Chapter 6
SIX
I walked into Visage Unique and immediately wished I’d gone home and changed. Melissa’s assurances that it was a casual event suddenly didn’t seem very accurate. Around the room, holding flutes of Prosecco and delicately picking at nibbles, were an assortment of well-dressed women in dresses or sleek pantsuits, and men in stylish jackets. Also, the shop was very upmarket. It was almost entirely white, with polished, glossy counters and glimmering glass chandeliers. Muted lighting bathed the rows of classy products, which were packaged in a theme of white, soft pink and black. Not a thing was out of place, unlike my stack-’em-high jumble next door.
With a rush of relief, I saw Arthur and Sven over by the perfume counter, and I hurried over, hoping my grubby Converse hi-tops wouldn’t leave marks on the gleaming floor.
‘Annie, dear, come and have a glass of bubbles,’ said Arthur, taking a glass from a nearby tray and pressing it into my hand. ‘Tell us about your first day.’
‘I made forty pounds!’ I said, still buzzing from my first sale, even though it was a pitiful sum.
Arthur and Sven were gracious enough to congratulate me without irony.
‘Cheers to that,’ said Sven raising his glass, and Arthur and I did the same.
‘Swanky in here, isn’t it?’ I said, looking around. There was no sign of our other shop-mates, and I knew Penn wouldn’t bother to show his face. Mike was in the far corner, mainlining peanuts, a row of empty champagne flutes beside him.
‘It certainly is,’ agreed Arthur. ‘I’m trying not to touch anything in case I’ve got book dust on my jacket.’
At least I wasn’t alone in feeling that way. I took another slug of my drink and wrapped my other arm around my middle. Then, through the crowd, Melissa walked over, still wearing the same gorgeous dress from earlier but accessorised with some large gold earrings and a slash of wine-red lipstick.
‘Darlings, thank you so much for coming. We’re long overdue a catch-up,’ she said to Sven and Arthur. ‘And I’d love to get to know you, Annie. Tell me, what are your plans for the shop? Such marvellous products – I imagine things are flying off the shelves.’
I wrinkled my nose. I’d said earlier that it was all going swimmingly, but there was something so disarming about her that I told the truth.
‘Well, we’re very glad to have you, and I’m sure things will pick up. It’s such a shame we’re going to be losing you two next year though,’ she said, turning to Arthur and Sven.
‘Oh,’ I said. ‘I didn’t know.’
‘We’re retiring,’ said Sven. ‘And making a big move.’
‘Sven’s whisking me off to his homeland. My Swedish is coming along very nicely.’
Sven grinned. ‘We need some more work on it. Yesterday, he said he’d seen a lovely purple dog, when what he meant was a lovely little dog.’
‘Swedish pronunciation is tricky,’ said Arthur, batting his arm.
‘We’ll miss you very much,’ said Melissa. ‘Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need a quick word with one of my staff. I think we’re running low on nibbles.’
‘What a woman,’ said Arthur as she went. ‘Single mother, you know – and putting three children through university. I don’t know how she does it.’
I glanced around at the price tags on her beauty products and had a pretty good idea how.
There was still no sign of Christa, and I wondered if she was coming or not. I hadn’t seen her since we’d had lunch so had no idea if she’d intended to come. Since Arthur and Sven were now engaged in conversation with another Pilgrim Street business owner, I was hoping for someone else I knew to buddy up with. I wandered around aimlessly, picking up the occasional habas frita or truffle crisp along the way. I ended up hovering around the doorway, nervously draining my drink.
The door swung open, and I turned round to see Penn standing there in a black leather jacket.
‘What are you doing here?’ I blurted.
‘Good evening to you too,’ he said.
‘I thought this wasn’t your kind of scene.’
He shrugged. ‘It doesn’t hurt to be friendly.’ He picked up a glass of Prosecco and surveyed the room.
We stood there quietly for a moment, and I awkwardly sipped my drink, my shoulder brushing his elbow as I raised my glass to my lips. He glanced down at me and gave the tiniest hint of a smile. My stomach turned over.
As well as objecting to the vibe of the party, he’d also said he wasn’t coming because he didn’t know anyone. But here he was. I felt a little ripple of pleasure that he’d maybe changed his mind because he actually did have someone, and that someone was me. After the weird atmosphere in the shop, maybe this was my chance to make it right.
‘So, which serum do you think you’ll go for?’ I joked, nodding towards the pristine displays. ‘The hyaluronic acid or the vitamin C?’
He looked at me, momentarily off guard, then laughed. ‘I don’t know. Which would you recommend?’
It was the first time I’d seen him properly smile since our encounter at the bar. I’d wondered if I’d ever see that smile again, and now here it was, surprising me. What surprised me even more was the attraction I’d felt towards him back then making a solid reappearance, but I extinguished it almost as quickly as it came. Musician Penn isn’t the same as Shop Penn , I reminded myself.
‘You’d have to ask Melissa – this isn’t my area of expertise. But I can offer you advice on which knitting pattern might best suit your personal style. I’m sure I’ve got one with an AC/DC logo on the front…’
He sipped his drink and struggled to suppress a smile. ‘I think I’m okay for jumpers, thanks very much. Besides, my knitting skills might be below par compared to yours. That little gonk you finished today looked decent actually.’
‘That little gonk was an octopus.’
‘Are you sure? I could only see seven legs.’
It was my turn to suppress a smile. This kind of conflict I could handle – the type with Nerf guns rather than real ones.
‘I knew you were interested in my side of the shop. At least you liked the gonk better than the salad spinners.’ I gave him an amused side-eye.
He tipped his head back and sighed good-naturedly. ‘I’m… acclimatising. When Mike told me you were selling artisan products, I was a bit taken aback when you unloaded the van.’
‘You don’t like it.’
He screwed up his nose. ‘I don’t love it. But it is what it is.’
‘Huh. How so?’
‘It’s very… you.’
I paused. What did he mean by that? That I was cheap and cheerful? Suddenly, the Nerf battle felt a bit more combative, and just as Penn caught the change in my expression, Mike came staggering up to us, a glass of fizz in each hand. I was about to decline, assuming he’d brought them for us, but he downed one and then started on the other.
‘My newest recruits,’ he slurred. ‘How are you both getting on?’
‘We’re getting along great,’ said Penn after a moment’s hesitation.
I flashed him a look. Were we? Considering the tense conclusion to our conversation just now, I would have said we were at least up and down.
‘I thought you two would get on like a house on fire,’ said Mike, beaming. ‘Especially when Penn told me how compatible you two would be.’
‘He did?’
‘Mmhm,’ said Mike, taking another drink. ‘Weren’t as keen on the other applicants, were you, Penn?’
‘Other applicants?’ I asked, confused.
‘There were other interested parties that hadn’t committed. Penn suggested you.’
I looked up at Penn and felt my cheeks warm with pleasant surprise. He smiled uncomfortably, took a sip of his Prosecco and glanced away. But before I could ask any more questions, Melissa glided over and stroked Penn’s arm.
‘Sweetie, I’m so glad you came,’ she purred. ‘I was hoping to have a proper chat, not just a quickie over the shop counter.’
Penn flushed as Mike spluttered out a mouthful of his drink. Melissa gave Mike a stony glare, and his face fell. It wasn’t just a chilly exchange; it was glacial.
‘Come with me, Penn,’ she said, taking his arm and leading him away. She shot Mike a look over her shoulder. ‘Come and talk to the grown-ups.’ She ushered him over to some stylish guests and made introductions.
‘Yikes,’ I said.
‘Pshh,’ Mike said, flapping his hand. ‘Mel and I aren’t the best of pals. She only invites me to these things to keep up appearances.’
‘Riiight,’ I said, noticing Melissa flick a glance towards Mike, her nostrils flaring. I looked down into my glass, wondering how much looser Mike’s lips might get with the copious amount of alcohol flowing through his veins. As curious as I was, I wasn’t about to take advantage of his inebriation and dig deeper about what had happened there.
‘Anyway, ignore me. I’m rambling.’ He looked at me with a beleaguered, hangdog expression, and I scrambled for something to say before he could tell me his full medical history or the pin number for his bank card.
‘Um… I heard about Sven and Arthur retiring! What a shame – they’re so nice.’
He ran a palm down his face. ‘Don’t even get me started on that. The chances of me finding long-term tenants like that are bloody slim. You wouldn’t know anyone, would you?’
I shook my head.
His mouth settled into a grim line. ‘It’s tough in retail. Rising rates, rising prices. I’ve got to keep those units filled or the books just won’t balance. I’m sure it’ll be fine though. With you and Penn keeping the lamp alight with your unit, and Christa and Jake doing alright too, we’ll keep the ship afloat, eh?’
I forced a smile. After today’s performance, I wasn’t sure I had the confidence in myself that Mike seemed to.
He tipped his glass towards me and wandered off, almost bumping into Melissa as he went. She looked at him with open disdain then spoke to him tersely. He plonked down his glass, shambled towards the door and left.
Penn, left alone after Melissa had been distracted by Mike, stood against the counter scanning the room with studied indifference. He oozed self-assuredness, whereas if I was left alone, I’d be frantically looking for someone to talk to. We were so unalike.
Why had he picked me to share the shop with, over and above the other options? Maybe the others had been offering goods and services even more undesirable than mine, so it stood to reason that he’d been disappointed with my ‘artisan’ products, which were apparently so very me . And now we were stuck together, he probably bitterly regretted it. But I’d seen a glimmer of common ground when we’d joked together earlier. It reminded me of that easy flirtation in the bar, when I’d wondered if there was something there, and I’d felt disappointed when he’d walked away. Of course, we had to keep things professional now, but if we were going to make this work, I’d need to try and tap back into that relaxed kind of conversation.
I stood up straighter, deciding to just go over there and present Penn with the highest-quality banter I could muster.
Then my phone rang.
‘Annie, pet.’
‘Hiya, Mam.’
Her voice trembled. ‘It’s your dad – he’s had an accident. Can you come to A&E right away?’
I rang off and bolted for the door.