11 Ladysmile Lane – Episode 59


“Oh, Georgia, it’s perfect!” The final fitting of Amy’s dress had gone, as the girl herself had said, perfectly. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

She broke off from the little dance she was doing, still in the dress, to give Georgia yet another hug.

Georgia, too, was pleased with it. If she seemed subdued it was just that she was still reeling from the revelations of the afternoon. Really, she would have liked to have been left alone to finish digesting it all.

“I’ll get my dad to come and see it,” Amy said, using her mobile phone to call Alex.

“Why don’t you just go along to his office?”

But Amy had already spoken to him.

“He’s got a client coming, but he said he’ll pop by for a minute right now.” She put her mobile back in her bag.

Sure enough, there was a soft knock on the door.

Alex was full of praise for Georgia’s handiwork, too, though he teased Amy good-naturedly about aspects of her design. Georgia always enjoyed seeing them together. She was fully in agreement with everyone else in the offices that Alex had done a brilliant job of raising Amy.

“Well, it’s finished now; you can take it home with you today if you like,” she told the girl.

“Er, I’m going out for a pizza now,” Amy replied. She turned to Alex. “Will you take it for me, Dad?”

“You’re not keeping it on?”

“No! It’s for a party, not for going for a pizza! I’ve got my jeans in my backpack.” She started towards the little side room off Georgia’s office. “I must change or I’ll be late.”

“I have to go,” Alex said to Georgia. “My client will be here. Could I come back for the frock? If you’ll still be around, that is. I don’t want to keep you here on a Friday night.”

“I’ll still be here.”

“Is everything all right?” he asked as he went to the door, concern showing in his expressive eyes.

“Yes,” she said, managing a smile.

For a moment she’d been tempted to pour it all out to Alex. She decided against it simply because she hadn’t yet fully taken it all in herself. Besides, he was off to an appointment.

He nodded and departed, but almost immediately there was another knock on her door. Had he come back? Realising that she was pleased, Georgia hurried to open it, and found Ewan standing there.

“Hi. Is Amy here?”

“Yes, but I think she’s rushing off out . . .” Georgia broke off. Of course. The way they’d smiled at each other earlier in the kitchen . . . “She’s just getting ready,” she finished.

Amy reappeared then in jeans and T-shirt, and the pair set off, laughing together.

Brightened a little by their obvious happiness, Georgia headed to the kitchen to get a hot drink.

“Love, I think, is in the air tonight,” she said to Eloise, who’d come down to make a cup of one of the exotic-sounding teas she favoured.

Eloise turned to look at her with more interest than usual.

“I thought I felt something of the sort myself earlier. A definite wave!” She waved her hands about. “But I didn’t realise you, too, were sensitive to the mystic vibrations, Georgia.”

“I’m not, I promise you. It was just I’ve seen Amy going off with Ewan.”

“And here is your boyfriend, Georgia, as well.” Alex had appeared in the doorway. “I let him in when I was seeing my client out. He’s in the corridor.”

Georgia peered round the door and saw Neil.

Abigail Phillips

Abbie is the newest member of the fiction team at the "Friend." She loves how varied the role is - every day is different and there is always a new story to read. She is keen to work closely with established writers and discover new writers, too.