‘Well, you are today.’ He linked his arm through hers and towed her out of her bedroom.

Forty minutes later they were browsing in Westquay shopping centre. It was an unfamiliar place to Ros. Unlike most she’d not spent her formative teenage years shopping with her mum or trawling the aisles with friends for the latest fashions. There had been brief shopping trips with her father, which had always been pre-planned and targeted, and that was the approach she now applied for herself. If she needed new clothes then she ordered them online; it was a simple transaction that was straightforward and time-efficient.

‘Hey, look at these.’ Cameron was already inside a shop trying on sunglasses. ‘Try some,’ he suggested, passing her a pair.

‘I have a pair of sunglasses,’ said Ros, returning them to the stand.

‘But these are cool, right?’ He struck a pose and she had to laugh.

‘Yes, they suit you.’

‘You have a go.’ He passed her a pair. Reluctantly she tried them on and faced him. ‘Now that’s what I mean. Super cool. Look.’ He pointed at the mirror. Ros considered her reflection. It seemed odd to her that basically obliterating key features of the face, namely the eyes, somehow improved it. ‘You have to get those,’ he said.

‘I don’t think so. I rarely wear sunglasses and anyway we came for outfits.’ She put them back on the stand.

‘Okay. Outfits first but then we should come back and get those.’

‘We’ll see,’ she said, heading out of the store.

The first clothes shop they went into didn’t feel like her thing at all. The music was particularly loud and intrusive and the shop itself a bit of a maze and badly labelled. She was looking at a pretty floral item that was either a long top or an incredibly short dress when she got a tap on the shoulder. She turned around to see Cameron wearing a bright pink bucket hat and loud shirt covered in pineapples as he pulled a pose worthy of a superstar rapper. ‘How about this? I know, I need to get a couple of gold teeth but then I’ll be sweet.’

‘I’m not sure that’s what Dad had in mind.’

‘Fair enough. How are you getting on?’ He came to look at what she was holding. ‘That minidress would look amazing on you. You should try it on.’

‘I’m not sure I’m ready for something like that. I’ll keep looking.’

After two more shops they still hadn’t made any purchases. They left Westquay in search of some inspiration. The next shop had even more hats for Cameron to try, each with accompanying dramatic poses.

Whilst Ros found him entertaining she was conscious that they had veered off track. ‘We’re not really getting anywhere, are we?’

‘As usual, you are right.’ He removed the strange deerstalker affair from his head. ‘Let’s go on a mission to find at least one outfit from this store and meet back here in fifteen minutes. Deal?’

‘I don’t know—’

‘Fifteen minutes,’ he said, tapping his watch, and he darted off. With a shrug Ros began perusing the rails.

Fifteen minutes later, Ros was waiting back where Cameron had left her when what looked like a mobile jumble sale approached her. ‘Cameron?’

‘Thank heavens I’m in the right place. I can’t see a thing,’ he said from behind the mound of clothes he was carrying.

‘That’s more than one outfit and quite a few dresses. Are they your thing?’

‘The dresses are for you. Actually most of it is for you. You’re the priority. They’re quite unstable. I think putting the satin dress in the middle was a mistake so if you could lead me to the changing rooms I’d be very grateful.’

There was a pause as Ros shook her head at him, even though he couldn’t see her.

‘Er, Ros. Are you still there?’ he asked.

‘Yes. Come on then.’ She took hold of his arm and guided him through the store.

The first thing she tried on was a mid-calf-length black dress, the single outfit she had picked. When she stepped out of the changing room Cameron was already shaking his head. ‘No black. You have black. You don’t need black,’ he said gently, shooing her back inside.

She perused the items she had in the changing room, which were only a fraction of the vast clothes mountain Cameron had picked up because she was only allowed to take a few items at a time in with her. She wasn’t sure about any of them. Cameron’s voice called through to her. ‘Just pick one to try. Any one. It doesn’t matter.’ Was he some sort of mind reader?

‘Okay. Thanks, Gok Wan!’ she called back and she heard the fitting room attendant giggle.

By about the fifth outfit she was losing the will to live. She strode out in an orange dress with a heavy, swooshy skirt. ‘That’s the one!’ said Cameron, throwing his hands up in a hallelujah gesture.

She had to admit it fitted her well and felt good on but there was one overwhelming issue. ‘But bright orange?’

‘I love it,’ said Cameron.

She scratched her head. ‘I’ll put it in the maybe pile. I can’t try on much more.’

‘Okay.’ Cameron held up a hand. ‘There is one you need to try. I think it’s a good compromise.’ He went off to sweet-talk the assistant and root through the large pile of stuff they had left with her.

Ros tried not to get huffy as she got changed once again, but even she had to admit that the woman looking back at her from the mirror did look rather stylish. The dress was navy and cream, in a similar style to the orange one, but it went in and out in all the right places. It did make her feel a little special as she swished from side to side. She walked out of the fitting area and a few heads turned. She cleared her throat and Cameron spun around. He pointed at her. ‘Now you look stunning – that is stunning. Do you agree?’ He looked tentative.

‘I think I do,’ she said, feeling a little shy.

‘We have a winner! Get in!’ He made the same gestures he did when he was watching the football. She couldn’t help but feel a little special at his reaction. ‘Get that and then we do it all again but for my outfit.’ He grinned at her and she groaned. ‘Only joking, I ordered mine online while you were browsing in the first shop.’ She went to give him a playful whack and he ducked, so she chased him a little across the store.

‘Madam!’ called the alarmed fitting room assistant who appeared moments away from calling security.

‘Sorry,’ said Ros sheepishly as she skulked back into the changing room feeling as light as air. She’d never imagined that she would have such a good time shopping. Had she been missing out all these years or was it yet again simply the Cameron factor? That whatever she did with him she enjoyed disproportionally more than she would have done with anyone else or, as was frequently the case, on her own?

Chapter Thirty-Seven

On the day of Barry’s party there were too many things to co-ordinate so Ros had agreed to go from her dad’s house and meet Cameron at the docks. Barry was uncharacteristically jittery as he seemed to have visions of everyone being late and the boat going without them.

‘Dad, it’ll be fine. There’s only a dozen of us and everyone knows what time they need to be ready. I have messaged in the group chat with a reminder that they need to be there at least twenty minutes before departure time or we will leave them behind.’

‘See, that’s exactly what I’m worried about.’ He began pacing with a concerned-looking Gazza at his heels. It was a little like the obedience trials at Crufts although most of those canines wouldn’t have been as easily distracted by the sound of a cupboard door opening.

‘Stop fretting,’ said Ros. ‘We won’t leave anyone behind.’

‘And what about the caterers? Are you sure we’ve ordered enough? It’s not like they can pop to the cash and carry if we get low on something.’

‘Goodness,’ said Amanda, appearing in the doorway wearing a long dark green dress and looking very elegant. ‘I hope it’s not coming from the cash and carry given what you’re paying them.’

They both looked at Ros. ‘I’m sure it’s all top quality. Now please can we trust that everything is in hand and try and enjoy the evening?’

‘I take it you’re not wearing that.’ Her mother nodded disapprovingly at her white shirt and black trouser combination.

‘No . . . I’m getting changed now.’

‘Where’s Cameron?’ Amanda pressed her lips into a hard line. ‘Or should I not ask?’