‘You know, you’d probably find something quite similar for a third of the price at one of the chain furniture stores on the edge of town,’ Emily offered bluntly. ‘No doubt there’ll be pieces there that are far better suited to your budget.’
Holly cringed inwardly as the young woman’s face dropped.
‘Excuse me,’ Emily said brusquely, brushing past. ‘I’ve just remembered an urgent call I need to make.’
Holly and the couple looked at each other awkwardly for a moment or two.
‘Sorry about that,’ Holly said, a little over-brightly, noting their disappointed faces. She held out her hand. ‘I’m Holly. I’m new here but I happen to know all about the corner suite you’ve got your eye on. It’s a beauty, isn’t it?’
Josh had taken her around the showroom and given her a brief overview of everything currently for sale, but she had to admit she hadn’t taken a great deal of notice, as there had been so much information to absorb.
The woman’s smile returned. ‘Thank you, Holly, we’d appreciate your help. I’m Alice and this is my husband, Luke.’
They shook hands, Holly smiling but silently praying she didn’t mess up her first big sales opportunity.
‘I’ve done nothing but think about this suite ever since we first set eyes on it.’ Alice’s pale, drawn face was suddenly glowing and animated. ‘It would look so beautiful in our new apartment.’
‘It really is very special,’ Holly agreed. ‘Let’s take another look together.’
They walked over to the outsize three-piece silver-and-bronze suite that sat regally in the window. Holly checked the information sign in front of it.
‘So, here we’ve got a crushed velvet grand corner sofa complete with eighteen cushions, a double snuggle chair and a large studded velvet footstool. And the total comes to…’ she glanced at the price card at the side, ‘eight thousand four hundred pounds.’
Her heart rate picked up as realisation dawned on her.
This morning, at the five-minute staff briefing Josh conducted before the start of business each day, they had discussed this very suite.
‘Mr Kellington wants window space for another suite that’s arrived unexpectedly early,’ he had told them. ‘I’ll be reducing the Brooklyn to six and a half grand tomorrow. Just so you know, if you get anyone interested, you can go down to that price today if it swings a quick deal.’
‘The suite has a solid beech frame, natural fibre seat cushions and is made locally by a very reputable manufacturer,’ Holly continued, hoping she’d got the details right.
‘We were concerned the colour is maybe just a tad too light,’ Luke murmured. ‘Could you order it in another colour if necessary?’
‘Of course we can, if that’s what you want,’ Holly said, thumbing through the fabric swatch draped over the back of the sofa to hide her dread that they might do so. She looked furtively around the shop, remembering Emily’s endlessly successful technique. ‘Look, I shouldn’t really be telling you this, but if you decided to take the showroom model, I could probably get you a very good deal on the price.’
‘Really?’ Alice’s eyes widened. ‘That would be brilliant, wouldn’t it, Luke?’
‘Hmm,’ he mused, less convinced. His eyes roamed over the suite. ‘I’d imagine customers have been sitting on this model, though; kids with sticky fingers perhaps. Whereas a brand-new one would be—’
‘I can assure you very few people have sat on this particular suite.’ Holly shook her head. ‘It’s been in the window for most of its short time here, and… well, as you can imagine, we don’t get a lot of kids with sticky fingers running riot in the showroom. Have you sat on it yourselves yet?’
‘Only very briefly,’ Alice said. ‘It’s one of the reasons we came in again today.’
Holly smiled. ‘Then let’s put that right now.’
The next few minutes saw Alice and Luke cooing at the luxurious comfort of the sofa. Holly perched on the edge of the matching snuggle chair, watching as they muttered together in low voices.
‘Another good thing about taking this showroom model is that it’s also had a full stain-guard protection treatment that would usually cost three hundred pounds,’ Holly added, standing up again. ‘Tell you what, I’ll give you a few minutes of privacy. If you decide to take it, I’ll do my utmost to get you the best price and arrange for free delivery within five days. How’s that sound?’
To her dismay, Luke stood up and helped his wife to her feet.
‘Actually, Holly, I think we’ve seen everything we need to. We’re going to sleep on it, and if we decide to take it, we’ll be back first thing tomorrow morning. Hope that’s OK?’
‘Of course,’ Holly said, trying desperately to keep the disappointment out of her voice. She handed Luke her business card. ‘Take all the time you like, and if you think of anything else, don’t hesitate to give me a call.’
She watched them leave, her heart a little heavier.
‘Told you!’ a triumphant voice announced behind her. ‘Time-wasters. I can spot them a mile away. You’ll learn too, when you’re not so wet behind the ears.’
Holly turned, and for a second was extremely tempted to slap Emily’s smug, mocking face.
‘I just think it’s a big purchase for them,’ she said lightly, hiding her irritation. ‘It’s understandable that they want to be absolutely sure before buying.’
‘Ha! You’re so na?ve, Molly.’ Emily tossed her glossy bob back from her face and laughed. ‘If they were wealthy enough to buy that suite, they wouldn’t think twice about it. They’d just—’
‘It’s Holly.’
‘What?’
‘My name is Holly, not Molly,’ she repeated slowly, fully aware that Emily knew exactly what she’d called her. ‘And actually, I find it na?ve to dismiss the fact that there are lots of people out there who value their hard-earned money. They care enough to make an informed decision. Not everyone is as shallow as your air-kissing Fenwicks, you know.’
With that, she turned on her heel and walked away feeling quite triumphant.
When she was halfway upstairs to Josh’s office, she looked down to see Emily still standing in the same spot with her mouth hanging open.
‘She looks like she’s catching flies.’
Holly turned back with a start to see David just above her, descending the stairwell.
‘David.’ She forced a weak smile. Nick Brown’s comments and David turning up at the door like that last night had unnerved her a little.
David had seemed OK to her before, but now she felt a slight prickle of unease.
Whatever had happened two years ago sat between Holly and the rest of the street like the elephant in the room. Nobody seemed to want to talk about the mystery event, but it hovered in the air like a swarm of black flies. And it was high time she tackled it.
She looked up to find David still staring at her.
‘Emily’s not happy with me, I’m afraid.’ She shrugged.
‘Oh dear.’ David tapped his fingertips on the stair rail as if he’d run out of words.
‘You seemed a bit stressed out when you came round to the house last night,’ Holly said lightly. ‘If you fancy a quick chat one lunchtime, just let me know.’
He looked startled, like he’d been caught in a dazzling light.
‘I don’t have a lunchtime as such because I finish my shift at one,’ he said quickly. ‘I have to go straight for the bus.’
‘I see,’ Holly replied, feeling a poke of irritation at his description of yet another stringent routine. ‘See you around then, Dave.’
‘It’s… David,’ he said. ‘I prefer to be called David… if that’s OK.’
‘Course.’ Talk about uptight, she fumed inwardly. ‘See you soon then, David.’
She carried on climbing up the steps, but he didn’t move.
‘What did… Mrs Barrett say last night when I’d gone back home?’
‘Say?’ Holly shook her head, a puzzled expression on her face. ‘About what?’
‘About me,’ he said tersely.
‘She didn’t say anything about you.’ Holly shrugged. ‘David, are you sure you’re feeling OK?’
Just watch him. Nick’s voice echoed in her head.
‘Yes,’ he said, seeming to shake himself and focus on her face again. ‘Yes, I’m fine.’
Before she could reply, he stepped aside and carried on downstairs without looking back.
Chapter Thirty-One
Holly