‘I won’t lie, it was all kinds of amazing. I thought about you all the way through.’
I grinned. ‘Same.’
A grey-bearded assistant shuffled towards us. ‘How can I help you today?’ He was American and when he smiled he displayed an impressive set of teeth. I’d pegged him at near retirement age, because of the slow way he moved, but up close he was probably barely fifty. He wore a leather waistcoat and faded jeans and had the air of someone doing a job they loved, rather than just to pay the bills.
‘Are you Ray?’ asked Simon.
The man nodded and Simon extended his arm for an handshake. ‘I’m Simon Baxter, we spoke earlier on the phone.’
Out came the healthy teeth again. ‘Simon! Great to meet a fellow Knicks fan.’
‘Zoë, meet Ray. Before he opened up this place, he used to be a roadie for – among others – Jethro Tull. How cool is that?’
I shook his hand. ‘You must have some amazing stories.’
He winked. ‘You wouldn’t believe half of them.’
‘I don’t know, Ray,’ said Simon. ‘Zoë is the editor ofRe:Sound. I reckon she’s heard a few of them already.’
Ray’s eyebrows shot up. ‘Always great to meet folk who appreciate good music. They just don’t make them like the Tull anymore.’
He led the way to where his best stock was hanging. The clothes on offer weren’t polyester mixes and naff netting; they were heavy velvets and finely sewn silks.
This was going to get rather expensive. But then Simon, as if he’d read my mind, whispered: ‘This is on me – to thank you for inviting me to meet your friends.’
I was about to object, but Simon held up his hand to shush me. ‘No arguments.’
‘Feel free to browse,’ Ray told us, ‘although some people prefer to look through the catalogue. It’s quicker that way.’
I thanked him and took the catalogue he was offering.
‘Can I get you a drink? I’ve got bourbon in the back.’
‘Bourbon would be grand,’ said Simon, before I had a chance to think about it. ‘How cool is this place?’ he whispered after Ray had gone to get our drinks.
‘The most fun I’ve ever had in a shop in my life,’ I said, grinning.
‘Wait till you get a load of the costumes.’
Simon wasn’t wrong. There were so many to choose from, the first thing we did was narrow it down to ones that had a film theme. This still left us oodles of options, but made life easier because we’d think of a cool film and then check if the accompanying costume existed.
Uma Thurman’s outfit fromPulp Fictionwas popular, Ray told us, but Simon immediately nixed it as too plain. ‘It’s just a white shirt and black pants,’ he pointed out.
‘What’s your favourite film?’ asked Ray. I looked at Simon and we both giggled. ‘What’s so funny?’ said a bemused Ray.
‘Well, we’ve got arealfavourite film and one we quote when we’re asked, to make us look cool and sophisticated,’ said Simon, whose tongue the bourbon had really loosened. ‘For example, when asked, Zoë will say her favourite film isCitizen Kane.But only I know it’s reallyGrosse Pointe Blank.’
‘And Simon will say his favourite film isThe Shawshank Redemption,’ I explained, ‘but really it’s alsoGrosse Pointe Blank.’
He smiled at me, and heat spread from my toes to my ears. And that wasn’t just the bourbon.
Ray scratched his head. ‘You guys sure like John Cusack. Not sure any of those films feature great costumes. AlthoughGrosse Pointe Blankhas a heck of a soundtrack.’
We both agreed.
Ray frowned. ‘Unless you want to go as a convict, Simon?’
‘Nah, we’ll have to put our thinking caps on,’ he replied. I giggled again. ‘What?’
