Page 43 of The Summer That Changed Us

‘Now there’s a woman who couldn’t keep a secret if her life depended on it,’ Nula grumbled. ‘Are you going to tell them, or is it embargoed?’ She put imaginary quote marks around the last word.

Katie laughed. ‘As long as it stays in this room, I think it’s safe to divulge. We had a letter from the Gazette today informing us—’

Before she could continue, her mobile phone began to buzz. She picked it up and saw it was her mum phoning from Malta, or rather, FaceTiming her. She’d expected the call; she’d sent her parents a message as soon as the letter had arrived, knowing how pleased they’d be. She glanced at Grace and Robyn before accepting the call. ‘Sorry, it’s my mum. I won’t be long, I promise.’

‘No worries,’ said Robyn. ‘Mums should always take priority.’

A close-up picture of Josie’s hair appeared on the screen.

‘Darling!’ her mum cried. ‘We’ve just read your message. How exciting! Congratulations!’

‘Thanks!’ Katie laughed. ‘Look at the screen, Mum, you’ll be able to see me.’

‘Silly me!’ said her mum. Her face appeared on screen. She was outside in the sunshine, a bright blue sky behind her. ‘Brian? Katie’s here, look.’

Her dad came into the view, brushing a tear from his eye. ‘I’m so proud of you, love. Well done.’

‘What has she done?’ Grace whispered to Nula.

‘The North East Gazette hosts the regional business awards every year, and the shop has been nominated for the Independent Retailer of the Year Award,’ Nula hissed.

Katie found the official letter from the Gazette and handed it to them to read. Grace clapped quietly and Robyn gave her the thumbs-up.

‘And Auntie Jean would have been so proud of you too,’ her mum was saying.

‘I know she would.’ And Katie was flattered. Being shortlisted was an honour. Especially as this wasn’t something that businesses could nominate themselves for. It was up to readers of the newspaper to vote for shops and companies they felt deserved recognition. But she had mixed emotions about the nomination; of course, she was delighted, for Nula as much as herself. But the timing was awful. Right now, the last thing she wanted was to draw any attention to herself or the shop. But what could she do?

After a quick chat about how their holiday was going, she ended the FaceTime call with her parents, promising to keep them posted with more details about the evening event and turned back to face her friends.

‘I hope you realise what a fantastic achievement this is,’ Grace said, giving her a hug.

‘And there’s an awards night,’ Robyn added, joining in with the hug. ‘Imagine if you win!’

Katie gulped. ‘Imagine.’ As lovely as it would be to win, the thought of going on stage to collect a prize, all eyes upon her, made her head spin.

Nula sighed. ‘I might even treat myself to a new frock.’

‘Yes, well there’s plenty of time to think about all that,’ said Katie. That was another thing: she was far more comfortable hiding under baggy tops. Cocktail dresses were a lot more revealing. ‘But for now, why don’t you two go and try your bras on?’

Robyn needed a bit of persuading but eventually Katie managed to get them to the changing cubicles.

‘Oh, that’s a shame,’ Grace called. ‘I’ve just looked at the label and it’s too small.’

‘Just try it,’ said Katie. ‘Give me a shout when you’re in and I’ll come in and adjust it.’

Grace chuntered under her breath, but she did as she was told.

‘Robyn?’ Katie said, outside her cubicle. ‘Are you getting on OK?’

‘Don’t come in!’ Robyn squeaked.

‘I won’t, but how does it fit?’

There was a moment’s silence before Robyn spoke. ‘It’s beautiful. I look … I actually look really good.’

Her voice sounded choked and Katie’s heart filled with happiness. She suspected that Robyn didn’t often treat herself to nice underwear and the difference that a properly fitting, well-made bra could make to a woman’s self-esteem was immeasurable.

‘Why don’t you help Grace and I’ll check the fit on Robyn’s bra?’ Nula suggested.