Ellie bent down to ruffle Elmo’s ears. ‘Bye, sweetie, see you tomorrow.’
And another plan hits the rocks.
‘Bye,’ said Zack.
Chapter 50
‘We’ve been trying to think of ways to raise money for St Mark’s Hospice,’ said Yasmin. ‘They looked after my auntie before she died last year. It’s the most amazing place, but they’re desperate for more cash. If they can’t reach their target by Christmas they might have to close.’
Roo said, ‘That’s terrible. Ow.’ Yasmin was good at leg waxes but not that good. It still hurt.
‘Sorry! So anyway, we’ve decided to have a raffle here at the salon. And seeing as you’re one of our celebrity clients, we wondered if you’d donate a prize.’
More pain. Roo flinched. ‘Of course I will, but I’m not a celebrity.’
‘I know, but you used to be. Maybe you could give us a signed photo or something. Or one of your old stage outfits. Anything really.’ Yasmin carried on ripping merrily away at the little hairs on Roo’s legs. ‘It’s just to raise as much money as possible. The last time we held a raffle we raised two hundred and eighty pounds!’
Roo felt bad. She didn’t have any stage outfits she could donate. Nobody would want a signed photograph of her. Wasn’t there any other way she could help? Ow.
‘Who else are you asking?’
‘Gosh, pretty much everyone! We’re offering prizes of sessions here at the salon, obviously. And quite a few of the clients have offered to bring in boxes of chocolates, homemade cakes, that kind of thing. Everyone’s being great,’ said Yasmin. ‘They all want to chip in.’
Which was all very lovely but it wasn’t going to save a hospice on the brink of closure. Roo said, ‘Who are your other celebrity clients?’
‘Well…’ Yasmin pulled a face, ‘we’re not really the kind of salon that gets celebrities.’
Jackie, ever the optimist, said, ‘Gary Barlow walked past our window the other week.’
‘That doesn’t really count though,’ said Yasmin.
‘Ooh, and there was that woman who used to be a weathergirl on TV. Thingywhatsit.’ Jackie made twirly can’t-remember-the-name gestures with her pen. ‘Remember? She got huge. Came in for a body wrap and we ran out of wrap.’
‘Funnily enough,’ Yasmin carried on waxing, ‘she never came back after that.’
Jackie thought for a moment. ‘How about that actress who always used to play mad women? Thelma someone. Knobbly elbows and funny teeth. Oh, I’ve just remembered, she moved to Canada.’
Yasmin rolled her eyes. ‘Is it any wonder our celebrity clients emigrate?’
‘Whoops, sorry! But we’ve still got Ceecee Milton!’
Another blast from the past. Roo had met Ceecee Milton a couple of times, back in the day when they had both been experiencing success. Like herself, Ceecee had briefly risen and enjoyed her moment in the celebrity spotlight before fading back again into sepia-toned obscurity. This had largely been down to the fact that her husband, a sleazy operator who doubled as her manager, had managed to alienate most of the big guns in the business. You couldn’t fault Ceecee’s powerful voice, but when each booking had to be made through someone who created difficulties and complained nonstop about every last detail, it became easier to book someone else for the job. And so another promising career had bitten the dust.
‘Just me and Ceecee?’ Oh dear. Talk about scraping the bottom of the celebrity barrel. ‘A couple of old has-beens.’
‘She’s really nice, though. She’ll definitely give us something good for the raffle.’
Paranoid, Roo wondered what that meant. Was Yasmin implying that Ceecee was nicer than her?
‘I’ll give you something too. I just don’t know what yet.’ Ow. ‘Is she still married?’
‘Not to that awful one. She dumped him a while back. Got herself a lovely new husband now.’ Yasmin broke into a smile. ‘See? It can happen. There’s hope for us all.’
***
The rain was hammering down as Roo emerged from the tube station. Within seconds her hair was plastered to her head and her T-shirt had turned transparent. People in the street were actually recoiling at the sight of her, which possibly meant she looked a bit deranged, but Roo didn’t care. Her body was exhausted but her heart was singing, her brain fizzy with excitement. It was ten to nine in the morning, she’d had no sleep whatsoever, and this was something she had never experienced before. At least, not without the aid of alcohol or other mind-altering substances.