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Nova

There were many ways Nova would have liked to spend her Saturday morning: lying in bed reading, going house-hunting with Craig, or for a coastal walk and a pub lunch with Lauren and Sam. And yet instead, here she was, standing in Blushing Brides dress shop in Port Gowan, being poked, prodded and squeezed by two bickering women.

“It’s too loose here. We need to tighten the corset,” Pamela said, pinching a piece of fabric and causing Nova to gasp as the remaining air was squeezed out of her lungs.

“If we go any tighter then Nova might be too uncomfortable on her big day,” said the dress fitter.

“It’s not about being comfortable, it’s about looking beautiful,” Pamela snapped. “We want the corset to really show off Nova’s lovely curvy figure.”

“If we take in any more fabric then it might disrupt the shape of the bodice. Plus, I don’t have time to resew all the crystals before next Saturday. What if…”

Nova allowed the conversation to wash over her. It wasn’t that she didn’t care what she looked like on her wedding day. It was just that, despite her love of clothes, she wasn’t someone who’d grown up dreaming about her wedding dress. To be honest, she’d always been ambivalent about the whole marriage thing, and had only said yes to Craig’s proposal because she knew it was important to him. Her initial plan had been to buy something colorful and fabulous from a vintage shop, but Pamela had been adamant that Nova would regret that decision. Your wedding is the one day in your life when you get to look like a fairy-tale princess , her future mother-in-law had insisted. Trust me, you don’t want to be wearing some old secondhand thing on your wedding day; you want to look and feel a million dollars. After many attempts to argue her case, Nova had decided it wasn’t a battle worth fighting, although she’d drawn the line at wearing a veil.

She and Craig similarly had to relinquish their idea of a small, intimate ceremony in a registry office followed by a knees-up in the Anchor for family and close friends. I won’t have my only child celebrating his wedding in a pub , Pamela had complained when Craig had tried to convince her. You’re only getting married once and you should do it properly. It had all ended up getting quite heated, with Pamela threatening not to attend the wedding if they did it at a registry office, and David saying he’d only pay for it if they had the reception at his country club. Privately, Nova had told Craig they should elope and have a tiny wedding, just the two of them on a beach somewhere far away. But Craig couldn’t bear the idea of upsetting his parents, and so it was that next Saturday, Nova was going to walk down the aisle of St Piran’s church watched by most of St. Tredock, and then have a party for 200 at the Tennis and Country Club, complete with a champagne reception, three-course sit-down meal and disco.

“Ouch!” She winced as a pin jabbed into her side.

“Sorry, love,” mumbled the shop assistant.

“There, that’s much better,” said Pamela with satisfaction. “Don’t you think that’s better, Nova? Although I still think it’s such a shame you won’t wear a veil.”

Nova looked in the mirror but barely recognized the woman in the sparkly white dress staring back at her. Once she’d changed back into her own clothes, she had to sit down with a glass of water because she felt so dizzy.

“It’ll be all the stress with everything that’s happening at the community center,” Pamela said. “I think it’s outrageous the way they’re treating you. Trying to blame the whole thing on you when the money should never have been left lying around.”

“They’re not blaming it all on me.”

“Oh, but they are,” Pamela said. “I was at the hairdressers the other day, and Danny, my colorist, was telling me that he’d heard from Jenny Brazier that apparently Tina Farleigh and her mafia at the council wanted Sandy to sack you on the spot as soon as they heard about the theft. According to Jenny, Sandy refused, and she and Tina had a stand-up row about you.”

Sandy had defended her to the council? That seemed remarkable, given how annoyed the woman had been at Nova, and she felt a glow of gratitude toward her boss.

“Frankly, if I were you, I’d just quit now and walk away while you still can,” Pamela said, crossing to a row of hats and picking one up to inspect. “It sounds like the center is going to end up closing anyway, so why not get out now with your head held high?”

“The center might not have to close. Sandy’s still trying to find a way of recouping the missing money from the budget.”

“But even if she does, that place is doomed. Besides, I see how tired you are when you get home, your job is exhausting. How are you going to cope when you and Craig live alone and you have a house to run as well?”

“Craig will share all the domestic chores with me,” Nova said pointedly.

“Of course he will, I raised my Craigy to be a modern man. But still, you want to enjoy the early years of married life, not be knackered all the time. My offer of having you work at the florists still stands,” Pamela said, picking up another hat. “I know you worry you have no experience, but you’re a smart girl and I’m an excellent teacher.”

“Thanks, but I’ve worked hard for my career, and I don’t want to give it up.”

“There are advantages of working for me too,” Pamela continued. “The hours are decent, and I pay my girls a proper wage, plus it’s a family-friendly job. It’s something Craig and I have discussed.”

For a moment, Nova didn’t know what to say. Pamela had never made a secret of the fact she was keen to have grandchildren, but she’d never been quite so overt about it before. And had Craig really talked about this with her?

“We’re a way-off thinking about that yet.”

Pamela must have heard the edge in Nova’s voice as she gave a placatory wave of her hand. “Of course. All I’m saying is that the offer is there if you want it.”

“I think I feel better now. Shall we get going?” Nova stood up and headed toward the door before her future mother-in-law could say anything else.

“Right, I’ve got the cake lady coming over at one to show us the decorations she’s made for the top tier,” Pamela said as they stepped outside.

“Actually, I’m going to stay here for a bit and do some shopping,” Nova said. “I can catch the bus back later.”

Pamela looked like she wanted to argue with her, but then gave a tight smile. “Fine, I’ll see you at home.”

Nova said good-bye and headed in the opposite direction. She had no real desire to go shopping and the bus would take ages, but it was still better than being trapped in the car with Pamela banging on about babies. The idea that she and Craig had discussed it behind her back still nagged at Nova; she’d have to talk to him about that later.

Up ahead, Nova could see a Cancer Research charity shop, and she walked in and exhaled slowly. Charity shops had always made her feel calm, perhaps because she’d spent so many wonderful hours exploring them with her parents. God, how she wished they were both here today. They’d have found a wedding dress in a charity shop, no doubt; something original and full of character.

Nova spent a happy twenty minutes browsing the shop; twenty minutes in which she didn’t think once about the missing money, the community center or her perilous career situation. She had great fun trying on clothes, in particular a bright yellow eighties boiler suit that would have given Pamela a heart attack if she went home wearing it. Nova didn’t buy it, but she did get a cool old teapot shaped like a pineapple, which for some reason reminded her of her mum, and a small, framed painting of a coastal scene. Both of these would look great in her and Craig’s home, once they finally managed to find one.

Nova paid for the items, and when she stepped out onto the pavement, her mood was considerably lighter than it had been half an hour ago. But as she turned toward the bus stop, she spotted two familiar figures walking down the pavement toward her. One was short and dressed in a woolen hat and a men’s overcoat three sizes too big for her, with a pair of ancient-looking binoculars swinging round her neck. The other was squat and carrying what looked like a rotting fish in his mouth.

“What have you been up to, Phyllis?” Nova asked the approaching woman, dreading her reply would have something to do with Michael and Cynthia.

“I’ve been bird-watching.”

That definitely wasn’t the answer Nova had been expecting. “Oh. That sounds…fun.”

“It’s a trick from They Do It with Mirrors . Miss Marple pretends to be bird-watching, but really she’s spying on suspicious activity.”

Nova groaned. “Please tell me you haven’t been bird-watching near Mountfort Close?”

The older woman ignored her as she looked into the box Nova was holding, studying its contents with a critical eye. “I hope you didn’t pay much for that horrible painting.”

“Phyllis, you can’t keep stalking their house; if Cynthia sees you there again, she’ll probably call the police. Besides, it’s not as if Michael’s just going to turn up with the stolen money in his hand.”

“What’s that?” Phyllis asked, jabbing a finger at the newspaper-wrapped teapot.

“It’s just something I got for…Oi, what are you doing?”

Phyllis had pulled the parcel out of the box and was ripping off the newspaper around it.

“Be careful, that’s fragile!” Nova said, as Phyllis threw the teapot back into the box, her eyes fixed on the newspaper sheet in her hand. “What on earth’s the matter with you?”

The woman didn’t answer, her eyes scanning the page she was holding. Then a smile spread across her face. “That’s it!”

“What’s it?”

She looked up at Nova, her eyes shining. “Agatha Christie was a genius!”

“What are you talking about?” Nova said, but the woman just gave her an infuriating grin and sauntered off, the newspaper clutched in her hand.