All That She Can See(49)

Chase scanned the crowd of Meddlums. ‘No one looks happy and there aren’t a lot of good feelings out there.’

‘No one?’ Cherry asked. ‘Some of them are smiling… sort of.’

‘I think that’s just a leftover from what they had at your bakery. Very few have any good feeling and even then they’re mild.’

‘Tea?’ A woman wearing large sunglasses and black lipstick approached them, carrying a wobbling stack of polystyrene cups and a big silver thermos.

‘Er… yes please…’ Chase said. He took the cup from her and oddly, she curtseyed and skittered off to pour more unsuspecting townsfolk tea. Chase slurped the smallest sip. ‘Normality,’ he confirmed. ‘They’re giving it out before they appear. No doubt they think it’s going to make everyone more susceptible and more willing to give bigger donations.’

‘They’ve certainly thought it through. Will they be inside the shop now, do you think?’ Cherry asked.

‘They do like to make an entrance so they’re probably waiting for the crowd to get bigger and for the tea to kick in. They’ll be inside dolling themselves up, making themselves pretty for any press. Come on.’ Chase started to push through the crowd, the pie cradled protectively into his chest. Chase didn’t bother to knock on the closed door of the shop but regretted that decision when he walked in on Danior wearing nothing except a pair of knickers and her silk robe, which was swinging open.

‘Oh Jesus, Dani.’ Chase averted his gaze and wished he wasn’t holding the pie so he could cover his eyes with his hands. ‘You know that window isn’t frosted? People can actual see in and see… you.’

‘In all my glory?’ Dani held her robe open and out to the sides like a butterfly and bit her lip.

Cherry leaned over his shoulder and saw Dani’s untamed, sagging breasts, gasped and threw her hands over Chase’s eyes. ‘He’s… he’s your nephew!’ Cherry hissed.

‘Nothing he hasn’t seen before.’ Dani shrugged and tied the robe closed.

‘Sadly, that’s true,’ Chase said, gently shaking Cherry off. ‘Why are you even undressed anyway?’

‘I’m getting changed for all the photographs. I’ve got to look my best,’ she said, holding her new orange acrylic nails up to the light to check they weren’t already cracked.

‘I see,’ Cherry said, nudging Chase. ‘Well, we thought we’d come along today.’

‘Yeah and… I brought you a pie to say… to say…’

‘Good luck!’ Cherry said, splaying her fingers to make jazz hands.

‘Yeah. Good luck!’ Chase said, with a big smile and held the pie out to Dani.

‘Did someone say pie? Oh marvellous! I’m absolutely starving.’ Velina appeared from behind the beaded curtain, its rattle ricocheting through Cherry’s head. Only now did she realise that the beads on one half of the curtain were looking sparser than the other. Sally, she thought and tried hard not to smile.

‘Apple?’ Danior asked, piercing the foil over the pie with a nail. Chase pulled it away and placed the pie on the front desk next to the till.

‘Cherry,’ he said, uncovering the pie and revealing the red fruit poking out from the lattice.

Danior gave one short snort of a laugh and rolled her eyes at Cherry. ‘How quaint.’

‘We just wanted to celebrate all your upcoming success. Let me get some plates.’ Chase disappeared up the stairs behind the desk. Cherry stood wringing her hands, waiting for Chase to return. She looked around at the pictures on the wall, avoiding Velina and Danior’s gaze but feeling their eyes on her wherever she moved, like old creepy paintings in an abandoned house. Chase finally clinked back down the stairs with plates and a knife.

‘Who wants a slice?’ he asked, presumptuously cutting into the pie.

‘Oh, not me, darling. I’ll never get into my dress,’ Dani said.

‘It’s not the Oscars, Dan. One tiny slice of pie isn’t going to make a difference,’ Chase said.

‘Even so, better not risk it!’

‘Oh, that is a good point,’ Velina said. She disappeared back through the curtain and returned a few moments later holding out a gold sequinned dress that looked like it belonged in a production of Chicago.

‘TA-DA!’ Velina shook the dress so that the sequins caught the light and glimmered.

‘That’s very…’ Chase didn’t know whether to be nasty or nice.

‘Very… um…’ Even Cherry was fighting an urge to say something less than lovely.

‘… short,’ Chase said.

‘… sequin-y,’ Cherry said.

‘How insightful,’ Velina said, dropping the dress a little.

‘It’s lovely, really!’ Cherry said quickly, trying to back-track.

‘Wait until you see mine!’ Dani said, scuttling through the beaded curtain and returning with exactly the same dress, only this time in silver.

‘It’s the same dress!’ Chase laughed.

‘Yes, but I’ll wear it better.’ Dani nudged Velina playfully but Velina didn’t look all that amused.

Chase shook his head, trying not to laugh. ‘Well, I’m telling you now, a mouthful of pie isn’t going to hurt,’ he said trying to get back to the matter in hand.