When it came to the outfits for the rest of the interview, I had to admit that Henry had a point. If I did have a vision for my future role, it would include the relaxed, chatty presenting style that my viewers loved, earning their trust through being myself, not what an outdated dress code dictated. If Baxter Bigwood was looking for the most attractive or charming person to advise his audience on whether they needed an umbrella, I couldn’t compete. If he wanted someone relatable, who genuinely cared, I might stand a chance.

10

I wobbled out of the cubicle to find Summer adding another layer of scarlet lipstick, an array of bottles and brushes strewn across the sink. I gave my hair a quick tidy and left her to it.

Back in the hall, Henry was standing by the desk in the gold jacket. I was about to exclaim something not very kind about quiz-show hosts but he appeared engrossed in something on the stairs, his face wincing.

Moving around to join him, I saw three boys of varying ages but none of them old enough for secondary school, lugging our cases up the top few steps.

‘She said the boys will take our bags up,’ I gasped, quietly so they didn’t hear me.

‘I think this must be Billy, Bobby, and whoever the other one was,’ Henry whispered.

‘Well, at least Betty wasn’t roped in, too.’

We watched the eldest bump Summer’s enormous case up the final stair, before hopping down to help his brothers. ‘Is this classed as child labour?’ I wondered. ‘Do you think it’s legal?’

‘It’s only illegal if I pay them money,’ Melody said, bustling down the hallway, bouncing Betty in her arms this time. ‘Ice cream and the latest Marvel film don’t count.’ She paused, frowning. ‘I don’t think. Anyway, it keeps them out of trouble. Always the preferable option.’

She craned her neck towards the stairs. ‘All right, boys?’

‘Benji made me carry the second biggest one even though I’m the youngest!’ one of the boys called.

‘Well, you’re bigger than Bobby, which counts for more than age in this case,’ Melody called back.

‘Yeah, but—’

‘Did he tell you that you get to choose your ice cream in order of how big a bag you carried?’ she said, her smile cracking as Betty grabbed her nose and yanked on it, hard.

The boy, who must have been Billy, pushed his mouth to one side as he thought about this. ‘Is there a chocolate one with toffee lumps?’

Melody nodded, somewhat frantically.

‘Fi-i-i-i-i-ine.’ Billy continued his slow climb. Immediately, his mum turned to us. ‘Ready to meet Baxter?’

‘Absolutely.’

She took a few steps down the corridor before stopping and spinning back around.