Chapter 58

Nic went into the boutique where they got the wedding dress. She walked to the counter and waited to be served.
"Yes madam." A rather snooty assistant said to her.
It made Nic glad she had worn her Jimmy Choos, borrowed one of Ella's designer outfits and handbags.
"Yes I think you can help me." She said in her best Natalie voice.
Nic placed the carrier with the wedding dress in on the top, with the shoes and lastly the veil and tiara.
"These were bought here a few weeks ago and I wish to return them." Nic said.
"You'll have to discuss this with the manager." She was told.
"Then be a good little shop person and go get her." Nic said and for a second wondered what she would say in few weeks when she started working in a shop if someone was as rude to her.
She waited for a good few minutes before the shop manager joined her.
"I understand there is a problem." The manager began.
Nic inspected her nails.
"I'm sorry there isn't a problem I'm simply returning some items." Nic said in her princess voice.
She paced over to the chair and sat down clicking the heel of one shoe on the floor. She saw that both the manager and the shop assistant had noticed the designer shoes, just as she intended.
"We have decided on a wedding in the Caribbean and as such the dress will no longer be appropriate. Daddy said take it back and have a look for something else." She invented wildly. "Do you do that type of dress here?" she asked the manager.
The manager nodded.
"I'm sure we can accommodate madam." She said changing her attitude.
Nicole grinned.
"Then thank you." She said.
She saw the assistant check the dress and saw that the original label was still attached. She then looked at the shoes checking that hey hadn't been worn.
Nic pulled out her phone and made it look like she wasn't interested in what was going on.
"Everything seems to be in order. We need the card these items were purchased on to effect the refund."
Nic reached into her handbag and pulled out her Gucci purse. Opening it she flashed all of her dad's credit cards and all of Ella's. She hoped it made it look like she had a serious shopping habit.
"I think it's this one." She said. "It's my dad's bank card." She murmured.
She saw their eyes light up at money sitting in a bank account to pay for a designer wedding dress.
They refunded the $20,0000 cost of the wedding dress and accessories. And she collected the receipt with the credit information on it and the bankcard.
She turned to the manager and was just about to say something when her phone rang.
"Excuse me." She said answering the call,
"Hello." she said to Annie.
She pretended to listen to something incredibly interesting and wandered out of the shop.
She carried on walking before saying.
"That so worked Annie you are a genius,"
Annie came over to her.
"What did I say?" she said with a grin and clicked her phone shut as Nic clicked hers closed. They carried on walking to meet Ruby.
"Now what wedding dress are you going to buy?" Ruby asked.
Nic grinned.
"I'm not I'm going to make one." She said.
She walked to the escalators and went up a floor before going into a haberdashery shop. She walked over and picked out three different bolts of material, followed by selecting the sequins and cottons and silks for sowing. She found crystal beads and added those to the pile before paying for them.
They each took a bag and carried them out.
"Ok we need a shoe shop." Nic said. "I have an idea for our shoes. Belle has told me what size Amy-belle takes." She checked her purse. "Hopefully it won't cost too much I'm about out of money."
Ruby grinned and pulled some out of her pocket.
Nic grinned.
"Aren't you supposed to be broke?" she asked.
Ruby nodded.
"Annie and me played pool last night." Ruby said.
Annie grinned.
"I'm so bad at pool." She said.
Nic shook her head.
"I'm still confused."
Annie laughed.
"We played these guys who thought they could chat us up and well they beat us a bit but then they wanted to bet on the game." Annie said.
"That was the bit where she remembered she wasn't so bad." Ruby said.
Nic gasped.
"You hustlers." She said laughing.
They went into the first shoe shop and Nic saw what she wanted straight away.
"Ballerina slippers?" Ruby said. "You not getting married in designer high heels?"
Nic grinned,
"They will be designer just not high heels." She said. "I'm going to customise them."
Annie laughed.
She selected a pair in her size and Annie did likewise. Ruby grinned and did the same. Before they went to the children's area and selected a similar pair for Amy-Belle.
They went over to the till to pay for them. Collecting the bags and walking back out of the store.
"How about some lunch?" Nic asked.
"Yes, at the diner." Annie said.
Ruby laughed.
"Yeah." She said in agreement.
"I take it that means we are broke." Nic said.
"Not quite."
"But I like the diner." Annie said in defence of the small eatery in Summer Bay.
Nic smiled.
"Come on." She said.
She drove them back to the diner and they went inside.
Roman was cooking and he came out when he heard Nic's voice.
"Any idea what happened to my wallet Nic?" he asked her.
She grinned.
"I picked it up by mistake." She said handing it over, now with all the cards put back in it.
"Really?" he said. "Would that be when you put on Ella's designer clothes and stole her handbag?" he asked.
"Round about then." She confirmed.
He leaned over to her.
"I trust that you haven't done anything silly." He said and surprised her by kissing her on her forehead.
She looked at Ruby and Annie and grinned.
"Ok, I really wish I'd spent his money if he has been like possessed by a friendly alien." She said to them and they laughed.