Liz tried on the first dress. It was sleeveless with slightly cut away shoulders. She would never have considered a dress without sleeves but Ali was convinced that this dress would accentuate her long neck. Liz had never thought much about her neck before but she had to agree when she looked in the mirror. The fitted dress was really flattering and the cut away shoulders did indeed make her arms and her neck look longer. Teamed with the matching bolero cardigan she looked okay. Actually she looked better than okay
The second outfit of navy fitted trousers and patterned silk shirt looked fantastic with the olive green coat that Ali popped around the changing room door. Liz looked at herself in the mirror. ‘Not bad at all,’ she thought, as she surveyed this new version of herself. Ali continued to fawn a bit and Liz wondered if the personal shoppers worked on commission. Not that it mattered. Ali was very good at her job and without exception Liz really liked the outfits she came up with.
Two hours and seven hundred and forty pounds later Liz left the shop with four large shopping bags. Luckily she didn’t need shoes or handbags as she still had loads of those at home. Although she hadn’t worn anything higher than a two inch heel since her teaching days she still had a cupboard full of shoes just waiting to be pressed into service.
* * *
Monica also had a very successful morning. Tammy had bought Molly some nail varnish and a One Direction CD, plus a birthday card and wrapping paper. ‘Are you sure Molly wears nail varnish?’ said Monica. Tammy’s look said it all. She didn’t need to speak. It was one of those ‘Have you been on another planet’ looks. Obviously Monica didn’t understand eleven year olds. ‘You’re all in too much of a hurry to grow up,’ she said to Tammy, thinking to herself that she sounded just like her mum.
Tammy tried on skinny jeans, denim shorts and cute tops with sparkly bits, the bright colours looking fantastic against her cappuccino coloured skin. Monica felt a flush of pride as she watched her posing in front of the mirror. They picked out a couple of outfits before moving on to the underwear department.
Tammy couldn’t wait to wear a bra although she really didn’t need one. Apparently all the girls in her class were wearing them. Monica resisted the balconettes and padded bras that Tammy insisted on picking up and instead chose a couple of very sedate starter bra and brief sets in pastel colours.
‘You’re almost eleven, not sixteen,’ she pointed out, as Tammy pouted her disapproval of Monica’s choice.
Finally they bought some picture frames and headed home. Monica was surprised at how good she felt even after three or four hours shopping, which was just as well with bowling scheduled for the afternoon.
* * *
Liz had taken a taxi home. She was feeling extravagant but, more so, she couldn’t face walking up the hill from the station with her bags in tow. She had forgotten how much hard work shopping for clothes could be.
Monica and Tammy were in a rush but popped in briefly so Liz could see Tammy all dressed up for the party.
‘Wow, you look so grown up.’
Tammy did a twirl and looked very pleased with herself.
‘Wait, I have to take a picture.’ Liz ran into the kitchen and snatched up the camera. Tammy stood still and smiled as Liz clicked. ‘Now both of you,’ said Liz as Monica and Tammy arranged themselves in the doorway, Tammy almost as tall as Monica and jostling for position as Liz snapped.
Once Monica and Tammy were on their way Liz put the kettle on and thought about contacting her friends. It was three years or more since she had cut herself off completely. They had tried to stay in touch but she didn’t bother taking calls or replying to emails, she just wanted to cocoon herself in her memories and not let the outside world in. They gradually stopped trying. Liz was nervous. She wasn’t sure if she would be welcome and she had some apologising to do. She poured the tea and sat down at the computer.
* * *
Tammy had a wonderful time bowling. Monica marvelled at how grown up her classmates were with some of the girls looking like teenagers already. She thought about Tammy’s impending birthday party and how she was going to keep the whole class entertained and briefly considering employing their class teacher who had complete control of them.
The background music at the bowling alley decided her. She would hire a disco. She talked about the idea of a disco to Tammy who was really keen and straight on the phone to Sasha, followed by Molly and Lauren. No decision could be finalised without first conferring with the other inbetweenies. Monica made a note to talk to Liz about it in the week.
* * *
Sunday dragged lazily. Liz considered working in the garden but there really was no point as Finn and Devlin would be starting work on Monday. She needed to talk to them before planting anything.
Instead she got the easel out of its box and searched out the watercolour paper and paints before setting the easel up in the garden.
She walked around the garden, settling on a spot to sketch before attempting to paint. Looking up for a second from her pad she briefly had a flashback of Jim in the garden but he wasn’t clutching his chest as she usually pictured him. Instead he was leaning on his shovel surveying the lawn. She didn’t look away. She just smiled to herself and looked beyond the image in her mind’s eye to the Lavender where bees were busying themselves on and off the flowers. She started to draw.
Chapter 18
Devlin and Finn arrived at seventy three Elm Close at eight thirty on Monday morning. When Liz opened the door she was greeted by the sight of Finn resplendent in lime green skinny jeans tucked into floral wellington boots. Unusually for him he was sporting a very ordinary looking, outsized grey sweatshirt on top of a white tee shirt.
‘I’m ready to work,’ he exclaimed, as Liz invited him in. Finn stood to one side in the hall as Devlin followed him in, wearing his trusty crumpled chinos and today, brown no nonsense work boots.
‘God, it’s cold today,’ Finn remarked, as Liz was about to shut the door. ‘Wait,’ shouted Finn. ‘There’s more.’
Coming up the path was another man around six feet tall with a sturdy frame and rugged face. He looked to be around the same age as Finn and Devlin but there the similarities ended. He was not nearly as neatly dressed or self-contained. In fact he looked like he had slept in his clothes.
The man nodded to Liz as he came through the door and pushed out his hand for Liz to shake. ‘Rory,’ he said, in a soft Irish accent, shaking her hand vigorously.
‘This is our assistant. He’ll be helping us dig up and lay the paths,’ said Finn by way of explanation.
’Yes, that’s me. Navvy to the queens,’ said Rory with a wink.
‘He means us,’ said Finn laughing.
‘You know who you are,’ said Rory, laughing louder. ‘Lizzy and Mary over there.’ He winked again at Liz.
Devlin raised his eyes and shook his head slightly in disapproval before going through to the kitchen. Finn trotted gaily behind.
Liz scanned the area outside her house to see if any of her neighbours had noticed them arrive. There was no one around but even if they had managed to slip in unnoticed no one could miss the van parked outside Liz’s house, painted grass green and emblazoned with Fantasy Gardens in pink on every panel.
‘Tea?’ asked Liz, as she closed the front door.
‘I’m dying for a cuppa,’ said Finn theatrically.
‘Yes please, no sugar,’ added Devlin.
‘Me neither,’ said Rory. ‘I’m sweet enough.’
Liz smiled. She could see it was going to be fun having the three of them around. They all went out to the garden and Finn was soon engaged in deep and meaningful conversations with Devlin as Rory started to plot out where they needed to dig.
‘Can we use the side entrance?’ he shouted to Liz as she came outside with a tray.
‘Yes, of course,’ said Liz. ‘I’ll get the key.’ She was grateful that they wouldn’t be trudging their muddy boots through the house.
‘Great,’ said Rory, befo
re shouting out to Finn, ‘Have you got the digger coming?’
‘I have, sweetie,’ Finn replied, teasing Rory. ‘Don’t worry, you won’t have to ruin your nails with the pick and shovel.’
Liz glanced at Rory’s nails. He looked as though he’d been digging for potatoes with his bare hands already.
Liz placed the tray on the garden table. ‘Help yourself,’ she called, before turning to go inside. Rory and Devlin were marking out the garden with chalk and bits of string.
‘Liz,’ said Finn, ‘can I borrow you for a few minutes?’
‘Of course,’ said Liz, turning around.
‘I need you to walk around the garden with me and decide what’s staying put, what’s being moved and what will be going to that great compost heap in the sky.’ He linked arms and led her around the garden.
Finn had a system. He used different coloured ribbons and stickers. Red was staying, orange was moving and yellow was going. Rory would be pulling up all the plants with yellow ribbons or stickers on and adding them to the compost heap with what remained of the lawn. He then pointed out the spots where they would be building tiered planting areas. He didn’t like boring flat gardens. His vision included creating different levels of interest. ‘Little hills of heaven,’ he explained. ‘Trust me, darling,’ he added when they had finished their tour.
The forecast promised dry weather for the next few weeks which meant that there would be no down time.
Liz talked to Finn and Devlin about the planting scheme, stressing her wish for a Lavender border somewhere in the garden and giving them the list of bee friendly plants they were to keep, as Tammy had instructed. Happily, Finn was a fan of the industrious little insects, which would please Tammy.
Rory proved to be a great all-rounder. Not only could he work the digger with crack-shot accuracy he would eventually be running the electric cables up the garden for the lighting and dismantling the shed. But not before he had helped Liz box up all the tools and move them to the garage which now contained everything except the car. Tammy was home from school by three thirty and couldn’t believe the change in the garden, which now resembled a bomb site.
Ribbons abounded on most of the plants and deep trenches had been dug in the ground to accommodate gravel paths and block paving. Without a shred of shyness she rushed out to say hello to Finn, who made a big fuss of her.
‘Can I help?’ she asked. ‘I’ve got my own tools.’ She pulled out her floral fork and trowel.
‘Definitely,’ said Finn. ‘You can start here.’ He took her over to a section of the garden where some of the smaller plants had orange ribbons on them. ‘We are moving these, sweetie, so they need to be dug up and put in here.’ He pointed to a wooden crate next to the flower bed. ‘You need to keep a good root ball,’ he explained, before getting down on his knees to demonstrate and then watching while Tammy did the first one. ‘Remember, only the orange ones,’ he said as he moved to help Rory.
Liz kept them all supplied with refreshments, sandwiches and doughnuts. She learned that Devlin was very into health and fitness and therefore resisted doughnuts and coffee, instead preferring fresh orange juice and salads for lunch. Finn would occasionally waft the hot bacon rolls or doughnuts under his nose to tease him. Devlin smiled indulgently at Finn before tucking into his couscous and vegetable medley.
‘It’s alright for you,’ he would moan. ‘I have to watch my weight. You can eat like a horse and still look like a stick insect.’
‘You’re only jealous of my fast metabolism and sylph like figure,’ Finn would counter. ‘Anyway, you eat like a stick insect and look like a horse.’
Whenever they bickered too much Rory would intervene, like a marriage guidance counsellor or referee, and tell them both to shut up. This always had the desired effect as they would then both start on Rory who knew exactly what he was doing. In the end they would all be laughing and the good humoured teasing would continue for the rest of the day.
Liz loved having them there. It was a breath of fresh air. The garden was taking shape and looking better every day and the fun they had spilled over to Liz and Tammy, who would spend most of the time laughing at their banter. Tammy couldn’t wait to get home from school to get out in the garden to help Finn. Devlin didn’t usually stay for the whole day, preferring to direct operations and then leave to prepare plans for other jobs.
By Thursday all the digging was done and the concrete base for the summer house had been laid. A huge skip was delivered and took up most of the space outside Liz’s house, filled to the brim with wheelbarrow loads of earth and turf and wood from the old grey shed. Large lorries deposited huge bags of gravel and sand followed by low loaders with grabbers which dropped pallets of bricks and slabs onto the drive.
The new summer house arrived mid-morning. It looked nothing like a summer house but Liz was assured that when Rory had worked his magic she would be dazzled at the spectacular sight of it. Finn never used one word when ten would do. It still had a way to go but Liz could see that Devlin’s design was taking shape and she was promised she would really be able to see a difference the following week when the summer house was erected and the new plants started to go in.
When Tammy got home from school Liz was in a tizzy. She had been trying on outfits for the art exhibition. She didn’t want to look as though she had tried too hard. There was nothing effortless about effortless glamour. Liz decided it was either something you had or didn’t have, and she didn’t have it.
‘Let’s face it,’ she said to herself, ‘I’ve reached the age where it takes three times as long to look half as good.’
‘You look great for your age,’ said Tammy helpfully. Liz smiled but didn’t really believe it.
‘I know,’ said Tammy. ‘You wash your hair and let me style it for you. I used to help mum all the time.’ Liz wasn’t entirely convinced but didn’t want to hurt Tammy’s feelings so she made her some cheese on toast and left her eating it while she went upstairs to have a shower and wash her hair.
Tammy went outside to say hello to Finn who already had a job lined up for her. She was to dig up some of the Lavender and move it to another flower bed.
‘Can’t help tonight,’ said Tammy earnestly. ‘Liz is going on a date and I’m doing her hair.’
‘How exciting,’ said Finn, genuinely interested. ‘Where is she going?’
‘To an art exhibition with Nick,’ said Tammy. ‘He’s a bit younger than she is.’
‘Toyboy, eh?’ said Finn smiling. ‘Good for her. I can help,’ said Finn. ‘I used to be in fashion before I started gardening. If she wants any advice with what to wear, I’m her man.’
‘Huh,’ said Rory, ‘you could be done under the Trade Descriptions Act for saying things like that.’
‘I’ll have you know that I have worked in some of the best fashion houses in London.’ Finn was indignant.
‘Not that,’ said Rory laughing, ‘you being a man.’
Liz came down half an hour later with damp hair and wearing a baggy tracksuit. Tammy ran next door and brought back her hair hairdryer and straighteners. Liz then sat at the kitchen table while Tammy deftly blow dried her hair.
‘This will give it some lift and bounce,’ she informed Liz, as she pulled up strands of hair and rolled them around the large hairbrush before blasting them with the dryer. Liz was not a fan of blow drying but she had to admit that Tammy was pretty good. Once the blow drying was finished Tammy plugged in the straighteners to tame the ends.
‘Now you can look in the mirror.’ Liz shook her head like the girls in the adverts for hair products on TV before going to look in the hall mirror. She hardly recognised herself.
‘Wow!’ Tammy had done a great job. ‘It doesn’t look like me at all,’ said Liz.
‘You should always have your hair like this,’ said Tammy. ‘It really suits you.’
‘I can see that I’ll have to employ you to do my hair in future.’
Tammy looked really pleased with hersel
f. ‘Let’s look at outfits now.’ Liz brought down the four outfits that she had recently bought.
‘Hang on a minute,’ said Tammy, and she ran out into the garden to call Finn. Liz went to protest but Tammy was out in a flash and back with Finn, who was pleased to be press ganged into service. He took off his muddy boots at the backdoor and sashayed into the living room where Liz had laid each outfit over the back of the sofa.
‘No. No. No,’ said Finn, pointing at three of the outfits in turn. ‘Too simple, too plain, too dressy. Now this could be great.’ He picked up the navy pants and brightly coloured silk shirt. ‘Shoes,’ he snapped.
Liz wasn’t sure. She pointed him in the direction of the cupboard under the stairs where most of her shoes were kept. She felt a bit like Cinderella with Finn as her fairy godmother.
He was mumbling to himself, ‘Too red, not black, aahhh Tan.’ He emerged with a pair of dark tan court shoes. ‘This is it,’ he announced. ‘What do you think?’ he said to Tammy, who had now cast herself in the role of fairy godmother’s assistant. ‘Do you have a bag to match?’ he asked.
‘I do,’ said Liz, and she went to rummage in the cupboard before emerging triumphantly with a small shoulder bag in the same colour.
‘My work here is done,’ said Finn. ‘I want to hear all about it tomorrow,’ he said, as he flounced out the back door.
‘Just make-up now,’ said Liz. ‘Have you any tips?’ she asked Tammy.
‘Less is more at your age,’ she said seriously. ‘You don’t want to look like you’re trying too hard.’ Liz laughed. It was all a bit too serious. She hoped that if she could look the part she might actually feel more confident, that somehow the hair and make-up would endow her with confidence by osmosis. She went upstairs to apply make-up sparingly before getting dressed.
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