Page 82 of Second Chances at the Board Game Café

‘Like it?’ said Jo.

‘Love it,’ said Taylor.

Max had climbed onto the catwalk now. ‘Look, Mum.’ He walked down the catwalk towards them, struck a pose at the end, then, with a flick of his hair, turned and walked back again. ‘I’ve been watching fashion shows on YouTube,’ he called over his shoulder.

What had happened to her quiet son, the one who liked to blend into the background? He had grown in confidence in the last few weeks, despite the recent events at Essendale Primary. Perhaps it was going to school with Ava and Ollie, or playing games with Harry at the board game café. Or maybe a combination of both?

The models all arrived at six. Jo had organised a briefing. She was in charge backstage and would ensure that everyone was wearing the right outfit at the right time and that they appeared in the right order. Taylor had wanted to be backstage too, in case there were any glitches with the garments that needed fixing at the last minute, but Kate insisted she stayed out front so she could see the show itself.

‘This is your moment, Taylor,’ Kate kept saying. ‘Sit back and enjoy every second.’

After the show itself, a few of the items would be presented again to be sold, with Kate acting as auctioneer, a role she clearly relished.

‘I’ve bought a gavel especially,’ she said, brandishing the item. ‘And I’ve been obsessively watching Homes under the Hammer and Bargain Hunt, so I know how it’s done.’

Taylor laughed. Max was in Jo’s briefing – he seemed to be taking this modelling business very seriously – but she hadn’t seen Harry yet. She hoped he hadn’t got cold feet about his modelling debut.

43

Harry wished the woman would hurry up.

It had seemed a good idea at the time, booking to have his hair cut at a fancy new salon. He wanted to look his best for Taylor as he modelled the train waistcoat that she’d made for him. But the client before him had been running late, and then she’d changed her mind about the cut she was having, wanting it shorter than she’d originally said, and Harry had had to sit there waiting whilst it was done, then when he’d said he was in a hurry as he was modelling in a fashion show that evening and the briefing meeting was at six, the hairdresser had got very chatty, wanting to know all about the show.

To cap it all, the 17.35 from Halifax hadn’t arrived until 17.47. Much as Harry loved trains, he had to admit you couldn’t rely on them – not in this neck of the woods anyway. It was quarter past six when he finally arrived in the school hall.

The first thing he noticed was the catwalk. He gulped. No-one had told him it was a proper catwalk.

The second thing he noticed was the number of chairs. No-one had told him that there’d be this many people in the audience.

The third thing he noticed was Taylor. She was sitting by herself, biting her nails.

He walked straight over to her and put a hand on her shoulder. ‘Don’t worry. It’s going to be great.’

‘Harry.’

Was it his imagination or did she sound excited to see him?

She stood up and faced him. ‘You’ve had your hair done. It looks great.’

‘Thanks. That’s why I’m so late.’

‘Especially for the show? Oh, Harry, thank you.’ And with that, she put her arms round his neck, pulling him in for a hug. He relaxed into it, burying his face in her hair, and enjoying the citrussy scent of her shampoo.

‘Testing, testing,’ came a voice over the PA. Harry looked up to see Kate, standing on the stage, microphone in hand. ‘One, two, three. Testing. Aren’t you supposed to be in the briefing meeting, Harry?’

‘She’s right. You should be in the meeting,’ said Taylor. ‘It’s in one of the classrooms. I’ll show you.’

He followed her out of the hall and down a corridor to one of the classrooms, where Jo was perched on the teacher’s table, Filofax in hand. A group of people – the other models, presumably – were sitting on the children’s chairs, listening intently. Harry waved at Max, who was sitting at the front of the class.

‘Harry,’ said Jo. ‘You’re a little late. But you’re modelling the train waistcoat, so if you stick with Max, you’ll be fine. Now, everyone, change in one of the classrooms. Males in Year 4. Females in Year 3. And then we’re going to assemble on the stage, behind the curtains, at 6.45. People who have a costume change are up first, so as soon as you’re done with your first outfit, go back to your classroom and change into your second. Is everyone clear?’

There was a general murmur of assent. Harry gulped. Was he really going to do this? He was the man who used to wear the dullest possible clothes, hoping to blend into the background, yet here he was about to stand up on a catwalk in front of loads of people wearing a bright green waistcoat printed with little trains.

What had Taylor done to him?

‘Harry, will you look after Max?’ Taylor said. ‘Backstage? And on the catwalk? I’ll be in the audience.’

‘Of course,’ he said.