Chapter 7
7
C ally clicked the red button on the top left hand side of her new laptop’s screen, sighed, pushed back her chair, and rolled her head from left to right. She’d spent a long six-hour shift working as Alex, the chatbot responder and it had not been one of her better experiences. The day had been a big, long loop of the same old problems she’d been dealing with for years and years. Sometimes, she just wanted to put a rude response on the screen just to see how it would kick off. However, needing her wages at the end of the week always put paid to doing that. One day, though, she’d do it just for a laugh. How funny it would be to tell one of the customers that she didn’t give a hoot and couldn’t care less that their silk blouse had shrunk on a hand wash. She chuckled to herself at the thought.
Pushing her chair back, she went into the kitchen, poured a fair old helping of blackcurrant cordial into a glass mug, flicked the switch on the top of the kettle, and waited for it to boil. Once she had her cup of hot drink, she shuffled into the sitting room, moved her laptop from the desk, propped it up on a pile of books on the coffee table, and prepared to video chat with Eloise. She clicked Eloise’s number and waited for it to connect.
A few seconds later, Eloise’s face appeared on the screen. ‘Hiya. How are you? What's up?’
‘How do you know something is up?’
‘You wanted to video call. I always know that’s serious.’ Eloise joked.
‘Sometimes I think you know me better than I know myself.’
‘Yup.’
‘So…’
‘Oh dear, oh dear. Do I need a gin for this? Intravenous vodka?’
‘I have this invite.’
‘To?’
‘The races and not just any old races.’
‘Ouch.’ Eloise sucked air in through her teeth. ‘I know where this is going.’
‘Precisely.’
‘It’s like sponsored by the manor, as in not just a race but the whole shebang.’ Cally flashed the invitation in front of the screen.
Eloise swore. ‘This is huge. Your feet are well and truly under the table. It’ll be wedding bells next.’
Cally made a funny shrieking noise. ‘Ahh, don’t say that!’
‘You need outfit assistance, I assume?’
Cally nodded. ‘Tell me about it. Which is why I’m video calling you.’
Eloise made a wincing face. ‘I’m not sure I can help you with this. I’m not qualified on what to wear to the races.’
‘You have to! I’m desperate, or I will be.’
Eloise chuckled. ‘Okay, okay. First things first, do you have any idea what kind of thing you might like?’ Eloise raised her eyebrows. ‘And not your usual school uniform look.’
Cally shook her head. ‘I like my uniform. It’s nice and safe. Not a clue. Something elegant but not too over the top.’
‘Sheesh.’
‘I don’t want to look like I’m trying too hard, but I also don’t want to look like I don’t belong.’
‘Right, balance is key. Colours. Don’t they always wear pastels and suchlike? Princess Kate always nails it. Follow her lead. Google the heck out of her.’
Cally shuddered. ‘Honestly, don’t even go there.’
‘Or something with a floral print?’
‘I’ll look like my grandma’s curtains,’ Cally stated morosely.
‘Trouser suit?’
‘Nope.’
Eloise nodded. ‘As I said, I reckon pastels are always a good choice for the races. Nothing too busy.’
Cally sighed. ‘This is already feeling overwhelming. Why? Why do I have to put myself through this?’
‘Don’t worry, we’ll sort it out. Do you need a hat?’
Cally groaned. ‘Logan mentioned his mum and her hat collection. Little does he know that I had the job of decluttering it a few months ago. Oh, the irony. It’s like Cinderella goes to the ball, but in my case, it’s the races.’
‘Hats are tricky.’
‘I think it’s a given that I’ll be wearing something on my head. I need to google the dress code.’
‘Go subtle.’
‘Subtle, definitely. I don’t want to feel like I have a satellite dish on my head. You see some horrors in the Daily Mail.’
Eloise laughed. ‘Too easy then. Heels?’
‘Probably heels, but nothing too high. I need to be able to walk without wobbling.’
‘Do you have any shoes that might work already?’
Cally shook her head. ‘Me? God no! I have ballet flats, boots and a few pairs of past-their-best trainers. Nope, I’ll need to get a new pair of heels. I need everything new! Which is why I’m panicking. It’s going to dent my savings and then some.’
‘Okay, so we’re looking for a dress, a hat, and shoes. We can do this. Have you got any ideas where to shop?’
‘No.’
‘You should go somewhere nice. Start early, have a nice lunch, and make a day of it.’
‘Yeah, maybe.’
‘Show me the invitation again.’
Cally pulled the invitation from her bag and held it up to the camera. ‘Here it is. The races, sponsored by Lovely Manor. It’s all very fancy.’
Eloise examined the invitation on the screen. ‘Very fancy indeed. Leave it to me. We’ll go somewhere nice and come back with the whole thing done and dusted. Make a day of it. Honestly, don’t stress.’
‘I hope you’re right. Yes, okay we’ll organise something.’
Eloise nodded. ‘Trust me, I’m a doctor.’
‘No, you’re not.’
‘I know. Sounds good, though.’
Cally wasn’t quite as sure. The closer it got, the less and less she fancied the races at all.