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After a pit stop for lunch, they only had one more item on the wish list.
‘We don’t have too long before we have to head back and set to work on the costumes,’ Katie said.
Jess checked her watch. ‘Shall we split up to see what we can find?’
‘Good idea. We still need hats too!’
They went their separate ways and just as they were about to give up, Jess messaged to say she’d found a fringed shawl in a closing-down sale.
On the way to meet her, Katie pounced on four glittery silver cowboy hats from a party-supplies stall. They’d also match her boots, if she dared wear them.
Laden with their hauls, they drove back to the car park as the sun was sinking lower. Arlo arrived to collect them. He remarked on all the shopping bags and on the way over to the house, Katie asked him a question that had been burning in her mind since she’d first been invited to the barn dance.
‘Um. Arlo. What will you be wearing to the barn dance?’
‘Oh, I dunno. I usually wear jeans, boots and an old plaid shirt.’
Katie and Jess burst out laughing but Arlo glanced round in dismay.
‘What have I said?’
Wanda bounced up like Tigger the moment they walked into the house. Glowing from the excitement of her day out, she couldn’t even wait for them to unload their bags in the hall.
‘Oh, it was amazing. Why have I waited so long? Even with the wetsuit, the water felt freezing, of course, and at first I thought: What the hell have you done?’ She giggled. ‘Erin and the others encouraged me and eventually, I made it! Did you know that one of the ladies is a high court judge? And one of them only has half a leg. She was in a motorbike accident but she’s a fantastic swimmer. I thought if she can do, it so can I! Am I going on too much? Sorry …’
Katie basked in her aunt’s happiness. ‘Don’t be. I’m loving hearing about it. It sounds absolutely wonderful.’
‘I don’t think I’d have dared,’ Jess said.
‘Well, Erin and, um, I think she’s called Magda or Martha or something – she’s the Tantric Sex Woman—’
‘Tantric Sex Woman?’ Katie exclaimed.
‘Yes. I can’t get it out of my mind that she teaches that stuff and now I have a mental block on her real name so I call her Tantric Sex Woman to myself. Or just TSW.’
Katie giggled. ‘I love it! I must put her in a book.’
‘No, please don’t! What if she found out?’
‘I’m joking,’ Katie said, having mentally filed the TSW away for inclusion in a future book. In fact, the TSW might inspire a whole book.
‘You’ve got that look!’ Wanda said, horrified. ‘That look where you’re plotting something. I know you too well!’ Suddenly she let out a squeak. ‘Oh, but I have a surprise for you. You won’t believe this but we’ve all been invited to a do tomorrow night!’
Katie and Jess exchanged glances.
‘It’s a Twixmas Barn Dance and it’s a tradition here. All the local farmers and people who work on the land get together for a big do in the barn at the end of the lake. There’s a live band and loads of lovely food and a bar. Erin and the TSW – I mean Magda – are on the organising committee and they asked if we’d all like to go and make up a table. It’s all for the local farming charity so I think we ought to really. If you don’t mind …’ Her voice trailed off as she saw the two faces trained on her. ‘Oh dear, have I done the right thing?’
Katie smiled. ‘Of course you have. We’re smiling because we’ve already been invited too.’
‘You have?’
Athene sauntered in from the kitchen with an espresso. ‘Greg asked if I’d like to go – um – if we’d like to go too,’ she said.
‘Oh, what a relief. I’m so glad you’re all OK with the idea. I’m afraid I may have mentioned to the girls that Katie is a bit famous.’
‘I’m not!’ Katie objected, hating the ‘F’ word.
‘Well, Magda has heard of you and two of the other ladies have read your books so you are. I said you might consider donating a signed copy to the raffle.’
