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“It’s on, then?” he said with delight.
“It’s on.” She stepped back, feeling slightly disorientated.
“Great.” He nodded. “War. This I do know.”
“Ah, but you don’t know lingerie war,” Kirsty said. “Sit back and watch, soldier boy. You’re about to have your backside handed to you.”
With that she turned on the low heels of her tan leather boots and stalked back across the street.
“So,” Magenta said once Kirsty had slammed the door shut. “It didn’t go well, huh?”
Kirsty eyed her sole employee grimly.
“That man is insufferable. He has no idea how to relate to people and he sure as heck doesn’t know how to run a shop.” She let out a breath she hadn’t even been aware she was holding. “He wants to close me down. Can you believe it? He’s rude. He’s ignorant and he’s off his head.”
Magenta blinked hard before she gave a wicked little smile.
“Been a long time since I saw you this wound up,” she said.
Kirsty felt the wind go out of her. It had been years since she’d felt wound up about anything. That sort of passion belonged in her old life. She worried her bottom lip for a moment as she felt the will to fight drain out of her.
“You okay?” Magenta asked.
“Fine,” Kirsty said. “I just have to figure out how I’m going to stop Betty’s Knicker Emporium stealing what little business we do get.”
Magenta’s smile took on a pitying turn. Kirsty looked away from her.
“I’ll be in my office,” she told her. “Working on a marketing plan.”
With that, she fled.
Lake woke with a grin the following morning. This was fun. He should have made his way to Scotland months ago instead of wandering around Europe annoying his old army mates. Although, to be fair, that had turned out quite well for him. But it wasn’t as much fun as playing lingerie war in Scotland.
He folded the bedding on the couch into a neat pile, arranged his belongings symmetrically and went into the tiny kitchen to make coffee. Rainne was still asleep in the only bedroom; he could hear her gentle snores echoing down the hall. As the coffee brewed he examined his surroundings. Faded wallpaper that screamed 1970, furniture that been attacked by cats at some point and orange Formica everywhere. He’d lived in worse. If he was going to be in town any longer than the three months he needed to be there, he’d have put flat renovation on his to-do list. But for three months he could live with orange patterned carpet and old Bay City Rollers posters.
As the coffee brewed he flicked open his cell phone and dialled his army mate.
“Got my money yet?” John said cheerily when he answered the call.
“It’s coming,” Lake said with a grin.
“It’d better be,” John said. “I have other guys begging me to get in on this deal. If you don’t want to partner with me on this, let me know. I’ll pick one of them.”
“Go ahead,” Lake said as he poured himself a mug of thick black coffee.
There was muttering that made him grin.
“I need you to send me my kit,” Lake told his friend.
“You working?” He could almost hear John’s ears perk up.
“I’m waging war,” Lake told him.
There was a sigh.
“I know that tone. You’ve found something that amuses you and now you’re farting around instead of focusing on the plan.”
“Are you going to send my kit or not?”
