Sweet Charity

gave him a clip. ‘Because it’ll be funny. I’m going to pretend I’ve had concussion, and can’t remember inviting any of them. Meanwhile
they’ll all have had the excitement of being asked out by moi. ’ The other two sniggered at his French accent. Kane turned back to the CDs, flicking through with one finger.
‘And Jesus, it’s not as if anyone else is lining up to ask them out.’
    He returned to the clothes racks and selected a bright-orange shirt and a blue-and-white patterned tie, then strolled over to the counter and tossed them on top. ‘I’ll take
those.’
    ‘No you won’t,’ Lola said.
    ‘What?’
    ‘I said, no you won’t take those. This is a charity shop. So you will pay for them and if you have any manners at all, you’ll say please and thank you.’
    ‘Oh, forget it.’ Leaving the clothes on the counter, he and his two followers sauntered out.
    Little pup, Lola thought. It had been foolish of her to stand up to him. She’d heard enough horror stories of shop assistants being robbed or even attacked, but she just couldn’t
abide bad manners like that. She looked over at Luke and shook her head. ‘I don’t know, the young people of today . . .’
    ‘Bring back the whip,’ he said with a grin.
    On Sunday afternoon Lola called into the motel restaurant just as Emily was finishing setting the last of the tables. She looked with pleasure at the tidy room and the
perfectly folded serviettes. ‘Oh, that’s lovely, Emily. Thank you. You’re doing so well.’
    A shy smile. ‘Thank you.’
    ‘Did you get anything for the bad taste party yet?’ ‘I’ve got a few ideas. It’s a bit tricky, actually. You want to be bad taste but you also want to look good, you
know, so —’
    ‘Of course. Are you going on your own, or do you have a date?’
    ‘I’ve got a date.’
    ‘How marvellous. Who is he?’
    ‘It’s a bit of a secret. Will you promise not to tell anyone?’
    ‘I promise.’ Lola had a sinking feeling. The blush was the giveaway.
    ‘It’s Kane Gooding.’
    ‘Kane? I don’t think I know him,’ she pretended, hiding her concern behind a cheery voice. Perhaps there were two Kanes in the school.
    Emily was flushed with pleasure now. ‘He’s tall, with light-brown hair. His dad runs that property company.’ She giggled softly. ‘He’s sort of the school
heart-throb. That’s what I mean about the bad taste theme being tricky. I want to look bad and look good all at the same time.’
    Oh poor little Emily, Lola thought. By the time she realised what Kane had done to her, she wouldn’t care what she looked like.
    Lola was torn between letting Emily enjoy the feeling and telling her the truth behind Kane’s invitation. She opened her mouth and then shut it again, quickly. She couldn’t
interfere. Emily wasn’t her daughter or granddaughter. She didn’t really have any responsibility for her, did she? And sometimes you had to let young people make mistakes, suffer
heartaches, otherwise they would never learn their own way in the world. She’d learnt that raising her son, and then her three granddaughters. Fighting against all her impulses, Lola smiled
brightly. ‘Well, I hope you have a lovely night.’
    Emily blushed again. ‘Thanks, Lola. Me too.’
    The next day, the small spotty boy returned to the shop on his own. Lola wasn’t surprised when he went straight to the rack and picked out the orange shirt and the blue patterned tie. Kane
had obviously sent one of his followers in to do his bad taste shopping. How brave.
    ‘How much are these, please?’
    ‘Let me just check. Oh, the label seems to have fallen off. Will you help me find it?’
    It had fallen onto the floor. The boy picked it up and handed it across with a smile. ‘Here it is.’
    ‘Thank you, my dear,’ Lola said. What was a nice boy like him doing mixed up with a bully like Kane Gooding? she wondered. ‘While you’re here, would you mind just helping
me move this rack?’
    As they shifted it – she’d be shifting it back just as soon as he was gone – she noticed Kane loitering across the street. ‘Your friend is a bit of a hit with the girls,
is he?’
    The boy shrugged.
    ‘He’s collecting a harem, you said. For that party.’
    ‘It’s not doing anyone any harm. It makes them feel good, and it’ll be a laugh on the night.’
    Lola pasted on a smile. ‘It sure will be. I know Emily, but who were the others he invited?’ She smoothly spoke over his surprise.