Page 34 of A Wish For Wilma
‘Well, I’ve nae idea who Carol-Anne is, but give me a good old pea and ham any day of the week,’ said Janette.
Jinnie stifled a giggle. Sam ordered two Keralan soups and a side of flatbreads for dipping.
‘What’s brought on the soup-making?’ asked Jinnie. ‘Aren’t you getting a bit fancy-pants for Cranley?’
‘It was Harvey’s idea.’ Jo grimaced. ‘Since he spent all that time in London, he thinks I need to expand my repertoire.’ She leaned in. ‘But the peasants are revolting,’ she whispered.
Seated with their soups, which were utterly delicious, Jinnie and Sam scoped the room. Alison Gale entered and immediately joined Janette and Peggy. Perhaps it was her overwrought imagination, but Jinnie sensed a sparkbetween Alison and Janette. Surely not? Those two were like chalk and cheese.
Then Alison left her seat and sidled towards Jinnie. ‘I hope I’m not speaking out of turn, Jinnie, but I’ve just taken delivery of some simply divine floaty numbers. Not specifically for pregnant women, but I couldn’t resist them. If you’re interested, that is.’
Janette chortled. ‘Aye, she means they flatter fatties like me too!’
Again, a shared look that spoke of fondness or … what? Peggy, meanwhile, tucked into her pea and ham soup with gusto.
‘What can I get you, Alison?’ asked Jo.
‘A coffee with extra hot milk, please,’ replied Alison.
‘We can pop into your boutique when we finish here. Right, Jinnie?’ Sam resembled an eager puppy awaiting a serious ear rub. Jinnie didn’t want to go clothes shopping, or play referee between Dhassim and Aaliyah. Or turn up on a girls’ night out looking like a badly dressed blob.
‘Wonderful!’ Jo delivered Alison’s coffee and Alison took a sip. It left a distinct moustache on her upper lip.
‘That’s an awfy frothy coffee!’ declared Janette. Peggy chuckled, and Alison wiped her mouth with a napkin. Another look passed between Alison and Janette, the air zinging with … what?
‘Sam.’ Jinnie nudged him, wondering if he’d picked up the vibes too. No: he was intent on finishing his soup and oblivious to anything else. Par for the course.
* * *
Inside Gale Force,Alison gathered up an armful of dresses and tops. Jinnie had to admit they had the wow factor: the right amount of glitz without being over the top.
‘Try that one on. And that one.’ Sam pointed at a couple. Not the ones she’d have picked, but Alison nodded in approval.
Behind the curtain of the minuscule changing room, Jinnie ignored her swollen boobs and expanded belly. She tugged off her boring black top and peeled off the loathsome leggings her baby forced her to wear.
You look beautiful.
In the eye of the beholder, of course. Shimmying into one of the dresses, Jinnie couldn’t look in the mirror. Sequins and velvet belonged to a previous Jinnie, not the one currently feeling as glamorous as a heap of compost steaming in a garden allotment. But wait…
‘That works. That actually works!’ Turning around, surveying herself from every angle, Jinnie had to admit the floaty number did the business. Now she felt less Moby Dick, more belle of the ball, if you disregarded the belly.
‘That’s stunning on you,’ declared Alison when she emerged, clapping her hands in delight.
‘Try the other one too.’ Sam gestured at the long-line cream top with beaded shoulders and handkerchief hemline.
Swooping behind the curtain again, Jinnie slipped off the dress and pulled on the top. The mirror didn’t lie. It fitted perfectly, accentuating her bosom and draping artfully over her bump.
‘Another winner.’ Sam smiled and Alison gave an enthusiastic thumbs-up. ‘We’ll take both of them.’
Swinging the elegant paper bag with tissue-wrapped items inside, Jinnie strode along next to Sam. She had an extra spring in her step, and all was rosy again in her world. Well, apart from what awaited them at home…
‘Did you sense something between Alison and Janette in the café?’ she asked.
‘Like what? They seemed happy in each other’s company, if that’s what you mean.’
Jinnie hesitated. ‘Yes, except… I’m probably imagining things, but I felt they were close. I meanclose.’
Sam halted and raised an eyebrow. ‘Are you suggesting that salt-of-the-earth Janette and glamorous widow Alison are in a relationship?’
