Afternoon Tea on the Lawn

I smile and sashay with her deeper into the shop as unbeknown to me Kate and Lucy look on enviously.

'Treat her well' Trish calls to me, 'Mrs Forrester is one of my best customers.'

Eek I suddenly felt under pressure as I asked her what she wanted.

'I need a few outfits,' she said calmly. 'A stylish, modern dress for the day, a pretty skirt and top suitable for a picnic later in the year. A swimming costume, some lingerie, a pair of heels and a glitzy evening dress for a forthcoming party.'

Gosh I thought if I can sell this lot I would be earning lots of commission. 'What size is your niece,' I ask in my politest high-pitched voice.

Mrs Forrester looked at me carefully. 'That's the snag,' she said eventually. 'My niece is forever growing and I'm really not sure.'

Hell, I thought this wasn't going to be so easy.

Mrs Forrester walks around me and touches me lightly on the shoulder. 'I do believe,' she says, 'she's about your size. What are you?'

I blush, 'I'm a UK 12/14' I say. 'Depending on the outfit and the label.' I smirk remembering a lesson Kate had said earlier.

'Excellent if we buy everything to fit you we should be alright, yes?'

'OK,' I say feeling the pressure mount. 'What does your niece look like. What's her style?'

Again Mrs Forrester looked at me carefully before replying. 'Remarkably she has similar hair to you, her eyes are the same colour and her complexion is the same too. And style... let me see... well she's sexy and body conscious just like you too'

'Good,' I say uneasily, 'this shouldn't be too difficult.'

Over the next thirty minutes we wandered around the shop selecting items I thought her niece would like. We browsed over sweet flouncy skirts, formal full-length frocks, silk and jersey dresses, sexy lingerie, revealing tops and tight pencil skirts. I was in a fantasy - selecting clothes for a girl like me with apparently no budget. But all didn't feel quite right - I wasn't sure what it was but there was something about Mrs Forrester that gave me the creeps.