Bang Gang(35)

"It's not that," she said. "It's Nanna. You couldn't …  if she called, I  mean. Could you keep an ear out, in case the club's too loud for me to  hear my phone?"

I smiled. "I'll always keep an ear out for Nanna, Jo, you know that. Any problems she can call me, I'd be straight round."

"Thanks." She smiled. "I mean, she's fine, it's just sometimes she gets a  bit dithery. Her pills are above the sink, the green bottle. Mia's got a  spare key."

"I know," I said. Ruby beeped the horn, let out quite a racket. "I  promised them a drive out," I said. "Told them we'd get some lunch up on  the Beacons."

"Nice," she said. "You'd better go."

You could come, if you wanted. You and Nanna. The words were on the tip of my tongue, but I didn't say them.

"I'll be seeing you," I said. "Have a good night."

"You, too," she said.





I was glad I'd had a couple of glasses before we'd hit the town. The  place was so much louder than I remembered. Girls that didn't look much  older than Mia drifted about the streets in miniskirts and no sleeves  without a care  –  even in October. I was absolutely freezing in my  bodycon dress, my legs goose-pimpled to hell, even though I was wearing a  coat.

Lorraine laughed at me. "You feeling your age?"

"I'm feeling something," I said.

"Get another drink down your neck, you're still in your twenties, still  young enough pull off young, free and single with authentic flair."

"I have mere months left of my twenties," I said. "It barely counts."

She leaned in, wrapped an arm around my shoulders as we crossed the road  towards Club Crystal. "I'm forty-nine years old," she said.  "Forty-fucking-nine. What I'd give to be thirty all over again. I sure  wouldn't waste it being married to a dickhead like I did last time  round."

Tonya laughed, flashed a grin over her shoulder. "You should go on the  pull, Lorraine, plenty of guys love a cougar. You'll be hot property in  here."

I looked at Lorraine, checking her out as cougar material. She'd  definitely pass. Her dress was tighter fitting than mine, her heels  higher than mine, too. Her hair had thick blonde highlights over shades  of mahogany  –  a posh salon job, for sure. Her makeup was dramatic but  not over the top.

Yes, Lorraine was definitely cougar material.

"I might well pull me a hot young stud," she laughed. "Or two." She  nudged me. "How about you, Jodie, are you out to meet yourself a fine  young man?"

"No, I don't think so," I said in a beat.

"No?" she raised her eyebrows. "Why ever not?"

Tonya smirked back at me. "She's already taken, mentally if not physically."

I wished she hadn't had that extra vodka on the way in. I shot her a glare to stop her running her mouth off.

We arrived in the queue, and Lorraine wouldn't let it go. "You can't  surely mean Trent?" she said. "Please tell me you're not still pining  over that useless imbecile."

"I'm not pining," I said. "I'm over it."

She stared at me. "You're sure about that?"

I nodded. "Yes." No. "I have the girls to think about, we're all good as we are. No point rocking the boat with any of that."

"And that's putting aside the fact the guy's a man-whore. For heaven's  sake, Jodie, he's fucking every paying woman within driving distance.  He's hardly daddy material, is he?"                       
       
           



       

I met her eyes. "Darren's a great dad. He's a lot of things, but a crappy father isn't one of them."

"If you say so." She laughed. "I admire your loyalty, but the guy's  nothing more than a filthy waster. Those girls would be better off  without him."

I stepped away from her. "Those girls would never be better off without him, Lorraine, that's too far." And neither would I.

She held up her hands. "Jesus, Jodie, I'm only half serious. You know  how I feel about Darren Trent. You know how I feel about what's best for  you."

Yes. Yes, I did know.

"Trent's alright," Tonya chipped in. I could have hugged her. "Got his  issues but show me someone who hasn't. Ain't not one of us angels,  Lorraine, you included. I'm sure your shit stinks just the same as the  rest of us."

"Point taken," she said, but she didn't look like she'd taken any point  on board. She lit up a cigarette and flashed Tonya a smile that was  clearly false. "You must have been there when it all fell apart, Tonya,  as I was. You must have seen how much better things were for Jodie and  the girls when it was all over."

"I saw two people breaking their hearts over losing each other. Two  people breaking their hearts that their girls wouldn't have their daddy  at home. That's what I saw, Lorraine." She lit up a cigarette herself.  "No winners in a situation like that, only losers."

I wished I smoked. I could have happily puffed away on a whole bloody pack.

"It's all over now." I smiled. "Let's just get dancing, shall we? Forget  about Darren and the bloody village for one night, at least."

I didn't even wait for a consensus, just hit the bar as soon as we'd checked in our coats.

Tonya leaned in when Lorraine nipped off to the toilets. "I don't like it," she said. "There's something off with her."

I shook my head. "She's just looking out for me, that's all. She only  got one side of it when I split up with Darren, she hardly knows him." I  squeezed her arm. "She's just on team Jodie."

"I'm just on team Jodie," she said. "But that doesn't mean I think Trent's a total fucking tool."

"You know Darren," I said. "She doesn't."

"Not convinced," Tonya said. "I think she's acting sketchy, there's something about her I don't like."

"You don't like anyone," I laughed. "You think everyone's got an agenda."

She winked. "Everyone has got an agenda, I just like to know what it is  before I decide I want to bosom buddy it up with them. Lorraine's cagey  with hers. We don't know shit about her, not even after all these  years."

I scoffed. "I do."

She shrugged. "Do you? About her home life? Has she had a boyfriend? Got  a boyfriend? Wants a boyfriend? Why did she get divorced? What's she  been doing since? Do you know any of this stuff?"

"She sees people," I said. "Just casual. She doesn't really talk about it."

"Exactly," she said. "Cagey."

"Dating websites probably. She's probably embarrassed."

"Embarrassed or cagey," she said.

I rolled my eyes. "You liked Lorraine last week. You invited her out."

"She invited us out." She did a twirl. "And she hadn't launched an  anti-Trent offensive off the cuff back then. Hadn't said his kids would  be better off rid of him."

I groaned. "She just doesn't like him, Tonya."

"She doesn't know him, like you said."

"Seems I don't either. I had no idea he was whoring himself out to the  whole village, Tonya. How do you expect her to feel after that  revelation?"

She shrugged. "Still, I think there's something off with her."

I kissed her cheek. "I love you, Tonya, I love how loyal you are, even to those people you half-think are douches."

"He's a good dad," she said. "And he thinks a lot of you, too."                       
       
           



       

I wish I was as convinced as she was.

I downed a glass of Bacardi and Coke and disappeared further into the crowd.

Fuck Darren Trent, tonight was all about the music.



Alright, so dancing wasn't as easy as I remembered. I managed less than  an hour before my feet were blistered and killing me. Bloody heels.

We sat in a booth, a fresh bottle of white in an ice bucket on our  table, wetting ourselves as Lorraine recounted her weirdest ever  customer stories. These always made me laugh, but the drink made them  all the funnier.

I was giggling like an idiot when I felt my handbag vibrate. I pulled my  phone out in a flash, hoping beyond hope it wasn't Nanna.

It wasn't, it was Darren.

My heart did a weird jump.

You alright? Club good?

I smiled. This was as conversational as it ever got from Darren.

Alright, thanks. Girls ok?

I held my phone under the table and turned my attention back to the  conversation. They were both laughing too hard to notice. It vibrated  again.

Girls are asleep. Just be careful out there.

I smiled. Be careful? I'm alright, Darren. I have Tonya and Lorraine with me.

I pressed send and took another swig of wine. Lorraine was well away,  into the one with the woman who claimed one of the waiters had put poop  in her stew.