Free Body Bags & Blarney by J.D. Shaw

an
appointment with Marie at two thirty so I was going to close up early anyway.”
    “We’re coming
in at three.” Vivienne walked over to the rolling cart that held the boxed pickup
orders and pulled the three boxes into her arms. “After all, we have to look
our best too.”
    “I can’t wait
to see.” Kathy took the boxes. “On my account?”
    Vivienne
nodded. “You got it.”
    “I’d love to
stay and chat, but I’ve got an errand list a mile long for the party tomorrow.”
Kathy spun around with the cake boxes in her arms and made her way to the door.
“I’m sure the cakes are just gorgeous.”
    “Good luck
getting all your errands done.” Vivienne waved as Kathy hurried out the door to
her car.
    Stephanie began
measuring the dry ingredients for the bread. “This party is going to be
awesome.

 
    CHAPTER SIX
    True to her
word, Kathy had put together a night of elegance at Trade Winds Clothier. She moved
several of the racks of clothing off the sales floor to create an open
reception area flanked by a buffet table of finger foods and Vivienne’s king
cakes. She had hung several strands of purple, green, and gold lights from the
ceiling and turned the overhead spots off to create a warm atmosphere. The
crowning glory, naturally, was the display case of the Faux Real costume
jewelry that had a single large spotlight overhead to create maximum dazzle. It
looked very much like the crown jewels on display at a museum, right down to a
set of velvet ropes encircling. The only difference was the sign that
encouraged party guests to try out the various necklaces, earrings, brooches,
and cocktail rings. Holding court, much like a queen, Kathy was poised and ready
to fawn over customer jewelry choices. As she sauntered effortlessly through
the groups of interested party attendees, she kept a firm grip on the clipboard
that was loaded with pre-order forms.   She had taken care to wear a smartly styled Bermuda blue scoopneck
dress, which was the perfect frame for the simple mother-of-pearl necklace she
was demonstrating for a summer beach party look. Her mission was relatively
simple, at least in theory. She fully expected to have at least seventy-five
percent of the invited guests to walk away with a confirmed pre-order in their
hands before the night was through.
    Vivienne felt
very much like a princess for the evening. The salon had pulled her auburn hair
into a dramatic upsweep, allowing some tendrils to cascade down the right side
of her face. She had chosen a simple dress, in basic black, that hugged her
curves in all the right places. Although it wasn’t what one would call a fancy
occasion garment, it was her ‘go to’ whenever she needed something a little
special to stand out and feel good. It was one of the few motherly advices that
she readily followed from Nora. ‘Every woman should always have the little
black dress in her closet.’ Her mother’s voice rang in her head. As usual, it
was followed by a little barb. ‘But, dear, the absolute must have item in any
woman’s closet is a wedding dress. You’re not getting any younger.’
    Next to her,
Stephanie looked stunning in a pink racerback dress that Kathy insisted she
borrow from the store after seeing her salon visit results. Marie had gone all
out to give her a natural glowing makeover, with soft neutral tones to showcase
her youthfully flawless skin. The smile on her face said it all, she was
positively radiant with joy. “Thanks again for today. I never really treated myself
to something like that before.”
    “You look just
like a model.” Vivienne commented as she sipped some mock sangria. Due to the
underage guests, Kathy preferred not to have any alcohol on the premises. She
instead made her famous blend of orange, cranberry, and white grape juice
blended with a diet lemon lime soda. Garnished with large pieces of fresh
fruit, no one ever complained as the beverage was quite delicious and visually
appealing.
    “Thank you,
you do