her regular venues.’
‘Yeah. What a character! And so glamorous. She introduced me to her friends, um, Cinnamon and Campari and Foxy – oh,and someone called Midnight who
had
to be female, but apparently isn’t, and isn’t even gay and is married with kids and drives a bus.’
Frankie laughed. ‘The Rinky-Dink isn’t to everyone’s taste, but it sounds like you enjoyed it.’
Dexter nodded. ‘I did. It was really kind of Lilly to ask me.’
‘
She
asked
you
?’
‘Yes. She had a couple of free tickets given to her at the beauty salon. She said there was no point asking you because you’d
be too knackered to go because of this place, and everyone else she knows is boringly settled down with husbands, lovers and/or
babies to go out on the spur of the moment, so she asked me.’
Frankie suddenly inexplicably wanted to turn a celebratory cartwheel. ‘Um, yes, that was nice of her. So, er, are you seeing
her again?’
‘Yes, of course.’
The cartwheel feeling rapidly collapsed like a bad soufflé.
‘In –’ Dexter looked at his watch ‘– about two minutes if she turns up to help you as she’s promised.’
‘Oh, right.’ Frankie tried not to beam. ‘Well, seeing the state she was in when I left this morning I’m not counting on it.’
‘Nor me. I drove, stayed sober, and Lilly attacked the Woo Woos big time. She was asleep long before we got back to your place.
I practically had to shovel her up your path and through the front door.’
Frankie laughed and hoped she looked simply amused and not relieved.
‘Oh, yes,’ Dexter said. ‘And another thing, while we’re on the subject of cross-dressing. She told me about your unexpected
visitor yesterday.’
‘Did she?’ Frankie said cheerfully. ‘Well, in hindsight it was really funny, but at the time I was a bit startled.’
‘You should have shouted for me.’
‘If it had been a six-foot bloke in a balaclava wielding a baseball bat, don’t worry, I’d have been over to you like a shot.
But he was a real sweetie. I do hope he turns up this morning to buy whichever dress he’d set his heart on.’
Dexter shook his head. ‘It was never this exciting in Oxford. And to think Ray told me Kingston Dapple was a sleepy little
backwater where nothing ever happened.’
‘Even sleepy little backwaters must have their – um – oddities.’
Dexter nodded. ‘And as far as I can see, most of them have already turned up in here – present company excepted, of course.’
He laughed and shielded himself from her mock punch. ‘I suppose I’d better go and open up. I’ll tell all my customers to pop
in here and buy a party frock, and if anyone asks about these flowers, please reciprocate and lie and say they came from my
shack and point people across the square.’
‘Of course. And thank you again.’
‘Good luck.’ Dexter suddenly leaned across and kissed her cheek. ‘But you’ll be fine. We’ll catch up later, OK?’
‘OK,’ Frankie said quietly, trying not to let her fingers stray to her cheek as he left the shop.
‘Hiya, and sorry I’m late. You should have woken me.’ Lilly, dressed in the trademark skinny jeans and a fondant pink T-shirt
and yellow boots, clattered through the door.
‘I did. You went straight back to sleep.’
‘I don’t remember that. And it took me ages to find somewhere to park and I’m probably still well over the limit so I shouldn’t
have even driven. We could have shared a car if you’d woken me. And was that Dexter who just left?’
‘Short-term memory loss already? So sad at your age,’ Frankie teased. ‘As far as I know you only parted company about three
hours ago.’
‘Oooh, don’t.’ Lilly staggered behind the counter. ‘Hangover from hell. We had a good time, I think. He’s such a flirt though.
He really fancied Midnight. Was sooo gutted that she was actually a straight man. Think it almost turned him celibate.’
‘That I doubt.’
‘Mmm,
‘Yeah. What a character! And so glamorous. She introduced me to her friends, um, Cinnamon and Campari and Foxy – oh,and someone called Midnight who
had
to be female, but apparently isn’t, and isn’t even gay and is married with kids and drives a bus.’
Frankie laughed. ‘The Rinky-Dink isn’t to everyone’s taste, but it sounds like you enjoyed it.’
Dexter nodded. ‘I did. It was really kind of Lilly to ask me.’
‘
She
asked
you
?’
‘Yes. She had a couple of free tickets given to her at the beauty salon. She said there was no point asking you because you’d
be too knackered to go because of this place, and everyone else she knows is boringly settled down with husbands, lovers and/or
babies to go out on the spur of the moment, so she asked me.’
Frankie suddenly inexplicably wanted to turn a celebratory cartwheel. ‘Um, yes, that was nice of her. So, er, are you seeing
her again?’
‘Yes, of course.’
The cartwheel feeling rapidly collapsed like a bad soufflé.
‘In –’ Dexter looked at his watch ‘– about two minutes if she turns up to help you as she’s promised.’
‘Oh, right.’ Frankie tried not to beam. ‘Well, seeing the state she was in when I left this morning I’m not counting on it.’
‘Nor me. I drove, stayed sober, and Lilly attacked the Woo Woos big time. She was asleep long before we got back to your place.
I practically had to shovel her up your path and through the front door.’
Frankie laughed and hoped she looked simply amused and not relieved.
‘Oh, yes,’ Dexter said. ‘And another thing, while we’re on the subject of cross-dressing. She told me about your unexpected
visitor yesterday.’
‘Did she?’ Frankie said cheerfully. ‘Well, in hindsight it was really funny, but at the time I was a bit startled.’
‘You should have shouted for me.’
‘If it had been a six-foot bloke in a balaclava wielding a baseball bat, don’t worry, I’d have been over to you like a shot.
But he was a real sweetie. I do hope he turns up this morning to buy whichever dress he’d set his heart on.’
Dexter shook his head. ‘It was never this exciting in Oxford. And to think Ray told me Kingston Dapple was a sleepy little
backwater where nothing ever happened.’
‘Even sleepy little backwaters must have their – um – oddities.’
Dexter nodded. ‘And as far as I can see, most of them have already turned up in here – present company excepted, of course.’
He laughed and shielded himself from her mock punch. ‘I suppose I’d better go and open up. I’ll tell all my customers to pop
in here and buy a party frock, and if anyone asks about these flowers, please reciprocate and lie and say they came from my
shack and point people across the square.’
‘Of course. And thank you again.’
‘Good luck.’ Dexter suddenly leaned across and kissed her cheek. ‘But you’ll be fine. We’ll catch up later, OK?’
‘OK,’ Frankie said quietly, trying not to let her fingers stray to her cheek as he left the shop.
‘Hiya, and sorry I’m late. You should have woken me.’ Lilly, dressed in the trademark skinny jeans and a fondant pink T-shirt
and yellow boots, clattered through the door.
‘I did. You went straight back to sleep.’
‘I don’t remember that. And it took me ages to find somewhere to park and I’m probably still well over the limit so I shouldn’t
have even driven. We could have shared a car if you’d woken me. And was that Dexter who just left?’
‘Short-term memory loss already? So sad at your age,’ Frankie teased. ‘As far as I know you only parted company about three
hours ago.’
‘Oooh, don’t.’ Lilly staggered behind the counter. ‘Hangover from hell. We had a good time, I think. He’s such a flirt though.
He really fancied Midnight. Was sooo gutted that she was actually a straight man. Think it almost turned him celibate.’
‘That I doubt.’
‘Mmm,
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