‘Looks like there are about three or four,’ he told her. ‘You want me to carry them out to the backroom?’
‘If you wouldn’t mind,’ Carole agreed.
Holly relieved her boss of the clothes that she had been carrying and quickly went to work getting the store set up for the day’s business. There was no denying it, she was in an energetic mood, and she knew that the weather outside would only help custom today. While it might be normal human inclination to stay bundled up inside when the weather got messy, conversely New Yorkers tended to be driven out, filling the streets with holiday shopping treks and other festive wanderings. She knew that they would have a busy day.
‘Ready to do some psychic sorting?’ Carole reappeared from the backroom, and plopped a big box on the counter between her and Holly.
She grinned. ‘Yep!’
Carole detached the packing slip and ripped open the box. She pulled out the first piece, a big beautiful beige leather bag. Holly could immediately tell it was a Kelly original, still in almost mint condition. Most of their stock came from upscale clients who thoroughly inspected and cleaned most of what they wanted sold.
‘Well?’ Carole enquired, eyeing her.
‘Kelly original for sure, immaculate as far as I can see.’
‘Well, I knowthatmuch … ’
Holly closed her eyes and dramatically held the bag out in front of her. ‘Tall, beautiful, in her twenties, no children, adored Grace Kelly, in a secretary pool at … ’ she peered through one eye to see Carole smiling. ‘The New Yorkermaybe?’ Wound up marrying her boss who was much shorter, but that didn’t matter. He was wealthy beyond her wildest dreams.’
‘So that made her happy?’ Carole asked, trying to hide a grin.
Holly stroked the leather bag, kept in such perfect condition by its owner, probably on a high shelf in a protective pouch, with other bags lined up military style next to it.
‘The bag definitely did.’
‘And would money make you happy?’
Holly laughed. ‘No way: love only for me. I need to feel it like a ton of bricks.’
Carole shook her head. ‘Such a softie … good luck with that.’
Holly delved further into the box. She loved new deliveries – the thrill of finding something unique always gave her a rush, and there was truly something bittersweet about going through the discarded remains of someone’s life, of bygone times.
Holly marvelled as she pulled out one designer piece of clothing after another, hanging each on an empty rack as she worked. There were some fun party tops, two sequinned dresses - good pieces, but a little flashy.
Holly smiled as she admired each piece in her arms. Her breath caught as she noticed a particularly gorgeous fifties Givenchy party dress. She hung it on the rack for a better look, certain that this dress would not be around for long. She stroked the rich, black silken material and gazed longingly at the tiny delicate crystals that graced the full tulle skirt. It really was a special dress.
She closed her eyes, wondering where it had come from and the kind of person who had worn it … what parties it had actually experienced in its past life, the fun and romance it had inevitably inspired when it was worn by some young, beautiful woman of another era. A dress like this had surely seen some good times, and she was positive the fun to be had wasn’t over yet. Holly smiled, realising that destiny would soon deem someone else suitable to meet this dress … that the next chapter of this beautiful garment’s life was about to begin, right here.
‘It’s just so beautiful, don’t you think?’ she said to Carole. ‘Can you imagine the life it’s had?’
‘I’m sure it’s had a very interesting existence,’ Carole noted dryly, reading the delivery record. ‘Seems this lot came directly from Anna Bowery’s collection.’
Holly’s eyes widened at the mention of the well-known, elderly New York socialite. Anna Bowery had been famous during the 1950s and 1960s for rubbing shoulders with people like Frank Sinatra, the Kennedys, Clark Gable even. Truly this dress must have seen some incredible times.
‘Wow … can you imagine? She might have danced with Marlon Brando in this dress, or talked about books with J.D. Salinger while wearing it … ’ Holly felt goose bumps. ‘Such an amazing life already. Whoever buys this is truly getting a piece of history,’ she said reverently. ‘It’s a dress that is made for magic. What girl wouldn’t want to be kissed in this? It’s simply meant for falling in love.’
‘Sounds like someone else has actually fallen inlust,’ Carole smiled. ‘I bet it would fit you,’ she ventured.
Holly laughed and shook her head ruefully.
‘Nope, not evenwithmy store discount could I afford that. Besides, where would I wear it? This dress needs to be danced in – on a big occasion, like New Year’s Eve or something. My New Year’s Eve consists of popcorn on the couch with Danny, watching the ball drop on TV.’
Carole raised her eyebrows. ‘Spoken like a true spinster. Go on, Holly, try it on. Just to see. It will be fun.’
Holly smiled, and for a moment the urge to try on the dress was so strong that she was sure she would cave. But there was no point. Even if it did look good on her, the reality was that she had nowhere to wear something this lovely. It didn’t deserve to live out its days going unworn in her closet.
Of course, she wished she had somewhere to wear it, and, more to the point, she wished it were that easy just to hand over her Visa and think only of her own desires. But it wasn’t how things were in her life - she had Danny to think about, and every year she was more and more determined to make his Christmas magical, even if it meant forgoing parties or events to which she was occasionally invited. While sometimes she felt it might be nice to go out on the town, she didn’t resent Danny for not doing so. She was happy with how things were.
