Part 36 (1/2)
Denise pointed out the window: ”I can't believe I never noticed that wedding shop over there! Drink up quick and we'll go there next,” she said excitedly as her eyes darted from dress to dress.
Sharon sighed and pretended to pa.s.s out. ”I can't, Denise, I'm pregnant...”
FORTY-TWO.
”HEY HOLLY, I WAS JUST thinking,” Alice said to Holly as they were reapplying their makeup' in the toilets at work before leaving for the day.
”Oh no, did it hurt?” Holly teased.
”Ha-ha,” she said dryly. ”No, honestly, I was thinking about the horoscope in this month's magazine and I think Tracey may have got it eerily right.”
Holly threw her eyes up to heaven. ”How?”
Alice put down her lipstick and turned away from the mirror to face Holly. ”Well, first there was the thing about the tall, dark, handsome man who you are now seeing...”
”I'm not seeing him, we're just friends,” Holly explained for the millionth time.
Alice rolled her eyes. ”Whatever you say. Anyway, then there was the thing...”
”I'm not,” Holly repeated.
”Yeah, yeah,” Alice said, disbelieving her. ”Well then, there's the...”
Holly slammed down her makeup bag. ”Alice, I am not seeing Daniel.”
”OK, OK.” She held up her hands defensively, ”I get it! You're not seeing him, but please stop interrupting me and listen!” She waited for Holly to calm down and listen. ”OK, so the other thing she said was that your lucky day is Tuesday, which is today...”
”Wow, Alice, I think you're on to something here,” Holly said sarcastically, applying her lip liner.
”Listen!” Alice said impatiently and Holly shut up. ”So she also said that blue was your lucky color. So today being Tuesday you have been invited by a tall, dark, handsome man to the launch of Blue Rock.” Alice looked pleased with herself as she summed it all up.
”So what?” Holly said, unimpressed.
”So it's a sign.”
”A sign that the color s.h.i.+rt I happened to be wearing that day was blue, which was why Tracey chose that particular color, which I happened to be wearing because everything else I owned was dirty. And she just picked the day off the top of her head. It means nothing, Alice.”
Alice sighed, ”Oh ye of little faith.”
Holly laughed. ”Well, if I am to believe your little theory, as screwed up as it is, then that also means that Brian is going to win the lotto and he will also become the object of every woman's affections.”
Alice bit her lip and looked sheepish.
”What?” Holly asked, knowing something was going through her bizarre little mind.
”Well, Brian won four euro on the scratch card today.”
”Whoopdeedoo,” Holly laughed. ”Well, there's still the problem of at least one human being finding him attractive.”
Alice remained silent.
”What now?” Holly demanded.
”Nothing,” Alice shrugged and smiled.
”You don't!” Holly said, shocked.
”I don't what?” Her face lit up.
”You don't fancy him, do you? You couldn't possibly!”
Alice shrugged. ”He's nice, that's all.”
”Oh no!” Holly covered her face with her hands. ”You're taking this way too far just to try to prove a point to me.”
”I'm not trying to prove anything to you,” she laughed.
”Well then, I can't believe you fancy him!”
”Who fancies who?” Tracey asked, walking into the toilet.
Alice shook her head wildly at Holly, begging her not to tell.
”Oh n.o.body,” Holly muttered, staring at Alice in shock. How could Alice fancy the slimeball of all slimeb.a.l.l.s?
”Hey, did you hear Brian won money on the lotto scratch card today?” Tracey asked them from the cubicle.
”We were just talking about that,” Alice laughed.
”I just might have psychic powers after all, Holly,” Tracey giggled and flushed the toilet.
Alice winked at Holly in the mirror and Holly headed out of the bathroom. ”Come on, Alice, we better get going to this thing or the photographer will go mad.”
”The photographer's already here,” Alice explained, applying some mascara.
”Where is he?”
”She.”
”Well then, where is she?”
”Ta-da!” Alice announced, taking a camera out of her bag.
”You're the photographer?” Holly laughed. ”Well, at least we can both lose our jobs together when this article is published,” she called over her shoulder as she headed back to her office.