44
‘If it’s drinks rather than a meal, I wouldn’t go too dressy,’ Saffy said the following evening.
I’d given Milly an update yesterday and had rung Paulette in the evening. With my permission, she’d told Saffy I had a date which immediately led to an offer from Saffy to help me get ready. She had a great eye for style and she always looked effortlessly beautiful so I’d been happy to accept.
Saffy removed a pair of stylish jeans from my wardrobe. ‘Ooh! These still have the label on.’
‘I’ve never worn them,’ I admitted. ‘One of the Cake & Crafters had a pair on and I thought they looked fabulous on her so I ordered some but haven’t had the guts to wear them. I usually wear leggings and I thought those might be a bit trendy for me.’
Saffy grinned at me while shaking her head. ‘Tonight’s the night and don’t start on the age thing again. You don’t look your age and, even if you did, sixty’s the new forty and something to be proud of.’ She placed the jeans on my bed and turned to the railing, riffling through the tops. ‘We have a winner!’
I hadn’t worn the top either. I made most of my own clothes and favoured plain colours or dainty patterns but this particular one had caught my eye on a mannequin in a Keswick shop window and I’d impulse purchased it. White with a giant turquoise flower, it had a chiffon overlay, floaty sleeves and a tied waist.
‘You don’t think it makes too much of a statement?’
Saffy led me to the mirror and held the top up against me. ‘Itdoesmake a statement and that’sI’m a beautiful, confident woman and you definitely want to see me again!Can’t you hear it?’
I had to laugh. Saffy was so good to be around and I felt recently as though I was seeing the real strong, confident, capable woman that she was rather than a scared young girl putting on a brave face.
She wanted to do my make-up and then my hair before I dressed. As she wound tresses of my hair around a styling wand she’d brought with her, I asked her how it was going with Felix and her eyes lit up.
‘He’s amazing. Perfection, no notes.’
‘Perfection, no notes? What does that mean?’
‘That I don’t have any notes to give him – you know, feedback on things to improve. He’s a ten out of ten. Twelve out of ten! He’s gorgeous, obvs, but he doesn’t know it. He’s funny, witty, clever and such a nice person.’ She released a spiral of hair and wound another tress around the wand. ‘I thought Kyle was the one but we got to uni and he turned into a bad boy which 100 per cent confirmed to me that bad boys arenotmy vibe.’
She continued to curl my hair while she told me more about Felix – how good he was with the staff and customers, how he never lorded it over anyone else that his parents owned the place, how passionate he was about cooking and how he loved being able to cook and bake simpler dishes for the café but get more adventurous for the evening bistro.
‘You seem so happy and settled here in Willowdale,’ I said.
‘I am. Waitressing isn’t my dream career but The White Willow’s such a great place to work so it’s ideal for me while I explore my art and maybe go down an interior design route.’
‘Perfection, no notes?’ I asked, making her laugh.
‘Perfection, but with just one note.’ Her smile slipped and her expression became wistful. ‘I wish I could be here with my parents’ blessing.’
‘How are things going with them?’ Paulette hadn’t said anything the last few times we’d worked together so I’d assumed there was no change.
‘Dad visited yesterday.’ The monotone words and lack of smile suggested it hadn’t been a roaring success.
‘But not your mum?’
‘No. She’s still hurting apparently. I can’t even…’ She shook her head, sighing. ‘Grandma made me show Dad the footage of Kyle being drunk and some of the messages he’d sent me, proving he was the one who’d gone off the rails and that he’d lied about it. Dad wanted to know why I hadn’t shared it all earlier so I told him I wanted my own parents to believe me without me having to produce evidence. I also told him that I was really pissed off with them that they hadn’t. I felt bad saying that but he needed to know. I don’t understand why they’d automatically think the worst of me.’
‘I’m sorry you weren’t believed before. Now that your dad knows the truth, I presume he’ll tell your mum.’
‘Yeah. He was pretty gutted about the whole thing. I thought he was gonna cry but he gave me this huge hug instead – nearly broke my ribs. He wanted me to send him the videos so he could show Mum but I told him that, if she doesn’t believe him without seeing them for herself, there’s no way forward for her and me. Even if she does believe him, our relationship will never be the same again. It can’t be. The way Mum’s treated me and Grandma is bang out of order and it’s not like either of us did anything wrong. The damage is done and she needs to take responsibility for that. I know it sounds harsh, but…’
I nodded when she tailed off. ‘You’ve been treated unfairly and it’s bound to leave scars.’
Saffy picked up a wide-tooth comb and ran it through my hair, loosening the spirals.
‘I told Dad I want to come home to clear my room out and I don’t want Mum there. He tried to talk me out of it saying it’s my home but Mum made me feel like it wasn’t and that can’t be undone. I’ll never move back in, even if she does get her act together and apologises to me and Grandma for everything she’s done. Willowdale’s my home now. I’ve got everything here that I’ve ever wanted so why would I leave it? In fact, I change my verdict. Willowdale is also perfection, no notes. I don’t need Mum’s validation to be happy here.’
She put the comb down and fluffed up my hair before instructing me to close my eyes while she gave a mist of hairspray. ‘I’ll chat to Trevor while you’re getting dressed. Don’t mess up your hair.’
‘Yes, Mum!’
