It’s just hard to hold the line sometimes. She’s still going to the dry-cleaning business after school, doing her hours. It’s not even because she wants the money, although it’s helpful. It’s to keep the peace as much as she can. She’s still living in her parents’ house and they want her to work in the business, so she does. But her real life is in the back room at the charity shop.
For a week or so she was worried it was all going to end. Daphne had been out of sorts for a while and finally told her that the shop would be closing, unless something extraordinary happened.
Then Christina came into the back room a couple of days ago, looking all happy. She’s been pretty happy a lot lately, which is nice.
Knowing Christina is one of the weirdest and best things in Lucy’s life. She hasn’t told anyone at school that she hangs out with a movie star – although a couple of kids have been into the shop and seen Christina there – but she likes knowing it. It feels like a secret weapon or something. Not that she’d use it.
‘I have an idea!’ Christina had said.
‘Oh yeah?’ Lucy said, pretending to be nonchalant.
‘Did you know that Daphne designs clothes?’
‘No.’ This made Lucy feel a certain kind of glee – that she and Daphne have this in common.
Christina then told her about renting the shop and how she wants to turn it into a boutique, with Daphne’s clothes in it – which she wants Lucy to make.
‘Oh, I …’ Lucy had to stop and think. ‘I don’t know if I’m ready yet. I’d have to be able to interpret the designs …’ She’d screwed up her forehead. ‘It’s a bit different to working from a pattern. I’d have to make my own patterns. Or something.’
When she’s made things for herself she’s worked mostly from instinct, which has led to some mistakes, but she’s learning. Once she’s left school she plans to take a course somewhere.
‘I believe in you,’ Christina had said, then left.
After that Lucy thought about it properly. Maybe shecoulddo it. Especially if shewantsto do it. And she does. What would be more cool than making Daphne’s clothes? Well, making her own, probably, but Daphne knows more about clothes than she does at the moment.
The problem is the amount of time she has. School takes up a lot of it. Then there’s the hours in her parents’ business, and she has to do homework, then she’s sewing at the charity shop. Something has to go, and the only thing she can think of is the job with her parents. So that’s the conversation she needs to have today.
She waits until her parents have closed up for the day and are just about to head home. Luckily Russell isn’t here – she really didn’t want to have to talk about anything in front of him.
‘Have you got a minute?’ she says to her mum.
Her palms suddenly feel warm, along with her cheeks. No matter how much she wants to make this change, she wishes she didn’t have to have this hard conversation to do it.
‘Sure,’ her mother says, but she’s not looking at Lucy, she’s tidying the countertop.
‘Mum,’ Lucy says with a note of warning.
Connie glances up. ‘Mm?’
‘I need to talk to you and Dad.’
Connie frowns. ‘Okay. Rafael!’
Her father is in the back part of the shop and he takes his time joining them.
‘Yes?’ he says, sitting on a stool.
‘I, ah …’ Lucy swallows. ‘I need to tell you something.’
She decided on this wording beforehand:tellthem, not talk to them about it or ask them.
Her parents look at each other.
‘Whatever it is, darling,’ her mother says, ‘we’ll support you.’
Lucy wants to say that she knows that isn’t the case, but she decides to wait to see how they’ll react first.
‘Are you pregnant?’ her mother blurts.