Page 48 of Wrapped Up at the Vintage Dress Shop
Not Sophy making good on her promise to start playing Christmas songs in the shop. Nor some horrible Instagram person loudly talking into her phone about fit checks.
It was the sound of a pug screaming. Again. Over that was the sound of Coco Chanel barking and who could blame her?
Phoebe stuck her head over the banister of the twisty stairs to see Coco on the third step from the bottom and Peggy Gug on the bottom step, both making their feelings known.
‘Coco!’ Phoebe said sharply. ‘I’ve brought you up better than this.’
Coco turned to look at her, her eyes wide and imploring (in a way that always made Phoebe acquiesce to whatever Coco had set her heart on) then turned back so she could tell Peggy off for her impertinence.
‘Hi, Phoebe!’ Birdy came into view with a wave and a happy smile.
How many bloody rental dresses did she need anyway?
‘Hi,’ Phoebe said in a tone that she hoped wasn’t at all encouraging but Birdy was already halfway up the stairs, Peggy on her heels as Coco took one look at the advancing guard and came scampering up to the atelier to hide behind her mistress.
‘I was just passing,’ Birdy said airily. ‘Did you see the first couple of pieces of content I posted?’
‘I saw one of them. Things have been quite busy,’ Phoebe said vaguely.
Birdy turning up unannounced and so cheerful was quite annoying. Phoebe didn’t know why it was but then everything was annoying her today. Including the adorable black and yellow tartan pinafore dress Birdy was wearing with a black polo neck and black stompy boots.
‘Yeah, I saw that video that was posted. But you know what I always say?’ Birdy asked cheerily as she ran a hand over an oyster silk 1920s flapper wedding dress. It was quite a respectful hand so Phoebe couldn’t tell her not to touch.
‘What do you always say?’ Phoebe asked, because it was clear that Birdy was going to be here for a while.
‘Never read the comments and if you do, remember that if those people aren’t paying your bills, then pay them no mind, as the great RuPaul says,’ Birdy imparted, which was quite close to Mildred’s advice that someone else’s opinion of you was none of your business.
‘I don’t care what anyone thinks of me,’ Phoebe said, which wasn’t strictly true. She cared, even now, what Freddy thought of her. She also cared that Sophy and Anita probably wished her dead and that Bea and Cress would probably help them hide the body, but she’d never admit that to anyone.
‘Well, that’s one of those ideas that’s good in theory . . .’ Birdy mused, which was more perceptive than Phoebe had given her credit for, but then she turned and sighed rapturously. ‘Aw, look at them! I knew all that yapping was just them saying hello.’
Peggy Gug had managed to get her plump self up on one of the sofas and was stretched out, back legs splooted, while Coco Chanel was sitting on Peggy’s bottom.
‘Coco doesn’t yap,’ Phoebe said but Birdy had her phone out to document this canine meeting of the minds and didn’t appear to have heard her.
‘We should definitely arrange a doggy playdate!’ she exclaimed. ‘Let’s swap numbers.’
‘Oh, Coco doesn’t play with other dogs,’ Phoebe said loftily even as Coco gave her a quite bombastic side-eye then started licking Peggy’s ear.
‘They seem to like each other,’ Birdy said, unthwarted. ‘What’s your number?’
Even Phoebe couldn’t refuse to give Birdy her number. Though she did say suspiciously, ‘I’m trusting you not to post it on the internet because the last thing I need is a whole load of rude people blowing up my phone.’
‘I’m hurt that you’d even think that,’ Birdy said with another keen look at Phoebe. ‘I’ll be in touch. Come on, Peggy, we’ve things to do, places to be.’
Her tone was now brisk and business-like and though Phoebe still didn’t know why Birdy had popped in and why she was being so friendly, she knew that she’d behaved like quite the beast.
Phoebe gave Birdy a five-minute head start then went downstairs herself. The shop was briskly busy. It was lunchtime and half-term and Sophy, Bea and Anita were barely coping.
With some difficulty Phoebe fought her way through the space, her face slightly averted so no one would recognise her and thrust their phone in her direction. As she approached the till, Sophy, who was standing behind it, actually turned her back on Phoebe, which was very immature behaviour.
‘Are you three all right to take a late lunch?’ Phoebe asked. ‘Bea, I can do the website orders if that would help.’
Phoebe wasn’t going to apologise but she could be benevolent in her absolute authority.
‘Are you sure?’ Bea asked. ‘I mean, are you sure you know how to?’
Anita sniggered but quickly turned it into a cough when Phoebe gave her a flinty-eyed look.
