MADE IN ESSEX - Laura Ziepe

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you don’t mind, but I’m not really feeling it in here. I read online the other day that you need to feel comfortable where you’re working to be able to work your best. The work place is an important environment, babe. You go and get yourself a snack or something and come back in about thirty minutes. Just let me have a little move around with the furniture,’ Kelly told her wisely.

      Jade gave a little nod and surrendered. ‘Okay, whatever you think. Just don’t touch any of my dad’s work in the bottom drawer, or he’ll kill me.’

      ‘Cross my heart,’ Kelly smiled, getting changed back into her clothes and making her way downstairs to her car.

      Thirty minutes later, Jade heard Kelly calling her so she made her way upstairs, wondering what on earth was wrong with the office in the first place. As she entered the room she was greeted by fluffy pink pens in sparkly pen holders, pink and white flowers in a silver mirrored vase, decorated photo frames with their holiday snaps, hot pink feathered cushions, and a white furry rug in place of the plain brown one.

      ‘Ta-dah!’ Kelly sang as she twirled round on the spot, pleased with her work. ‘What do you think?’

      ‘I think it looks like Barbie and Sindy have decorated the room!’ Jade snorted with laughter. ‘What is my dad going to think?’

      Kelly giggled. ‘Oh come on, old Jimbo will love it,’ she said with an amused smile.

      ‘I can’t imagine my dad appreciating you calling him Jimbo,’ Jade joked.

      Kelly swivelled round on the spot, looking at her work. ‘Do you not like it?’ She pouted.

      ‘I’m sure I’ll get used to it,’ Jade replied, knowing Kelly could never work in an office without a bit of sparkle. If it inspired them to create the best swimwear then the sparkle would stay. It did make the office a bit more girly and personal too, she thought, and was unable to contain her grin when she spotted a photo of her and her boyfriend, Sam in one of the frames.

      ‘That’s such a gorgeous photo of you two,’ Kelly said, when she saw Jade looking at the photo. ‘I just a hundred per cent had to put that one up.’

      ‘Thanks,’ Jade said, flattered, as she picked up the frame. The photo had been taken at Kelly’s boyfriend’s birthday last year in Nu Bar. They both still had a slight tan from Marbella, where they’d met, and it made their teeth look amazingly white. They looked so happy, and luckily they still were.

      ‘You two make such a sweet couple,’ Kelly grinned. ‘I’m so glad that Sam’s become good friends with Billy too. I love going out just us four.’

      Jade nodded. She had to agree it was great that they all got on together so well. If only Lisa had a boyfriend too though, she thought, remembering her other single best friend. Not that Lisa minded being single one bit. Ever since she’d split up with Jake, her long-term boyfriend, the year before, she’d been having the time of her life. It was difficult for her and Kelly to even get a minute of her time because she was always going out. She had been in a relationship since she was sixteen though, Jade reminded herself – Lisa was simply making up for lost time. She was constantly on dates with different guys and it was impossible to keep up! Jade didn’t blame her though, and she was happy if Lisa was; that was the most important thing. She had really thought that Lisa would have married Jake a year ago and they’d even been engaged, but after Lisa cheated on him with Billy’s friend, Jonny, in Marbella, Lisa had realised she hadn’t really been as happy as she’d always believed. Thank goodness Lisa finished it, Jade thought, otherwise she would have been divorced in her early twenties!

      Kelly interrupted her thoughts. ‘So what are the categories going to be on the website?’

      Jade opened her red notebook. ‘We decided on the places where all the best pool parties are, didn’t we? So we have the “Essex” section, which is going to be our most over the top, blinged-up swimwear, the “No Carbs before Marbs” section, the “What Happens in Vegas” section, the “Romantic Getaway” section, which will be a bit more toned down for when you go away with your boyfriend or husband, and the “Ibiza Zoo Project” section, which will be all animal print.’

      ‘Love it,’ Kelly beamed, running her fingers through her thick blonde hair, ‘it’s going to be so much fun naming all the bikinis. I just love this job already!’

      Jade felt the same. ‘Me too. We need to meet with Tony tomorrow at six o’clock to go over the web designs, so make sure you’re free. I’ll meet you straight from work.’

      Kelly nodded and there was a long pause. ‘I so need a diary.’

      ‘You need one of these,’ Jade said waving her red notebook in front of her, ‘diary and notebook in one.’

      Kelly poked her tongue out cheekily, ‘Alright, Miss Organised!’ She took a package out of her bag ebulliently. ‘I forgot to show you some of the sequins and beads that got delivered to my house this morning. They’re gorge.’

      ‘Wow, they’re great,’ Jade agreed, as she watched Kelly pull out various colours of sparkling sequins and pretty beads from the package. She couldn’t believe how good they looked when they were so cheap to buy. It filled her even more with excitement, and ideas for new bikini designs were flying around in her head.

      ‘I know,’ Kelly sighed, ‘although I’m going to have to call the company up we bought them from and complain about something.’

      ‘What?’

      ‘Well, look here at the receipt,’ Kelly pulled out a piece of paper received in the package, ‘it says flat shipping rate, £3.99.’

      Jade squinted as she read it. ‘So?’ she asked, bemused.

      Kelly looked at her with a surprised expression, as though Jade had missed something. ‘I don’t live in a flat, so why should I have to pay that? The package was delivered to my house!’

      Jade laughed. She was going to have to get used to hearing these silly comments all the time working alongside Kelly every day. ‘Kelly, flat shipping rate doesn’t mean they’ve charged you because they think you live in a flat. That just means standard shipping rate, you dope!’

      ‘Oh,’ Kelly said sheepishly, packing the sequins away again, ‘well they shouldn’t call it that then, it’s confusing. Anyway, I must dash as I have a client coming at seven for a spray.’

      ‘Why? What’s the time?’ Jade asked in a panicky voice.

      ‘Quarter to seven,’ Kelly replied, glancing at her watch.

      ‘Oh shit!’ Jade said slapping her hand on her forehead, ‘Sam is going to kill me! I was meant to meet him at six-thirty for dinner!’

      Kelly pulled a face. ‘Oh dear. You did the same thing last week, didn’t you? Just call him, babe, don’t worry.’

      Kelly kissed her goodbye and left.

      Jade sighed, biting her bottom lip. The problem was she couldn’t just call him and let him know that once again, his girlfriend had simply been too busy working and forgotten she was meeting him. What could she say? She looked at her appearance in the mirror and quickly added some MAC lip gloss and kohl eyeliner. She quickly brushed her long highlighted hair and tied it back in a ponytail. Jade threw on the first pair of skinny jeans she found, texted Sam she was on her way and ran out of the front door.

      ‘Come on,’ Jade said to herself moments later as she was sitting in traffic, feeling stressed. Why were all the cars in front of her going so bloody slow tonight? She could hear her phone ringing in her bag and the fact that she knew it would be Sam, wondering where she was, made her even more anxious. She needed to make something up. She had been extremely preoccupied with the website recently and forgetting about Sam was becoming a regular occurrence, much to his frustration.

      Ten minutes later she was almost running through the doors of The Bluebell restaurant in Chigwell. She saw Sam’s unimpressed expression as soon as she walked in. As Jade made her way over

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