All three faces were looking at her. They had cups and milk already on the table and clearly had been watching her.
These are kind people; they care for me. I shouldn’t have burdened them. She smiled.
“Okay, what shall I wear to impressthe boss?”
OceanofPDF.com
NINE
The next day. Guernsey, 4pm
“I need help.” Millie stood in front of the shop counter, her hands gripping her bagnervously.
She couldn’t remember the last time she’d bought any evening clothes.
Never, that’s when.
Ten years ago, when she’d still been newly married and they’d had the time to go out, they hadn’t had the money for a posh dress. Then she’d started working double shifts, and what she’d lost in time she’d gained in weight around her hips and in derisive comments from Henry. His frequentYou’re not like other women, Millie. Look in the mirror and see the differencestill stung.
Joanie had advised her to make a strong statement. Go to a posh shop and ask for a killer little black dress.
Millie doubted she was a “little black dress” kind of girl.
Nurse Ann, on the other hand, advised her to choose something she felt comfortable wearing, then dress it up with a red stole and some pearls.
Millie knew, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that she wasn’t a “pearls” kind of girl.
So she’d taken the afternoon off and hopped on the ferry to Guernsey for another visit to the department store where she’d got her colour consultation. Hopefully she wasn’t asking too much from Gavin and Philippa. They’d already given her so muchattention.
But they met her with hugs and kisses, and five minutes later, she was sitting in the swivel chair opposite the huge mirror surrounded by spotlights. Philippa brought her a cup of espresso and a glass of ice-cold water.
Even worse, when she tried to pay for their time, Philippa refused. “Don’t be silly, it’s a slow afternoon.”
Gavin agreed. “We should pay you for letting us practice on you. Besides, our manager is out for a… er, long lunch, if you know what I mean.” Gavin mimeddrinking.
She laughed, but their kindness nearly brought tears to her eyes. Recently, her life seemed full of kind people.
Except for her boss and his father.
“I have a dinner tonight,” Millie said. “It’s a formal restaurant, apparently we have to dress up, and I havenothing.”
“Evening wear?” Gavin came to stand behind her and looked at her reflection in the mirror. “What do you want? Classic, glamourousor sexy?”
Part of her wanted to ask for glamorous, maybe bordering on sexy, but the rest of herdisagreed.
Millie watched herself in the mirror. Mrs B would counsel classic and respectable. Joanie, on the other hand, well there was no doubt Joanie would choose sexy all the way.
Which was the betterway to go?
And then it struck her, she was still thinking about whom to please. What about her? What didMilliewant?
Pleasing herself was not a familiar practice, and her confidence, her “freedom walk” as Ann liked to call it, was new. She kept expecting Henry and his mistress to come from round the corner andmock her.
She looked at Gavin. “Maybe classic but not too, you know,matronly.”
Gavin’s face slumped. “Darling, I don’t want you to belamb dressed as muttontonight.”
She didn’t want to look like she was trying too hard, either. Maybe she’d fantasised about George, but it wasn’t Fantasy George she would meet tonight, was it? It was the real Ogre George, scary and grumpy, who didn’t seem to likeher much.
