Page 62 of The Village Christmas Party

Out of the corner of my eye, I see two women arguing over something, so head over to investigate. They both have theirhands on a dress, claiming they saw it first and refusing to budge.

‘I definitely picked it up first,’ says the slightly aggressive brunette with tattooed eyebrows.

‘You never did,’ says the older woman calmly. ‘I definitely picked it up before you. I only placed it back for literally a second to retrieve my purse from my bag.’

‘But you put it back on the rail,’ the brunette reasons.

‘I placed it over the rail, it was obvious I wanted it. You just snatched it up,’ says the woman, losing a little of her calm.

‘I don’t see how it would even fit you,’ says tattooed-browed brunette, flicking her eyes over the woman’s body. She has a point though. The lady is definitely not a size ten.

‘It’s for my daughter, if you must know!’ says the woman indignantly.

‘Well, it was on the rail, so still for sale in my book,’ says the brunette defiantly.

Both the women still have hold of the dress and I hope they don’t start a tug of war. I think it’s going to take all my powers of diplomacy to sort this one out, as I know we have no more of that particular dress in stock.

‘I can see how tricky this is.’ I smile charmingly before rifling through the rail.

‘But honestly?’ I turn to the brunette. ‘I really think that this is more your colour.’

I show her a similar dress, red in colour rather than the green they are arguing over.

‘You have similar colouring to me, and I suit red,’ I explain, using all my powers of persuasion.

She eyes the pretty dress that has a further five per cent discount than the green one they are fighting over.

‘Hmm. I never noticed that,’ she says, taking it from me and placing it against her body, moving this way and that in front ofa nearby mirror. ‘And, yes, people do tell me that I suit red.’ She considers it for a moment. ‘Fine, I’ll try it on.’

She lets go of the other dress, before giving the older woman a filthy look and flouncing towards the changing rooms.

The woman hurriedly pays for the purchase before the brunette returns.

‘And that is why you are the best member of staff here,’ says Gemma, having watched the situation unfold. ‘I would never have had the patience to deal with anything like that.’ She shakes her head.

Thankfully, the brunette returns with the dress smiling, saying it fitted like a glove and the colour was perfect.

‘Anyway, where were we?’ I say, drama over and both women having left the store.

‘Oh, you were saying, surely I wouldn’t consider moving to Wales for a guy.’

‘I never said that exactly.’ I pause for a minute to serve a customer with some nail polish.

‘No, but maybe that was half of the reason, pathetic right?’ Gemma sighs. ‘Am I really that desperate for a partner?’

‘Not at all,’ I say gently. ‘And I do recall you saying that you missed all the camaraderie with the family.’

‘I guess so, but realistically how often would those type of get-togethers be likely to take place? Probably little more than on special occasions. Everyone has jobs and busy lives. Perhaps I got carried away with the festive atmosphere,’ she admits. ‘I’m always the same when we all get together.’

‘Well only you can make that decision, just make sure it’s for the right reasons,’ I advise.

‘I will. Good job I have you as the voice of reason.’

Gemma is friends with a couple of the other staff here and is always up for a night out with them, even though I sometimes decline if I have other plans. Maybe her life would feel completeif she had a significant other, whereas I have never felt like I need a man to make my life complete. Until Kian came along, that is. I enjoy my work and my downtime with family and friends, although the possibility of Gemma moving away has definitely made me think about taking up a regular hobby.

I still get goosebumps when I relive the moment Kian’s lips briefly met my cheek, and my stomach flips over when I think of our date tonight. I am currently stressing over what to wear and can’t wait to get home and rifle through my wardrobe. The cinema is kind of a casual date although we are dining too, but I can’t really justify buying anything new, although I have noticed a gorgeous grey silk blouse that has been hugely discounted. The last one just happens to be in my size too.

I don’t talk too much of my date tonight and Gemma doesn’t really ask about it as I think she still has her reservations about Kian. I’m not exactly sure why she has assumed he can’t be trusted, just because of a purchase. But then, Gemma does tend to jump to conclusions at times. One thing is for sure though. I will be sure to tell Kian that Gemma mentioned serving him the other day, then maybe the truth will come out. At least I hope so.

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