MADE IN ESSEX. Laura Ziepe

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СКАЧАТЬ and Kelly looked at each other.

      ‘I think yes!’ Kelly almost screamed. ‘You don’t understand how much I’m going to spoil her. There is this amazing dog’s boutique down Queens Road in Buckhurst Hill. We can get her some gorgeous little Juicy Couture outfits and diamanté collars.’ She looked at the dog and put on her baby voice again, ‘You’re going to make all the other dogs jell, aren’t you, Cupcake? In fact, I’m going to call her Princess Cupcake. She’s far too important to just have one name.’

      ‘Will she be okay here all day do you think?’ Jade asked, slightly concerned. ‘Won’t she get bored?’

      Lisa waved her hand casually. ‘She’ll be fine. All they do is sleep and sit on your lap the lady said. Apparently they’re really easy to house train too, so she’ll be clean in no time. Oh, I’m so glad you’ll have her. I didn’t know what to do otherwise!’

      Kelly hugged the dog to her chest. ‘Babe, we’re going to love having her all day, aren’t we Jade? I’ll dog-sit anytime! Can’t believe how amazing she is!’

      ‘Thanks. I can’t stay long,’ Lisa explained, ‘I have a date tonight.’

      ‘With the same bloke you went out with the other night? James?’ Jade asked.

      Lisa looked up at the ceiling thoughtfully and then finally answered ‘James? Oh no, not him. I’ve gone off him since he turned up to the date bright orange.’

      ‘What?’ Jade cried.

      ‘He’d clearly had a spray tan,’ Lisa shook her head remembering it, ‘and not a very good one either.’

      ‘Lisa, there’s nothing wrong with a man having a healthy-looking glow with the help of fake tan,’ Kelly chipped in. ‘Do you have his number? I’ll text him to come to me next time.’

      ‘Trust me. He was the colour of a tangerine and he was wearing a white shirt that made it look even worse!’ Lisa exclaimed, closing her eyes as if trying to block out the memory.

      They laughed.

      Lisa continued. ‘I’m going on a date with this guy called Alex, and for once he’s not from Essex. He lives in Hertfordshire and I met him in London.’

      ‘What’s he like?’ Jade enquired.

      Lisa exhaled. ‘That’s the problem. I’m not too sure. He’s got dark hair and blue eyes … or were they brown?’

      ‘Well, good luck with him,’ Kelly said kindly. ‘What are you doing tomorrow?’

      ‘Nothing,’ Lisa replied, ‘why?’

      Kelly’s eyes gleamed with excitement. ‘We’ve a hundred per cent got to go shopping for Princess Cupcake.’

      ‘We’ve got a meeting with Tony tomorrow, remember?’ Jade reminded Kelly.

      Kelly scrunched up her nose. ‘Oh yeah. What time?’

      Jade looked through her red notebook. ‘Five o’clock. I suppose we have plenty of time then to go shopping and for lunch. Deffo count me in.’

      ‘Ah thanks girls! This is going to be so much fun,’ Lisa smiled. ‘Right, I’d better go then.’

      ‘Good luck with Alex,’ Jade said.

      ‘Thanks.’ Lisa opened the dog bag and turned to Kelly. ‘Okay Kelly, hand Cupcake back now.’

      Kelly didn’t move or even acknowledge she’d heard.

      Lisa repeated herself, her voice louder. ‘Kelly, hand me back the dog please.’

      There was still no response.

      Lisa took a deep breath. ‘Kelly! You can see her tomorrow. Give her back!’

      Kelly handed her back with a sulky pout. ‘Okay, okay, fine.’ Then she looked thoughtful for a minute. ‘It’s lucky you got a girl actually. I remember Lord McButterpants used to hump everything in sight until we had him circumcised, especially my cream Ugg boots.’

      Jade and Lisa burst into laughter.

      ‘Kelly, do you mean castrated? It’s only people that get circumcised, silly! Not animals!’

      Kelly grinned, before laughing with them. ‘Oh come on, you know what I mean.’

      *

      The following day, the girls were walking down Queens Road, with Cupcake securely in the pink bag over Kelly’s shoulder.

      ‘Make sure you don’t trip over and drop her in those shoes,’ Lisa said, concerned by Kelly’s four-inch black Jimmy Choo heels, which she was wearing with shiny black skinny jeans and a black peplum top with a diamanté collar.

      ‘Stop worrying. I would never fall over,’ Kelly said confidently, jutting her chin skywards. ‘I’ve been wearing heels since I was about seven.’

      ‘I doubt it,’ Jade frowned.

      Kelly turned to her sharply, appalled that it was being questioned. ‘Yes I have, actually. I had black patent Kickers remember? They were big thick heels. We were in Mrs Horne’s class, so we were seven.’

      ‘Oh my God, so you were,’ Jade remembered, shaking her head in disbelief.

      ‘I might get a blow dry while we’re down here too,’ Kelly announced, as they passed a blow dry bar.

      ‘Going somewhere tonight?’ Lisa asked.

      ‘Me and Bill are going to go for a nice meal somewhere. I always like to look nice for him. I’ve had a spray tan as well,’ Kelly explained as she looked down at her bronzed arms.

      Jade glanced at Kelly, who looked tanned, as she always did. Jade didn’t even know Kelly’s natural colour at all anymore; she never went out without a bit of fake tan and though Jade hated to admit it, neither did she nowadays. At Jade’s uni, in Bath, it had been a different story. Jade wasn’t even sure if she had owned any fake tan for the three years she was there.

      ‘What about you, Jade?’ Lisa asked.

      ‘Just going to the cinema with Sam. How did your date with Alex go, by the way?’

      ‘Mmm … he was okay,’ Lisa said thoughtfully. ‘I haven’t fallen head over heels for him or anything. He’s nice, but I really wasn’t keen on his shoes.’

      Jade and Kelly laughed heartily.

      ‘You can’t not like someone because of their shoes!’ Jade exclaimed. Lisa was so fussy, she thought, but as she glanced at her, with her beautiful shiny long dark hair, slender legs and striking coffee-coloured eyes, Jade realised she could afford to be.

      ‘Well I didn’t really like his shirt either. It was far too baggy and didn’t do him any justice,’ Lisa told them before stopping. ‘Right girls, here it is up here on the right. Puppy Kit Pet Couture.’

      ‘Oh СКАЧАТЬ