Chapter 30
"Bella you need to tell me where I'm going." Alice demanded for the 100th time and I merely smiled at her. I had gotten us lost a few times just to see if Alice's head would explode. Ange had caught on and elbowed me to drop this game.
"We're going to a lovely shop Alice." I said and she rolled her eyes and parked the car. I knew why she was bugging me about this; we were in a rural area and had pulled up in front of a rather large house. Cam had told me to come over to her house that she had a few ideas and none of her shops materials would live up to the challenge. I swear the woman was obsessed with sewing and pattern designing.
We walked up to the front door and I knock as it flung inwards and I was wrapped in strong and yet very feminine arms. Cam and I hadn't seen each other since two years or so when I put together a play room for the new hospital in Jacksonville. Needless to say it had been a tearful experience and though I bought lots it wasn't her best day. I remember the one time I brought Clara, Cam and her got along like peas in a pod.
"Isabella you're huge!" Cam said as she spun me about looking me up and down. "You're a young lady now!" I smiled at her and she pulled me into the house. I could tell from the complete disarray that Cam had been working since I had phoned her yesterday morning.
"Thanks. And this is Alice and Angela." I told her and she stopped and looked the two girls over with a huge smile.
"Marvellous, your descriptions match them perfectly." Cam replied as she continued to pull me deeper into the house. Alice and Angela followed behind taking in the huge and well decorated house.
"Your house is lovely Cam." Alice told her once we had entered her sewing room. It was floor to ceiling cupboards filled with fabric and other materials. She had set up at least 20 manikins with different design ideas grouped into three areas. The large group in the middle was obviously for me and the ones on the sides for Alice and Ange.
"Wow." Angela gasped as she moved towards the left grouping. Alice moved to the right with a huge smile looking over the dresses with a calculated eye. Cam began to explain which style was which to Angela as I looked at the medieval styled gowns and gag ones I had requested. They ranged from simple styles which were better to play in or would be easier if I got dirty to clean to dresses that could never be saved if they were anywhere near mud. I loved the shorter dress that was a creamy pink with a deep red strip at the bottom of each sleeve. They flared out and it seemed like the dress a princess would wear to a ball.
"What did you tell Cam?" Alice asked and I shrugged not much really.
"I told her you were pixy like and had lots of energy and were on the shorter side why?" I asked hoping the dresses were up to her standard.
"There all perfect, I can't choose." Alice replied as she pulled me over to her manikins. They all had shorter cuts to make her look taller but varied in style passed that. White, black and jewel tones each beautiful and screamed Alice to me. "I really like this green one but the white is something I haven't tried before and the pink is so fun."
"You don't have to pick Alice take them all she'd love that." I told her with a smile. "Worth the wait and my games?" I asked and Alice nodded smiling hugely as she looked back at the dresses.
"These are all excellently made and expensive fabrics." She speculated and I smiled.
"So make sure you pay what their worth to you, she might try to give them to you." I told her and she nodded her head sternly.
"Even if I have to hide to money, I'm paying for her excellent work." Alice said with determination. I guess Cam was just happy to have me back looking at costumes and dresses again. She did tend to go way over board when she was happy to have a new or returning costumer.
"Bella?" Angela asked as Alice stole Cam away to talk shop no doubt. I meandered over and looked at the lovely and long dresses Ange had to choose from. It was funny how different the styles were from those across the room.
"Yeah?" I replied and Ange blushed at me and threw her hands gently out around her.
"I have no idea which one I want and there's no way I can afford this." Angela muttered clearly not liking what Cam had told her about them.
"Relax and I bet you can. Which ones catch your eye?" I asked smiling at her.
"I like them all but I don't know why she choose to make so many strapless ones." She said and I smiled.
"Probably because you have the body to make them work." I told her honestly and she frowned at me.
"Only if the goal is to flash all of my classmates." She replied hotly.
"So none of the staples? That leaves the white and the deep pink. Though I am sure she can attach straps to any of them easily." I told her as I looked at the two she hadn't ruled out.
"I like the pink but there's no way its going to look good on me." Angela stated and I rolled my eyes and took the dress from the manikin.
"Let's try it on and see." I said and grabbed her hand and dragged her to the bathroom throwing the dress at her and closing the door. A few minutes later she stepped out and I smiled. "Oh yeah awful you look amazing so definitely not that one."
"Ha ha." Ange said as I turned her towards the full length mirror in the hall. You can tell that Cam brings her work home with her a lot. Angela froze and stared at her reflection in awe.
"Cam Angela wants this one." I called her and the woman approach quickly at the call.
"Oh definitely, it pops perfectly on her." Cam said turning Ange in the dress to make sure it fit her perfectly. With a nod Ange was shoved back into the bathroom to change. "So tried on any yet?"
"Nope I was waiting for them to choose so they could partake in the viewings." I said as I moved back to look over some of the funnier options. I think Edward might get a kick out of the school girl but not in public same went for the cheerleader outfits. The gothic-y thing was to general and not extreme enough to be really noticeable. My eyes wandered to the beautiful angel options and wavered on my medieval gown plan.
"So you going to try anything on Alice?" Ange asked as she rejoined the group. Alice shook her head and smiled.
"Nope I'm going to take it all." She said and Angela's eyes widened. I chuckled at them and moved to fondle my two top picks. Was I going to be a medieval princess or a fallen angel?
"Which do you guys think?" I asked and they turned to look at my in unison. "Medieval princess and her prince Edward in tights and what not or fallen angel and Edward in punk-gothic styled clothes and big wings?" I asked as I pointed out which ones I was stuck between.
"Medieval is like a fairy tale but angel's more you." Angela said after a moment.
"I like angels sides I'm sure you'll do this again sometime so do princess then." Alice agreed and I nodded my consent.
"So I'll be taking the angel outfit with fishnets and scary shoes, school girl and medieval princess and Goth reject." I told Cam and she smiled and kissed my cheek as she helped me collect my items.
"It's so nice to have you back in my clientele Bella." Cam said obviously trying to escape with me not paying for my selections.
"Not going to happen but nice try Cam." I told her as I pulled out a large sum of money. "I may not pay next time but today you get moneys." Cam frowned and pouted as I placed the large amount of money in her pocket. Angela looked freaked out by the money so I smiled and explained. "I don't always pay so when I do I pay about $3000."
"You spend a lot on clothes." Ange commented and I smiled with a shrug.
"Not really most of the time it was costumes for Clara and I to play in or for the kids at the hospital, or for a charitable donation to a children's ward. Only recently has it begun to be about me dressing up." I told her and she nodded but I noted the confused look in her eyes and reminded myself to tell her about Clara on the way home.
"How about me?" Alice said also pulling out a large amount of money. Cam blushed and shook her head no. Alice handed her about a $1000 and when she didn't take it put it in the pocket I had.
"Well no fair your not going to try and pay me too are you Angela?" Cam pleaded and Ange smiled and shook her finger at the woman.
"I am but how much do I owe you?" She asked blushing slightly.
"For your one dress? Oh not much..." Cam said eyeing me as she came up with a number I wouldn't reject, "$40?" She asked more than told and I nodded.
"That's it?" Ange said, "That dress is worth a lot more." Cam smiled and nodded.
"But that is the price, no over paying Angela." Cam said holding her hand out to her as Angela pulled out the money with a frown. As we walked down the drive to my car Angela kept looking back at the house.
"What is it Ange?" I asked and she shrugged.
"How does she make any money when she doesn't want us to pay?" she asked after we had put our bags in the back since mine had filled the trunk.
"Oh she charges really high to prices to most people. But my little sister and she hit it off and since we didn't have the money to pay her proper she made adjustments for us. She liked making fairy wings and princess gowns. Since you came with me she puts you into the same category as me, so you get the huge and unseemly family discount." I explained and Ange nodded but seemed to want to ask a question. "She died nearly two years ago from leukemia." I told her and she looked at me and smiled sadly giving me a hug.
"I'm sorry; you never talked about her before. I didn't realise." Ange explained and I smiled at her pulling away.
"I wasn't ready then I thought that if I let the past fade I could heal. Silly me really. Clara is a really big part of me and I don't want to loose her. No need to be sad I have too many happy memories to be sad so you shouldn't be either." I told her as I took her chin in my hand and raised her eyes to mine. "I love her and she's at peace now." Ange nodded and we talked of lighter things as Alice drove Ange home then stopped at her house.
"Thanks for the amazing shopping trip and I'll get you next time." Alice said and I smiled hugging her as Jasper came to help her with her bags. I waved goodbye and got in heading for home. Cam was a welcome sight but it hurt to miss talking to her about dresses for Clara.