Read Online Fast Friends by Jill Mansell - Free Book Online Page A

hair.
    ‘ ‘Orrible, ‘orrible,’
he murmured, surveying the disaster area.
‘Still, never mind. The worse it is when they come in,’ he said cheerfully to Loulou who had pulled up a
stool beside them, ‘the better they
look when you finish with ‘em. Now don’t even ask me what I’m going to do,’ he
added sternly, turning to face
Camilla once more. ‘Just keep quiet and trust me. And if you don’t like
the result, you can take the scissors to me own ‘air. Deal?’
    Two hours later Camilla stared into the mirror, her new
eyes reflecting anguish.
    ‘ I hate it,’ she said
flatly. ‘It’s a disaster. It doesn’t suit me, it’s a terrible colour . .
    Unable to go on, she bit her lower lip and gritted her teeth hard, but
the smile she was trying so hard to suppress was proving
uncontrollable. Her mouth twitched and the smile began to spread, becoming wider and wider until it dissolved into laughter and her whole body shook with it. ‘It’s
sensational,’ she cried, shaking her head and watching as the tumbling,
silver and gold waves bounced miraculously back into place. ‘I can’t believe
it, I don’t know how to thank you both . .
    ‘You could start by promising never to pull a stunt like
that again,’ said Rocco, leaning back
against the wall and clutching his
heart. Tor just a second there I thought you was serious, sweetie. ‘Ad the old ticker going a bit I can tell
you, to think that you was goin’ to set about me own ‘air with a
vengeance.’
    ‘ Ah, Camilla, you shouldn’t
tease poor Rocco,’ scolded Loulou with a smile. ‘She has a wicked sense
of humour, I’m afraid,’ she confided to him
and Camilla felt the shy green leaf within her unfold a fraction
further, as she realized with a surge of joy
and amazement that it was the first joke she’d played in years. And she had done it without even thinking about
it.
     
    ’The last time I was in Harrods was
when I bumped into Roz,’ she
murmured, shivering slightly at the memory as they entered the hallowed green
portals.
    ‘You’ve come a long way since then, baby,’ said Loulou
dismissively, winking at her favourite doorman and making a beeline for the perfume hall. ‘Nothing boosts a woman’s
ego like her favourite scent, so we’ll just treat ourselves in here and then it’s upstairs to spend the real money.’ She
sighed, closing her eyes in ecstasy. ‘And you have the even greater
pleasure of knowing that it’s Jack’s money you’re spending.’
    ‘ I won’t spend too much
of it,’ argued Camilla, feeling suddenly guilty. ‘I should really be
using it sensibly, looking for flat . .
    ‘The clothes you’ll be buying will be an investment, dummy. By the time we’ve finished you’ll look so
great you won’t need a deposit for a flat. At least a dozen
love-struck men will be queuing up to buy one for you and you can say,
"Only Belgravia would do, I’m afraid. Well, maybe Mayfair at a pinch . .
." ‘
    ‘ Loulou!’ exclaimed Camilla in dismay.
    ‘Ah, you
see you aren’t the only one who can make wicked little jokes,’ replied Loulou
with a grin.
    ‘ Now what we need is colour,’ she explained, managing to collar a salesgirl. ‘My friend here has just
returned from the great Australian
outback – haven’t you, Sheila? – and she needs a complete new wardrobe. She’s allowed one little black dress, a Donna Karan of course, but apart from that we
want colour and lots of it. And no office clothes, if you catch my
drift.’
    ‘ No office clothes, madam,’
repeated the salesgirl solemnly. ‘If you’d like to follow me . .
     
    Chapter 8
    It was like the Christmas mornings she
remembered from childhood,
thought Camilla, as she surveyed her new person ality, strewn around her in shimmering
piles like some incredibly upmarket
jumble sale. Sensitive with wonder, her fingertips
stroked the ivory satin shirt, experiencing the texture as if it were a
new and marvellous food, whilst her eyes feasted upon the