Flights of Angels (29 page)

‘Besides,’ he said, ‘London’s more my style. Bright lights, big city and all that.’

Claudie nodded. Thinking how unlike Luke he was that way.

‘We’ll keep in touch, though, won’t we?’

‘Of course,’ Claudie said, thinking of the future Christmas cards she’d send which would never be returned.

‘And I’ll visit sometime soon. And you must come to London.’

Claudie nodded. ‘I will.’

‘Great! Well then.’

‘Take care, won’t you?’

‘Sure.’

‘And good luck with the new job.’

‘Thanks. I aim to keep this one.’

Claudie gave a little laugh. ‘Good! It’s about time you settled down.’

‘I know.’ He leant forward and kissed her cheek and, for the briefest of moments, she felt Luke in that kiss.

‘Bye, Daniel,’ she said, aware that tears were threatening to spill at any moment.

‘Bye, Claudie,’ he sounded her name so softly and so sweetly that her tears spilled down onto her cheeks before she could stop them. ‘Hey!’ he said. ‘Don’t cry. I’m not worth it.’

Claudie managed to smile. ‘I know! I’m just being silly.’

He hugged her again, giving her a much-needed moment in which to compose herself.

‘I’m sorry,’ she said at last.

‘It’s okay,’ he said, leaning back and running a hand through his long hair. ‘It’s rather nice to know I’ll be missed.’

‘You will,’ Claudie said, willing herself not to cry again.

He looked awkward for a moment, looking down at the floor and glancing from side to side, so Claudie decided to help him out.

‘I’d better get back to work.’

‘Right,’ he said. ‘Well, don’t you forget to come and see me.’

Claudie nodded, and watched as he walked away, his huge shoulders and casual gait causing the usual head-turning reaction amongst the women in the store. She knew that that was the last she’d ever see of Daniel, and she couldn’t help feeling that she was losing a little bit of Luke all over again. Her connection with the Gale family had truly ended. Daniel Gale had turned from a brother-in-law to a stranger in a couple of seconds and there was nothing she could do to change that.

Claudie looked at her watch. It really was time she was heading back at work. Time to move forward, and time to sort one last thing out before her trip to Paris.

‘Paris!’ Jalisa cried. ‘What do you mean you’re going to Paris? Why didn’t we hear about this sooner?’

‘I’m sorry, Jalisa, I guess I’ve just had other things on my mind. And it’s come round so quickly.’

‘When you go?’ Mr Woo asked.

‘Tomorrow,’ Claudie said, feeling a wave of excitement rippling through her stomach.

‘Tomorrow!’ Jalisa looked as if somebody had whacked her in the face with a dead fish.

‘Yes. I know I should have mentioned it before now.’

‘Claudie,’ Jalisa said, in head-shaking mode, ‘it really isn’t usual practice for a client to up and run without telling us.’

‘But I thought you’d be pleased.’

Bert cleared his throat to speak. ‘We
are
pleased, Claudie. It will be a marvellous weekend.’

‘But you should have given us a bit of notice.’

‘I know,’ Claudie sighed. ‘Especially when I was going to ask a favour of you.’

Five little faces craned forward.

‘What?’ Lily asked.

‘I was going to ask you all to come with me,’ Claudie said hesitantly.

‘Really?’ Lily grinned.

‘Truly?’ Mary giggled excitedly.

‘Now hold on a minute!’ Jalisa began.

‘Oh,
please!
’ Lily shouted. ‘Paris! I’ve read so much about it in the fashion magazines.’

‘Just think of all those shops,’ Mary added dreamily.

‘Yes,’ Lily nodded, ‘just think of the clothes. I can tell you right now, you’ll never get me in a corset and bumroll again.’

‘Er - girls,’ Jalisa interrupted. ‘If we did get leave to go to Paris, don’t forget it would be a business trip. It’s not a holiday for us.’

‘So,’ Claudie said, ‘there is a possibility that you can come with me?’

Jalisa bit her lip and looked thoughtful. It was a look she was very good at. ‘It’s not the usual thing to do, of course. I mean, we’re only meant to position ourselves in one place - in one country!’

‘But it could be the chance of a lifetime!’ Lily enthused.

‘I’ve always wanted to see the Eiffel Tower,’ Bert said.

‘Good to see French pharmacy,’ Mr Woo said.

Jalisa waved her arms in the air. ‘Before we all get over-excited, don’t forget that we will have to apply for special dispensation.’

There was a collective groan.

‘That usually takes
weeks!
’ Bert pointed out.

‘Claudie leave tomorrow,’ Mr Woo said.

‘Exactly,’ Jalisa sighed.

‘Then I’ve left it too late?’ Claudie felt her face fall into glumness.

‘We’ll have to see,’ Jalisa said, ‘but it doesn’t look hopeful.’

When Claudie and Kristen got home after work, Claudie showed her latest lunchtime purchases.

‘Claudes! They’re gorgeous!’ Kristen said, picking up the two creamy blouses and daring to finger the lacy underwear. ‘And these jumpers! I just love this amber one. Can I borrow it?’

‘Not before Paris!’

‘It’s beautiful. You’re going to look so gorgeous.’

‘What are you taking?’

Kristen looked pensive for a moment. ‘I’ve still got some things to pick up at Jimmy’s.’

‘But I thought you had everything here now?’

Kristen shook her head. ‘I meant to say, actually, that I’ll have to go there en route to the station. So it’s probably best if I meet you there. Is that okay?’

‘’Course,’ Claudie said.

‘Have you got a camera?’

Claudie reached into the suitcase lying beside the bed. ‘
Voila!
’

‘Be sure to take lots of photos.’

Claudie frowned, thinking that was a bit of a strange thing to say, seeing as she was going to be there too but, before she could say anything, the telephone went and Kristen was on her feet in an instant.

‘I’ll get it.’ Kristen ran through to the living room but Claudie couldn’t hear who it was she was talking to. When she came back through to the bedroom, Claudie looked up from her suitcase.

‘Who was that?’

‘Simon,’ Kristen said. ‘Just to wish us a bon voyage.’

‘That’s nice of him,’ Claudie said. ‘We should send him a postcard, shouldn’t we? He’d like that. Kris?’

‘Oh - yes,’ Kristen said quickly. ‘That’s a nice idea.’

Simon woke up on Friday morning with the vague notion that today wasn’t the usual tip-yourself-out-of-bed-and-work-until-nightfall kind of day. He sat upright and examined the syrupy stream of light that fell on the bedcovers, and then he remembered.
Paris
. Today, he and Kristen were going to Paris.

He’d packed the night before, and had given a set of house keys to his neighbour, Mrs Briars, who’d pop in to feed Pumpkin. And he’d checked what time he was meeting Kristen at the station.

Poor Kristen, he thought. She’d sounded a bit stressed when he’d talked to her at Claudie’s. She was still probably brooding over Jimmy. Still, he smiled, a weekend away would be just the thing to cheer her up, as long as Jimmy didn’t find out at the last minute and turn up at the station and murder the pair of them. Now that wouldn’t be the best of starts to the weekend.

Claudie buzzed around her kitchen, humming “Wonderful, Wonderful Day” from
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers
. It was a glorious May morning, and everything was ready for the weekend ahead. Kristen had already left to collect a suitcase and pack some of the clothes she’d left at Jimmy’s, and they were to meet each other at the station later on.

Claudie waltzed through to the living room and couldn’t help but smile at her own little suitcase ready for take off. She was smiling because it was as if she had x-ray vision and could see its colourful contents. She was even wearing colour now: one of her new creamy pink blouses, and it made her feel as if she’d swallowed a whole MGM musical.

The only thing was, she hadn’t heard from the angels. It was a shame that they weren’t going to be able to make the trip, and it was sad that she didn’t even have an address to send them a postcard.

Still, she thought, she could tell them all about it on Monday morning.

Kristen was not having such an enjoyable morning. She’d had to pretend to Claudie that she was going back to Cabin Cottage to collect a suitcase that she didn’t really own and to pack clothes that weren’t really there. Claudie had been right, Kristen had all her clothes already, but what other excuse could she have for meeting Claudie at the train station? She wanted Claudie and Simon to arrive there separately: to spot each other and, if at all possible, to work out what was going on without any interference from her.

She felt awful about lying to her two best friends but how else was she to get them together? They obviously liked each other, but she also knew that Claudie still needed a shove in the right direction. Simon’s Paris holiday had appeared like a falling star from the heavens: so full of promise that you’d have to be a fool not to make a wish on it. The timing was perfect, and she truly believed that lying to her friends was a far better option than not getting them together.

Standing in the station now, she began to panic. She looked at her watch for the tenth time in as many minutes. Where was Claudie? And where was Simon? This wasn’t how she’d planned it at all. What if it all fell through? Could either of them possibly have got wind of her idea? What if neither of them turned up? Would she end up going to Paris on her own without any clothes?

She shook her head vigorously from side to side as if trying to dislodge her doubts. They’d be here. She looked at her watch once again. Just give them a few more minutes before she really began to panic.

‘Kris!’ Claudie’s voice carried across the station.

‘Claudes!’ Kris beamed her a smile as she practically ran across the station, her small suitcase in her hand. ‘Where’s your luggage?’

Kristen bit her lip. She was hot off the mark this morning, was Claudie.

‘I er-’

‘Is it on the train?’

‘Not exact-’

‘Kristen!’ Simon’s voice interrupted them and they turned round to see him marching towards them, large rucksack slung over his shoulder. ‘
Claudie?
’

‘Simon! What are you doing here? Are you going somewhere too? What a coincidence!’ Claudie looked genuinely pleased.

‘Going somewhere?’ Simon smiled. ‘I certainly am. And not just anywhere! I’ve won a trip to Paris and Kristen’s coming with me. I thought you knew?’

‘
You’ve
won a trip?’ Claudie’s face suddenly clouded over with confusion. ‘I don’t understand. I thought
you’d
won the trip, Kris?’

‘What’s going on?’ Simon’s brows closed together over his nose. ‘Is Claudie coming too?’

‘Look, I’m confused,’ Claudie’s forehead wrinkled. ‘I thought I was going to Paris with you, Kris?’

‘And that’s exactly what I thought,’ Simon said.

‘
Right!
Just wait a minute!’ Kristen held her hands up in the air to halt any further questions. She took a deep breath as she looked at her two horrified friends in turn. ‘I’m not coming.’

‘What?’ Claudie whispered.

Simon didn’t say anything. He just frowned.

‘Simon’s telling the truth, Claudie. I didn’t win the holiday -
he
did. But I
did
agree to go with him.’ She turned to look at Simon. ‘I was going to say no, Si, honestly. But then I thought of Claudie, and it just seemed so perfect. I really thought you two would get on well together.’

Claudie’s face had drained of all colour. ‘You lied to me?’

‘
No!
Well, yes, but I knew you wouldn’t go otherwise.’ For a moment, Kristen wondered if she should just commit herself to the tracks in Anna Karenina style. ‘I’m sorry. Really! I shouldn’t have lied to you both like that.’

‘No, you shouldn’t have,’ Simon said.

Claudie turned to look at him. ‘I’m really sorry, Simon. I had no idea this had anything to do with you.’

‘It’s all right.’

Kristen watched nervously as they looked at each other, luggage in hand, both hoping to have been heading off to Paris for the weekend. With her. Would they be going now? She had to push just a little harder.

‘Come on, guys!’ she began, filling her voice with enthusiasm. ‘Don’t make a big deal about this. You both want to go. You both get on well. So go and enjoy yourselves. It’s a holiday!’

Claudie glanced at Simon. He seemed even more uncomfortable with the idea than she did.

‘Simon? You
are
going, aren’t you?’ Kristen asked. ‘You’ve been looking forward to this. It would be silly if you didn’t go.’

‘I’ve always been going, it’s just a question of who it is I’m going with.’

‘Claudie?’ Kristen pleaded her friend for a response.

‘I don’t think it’s up to me, is it?’ The question was addressed at Simon, but Claudie was looking directly at Kristen.

There was a horrible moment’s silence, and then the announcement for their train was heard.

‘There isn’t much time,’ Kristen urged, looking from one to the other.

‘What do you think?’ Simon asked Claudie, his face softening with a smile. ‘Would you like to go with me?’

Kristen almost flung her arms round Simon. But Claudie still had to give her answer. A few anxious seconds passed as Claudie tried to weigh Simon up.

Finally, she spoke. ‘Okay,’ she said.

Kristen couldn’t contain her happiness as she whooped for joy. The plan had worked. She flung her arms round Claudie and gave her a great smack of a kiss on her cheek, leaving a poppy red smear. She then gave Simon one to match.

‘Go on, then!’ she urged, propelling them towards the train before they were too late. ‘Have a great time,’ she yelled as they boarded. ‘I know you will!’

She stood on the platform, waving her arms around like a human windmill, but neither Claudie nor Simon bothered to wave back.