Chick Lit Box Set

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

“I can’t talk right now, Christie, the painters have literally just arrived and I need to finalise the details with them. Are you still coming over later? Okay, I’ll see you then. I need to give you a key as well. Okay, catch you later, Sis.”

“Sorry about that, Ceecee. Right, where were we?” said Aggie as she led the woman and her small team of painters toward the back of the store.

“Like we agreed before, we’d like the soft sage green for the walls of the entire ground floor,” she turned her attention to the younger painters, “but the wood stays wood,” Aggie chuckled, “I don’t want any of that painted. My carpenter has already worked his magic on that.”

“No problem, Miss Trout.”

“Please call me Aggie, Ceecee.”

“Aggie it is,” she smiled. “I think you’ve made a marvellous choice to stay in keeping with the Victoria colour scheme for this room. But you mentioned you wanted something with a little more pizazz upstairs?” asked Ceecee.

“That’s right. Would you like to follow me?”

Ceecee instructed her workers to get started on the ground floor before she followed Aggie upstairs.

“This is where we’d like something more, er, fun I guess.”

Ceecee nodded, “Can I ask what you’re going to be doing with the shop, Aggie?”

Aggie grinned, “It’s a bit of a secret at the moment, I’m afraid. My business partners and I are sworn to secrecy until the grand unveiling next month.”

Ceecee smiled and nodded in approval, “I got it. I’m extremely curious though.”

“Don’t worry, you’ll be getting an invite to the grand opening.”

“I’ll look forward to it.”

Aggie managed to prevent herself from blushing, and turned her attention back to the room. “So, colours. Coco and I were thinking about stripes.”

“Oh, okay. Yes, that’ll certainly be different. Colour combinations?”

“We were thinking about black and pink but perhaps that’s a little too over the top. Unless we go two-tone and go dark on the bottom half of the wall, and a lighter pink on top?”

“That would work,” Ceecee said, “But black?”

Aggie pulled a face, “I’m unsure. Is it too harsh? What do you think?”

“Have you given any thought to following the pattern of the tiles up the walls?”

Aggie’s eyes widened and she smiled, “You mean a black and white diamond pattern painted on the bottom half?”

“Why not? If you want something a little different, maybe? It’s more work for the painters, of course, so it will cost a bit extra but it would look fabulous, if I don’t say so myself.”

“Actually, I think I agree with you. And pink on top? Let me double check with Coco first and I’ll let you know.”

“And the top two floors of your flat. What would you like me to do with that?”

“Sage green in the entire living area and a soft blue upstairs. The ones you showed me before are pretty much spot on, I think.”

“Okay then. Let me know about this room ASAP and I’ll get my best lads on it.”

“Will do, Ceecee, thanks. And thanks for the suggestion. I think it’s brilliant.”

Ceecee smiled and nodded before heading back downstairs to the main shop floor.

oOo

“Christie!” yelled Aggie, waving, from across the room. “Over here.”

Christie had walked into what looked like complete madness, with decorators painting the walls all over the place, carpenters measuring and fixing, and electricians doing their final checks.

“Sis, how’s it going?” Christie smiled as she gave her sister a quick hug.

“Brilliantly well. What do you think?”

“Difficult to say at the moment on account of the hundreds of workers you’ve got in here but it looks pretty good. I love the sage green. Very Victorian,” she smiled.

“Thanks for the suggestion,” Aggie said with a grin. “Come on, let’s head upstairs to the flat.”

Once on the third floor, with all the noise well beneath them, Christie sat down on Aggie’s old leather sofa.

“I’m surprised you’ve kept this. I figured you’d have bought a new sofa by now.”

“It’s still got a few miles left in it,” Aggie said defensively, “besides, all my money is going into this place so I can’t afford one yet.”

“Soon, it’ll happen soon. I’m sure of it. So, down to business. I’ve set up the website and it’s pretty much ready to go, and the sign writers emailed this morning to say that’s ready too. They just want a day and time to come and hang it for us. I’ve also prepared the invitation to the grand opening and, as promised, it mentions nothing about it being an adult shop. I did add a note saying the invitation is not open to children though. I hope that’s okay?”

“That’s great. Thanks, Christie.”

“How were the trade shows?”

“An eye-opener,” Aggie laughed. “I saw things there that I can never un-see,” she chuckled.

“Really,” Christie’s eyes lit up. “I wish I could have gone to the erotic one.”

“Really? It was quite mortifying to start with.”

“Yeah? I could just imagine you there, blushing like nobody’s business.”

“Actually, I managed to get that quite under control after about an hour,” she laughed. “But seriously, my eyes have been opened to, well, many intriguing possibilities.”

“Aggie!” exclaimed Christie. “You’re almost unrecognisable.”

Aggie just laughed and nodded her head.

“You and Coco should go to the next one. I’ll happily leave it to you next time.”

“Well, I’ll be up for that, definitely. So,” Christie stopped talking for a second before whispering, “have you told Mum yet?”

Aggie bit her bottom lip and shook her head.

“Aggie! We’re opening in three weeks. She’s dying to know what’s going on. She’s practically having kittens because all the ladies at the Luncheon Club keeping asking about the corner shop. You know what she’s like.”

“Which is exactly why I haven’t told her yet.”

Christie chuckled. “It won’t be that bad. It’ll be better when everything’s out in the open.”

“Have you told Jonathan?”

“Of course not,” Christie responded. “You asked me not to spill the beans just yet so I haven’t. Although it’s killing me keeping this blooming secret.”

Aggie laughed, “I know. It’s crazy, isn’t it?”

Christie nodded and asked, “Where’s Coco?”

“She’s busy with all the orders at the moment. Everything is being delivered to her place, until the decorators have gone. Apparently there are boxes everywhere. She says she can barely get through the front door.”

“I can imagine. How are you getting on in the flat? When did you move in?”

“Tonight will be my first night.”

“Fantastic. We should celebrate,” Christie said before realising she couldn’t, “Well, you guys should celebrate. I’ve got to go and pick up the girls. Jonathan is out playing cricket tonight.”

“Another night then? I’d suggest bringing the girls up but I don’t think the smell of paint and new carpets will do them much good.”

Screwing up her nose, Christie nodded, “I know, it is a bit stinky, isn’t it? But it’ll fade soon enough. We’ll celebrate another night though, okay?”

Aggie smiled, “That’d be great, Sis. Oh, here’s the key to the store and this one is for my flat, just in case you ever need it,” she said, handing the keys over to her sister.

“Thanks. I can’t wait to get started,” Christie grinned. “It’s going to be so much fun having a part-time job here. Thank you for asking me to be a part of it, Aggie. It means a lot. Especially considering we weren’t that close growing up. I know I could be a bit of a stuck-up b***h sometimes.”

“Sometimes you were,” Aggie laughed, “But I was a boring old fart half the time. I don’t know how you and Coco put up with me. You were always so much fun, and there was me, terrified of making a fool out of myself, or of getting hurt. God, I was pathetic.”

“No you weren’t. Boring at times, yes, but pathetic, no way. And the fact that you were afraid of getting hurt protected you at times. Remember when I broke my leg falling out of the tree at Coco’s house? You would never have done anything like that and see, you’ve never broken a bone!”

“It wasn’t just physically though, Christie. I was afraid of getting hurt emotionally. That’s why I rarely bothered with the boys in those days.”

“The boys we hung out with were all d***s anyway, Aggie. You were better off not getting involved,” Christie laughed. “Remember little Tommy? Little s**t cornered me in the changing rooms, had a feel of my boobs when I was eleven and then told everyone I’d snogged him and felt his willy. And then a few years later he had the cheek to try again. Do you remember, I whacked him in the nuts?”

Aggie nodded, “Did you know he’s now a surgeon?”

With her eyes wide, Christie snorted. “A surgeon? What kind?”

“Plastic,” Aggie laughed.

“Wow, still likes playing with women’s boobs then.”

Both women snorted with laughter.

“I thought about Timothy the other day,” Aggie admitted.

Christie’s eyes shot upward to look at her sister, “Really? How come? Have you heard from him or something?”

Aggie shook her head, “As far as I know, he married the girl in Australia soon after he got there. We never kept in touch. Didn’t see the point.”

“Oh, Aggie,” Christie said, “Are you all right?”

“I’m fine,” she looked in her sister’s eyes and nodded. “Honestly I am. I’m fine. I just thought three years is a long time…maybe I should start thinking about dating again?”

Christie’s eyes lit up and she jumped up to hug her sister. “I’ve been wanting to hear you say that for so long. I hate seeing you on your own. Everyone needs a bit of love and attention, you know.”

“I know. But this is not an invitation to start fixing me up, okay?” Aggie insisted. “I’ve already said the same thing to Coco. I’m simply open to meeting someone. Not to be forced into it,”

Christie held both her hands up and backed away.

“Who me? I wouldn’t dare,” she winked, before changing the subject, “So, want me to help with anything downstairs? I’ve got a couple of hours to spare before I pick the girls up.”