Liv was too tired to search around the city for somewhere else. When she entered the shop there were more dried starfishes on display than there were swimsuits. The changing rooms had driftwood doors and looked like beach huts. Picking up a silk sarong, she broke into a coughing fit when she saw its price tag.
A man wearing white shorts, a coral necklace and a name badge that said, RANDALL, appeared and whisked the sarong out of her hands.He did the same when she found a pair of navy shorts for Johnny, and a striped Machiavelli beach bag for Katrina. ‘You havesuchgood taste. I’ll pop them in the changing room,’ he said before Liv could check the prices.
Too embarrassed to leave, she admired a Machiavelli swimsuit that shimmered green and silver like a mermaid. Randall appeared at her shoulder once more, like an unwanted genie. ‘Stunning, isn’t it? So darling.’ He dabbed a finger along a nearby half-empty rail. ‘I think we have the larger size for you, babe,’ he said with a wink.
By the time Liv made it into the changing rooms, she had more things on hooks than were in the shop. She kept on her underwear and wriggled into the swimsuit. It held her in all the places that needed nipping, and gave her the streamlined shape she hadn’t seen since Mack and Johnny arrived and reconfigured her body.
‘How are you getting on?’ Randall cooed through the driftwood slats.
Liv jumped around and covered herself with her hands. ‘It’s beautiful, but I’d need a second mortgage to…’
He interrupted with a well-rehearsed spiel. ‘Machiavelli is a new brand, so chic. The costume will see you through autumn and into next spring, too. You’d only spend the same on a nice meal.’
Liv wondered how many people lived inthatalternate reality, until she recalled how much she’d spent in Sorrento’s.
‘I hate to rush you,’ Randall said. ‘We’re closing in ten minutes… I’ve found the dress to match the swimsuit. I’ll pop it on the hook outside for you.’
Liv tried on the green dress. It looked and felt gorgeous,cascading over her curves. She was too hungover to shop elsewhere and still had the expense cash envelope in her bag.
She hurriedly got dressed, and carried the dress, two swimsuits and bag to the counter.
Randall placed the items in a shiny bag and slid it across to her. ‘That’s£726, please,’ he said. ‘I’ll pop in a free sun cream sample.’
Liv felt like she’d been shoved off a high diving board and smacked the water in a belly flop. That amount would pay her and Jake’s mortgage and household bills for a month. She pressed a hand to the counter to steady herself and knocked a starfish onto the floor.
‘I’ll get that,’ Randall said. ‘Cash or credit card?’
Liv needed a few moments of recovery time. She crouched down and picked up the starfish, trying to ward off her hyperventilation. Her neck strained as she got back to her feet. ‘Cash, please,’ she said.
Chapter 28
Spa Day
‘What actually happens today?’ Johnny said from the back of the car as Jake pulled onto the gravel driveway of Hampton Hall for Katrina’s birthday. The former stately home looked like the setting for a BBC Victorian drama. ‘Do we bob around in the pool and eat lettuce leaves?’
He was still hamming up his broken arm, even though it had healed well. Sometimes he was eager to get back to normal, screwing up his eyes as he performed his physiotherapy exercises. On other occasions, he swore he couldn’t pick up his underpants off the bathroom floor, or hang his towel on the radiator. He was growing quieter as his university start date approached.
‘We’ll just go with the flow,’ Jake said. ‘Your aunt likes this kind of thing.’
‘This kind of torture.’ Mack laughed.
Liv turned to face her boys. ‘Look, let’s just try to enjoy ourselves,’ she said, ordering herself to do the same thing.
When she got out of the car her new dress looked parrot green in the daylight. She felt overdressed compared to Jake, Mack and Johnny, who wore jeans and T-shirts.
She and Jake performed air-kisses and embraces with a multitude of his relatives before heading into a room decorated with gold helium balloons and HAPPY 50TH BIRTHDAY banners. A long table was set out with glasses of Buck’s Fizz and orange juice, and the tiniest bacon and egg sandwiches she’d ever seen.
Katrina stood in the middle of the floor clutching armfuls of gift bags. She’d forgone her usual power suit and wore a white linen one instead with red heels. Her stiff quiff remained and Liv wondered if it would collapse in the sauna. She queued with Jake to give the present to her sister-in-law.
‘What did we buy her?’ he asked.
She had already told him. ‘A beach bag.’
‘Is that all?’
‘You can sort out her present in the future,’ she said.
‘I only asked,’ he huffed.
