Breaking the Ice by Mandy Baggot Read Free Book Online Page B

stepped off the pages of Star Life magazine. At nine in the morning it was almost criminal to look that perfect.
    ‘ Yes, we have tickets for next week but there’s definitely more choice on week days. Weekends are almost sold out,’ Samantha spoke to her caller, as she watched the skaters’ entrance.
    Jimmy and Dana were talking together. He with the perfect teeth and well styled hair, her with the cat walk model body and tight clothes. It was like watching a scene from an American drama full of attractive people with beautiful accessories.
    But then the mood suddenly changed and Samantha watched as Dana snatched one of the boot bags from Jimmy’s hands and began to raise the volume of her voice. It was a loud voice, a voice that didn’t fit the beautiful face or the petite frame. In fact she sounded a lot like Ruby Wax at full throttle. Samantha strained to hear what Jimmy was saying in reply, but he was quieter and more controlled. Despite her best efforts all that was audible was Mrs George’s voice in her headset trying to work out which row she and her husband would be best suited to, given his arthritic hip.
    Then Jimmy was raising his voice too and some of the other skaters had stopped their entrance and were joining the couple and interjecting into the conversation as if to bring it to an end. Dana was screeching and throwing her arms about, like a gesticulating football manager - all hair flying and red lips mashing, and one of the other female skaters began to pat her shoulder and tried to draw her away from Jimmy.
    ‘ Sorry Madam what did you say?’ Samantha asked Mrs George, as her concentration was interrupted by the scene being played out.
    Jimmy then said something loudly to Dana and suddenly she lashed out and struck him across the face with a manicured hand. Samantha gasped out loud before she could stop herself, prompting her telephone customer to query whether she was actually listening to her.
    ‘ Oh, Mrs George, I do apologise, of course I’m listening to you. Yes I can do tickets near the exits on the first row for that date,’ Samantha spoke, her eyes still on the commotion in front of her.
    Jimmy had his hand to his face and Dana was being dragged, kicking and screaming away from him, across the foyer towards the entrance to the dressing rooms.
    Mrs George finally managed to purchase two tickets to one of the ice shows and Samantha was still watching as Jimmy was left alone by his skating comrades. He picked the boot bag up from the floor and turned in her direction.
    Embarrassed that she had been staring, Samantha immediately turned her head towards her computer screen and began frantically tapping at the keyboard, any button would do, trying to mask the fact she’d been paying attention to what had occurred. Although it was her job to be concerned, particularly if there had been an altercation in the middle of a public area. And it was only natural to be curious, especially when Dana Williams had seemed so furious. Perhaps she was on drugs too.
    She let a few more seconds elapse before she felt brave enough to shift her gaze back to the foyer, putting a biro to paper for effect. Another group of people carrying bags and costumes were entering and she saw that Jimmy had gone.
     
     
    It was almost 10.30am before Samantha plucked up the courage to mention Dave’s ice skating plans to her colleagues. It came as a complete shock to all of them that firstly, Dave somehow knew their shoe size and secondly that he expected them to sell programmes, refreshments and souvenirs from the ice, on thin metal blades, like kitchen knives attached to shoes. On hearing the plan Karen had merely nodded, but Jane had burst into tears and fled to the toilets. Felicity, well aware of Dave’s hair brained ideas, had just given Samantha a look of despair mixed with begrudging acceptance and folded her arms across her chest. It had taken all three of them to get Jane out of a cubicle and into her boots, but