Chances Read Online Free PDF Page B

know?’
    Vita brushed the air quickly. ‘No, no – she’s fine. I know her.’ She was much more interested in matchmaking a ten-year-old with a gift.
    The three young men looked towards the door where the old lady was headed – and then earnestly back at Vita.
    ‘But she’s—?’
    ‘Please,’ Vita said, ‘it’s fine. Honestly. Now – about your sister?’
    ‘It’s awesome, miss,’ said the Bruiser brother. Vita thought she preferred miss to ma’am . ‘I’ll take it. The bluish one, I reckon. What do you think, Tink?’
    ‘If I was your sis? I’d think you were damn cool, Boz.’
    ‘Boz,’ said Vita, to herself but out loud. ‘Yeah?’
    Vita reddened. ‘It’s just the male customers I usually have are mostly called Felix and Ted and Blaise – names like that. And they’re usually holding their mums’ hands.’
    ‘It’s short for Robert,’ Boz told her, which he could hear didn’t make any sense so he chuckled.
    ‘Spike’s short for Michael,’ Boz continued, motioning to the one who had yet to speak. ‘And Tinker – what the fuck is your name, mate?’
    Vita thought, I’ll let the swearing go – there’s no one else in the shop and the boxes are quite pricey.
    ‘Taylor,’ said Tinker and everyone simply nodded.
    ‘When do you need this for?’ Vita asked. ‘It’s just that I could put your sister’s name on it – hand stencil it – look, like the one in the window.’
    The boys murmured their approval.
    ‘I could have it ready for tomorrow morning And I could gift-wrap it too. After you’ve seen it, of course.’
    ‘Thanks, miss, that would be awesome.’
    ‘Excellent. What’s her name?’ And Vita hoped it was something pretty and not a daft nickname.
    ‘Megan.’
    ‘Excellent.’
    ‘Shall I pay now?’
    ‘Would you mind?’
    Boz looked at her as if she was mad. ‘Of course I don’t mind. This is awesome .’
    ‘See you tomorrow,’ Vita said as she handed back his credit card and receipt.
    ‘I’ve read that book,’ said Spike, the quiet one, another Aussie, motioning towards Robinson Crusoe . ‘Couldn’t get to grips with Moll Flanders , though.’
    After they’d gone, and once the school rush had abated, Vita started stencilling Megan’s name. She’d felt so disorientated after that night recently with Candy and Michelle – but today she felt as though she’d been sent three rugged guardian angels, one of whom was paying her to do something other than think about Tim and Suzie. She rifled through her stencil collection.
    ‘I’ll add a pattern,’ she said. ‘Free of charge.’ Her evening was sorted. She was relieved. She wrote on a Post-it and stuck it to the box.
    Megan
Butterflies?
Vines?

Something for the Weekend
    ‘I remember this shop,’ Oliver told Boz as they drove past That Shop towards the end of that week. ‘Not that I’ve ever been in. But when my wife – but when my late wife and I – used to come into town, she’d always say, I’m just going to pop into That Shop. And ten hours later she’d always bought some tutt or other.’
    ‘Tutt!’ Boz liked the word. Then he looked worried. ‘The box – thing – I’ve bought Megan, it’s not tutt. It’s nicely made – it’s not cheap. Value, I’d say. She’ll love it.’
    Oliver smiled as he scouted for a parking place in the multi-storey. ‘By tutt , I don’t mean the quality, I don’t mean tat – I mean girl stuff . The bits and bobs females never grow too old to fawn over and buy. Yet more photo frames, vases, candles, strange holders for wooden spoons, retro tea towels, bowls that are pretty but shaped too oddly to actually be useful. Heart-shaped stuff. Cushions. Bloody cushions – to be arranged daily, meticulously, on the bed or sofa yet always chucked off.’ He raised an eyebrow at Boz. ‘I’ll stay in the car, thanks.’
    ‘Might be a trinket that tickles your fancy, boss?’
    ‘I’ll stay in the car.’
    ‘I’ll be quick.’
    Boz thought, Poor fucker.