Blueberry Wishes (15 page)

They started talking about how you can recycle more stuff than you think by putting it all into different plastic bins. The girls at the front squealed as Ben waved the black squidgy banana skins right in their faces before putting them into a compost bin.

Marco and I had been in charge of welcoming people, and showing them where to stand, so we were right at the back by the doors. As we watched Ben and Summer laughing and joking around, making everyone else laugh too, the chemistry between them was obvious. Even in the blue plastic suit, Ben was looking at Summer like she was an absolute goddess (I've always said she'd look great in a bin bag and I guess this was as close as I'd get to proving it).

Marco nudged my arm and when I looked up at him he gave me his slow, lazy smile, making my stomach flip over. I smiled back, feeling the strong connection between us.

Ben and Summer's presentation was brilliant, and they got a huge clap and cheer at the end. The bell went and Marco and I had to head off to class, but when ten minutes had gone by, and Ben and Summer still hadn't turned up to Chemistry, Mr. Fellowes said Marco and I could go and give them a hand clearing up.

As we reached the hall, I looked in through the safety-glass bit of the door, and they had not cleared up anything at all. Not one bit. Instead they were kissing in their blue plastic suits, surrounded by rubbish and recycling bins. I was about to creep away when Marco peered in too, clocked what was going on, and then, with a cheeky smile, opened one of the doors and shoved me into the hall. I shrieked and grabbed his hand – if I was going to spoil their moment, then so was he!

“Get in there, mate!” he whooped, unromantically.

Summer and Ben leaped apart and then much boy back-slapping went on between Ben and Marco, and I have to admit that me and Summer did do a tiny bit of girly squealing and hugging too. When she calmed down, she told me that Ben had asked her out. As in, not out anywhere in particular, but to be his girlfriend in general.

It was my turn to do Saff's wiggly, chanty dance thing then. Until Summer threatened to lamp me one, that is.

“All set for tomorrow, then?” Marco asked, as we headed back to class after clearing up.

“Yep, all set,” I reported. “Just the goodie bags to do, but I can sneak down to Rainbow Beauty and get those done later tonight.” Then, out of nowhere, I was suddenly struck with a bolt of pure cold fear. “What if it isn't enough?” I mumbled. “What if we have to leave after all?”

Summer hugged me and then Marco and Ben joined in, wrapping themselves around us. “You won't,” said Marco firmly.

I pulled them all close and felt a wave of love for them crash through me. “This
will
work. It
has
to,” I murmured into Marco's shirt. “There's no way I'm leaving you guys. No way!”

When I woke up on Saturday morning, it only felt like I'd been asleep for about half an hour, because I'd spent most of the night going through all the last-minute jobs we had to do for the pamper day in my head, and thinking about how much money we still needed. My brain kept asking
What if we don't make enough
? And I had to keep pushing that thought away.

I got dressed in my pink Rainbow Beauty uniform and did my hair and make-up really nicely (well, I needed to do
something
to take the attention off my horrible puffy eyes). I messed my hair up a bit, pulled it into a low bunch on one side and added loads of little sparkles and clips.

The pamper day was starting at ten, so we all trooped down to Rainbow Beauty just after nine. I hadn't been able to find a moment to do the goodie bags the night before – there always seemed to be someone around – so I was hoping to somehow do them secretly in one of the treatment rooms. But then Annie pulled up outside in the Land Rover and she and John began unloading crates and crates of plants. Mum asked what on earth was going on and I knew I'd have to come clean.

My heart was pounding and my mouth had gone completely dry. “I, erm, well, we…that's me, Summer, Ben and Marco…well, we've been trying to raise the rent money,” I gabbled. “So we've added to the pamper day a bit…”

“Oh my gosh, Abbie. What have you done?” Mum muttered as she put on a big smile and waved to Annie through the window.

I explained about deliberately supersizing the pamper day, and about the product sales at school, and the gig, and the raffle, and the flyers.

“So that's why business has picked up, and why we sold those extra tickets!” gasped Mum. “And because you did it at school, well, I guess that's why the new spa hasn't got wind of it and retaliated. Abbie, I can't believe this!”

“I wish you'd said,” said Saff. “I could have done that round college too, selling the products, I mean…”

“And I could have helped at school,” said Grace.

They looked so hurt, it made my stomach flip over. “I'm sorry we kept it secret,” I told them. I glanced at Mum. “I just thought that maybe, if you found out—”

“I'd have put a stop to it?” she asked. “Well, I might have done, I admit – I wouldn't have wanted you to get your hopes up. I still don't. It's just
such
a lot of money, and the rent isn't the only reason we're going. There's the new spa—”

“This was exactly what I was worried about,” I cried. “You're giving up before it's even over.
Really
over.”

“I'm not giving up, Abbie. I'm just being realistic,” Mum began.

And we were about to have an argument when Grace cut in. “How much have you made?” she asked.

“With the rent money you've saved up, we've got £1345,” I reported. “Including all the extra ticket sales for today.”

“So, we need to make £655 on product sales,” said Grace, without even thinking about it.

“And the stalls and raffle and goodie bags,” I said.

“That's a lot, but it might just be possible,” she conceded.

“Even if it is, we're still going back to London,” said Mum firmly. “I can't just let Janine down at the last minute, and this doesn't solve the problem of the new spa. Look, it was a nice thought, Abbie, and I'm so proud that you've done all this to try and save the parlour, but it's just not an option.”

“But I—” I began.

“I'm sorry, love,” Mum cut in. “Look, people will be arriving soon. We'll have to talk about this later. Let's just try and have a lovely day, shall we? Now, I must go and say hello to Annie properly.”

And before I could say anything else, she hurried off outside.

Saff put her arm round me. “I'm sorry, Abbie,” she said. “What you've done is amazing, and I'm right behind you. Of course we'd way rather stay here, wouldn't we, Grace?” Grace nodded. “But Mum's made up her mind and nothing is going to change it,” Saff finished.

Then, massive shocker, Grace hugged me.
Grace
. “It's not over yet,” she told us. “Let's focus on making that money – then we'll deal with Mum. So, smiles on, girls, and sell your hearts out!”

I pulled Saff into the hug too, and squeezed my sisters tight. “Even though we don't always get on, you are the two best sisters in the whole world,” I told them. “Will you help me put the goodie bags together?”

“Course,” they said at once, then cried, “Jinx!” and shook pinky fingers.

So I revealed the stash of mini-products I'd made by splitting down our regular-sized stuff, and we got on with the goodie bags. Then Saff prepared the head massage and nail areas in reception, and Grace restocked the chiller counter with gleaming fresh fruit. By the time Summer breezed in just before ten, we pretty much had everything under control. As I went to greet her, I glanced around and realized that Rainbow Beauty had never looked more beautiful.

A couple of minutes later, Ben came in, and he and Summer hugged and then kissed on the lips and of course Grace did the
oooooh
thing and Saff demanded to know what was going on.

Then Marco slouched in, and he didn't get a kiss on the lips from me, because Mum came out of the kitchenette. “Oh, hi, love,” she said to him, then, “Abbie, could you find the product info you took to London and file it with the other cosmetic-testing certificates and things, please, in case anyone wants to know more about anything?” Then she hurried off to get the towels out of the dryer.

“Sure,” I called after her, leaving Ben and Summer to finish off the display. The display on the coffee table, that was, not the display of kissing – although they did finish
that
off too.

I rooted around behind the reception desk for the smart pitch bag we'd taken to London. As I pulled the folder out of it, something sticky attached itself to my hand. I freaked out for a moment in case it was a
dead
something and flicked my wrist so that whatever it was fell to the floor. When I was sure that it wasn't living, and hadn't ever been, I picked it up again. It was a sticky, yellow oval thing, now covered in fluff.

A lemon drop.

I stared at it, remembering how Marco had hidden the sweets in my bag so I'd find them when I got to London. One must have fallen in here somehow, when I was sharing them round.

I thought about all the great times Marco and I had had together – hanging out on Vire Island, and at the cafe, and having burgers at Rocket. Working together in lessons (well, okay,
flirting
together in lessons), and chilling out on the field at the end of the summer term. Getting Rainbow Beauty all kitted out and painted ready to open. Saff setting us up, making me give him a man manicure in one of the treatment rooms. Having dinner round his house with his lovely mum. I found myself rushing across the parlour and hugging him tight.

He hugged me back fiercely. “This
will
work,” he said into my hair.

Mum hurried over to the door. “Everyone ready?” she asked.

“Yes!” we all cheered, trying to hide our nerves.

“Then let's get this show on the road,” she said.

Ten minutes later, Rainbow Beauty was absolutely buzzing with people, inside and out. Annie was doing a roaring trade on her cake-and-plant stall, and Maisy and Aran were very busy selling goodie bags and products out there too.

Saff gave me her tray of fresh juices, as she was due to go and start doing the mini-manicures. I noticed that Jess, Bex and Rachel from netball had come and were already gathered round her little nail station, and I gave them a wave. Mavis from the chip shop in the parade was there too, and Florrie, Tom the greengrocer's wife, was looking at our product samples on the coffee table with Sue from the cafe.

Tom himself came in with a huge box of fruit and veg he'd donated for the smoothies (Summer had tipped him off), and I watched Liam take the box from him and thank him warmly. I recognized a group of sixth formers from our school, and saw Saff's college tutor chatting to Emily. Emily didn't stay a guest for long, though – she hadn't even finished her smoothie when Saff dragged her over to the nail table to help out, as she already had quite a queue forming.

Marco was put to work too, bringing out the massage table and setting things up for the demonstration. Mum had intended to do it in one of the treatment rooms, but it was clear that there were far too many people to squeeze in there. As he heaved the heavy table past me, Marco looked really pleased with himself, and Summer grinned and said, “Aw, bless him, he's been given a
manly
job at last!”

Grace was already ringing up sales at the till, and she called to me, “Abbie, could you go and find Mum? It's time for the demonstration, and I'm not sure where she's got to.”

I found her in the kitchenette, fussing about with the spare cups Annie had brought. “Mum, it's time,” I told her.

“Let me just finish this…” she muttered. Then she looked up at me and gabbled, “Oh, Abbie, there are so many people! I wish I hadn't put myself down for this. What if it goes wrong?”

“It'll be fine,” I told her. “Just step away from the china. I know you can do this.” I steered her back out into reception and over to the massage table.

Liam took one look at Mum's terrified expression and said, “It'll be fine, Kim,” and before she could do a runner he pulled her into a big hug. As they broke apart, I spotted three more people arriving. They didn't look like pamper-day guests. For one thing, two were guys. One of them was holding a massive film camera on his shoulder while the other wrestled a boom mic through the door.

“OMG, they came!” I gasped. “The
Out and About
people!”

“Hi, I'm Genna Harris,” said the woman, striding over. She was wearing a beautiful green silk dress, and she held out her hand to shake Mum's as she reached us.

“Perfect timing,” said Liam. “Kim's just about to do a massage demonstration.”

“Not on TV, I'm not!” Mum shrieked, but Liam just clapped his hands together to get everyone's attention, and called out, “Ladies, if you'd like to gather round, Kim will show you the basics of massage technique, so you'll soon be able to give your loved ones a blissfully relaxing experience any day of the week!” Then he pulled his shirt over his head, to huge cheers, put a towel round his waist, wriggled his jeans off underneath it, and lay down on the table.

Mum smoothed down her uniform and hair, and took a deep breath. Then she smiled and said, “So the first thing is to ensure that your client is warm and comfortable…” And then she was off, talking as she was massaging, about key areas that hold tension, and pressure points, and which essential oils are really good for relaxation. After a while she seemed to forget about being nervous, and about the TV crew, and she was just chatting like she would to a room full of friends, and they were hanging on her every word. When she'd finished, she got a huge clap and cheer, and so did Liam (as well as a few wolf whistles!).

Then there was a short break, and I realized with a start that I was up next, to talk about our products. I felt completely overwhelmed, though, looking at the crowd of people, so I persuaded Saff to do it instead. Well, I say
persuade
, I only really had to give her a
help!
look from across the room and she came bounding over, slicking on lip gloss and fluffing up her hair.

She was absolutely brilliant at it, of course, and afterwards, during the buffet lunch, the products she'd showcased started flying off the shelves. She looked so pleased with herself that I thought she might be about to start signing autographs or something, but in fact she got straight back to the nail station. She sat down beside Emily and called the name of the next person on the list (their tutor had helpfully suggested they start one, so people didn't have to stand there waiting for a turn).

“Perhaps the TV show will take you on as a presenter,” I said to her a moment later, as I handed over the new can of quick-dry spray and bottle of Black Cherry nail polish they needed.

“Nah, I definitely want to be a beautician now – well, own a chain of beauty shops, anyway, and be flown to Hollywood specially to give treatments to the stars,” she added, grinning at me.

I grinned back at her. “You know what? I totally believe that will happen,” I said.

I started restocking the glass shelves then, because we were all out of the Spicy Delight Bubble Bath and the Carrot and Calendula Hand Balm (Annie had been singing its praises to everyone). The bowl of orange and lemon star soaps was almost empty, too. I noticed that the chiller counter was looking a bit bare as well, so Grace popped upstairs to grab the last box of fresh face masks from our fridge.

Mum hurried over with an armful of products someone had chosen and put them on the reception desk. “These are for Mrs. Claridge, the older lady sitting there on the sofa, if you could put them through the till for her, and people have nearly finished their lunch, so we need to get the next round of coffees going, and Jane's asking whether you've got any more of the Rose and Geranium Bath Bombs… Oh, I'm run off my feet!” she giggled, looking happier than she had for ages.