match.’
‘Chosen your colours?’
Hazel nodded. ‘Blue or green. I’d like pale colours best.’
‘You stop by the stall after your shift and I’ll show you something I reckon you’ll like,’ said Joe. ‘We’ve got some gorgeous taffeta in, lots of shades, and not too dear. If you’re buying for all those frocks I can do you a discount.’
‘Would you, Joe?’ Hazel gave him a huge grin and flicked her hair over her shoulder. ‘You’re a star. Tell you what, I’ll nip back to Ennis Street and get Nev’s mum. She knows all about dressmaking and she’ll know what will suit the pattern. You’ll like her.’
‘See you later then.’ Joe raised his mug and Hazel hurried off to the next customer. She’d forgive Joe for going on about the ring if she could get some decent material at a knockdown rate. That would mean her own dress could be even more special.
Linda had had a couple of days to get used to the idea of Terry bringing home boxes to store by the time the first lot arrived. There weren’t many, and if she hadn’t known what he was planning to do then she might have missed them altogether. He arrived home later than usual, when it was already dark, and went at once to open the garden shed. Only a couple of minutes later he was coming through the back door, a big grin on his face.
‘Piece of cake,’ he said, kissing her. ‘You’ll hardly know they’re there and they’ll be gone before the end of the week.’
‘You make sure they are,’ said Linda. She still wasn’t happy about it. ‘I don’t want June or her friends going in there and finding them.’
‘You don’t let them, do you?’ Terry hadn’t thought of that. He hadn’t asked many questions but some of the boxes sounded as if they contained glass bottles. His guess was they were brandy. He didn’t want his daughter getting her hands on them.
‘I don’t but you never know what can happen.’ Linda was if anything over-protective of her little girl but even she didn’t have eyes in the back of her head. Terry didn’t know what it was like to try to run a house and look after a lively three-year-old at the same time. ‘They go outside to play and there’s no knowing what they’ll do. They’ve gone in there sometimes before I caught them and brought them out. I tell them not to and they aren’t being naughty, they just forget. It’s bad enough that there are sharp tools in there, but now if there are boxes …’
‘I’ll fit a new lock on it at the weekend,’ said Terry hastily. He kicked himself, realising he should have thought of this before. If anything went wrong there would be very unpleasant consequences. His contact had made that abundantly clear.
‘Good idea,’ said Linda, but she thought that her husband’s boast of them hardly knowing the boxes were there was already untrue. Now she’d be worrying that there was something in there that would harm her daughter. ‘In the meantime I’ll keep her out of the garden. Maybe she can go and play at her friends’ rather than them coming here for a few days.’ Then she bit her lip. It sounded like she begrudged having June’s friends round. She didn’t – she just didn’t want any of them asking questions, seeing something they shouldn’t or, worse, getting hurt.
Terry noticed she’d gone quiet. ‘Chin up,’ he said. ‘Remember why we’re doing this. It’s for our family. We’ll get that big house and fill it.’ His eyes sparkled. ‘Shall we make a start tonight? Have a nice early bed?’ He hugged her again and allowed his hands to wander down her back and gave her bottom a squeeze.
‘Stop it, Terry!’ Linda pushed him away, trying to keep it lighthearted. Normally she’d pretend to be shocked but secretly loved the thought of an early bed. They’d get June off to sleep and then it would be just the two of them. She still fancied Terry as much as when they were newlyweds and she knew how lucky she was. Plenty of her friends
‘Chosen your colours?’
Hazel nodded. ‘Blue or green. I’d like pale colours best.’
‘You stop by the stall after your shift and I’ll show you something I reckon you’ll like,’ said Joe. ‘We’ve got some gorgeous taffeta in, lots of shades, and not too dear. If you’re buying for all those frocks I can do you a discount.’
‘Would you, Joe?’ Hazel gave him a huge grin and flicked her hair over her shoulder. ‘You’re a star. Tell you what, I’ll nip back to Ennis Street and get Nev’s mum. She knows all about dressmaking and she’ll know what will suit the pattern. You’ll like her.’
‘See you later then.’ Joe raised his mug and Hazel hurried off to the next customer. She’d forgive Joe for going on about the ring if she could get some decent material at a knockdown rate. That would mean her own dress could be even more special.
Linda had had a couple of days to get used to the idea of Terry bringing home boxes to store by the time the first lot arrived. There weren’t many, and if she hadn’t known what he was planning to do then she might have missed them altogether. He arrived home later than usual, when it was already dark, and went at once to open the garden shed. Only a couple of minutes later he was coming through the back door, a big grin on his face.
‘Piece of cake,’ he said, kissing her. ‘You’ll hardly know they’re there and they’ll be gone before the end of the week.’
‘You make sure they are,’ said Linda. She still wasn’t happy about it. ‘I don’t want June or her friends going in there and finding them.’
‘You don’t let them, do you?’ Terry hadn’t thought of that. He hadn’t asked many questions but some of the boxes sounded as if they contained glass bottles. His guess was they were brandy. He didn’t want his daughter getting her hands on them.
‘I don’t but you never know what can happen.’ Linda was if anything over-protective of her little girl but even she didn’t have eyes in the back of her head. Terry didn’t know what it was like to try to run a house and look after a lively three-year-old at the same time. ‘They go outside to play and there’s no knowing what they’ll do. They’ve gone in there sometimes before I caught them and brought them out. I tell them not to and they aren’t being naughty, they just forget. It’s bad enough that there are sharp tools in there, but now if there are boxes …’
‘I’ll fit a new lock on it at the weekend,’ said Terry hastily. He kicked himself, realising he should have thought of this before. If anything went wrong there would be very unpleasant consequences. His contact had made that abundantly clear.
‘Good idea,’ said Linda, but she thought that her husband’s boast of them hardly knowing the boxes were there was already untrue. Now she’d be worrying that there was something in there that would harm her daughter. ‘In the meantime I’ll keep her out of the garden. Maybe she can go and play at her friends’ rather than them coming here for a few days.’ Then she bit her lip. It sounded like she begrudged having June’s friends round. She didn’t – she just didn’t want any of them asking questions, seeing something they shouldn’t or, worse, getting hurt.
Terry noticed she’d gone quiet. ‘Chin up,’ he said. ‘Remember why we’re doing this. It’s for our family. We’ll get that big house and fill it.’ His eyes sparkled. ‘Shall we make a start tonight? Have a nice early bed?’ He hugged her again and allowed his hands to wander down her back and gave her bottom a squeeze.
‘Stop it, Terry!’ Linda pushed him away, trying to keep it lighthearted. Normally she’d pretend to be shocked but secretly loved the thought of an early bed. They’d get June off to sleep and then it would be just the two of them. She still fancied Terry as much as when they were newlyweds and she knew how lucky she was. Plenty of her friends
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