The Vintage Cinema Club

The Bridal Suite

Coup de Kerr

‘So, do you have anything special in mind?’

Luce put down the mugs on the table next to the chaise lounge, and waited for Jules the bride, who was tentatively flipping through the wedding dresses hanging on the rails. So far, so good, with her very first Bridal Studio appointment. Even though she’d done it lots of times before at her flat, something about being in her own studio made her heart beat really fast. It was scary, yet at the same time, exhilarating.

It was so strange how life worked out. If it hadn’t been for The Vintage Cinema Club needing her to do this, she’d never have taken the plunge. As it was, Izzy had kind of fast forwarded it, so Luce hadn’t had time to put out the mental anchors, and resist. She hadn’t even had the time to feel how far out of her comfort zone she was going, and like so many things, once you were there, it wasn’t half as uncomfortable as you thought. In fact now it was done, and she was into her first appointment, she was feeling incredibly happy about it. Whatever happened with Aidie and the cinema, she’d always be able to say she’d had her own Bridal Studio. Luce mentally mouthed OMG, then punched the air with an imaginary fist.

Luce looked back at Jules. She was small, with a neat figure underneath her oversized shirt, and most of the dresses Luce had in stock would be an option for her. And not your everyday bride either, given she’d said no to the chilled cava in champagne flutes, which had been Dida’s contribution to Luce’s new venture, and opted for tea instead.

‘You know I’m really not a wedding-y kind of person.’ Jules sank down on the grey velvet chair. ‘I hated it the first time around, and at forty it’s even worse. I really don’t want anything white and pouffy, but the guy I’m marrying loves vintage, so here I am. I really hope you can sort me out.’ Jules gave a hopeless shrug, and a sigh.

Oh dear. Somehow Luce was used to more enthusiasm in her brides. ‘Is there anything on the rail that catches your eye at all? You’re not having a “coup de coeur” moment?’

A lot of brides said they knew instantly, the moment they saw “the dress”. Often it was a love at first sight thing, but Luce definitely wasn’t sensing any love here.

‘To be honest, I can see all those dresses would be beautiful for someone, but for me they’re all a bit lacy, or satiny, or beady…’ Jules trailed off, and pulled a face.

At least she was being honest. Was this her first anti-wedding bride? If so Luce was completely sympathetic.

‘Lace and tulle and beads tend to go with the territory, even for the vintage dresses.’ Luce gave her a smile that came right from her heart. ‘But don’t worry, we can easily do something different. What kind of wedding are you having?’

Jules took a sip of tea and gave a desperate grimace. ‘It sounds awful, but I’d really rather not be doing it at all. I’d much rather just wake up one day and find I’m married, but it’s really important to Joe, so here I am.’

‘Oh dear.’ Luce had never had anyone this reluctant before.

Seeing someone else mortified at the idea of a wedding was almost like looking in a mirror. Somehow it spun her straight back to Ollie, and the way she’d reacted to him, when he’d started suggesting they should take things further. At the time, the idea of Ollie crossing the great metaphorical divide, from being friends, to landing in her bed, had sent her right up in the air. Looking back, she wondered if she hadn’t over reacted. There was something about today’s bride and her reluctance that reminded Luce of herself. She’d always kept Ollie firmly on the friends side of the divide, not because he wasn’t hot, but because she valued his friendship too much to lose it. Breaking her own very rigid rules would not only make things complicated, but there was too much at stake to risk it.

It wasn’t as if Ollie had done anything as extreme as proposing marriage, and it hadn’t come totally from out of the blue, but it all went horribly pear shaped all the same. What began with hints that he was thinking about her differently, had blown up into a full on explosion one Friday night, as she was leaving Cork’s Bar with a guy she didn’t really give a fig about. The next thing he was saying was he couldn’t bear to watch her with other guys any more, and if she didn’t want to go out with him, and only him, he was going to have to leave. For Luce, being pushed into a corner only made her more determined not to bend. If Luce had been like Jules, and not over reacted, but instead tried to overcome her fears and work something out with someone she cared a lot about, the outcome might have been very different. Because in the end she’d lost Ollie anyway. And although she’d been desperate to prove to herself she didn’t give a damn, and now she was just left kicking herself. Very hard.

Jules went on quickly. ‘Don’t get me wrong, I am happy about getting married really, I just hate being the centre of attention, and it’s all a bit last minute, I haven’t even got an engagement ring yet. Joe’s brother and his wife live in the states, so the ceremony’s in Las Vegas. I’m hoping it won’t be too brash. It’s all tied in with the business Joe and his brother are doing together.’

‘I’m sure a Vegas wedding can be tasteful.’ Luce tapped her thumb nail on her teeth, sounding a lot more certain of that that she was, and desperately burying thoughts of Ollie back where they belonged. If she was in Jules’ place what would she want to wear? ‘Lots of brides are going for short dresses now, how would you feel about that? Maybe something with an American swing, like the dresses in Grease?’

Jules’ face lit up. ‘It was seeing those lovely fifties dresses on the rail downstairs that made me finally book in to see you. I’ve noticed them every time we’ve passed on the way to our new shop. Joe’s taken the lease on the quick tan place just along the road, do you know the one I mean?’

Luce felt her spine stiffen, and her mouth dropped open. Joe who liked vintage? Wasn’t it Joe on Ollie’s email? That unexpected email from Ollie that had made her almost drop her phone, and sent her heart leaping right to the other side of the room. Joe, opening a “We heart home” store.

‘Err…’ Luce tried to act casual. ‘You mean the place near the Italian, with brown paper on the window?’

The future Mrs “Heart your retro home -– watch this space” was the first customer in her new bridal room? What were the chances of that? All Luce could think was OMG.

‘That’s the one. Joe’s been negotiating for months, but he finally got the keys this week. It’s a brilliant area for antique shops isn’t it, it’s getting quite a name for itself.’

Funny how they’d noticed that too. Not.

‘Yes. It certainly is…Great.’ Luce faltered. So what now? Should she pump Jules for all she was worth, or was it more professional to just get on with the dress. ‘Sounds like we’ll be neighbours.’ Luce cringed, and threw out a grin. What a corny thing to say. She hurried on. ‘You know, if it was me getting married in Vegas, I’d go for a dress like the ones downstairs. I could make you one up in whatever fabric you like, maybe in white or cream. We could always add in a really special belt.’

She’d blurted it out, to fill the space and move the job on, and only then remembered she should never be imposing her own views on her brides. She always tried to let them take the lead. It wasn’t even as if what Luce was saying were true, because if Luce was actually in Jules’ shoes, well, frankly, you wouldn’t see her heels for dust. Talk about runaway brides. If it were Luce, she would be legging it faster than the speed of light.

‘Wow, that’s a fab idea.’ Jules, suddenly brighter, sat up straight. ‘I love those off the shoulder necklines. One of those would be lovely, and white cotton would be great. We were in the states recently checking out the vintage American things we’re going to be importing for the shop here.’

Vintage American. Two words that made Luce’s heart plummet. A uniquely different shop was a lot worse than more of the same.

Luce blurted out the first thing that came into her head. ‘Wow, GI Joe is having his own Home Store?’

‘The whole thing is pretty exciting.’ Jules gave a grimace. ‘Joe’s brother is going to get the stock, and ship it over. You can pick masses of stuff up over there for next to nothing.’

Worse and worse. Luce shuddered at the information dump. ‘Wow, it all sounds so amazing. I’ll just grab the fabric samples, then you can try some dresses on to check out the sizes. The nipped in waist will really suit you.’

‘Thanks.’ Jules stood up, and smoothed down her shirt. ‘All we need now is a name for the shop. He was thinking of The Diner, but I’m not sure that’s right. Come to think of it GI Joe’s would be a fabulous name. Would you mind if we used it?’

Oh no. Luce wished she didn’t have to say. She was already kicking herself for having said it at all. Shit, shit, shit.

‘You can call it whatever you like, really you can.’ Right this second Luce wished she had Izzy’s ballsy attitude, instead of being wet and weedy, and so damned polite.

‘I can’t believe that by the end of August I’ll be Mrs Kerr. I’m so pleased I came in here. I’m about to find the perfect dress, and I’ve maybe found a name for the shop too…’ Jules looked suddenly doubtful. ‘Of course, that’s if you don’t mind me using what you said.’

Effing hell. How many mental effs could Luce get away with, before she was owing the swear box?

Luce gritted her teeth, and made her voice so light, it was almost a shriek. ‘Mind? Of course I don’t mind.’ It wasn’t poor Jules’ fault, and at least she’d been decent enough to have a qualms about it. Luce composed herself and smiled at her. ‘It must be your lucky day.’

As for Luce, she’d got a sale underway, dropped the clanger of the decade over the rival shop name, and found out a whole bunch of stuff she’d maybe rather not have known. She just wasn’t sure how this was going to go down with the rest of the crew.

15 (#ulink_ba450878-4106-5352-b6b5-5b6a492d0a0a)

Monday Morning, 9th June

IZZY & LUCE

Vintage at the Cinema

What’s in a name – expletives, implosions, and introductions

SUBJECT: TANNING SHOP

To Dida and the crew,

Just heard on the bush telegraph that the Retro American shop is going to be called GI Joe’s - obvious for someone called Joe Kerr, but a damned good name, unfortunately for us. Was hoping they were going to call it American Tan - geddit??

Ollie Sent from Bangkok, Thailand

‘Oh crap bloody asshole shit.’ As Luce let out a stream of expletives, her phone smashed down onto the polished teak counter top, bounced off, traced a perfect arc through the air, and landed in a basket of jugs.

Izzy had been propping up the last of the Free Coffee and Bridal Studio signs she’d hurriedly painted yesterday evening, when the email had arrived on her phone, but she had managed to get to the end without going postal. She stared at Luce until her eyes wouldn’t go any wider, then blinked, and stared again. What was going on? Luce swearing? And not once, but a whole colourful string.

Oh crap bloody asshole shit – what the hell?