Sophie appeared then, a garment bag draped carefully over her arm. ‘This just came in yesterday. I have a good feeling about this one. I was unpacking them earlier.’
Cally trailed along behind Sophie with a weary smile and disappeared once more into the changing room’s entrance. As Sophie unzipped the bag, Cally gasped. The dress inside was white with a high-neck lace-covered bodice with fitted sleeves, a narrow nipped-in waist, and full skirt. She took it into the changing room and slipped it on, immediately noticing how it felt good in all the right places. The neckline was modest yet flattering, and the hem hit just below her knees. Taking a deep breath, she stepped out of the changing room.
The reaction was immediate. Sophie gasped, her hands flying to her mouth. Eloise squealed, Barbara's eyes widened and she beamed. ‘Why didn’t I go with white in the first place? Now, that is a dress fit for the Royal Enclosure. Stunning on you. I know we aren’t allowed to mention our bodies these days, but what a figure. Amazing!’
Cally turned to look in the full-length mirror, barely recognising herself. The dress was elegant and sophisticated, yet it still felt like her. She stood straighter, already feeling more confident. The delicate dress, with its high neckline, long sleeves, and fitted bodice, gave her a demure but goodness-knows-how sophisticated look. The lace detailing added a dainty and feminine touch. Her waist looked teeny-tiny. She loved it and possibly even herself, too.
‘It doesn’t look like me. But it's perfect,’ Cally breathed.
‘Not quite. We still need to find you a hat.’
What followed was another whirlwind of trying on, this time with hats of all shapes and sizes.
Eloise laughed out loud at the first one. ‘It makes you look like you’ve been eaten by a UFO.’
Cally giggled, peering out from under the enormous brim and Sophie laughed. They then tried pillbox hats ("Too Jackie O," according to Barbara), elegant straw ("Nice, but not quite right for the Royal Enclosure"), and everything in between. Just as Cally was beginning to despair about ever finding the right hat, the last one was the winner, with a gently curved brim and a delicate flower detail sitting on the hairline underneath.
‘This is it,’ Cally said confidently as she placed it on her head. ‘This is the one. I can feel it.’
Barbara nodded approvingly. ‘Yes, that’s it. Nude shoes and bag, and we’re done here. Too easy.’
For the first time since receiving the invitation, Cally felt a flutter of excitement about attending the event. She even twirled in front of the mirror, watching as the dress swirled around her legs. She turned to Barbara and Sophie. ‘Thank you. I came in here feeling so lost, and now, I do not at all. In actual fact, I feel amazing.’
‘You look it for sure.’ Sophie trilled. ‘I love it when it goes like this.’
‘Yes, me too.’ Barbara agreed.
Eloise nodded. ‘And me. You look so pretty, Cal. I love it. This has been one very sweet day already and we haven’t even had our boozy lunch yet.’
Cally chuckled. ‘We can go and actually enjoy it now.’
‘Yup, and you, my friend, are going to the races dressed up to the nines. Just wait until Logan sets eyes on you in that. He’s going to die.’
11
Cally and Birdie had just finished working at the chemist. They’d locked up the shop and were on their way to the old hall nestled behind the lighthouse for a Chowder Festival town meeting. As they approached, they could hear the sound of a few people talking inside and a couple of groups were standing on the pavement chatting. They made their way around the front of the lighthouse, into the backyard and let themselves in the back of the hall where rows of chairs were lined up in front of the stage and various people were standing around talking.
They weaved in and out of a scattering of Lovelies, exchanging a few words here and there, and said hello to Alice from the deli. Cally looked around at the old hall as she stood next to Birdie as Birdie conversed with one of the regulars from the chemist. The beautiful old lighthouse hall was another thing Cally loved about the little town. With its exquisitely crafted wooden floors, high ceilings and walls adorned with faded photographs and paintings depicting the town's maritime history, it seemed to encapsulate the history of the place in a nutshell. The hall was warm and busy with Lovelies and began to fill up as Cally and Birdie made their way to a couple of seats in the middle in the second row from the front.
Cally settled herself down and looked up at the small stage where a few chairs had been set out in front of thick, heavy, blue velvet curtains. Nancy, with her Lovely coat draped over the back, sat in one of the chairs, and Colin stood in front of a timber lectern, fussing with a tablet and a bunch of papers. Colin was very clearly in charge, not only that he revelled in it. His twin brother Clive, with his glasses on, was sitting adjacent to Nancy, looking down at his phone. As the last few stragglers took their seats, Colin rose to his feet and pointedly tapped on the top of the lectern with a stick at the same time as peering out at the hall. The room fell silent almost immediately, all eyes turning to the front. Let the Lovely show begin.
‘Right then. I think we can get started. Welcome, everyone, to another planning meeting for this year's Chowder Festival. We've got a lot to cover, so let's dive right in, shall we? This year is going to be our biggest and best yet, isn’t it?’
There was a ripple of agreement through the hall, a rustling of papers and scraping of a few chairs. Cally slipped her phone out of her pocket, opened her Notes app and balanced her phone on her bag, which was resting on her knee. Colin looked down, consulted his notes for a second and then looked back up with raised eyebrows. ‘First item on the agenda: the chowder competition. As you all know, the speakeasies are the heart and soul of the festival, but the competition is a fun addition. We need to make sure we have a diverse range of chowders represented, from the traditional to the innovative. Nancy, I believe you're in charge of this again this year.’ Colin looked over at Nancy with his eyebrows raised in question.
Nancy nodded. ‘I'm happy to report that we've got a record number of participants this year.’
Colin looked pleased. He tapped the top of his tablet and nodded. ‘Excellent. Brilliant work, our Nancy. That's fantastic.’ He squinted out in the direction of the hall as a side dooropened, and a latecomer came rushing in. He waited and then continued. ‘We're expecting a record number of visitors to the third smallest town in the country this year. I, along with the committee, thank you, Birdie, have been working with the local tourism board to promote the festival, and the response has been overwhelming. We're going to have people coming from all over the place, so it’s going to be great for Lovely! It's all about putting our town on the map, as it were.’
As the discussion turned to logistics and the nitty-gritty details of event planning, everything from parking arrangements to closing the roads to the council toilets, Cally found herself tuning out for a bit.
Birdie leaned over and joked in a whisper. ‘I heard a rumour that the BBC might be sending a film crew this year. We’ll make the national news.’
Cally smiled. ‘I hope not. I want this place to stay a secret. At least until I’ve bought a flat. Ha.’
Birdie raised her chin in Colin’s direction. ‘I don’t think the BBC could cope with our Colin’s rules and regulations.’
About an hour later, as the meeting wrapped up, Cally stood, stretching her legs and rolling her shoulders. The hall filled with a buzz of conversation and the scraping of chairs. Cally smiled at Birdie as she gathered her things and put her bag over her shoulder. 'Well, that was comprehensive. Colin is a force to be reckoned with.’
