Page 97 of For Love or Money
‘Well, I trained as a hairdresser originally.’
‘When was that?’
‘Oh, ages ago, right after I left school.’ She picked up an eye-shadow palette from the dressing table and leaned in again. ‘I didn’t stick with it for long, but I can still turn my hand to a blow-dry.’
Lesley didn’t think she was going to get very far with this line of questioning, but she had to make the most of the opportunity to gain Stella’s confidence and get her to open up. She decided to try another tack.
‘So, how come you’ve got your own room?’ she asked as Stella swept mascara over her lashes. ‘Are you afraid Peter’s family will be shocked if they find out you two are doing it before you’re married?’
Stella laughed. ‘No. The fact is, we’renotdoing it.’
‘You’re kidding. Come on, you can tell me. I won’t judge you.’
‘We’re really not. We’d only been on a few dates before Peter’s heart attack. And he’s had to be careful since, so ...’
‘You mean you’veneverslept with him? That sucks.’
‘I think it’s kind of romantic, saving it for after the wedding.’
She was forced to stay silent as Stella tilted her chin and applied lip liner. It may be a romantic idea to wait until they were married, but if Stella wanted to bonk Peter to death, it was also a clever strategic move. After all that build-up, it probably wouldn’t take much to get him dangerously over-excited.
‘There,’ Stella said, with a final dab of lip gloss. She stood back and nodded to the mirror. ‘What do you think?’
‘Wow, you’re a genius! You’ve actually made me look half human.’
‘Shut up, you’re gorgeous.’
Lesley looked wonderingly at her reflection in the mirror. Stella had done an amazing job – not surprisingly, since it was her actual profession – and she couldn’t believe how glamorous and chic she looked. ‘If I am, it’s thanks to you. I can’t believe you managed to do something with this mug.’
Stella pursed her lips. ‘Stop that. You have fantastic bone structure, and I know top models who’d kill for your skin. I only added a little polish.’
‘Well ... I admit I haven’t scrubbed up too badly,’ Lesley said, which was as close as she could come to accepting a compliment graciously.
Stella shook her head, smiling. ‘I suppose that’ll have to do.’
The Simpsons’house was a short walk from the Bradshaws’ place, so when they were all ready, they strolled down the hill together in the early evening sunshine.
When they stepped out onto the Simpsons’ large terrace, the party was already in full swing, the garden buzzing with conversation and the tinkle of glasses. Coloured lanterns were strung in the trees, and waiters moved among the guests bearing trays of champagne and canapés. Lesley was glad she’d made an effort as she took in the glitzy well-heeled crowd standing around in groups or sitting at long tables, drinking and talking, while music played softly in the background.
Al and his cousins were soon surrounded by friends, showering them with hugs and kisses.
‘Lesley, you look stunning! Love the hair.’
Emma grabbed her and Stella as soon as they arrived and bore them off to join the ‘girls’ on a group of sofas, treating them like they were already old friends. Al raised his eyebrows and mouthed an ‘okay?’ at her questioningly as Emma dragged her away, and she gave him a thumbs-up. Jill was already sitting on the sofa, sharing a bottle of champagne with another girl who was introduced as Claire.
When they discovered Stella was a make-up artist and had worked in the movies, they were all agog, quizzing her about what actors she’d worked with and what they were like, avid for gossip about diva behaviour, on-set ructions and off-piste affairs. But Stella somehow managed to deflect all their queries in a friendly, good-natured way, while at the same time remaining tight-lipped and not betraying any insider secrets. It was quite impressive. Lesley knew she’d never have been able to withstand questioning like that and would be gagging to divulge any juicy gossip she had. She’d admire Stella’s restraint if it wasn’t making her job harder for her.
‘So, tell us all about you and Al,’ Emma said, and they all turned their attention to Lesley. ‘Where did you two meet?’
‘Oh, um ... it was at a singles thing, actually,’ Lesley said.
‘Good for you! And Al,’ Jill said. ‘It’s good to have someone new around. Our friendship group is very incestuous. It’s nice to have fresh blood.’
‘Yeah, I was surprised to see Cassie and Jean-Claude at the hike yesterday,’ Lesley said. ‘You know, after what they did to Al.’
‘Oh, we all go back years,’ Jill said with a wave of her hand. ‘It’s all water under the bridge. Emma had a fling with Jean-Claude one year, didn’t you?’ she said to her friend.
‘Well, so did you.’ Emma laughed.
