused half the problems in the first place. ‘I just wanted to make sure we were on the same page.’
Prue looked at her watch impatiently. ‘Get to the point, Cleo.’
‘Ruby and I got on well for a long time, but lately she seems to be pushing me away.’
‘I’m sure it’ll all blow over.’
‘Maybe.’
‘I was terrible at that age,’ Prue laughed, and Cleo could see there’d be no talking to her today, especially when her laugh had already caught Ruby’s attention. Kaisha was showing her the multicoloured scarf she’d been knitting and Ruby was wrapping it around her own neck, parading up and down the back of the chalet like a model on a catwalk.
‘I have to go,’ Prue said again, fingers waggling in the air in her daughter’s direction. ‘Bye, Ruby,’ she called out. ‘And stop worrying, it’s not good for the face,’ she told Cleo before she breezed off.
‘I heard that.’ Amelia was right by her side. ‘Talk about catty.’
‘That’s Prue.’
‘How was Dylan ever married to her?’
‘I think he was wowed by the blonde hair, the long legs and the glamour.’
Amelia put an arm around her friend. ‘Well, it’s a good job reality finally set in for him.’
Cleo emptied out the last two boxes of stock that they had and reiterated to keep an eye on the items hanging on the open doors in case a light-fingered shopper came along. The woman two chalets down had had jewellery stolen and had taken to having her husband man the doors. Shame, Cleo wasn’t sure anyone would be keen to browse the earrings and necklaces if they first had to get past a man who sported a Forrest Gump-like beard, was well over six feet tall and didn’t seem to have many smiles to offer around.
‘I have my phone if you need me,’ she told both Amelia and Kaisha.
‘Go!’ they both urged.
‘Don’t worry, we’ve got this,’ said Amelia.
Ruby followed Cleo out of the chalet. ‘Where are we going?’ She at least had on sensible boots today and not the pair Prue had bought her with a little heel, and she was wrapped up nice and warm too.
‘Somewhere very special.’
Ruby perked up when the Magnolia Bakery came into view but it wasn’t cupcake time and they kept walking until they reached a quaint boutique with a curved window at the front.
‘Mind the step,’ said Cleo, trying not to look too pleased that Ruby’s face exuded pure enrapture at seeing the wedding gowns on display behind the glass. This was where Darcy had found her dream dress and Cleo knew then that she’d come here if she and Dylan ever tied the knot.
They stepped down into the store where Serenity and Alexis, the jolly sisters who owned the boutique, were busy at the till with another customer. ‘I thought you could help me out today,’ she told Ruby, trying to act as though she didn’t already know Ruby was excited. ‘Maybe with my dress and bridesmaid dresses too.’
She felt a bit like Prue, trying to buy Ruby’s affections, but she wasn’t attempting to do anything of the sort – it was more an effort to soften Ruby’s feelings and let her in on the planning stages, which might help her come around to the idea. Perhaps her barriers would gradually come down a little.
Serenity came over to say hello, recognising Cleo but not remembering her name, and Cleo gave her the brief of what was going on – a wedding next December, a wedding gown as well as bridesmaid dresses to find, this being the initial stage of their research.
Ruby brightened even more as they went through a rack of wedding gowns, each one heavy to move aside. They talked colour themes. They looked through A-line dresses, ballgown style – the ultimate fairy-tale dress with the full floaty skirt – they looked at the more bouffant styles, those with a bustle, some with box pleats. The store had so much it was quite overwhelming.
Serenity gave them their space but when she sensed they needed help she was there, adjusting the tape measure that had slipped slightly from its position hanging around her neck. ‘May I ask where the wedding is going to be?’
