Virginia was up early that morning, she had an important customer coming to work and she was also taking Paisley, who had yet to come down for breakfast.
"Paisley! Get down here or I'll be late!" Virginia called up the stairs, she then went back down the hall and pulled her hair into a loose ponytail before going back into the kitchen to finish cooking Paisley's breakfast, bacon rasher sandwiches.
Five minutes after, Virginia heard Paisley running down the stairs and then jump around the last bit. The stairs in the living room curved on the last few stairs and there was a glass wall down the stairs because Virginia had them built when she moved into the house. Around the curved bit was a small round banister, which Paisley always grabbed and swung into the living room on.
The small red head ran into the kitchen and landed on a chair.
"Morning Mum!" She exclaimed, not a bit out of breath, Virginia smiled.
"Morning. The stairs in the hall would get you down here faster y'know." She commented, Paisley grinned.
"I know, but I don't really care about that tiny factor." She said with a grin, helping herself to the bacon sandwiches.
"Now Missy, you need to hurry up, we are going to be late if you don't and I have to stop by Elsa's to get some fabric." Virginia said, finishing the washing up in the sink.
"Oh? Why?" Paisley asked.
"I have a difficult customer, she wants a certain kind of lace on her wedding dress." Virginia explained sarcastically, Paisley nodded.
"Cool." She muttered, Virginia smiled.
After Paisley finished her breakfast, they made their way to Virginia's studios or 'fashion house' as Elsa called it. It was the middle of July and it was a great warm summer day, Paisley had finished junior school earlier in the month and nearly everyday she had gone to a summer club with her friends, though today she was going to work with her Mum to help out and earn some extra pocket money.
As she was driving, Virginia thought she spotted an owl. 'No, couldn't be.' She thought, then carried on driving.
They stopped by Elsa's quickly and then drove to the Summers Designs fashion house. Virginia unlocked the door and was about to enter when an owl swooped down and sat on the windowsill, looking at them expectantly. Paisley looked as shocked as Virginia, who hesitantly approached it and took the letter from it's leg. She should've known Hogwarts would offer Paisley a place, both of the girls parents were pure-bloods, she wouldn't exactly be a squib.
Virginia handed the letter to Paisley and opened the door, walking in after the owl flew in. Paisley walked over to the table with her letter.
"Hey Mum? You reckon this place is real? Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry." Paisley asked, looking up, Virginia nodded slightly.
"We'll check it out, P." She replied, Paisley nodded and read through the lists of things she would need.
Virginia bustled around the room in the shop where she done private work, making sure it was presentable for her customer whilst Paisley wandered around the main shop, waiting for customers with Karl, one of the clerks.
"Hey V." A feminine voice said, Virginia turned and faced Charlene Yung, her fifteen year old apprentice. Charlene had joined Virginia the year before and was currently going into year eleven. Charlene only took one day off a week, and that was to go to school to learn English, maths, science and French.
"Hey C." Virginia said fondly, Charlene was a great apprentice and a good friend.
"Anything for me to do?" Charlene asked, looking around, Virginia smiled.
"You can go talk to Karl for a while if you like, Miss-soon-to-be-Mrs Jacobs hasn't turned up yet." Virginia said, "She's late."
"Oh, they could learn to be on time at least." Charlene stated, walking out. Virginia went out also, satisfied that the room looked alright.
"Hey Mum, anything I can do?" Paisley asked, Virginia looked around and noticed some child-sized mannequins with no clothes on.
"Yeah, you could find something for those mannequins." Virginia stated, pointing to them, Paisley nodded and went to check the size of it.
The shop was quite big and had platforms with mannequins all over the place. It also had separate areas, the woman's, children, men's and teens areas, then there was a lingerie area too. Because it was quite early still, hardly any customers had come in. Virginia had a small staff load too, they worked efficiently so not many were needed. There was Karl Ainsley, Charlie-Jo Macey and Anne Pone, they were the part-time-clerks, then Phoebe Macey, Charlie-Jo's elder sister, who was a fitter and also a nurse in training, though Phoebe only came in when Virginia couldn't work, and finally was Charlene Yung, Virginia's apprentice. Karl was the only male member of staff in Virginia's work place, the other school kids thought it 'gay' to work there apparently, though Karl didn't mind as it was quite obvious that he had his eye on Charlene. During the school term, Virginia had other staff, but they preferred to let the teens do full time in the summer for six or seven weeks.
The other two clerks came in later and Miss Kyan, soon to be Mrs Jacobs, was still late.
"Why is she so late! I have work to do!" Virginia exclaimed, the clerks all looked over at her, as did the few customers.
The door opened and a large group of rowdy teens walked in, the girls chatting excitedly whilst they dragged the boys in.
"Hey Charlie!" One of the girls shouted, the pretty black haired clerk looked over and groaned. "Service here!" Charlie-Jo walked over with a fake smile on her face, she obviously didn't like the girls.
"Man I hate those bitches." Anne commented, coming from the back of the store and sending sympathetic looks at Charlie-Jo.
"Should we save her?" Virginia asked, Anne shrugged.
"Sure, the commission isn't worth going through what that lot say to you." She replied, Virginia nodded and approached the group, hearing the snide comments they made about Charlie-Jo.
"Excuse me, but if you can't respect my staff, I must ask you to leave." Virginia said curtly, placing a hand on Charlie-Jo's shoulder. "CJ, I need you to pop down to the basement and get me a few boxes of the new orders, we should get them put out already. Then would you just put them in the store room for me? We can have a look through later, I think you all deserve something." She said with a smile, Charlie-Jo nodded.
"Thanks V." She said with a grin, then nodded and left.
"Whoa! Do we get free stuff if we work'd here? We would get employee discoun' too!" An annoying girl who was smacking her gum said with a Londoner's accent, Virginia smiled slightly.
"Well I'm sorry, but I have no spaces on my staff for people who don't respect my current staff, now if you'd excuse me, my private customer has arrived." With that, she left and went over to the posh cow who was trying out everything she could to be difficult. "Miss Kyan, how good to see you." Virginia greeted, "Let me take you to the back. Would you like a tea or coffee maybe?"
"A coffee with two sugars would be nice, oh, and the milk in before the hot water, I cannot stand typical coffee, it has to have the right… richness." Miss Kyan said pompously, Virginia rolled her eyes at the clerks, who were stifling their laughs because Paisley was doing a very accurate impression of the woman, copying the hand movements and the way she walked. Charlene followed Virginia.
"Charlene, would you mind just quickly getting a coffee for Miss Kyan?" She asked, Charlene nodded and went to the kitchens.
After a few hours, Miss Kyan left and Virginia really could've killed her.
"What does she think she's doing!" She exclaimed, "I want a silk bodice with a panel going down the skirt. It must have roses embroidered on it." She imitated, the girls giggled. "Argh! Anyway, she's gone for a few weeks at least. I'll ask Phoebe to help with some of the hand stitching, I still have to start on that range for the show next year."
"I've got a few fashion drawings I'd like you to have a look at actually." Anne said thoughtfully, Virginia nodded.
"Just bring them in. I might use some of your ideas in the show of course." Virginia told the teen, who nodded.
"I'm actually honoured to have you look at them, let alone use them. Your going really far." Anne said to Virginia, who smiled.
"Thank you. But this big show next year will determine how far I get in America." She stated with a sigh.
"You'll do great Mum." Paisley encouraged, they others nodded.
"We're still modelling, right?" Charlie-Jo asked.
"Yes. I wouldn't think of anybody else." Virginia stated.
"That's good." Anne said with a fake sternness in her voice.
"Me and Paisley are gonna go grab some pizza from Heebie Geebie's, anyone want anything?" Virginia asked, the others nodded.
"Sure, pepperoni please." Charlie-Jo requested.
"Margarita, only veggie one that I like." Anne stated.
"Hawaiian." Charlene said with a smile.
"Margarita too please." Karl said with a grin, licking his lips in anticipation.
"K then, three margarita's, a Hawaiian, pepperoni and Paisley would most probably b having the vegetarian mix, am I right?" Virginia asked, turning to her daughter, who nodded.
"Of course, Jake's gonna have to put some ham on it like usual." She said pompously, Virginia nodded.
"We'll be back in less than an hour. I have to pick up some things. I'm handing control of the shop over of Charlene, if any bitches come in and harass you, ask them to leave politely and if they don't call me." She instructed, the others rolled their eyes, they'd been through this drill too many times.
"Will do." Charlene told her boss. "Now go get our pizzas!" Virginia smiled at them all and led Paisley out.
"She acts like our Mother's sometimes." Karl stated, the other three nodded in agreement and went their separate ways to work.
Virginia and Paisley were walking in silence to the pizza shop, it was a good ten minute walk but as it was so hot today, they decided to walk.
"Mum?"
"Hmm?"
"What do you think about this school?" Paisley asked, Virginia stopped and turned to face her daughter.
"I personally think it'll be a great experience." She said honestly. "If you want to go, go, but anything, and I repeat, anything upsets you, just call me strait away and I'll come bring you home." Virginia said softly and with a huge smile, Paisley smiled back and hugged her Mum.
"Thanks Mummy." She said. Virginia kept her arm around Paisley's shoulders as they carried on walking to Heebie Geebie's to get everyone's pizzas.