The Grace Girls (33 page)

He looked at her disappointed, petulant young face. ‘Come on, Miss Grace,’ he said, in an exaggerated weary tone. He stood up and reached for her hand. ‘Up you get.’

The first two dances were nice easy waltzes, and as Kirsty had presumed, Larry was an accomplished dancer who led her around the floor as naturally as if they’d been
dancing together for years. Fellas were funny, Kirsty though
t, you could never work them out. He was obviously enjoying dancing with her, yet he would have lazily stayed at their table on the edge of the floor watching
while everyone else got up to dance.

They swirled past Eileen Connor and another girl who
were dancing together now, and Kirsty deliberately move
d in closer to the handsome Larry when she knew the two girls were watching. She was also smiling to herself, because it was quite obvious Eileen had not been asked to dance by any of the lads, otherwise she would have been up dancing with them instead of her pal.

‘Who is that friend of yours?’ Larry asked as they went past the girls for a second time, noticing the stares they were getting from them.

‘I used to work beside her,’ Kirsty said, looking up into his eyes. ‘But she’s not exactly a friend.’

‘Well, she’ll certainly know us the next time,’ Larry said, ‘because she’s never taken her eyes off of us.’

Kirsty stretched up high on her tiptoes to whisper in his ear. ‘I think she must be besotted by your good looks – she told me she thought you looked like a film star!’

Larry laughed out loud as though he had heard that one before, but he just shook his head and said nothing. The dance came to a halt, and they stood together on the crowded dance floor waiting for the next number to start. The lights gradually dimmed to a rosy glow and Kirsty felt a tingle of excitement when she realised it was going to be a slow dance. She listened to the opening bars, wondering which number it would be.

‘Would you like a
last
drink?’ Larry asked above the noise, emphasising the word
last
. He glanced over his shoulder towards the busy bar area.

Kirsty looked at her wristwatch. It was only quarter past ten. ‘After this dance,’ she said, putting her hands up on his shoulders. She was very surprised at how shy and backward Larry had suddenly become, because he had always given the impression of being a really confident man-about-town. He had seemed very confident with that older, sophisticated woman when they went for the meal in the hotel a few weeks ago. Kirsty struggled to remember the woman’s name now, but it just wouldn’t come into her mind. Larry hadn’t seemed in the slightest bit awkward with her, and it was quite obvious by the way she had spoken to him that she definitely found him attractive.

Kirsty recognised the music now as one of her favourite
s, and one of the biggest hits that year – ‘Unchained Melody’. The female singer was making a fairly good job of it so far, she noted, and then she suddenly felt Larry’s arm sliding around her waist.

They moved around the floor very naturally to the rhythm, with Kirsty’s arms loosely linked around Larry’s neck. A few times, Kirsty drew back a little to look up at hi
m, but he just smiled down at her and continued dancin
g in his relaxed, easy way. At one point, Kirsty laid her head o
n Larry’s chest, the way she often did with other boyfriend
s, and she was confused when his whole body seemed to stiffen up and she felt him ever so slightly pull away from her. Again she wondered if he wasn’t quite the playboy that people thought he was – and that he wasn’t just as sure of himself as she had imagined.

She leaned in closer to him now, tightening her hold around the back of his neck and moving her legs that little bit closer to his. Being that close to him made her feel hot and tingly all over, and she wondered if Larry felt the same. She waited for some kind of reaction but again there was nothing to indicate that he had even noticed that she was almost clinging to him.

The dance eventually ended, and Kirsty headed off to the Ladies while Larry went to organise the final drink he had promised. She checked how she looked in the mirror, making sure her hair hadn’t fallen down at the back and that her mascara hadn’t ended up in black circles around her eyes making her look like a panda bear. Thankfully, it hadn’t; all her make-up required was a little touch-up with powder and a fresh coat of the reddish-pink lipstick that matched her nail polish and the pink trim on the bottom of her dress. She gave a final glance at her reflection before she left. She definitely looked well tonight – the best she had ever looked.

And there was no doubt about it – Kirsty knew she was far better looking than that dark-haired woman in the hotel. And she was younger. It was only a matter of time and surely Larry would realise that despite the age difference, they were really suited. They wanted the same things out of life.

With that air of confidence wafting around her, Kirsty headed back to the dance hall, head held aloft, determined to enjoy the remainder of this glamorous night.

The man in the bow-tie who had been talking to Larry earlier was sitting at their table. He stood up when Kirsty arrived, beaming at her in admiration. ‘So this is the latest ne
w talent you were tellin’ me about?’ He nodded approv
ingly over at Larry. ‘Well, if she sings half as good as she looks, you’re on to a winner! You’re a right cracker, hen!’ He winked at Kirsty and gave Larry a thumbs-up sign and then headed back across the dance floor in a brisk, businesslike manner.

‘He seemed really nice,’ Kirsty said, flushing with pleasure. The man wasn’t a lot younger than Larry, so if his opinions were anything to go by, she didn’t come across as that young and silly. She sat down now, and reached for her fresh glass of Babycham, and as she took a drink from it, she felt the bubbly effect adding to the two drinks she’d already had.

‘I think you certainly made an impression there,’ Larry said quietly, giving her a long look. ‘And when he hears you singing, he’ll be even more impressed.’ He motioned towards the stage. ‘She wasn’t a patch on you tonight. I was listening really carefully, weighing up the range of songs and watching how the band picked up certain numbers to give her a break
every now and again. They were the songs that wouldn’t have taken a flinch out of you. You’ve great stamina and energy on the stage.’ He leaned towards her now, a contented look on his face. ‘I’m delighted I was at that talent contest, it was just the right time for you to be discovered.’

‘How d’you mean?’ Kirsty asked, desperate for more praise.

‘Well,’ Larry said, considering his words carefully, ‘any earlier and it wouldn’t have worked – you would have been too young for all this. It’s amazing the difference a few years can make.’ He patted her hand now. ‘Career-wise, you’re very mature for a girl of your age. You’ve put a lot of work into these last few weeks.’

He paused, seeing the delight on her face at the compliment, and a small frown formed on his brow. ‘But I t
hink there might be one little problem, Kirsty . . . somethi
ng I didn’t think of.’

‘What?’ Kirsty said.

‘Those girls on the dance floor, and the looks we’ve been getting from some other people. I have a horrible feeling that we might have been taken for a couple tonight . . .
and that just might not look too good for either of us.’

Kirsty’s blue eyes lit up, and she gave a girlish, tinkly laugh. ‘That’s surely not the end of the world, is it? People can think what they like.’

Larry stared at her for a few moments, then he reached into his suit pocket for his cigarettes and lighter. ‘It’s not as s
imple as that. Apart from anything else, I’ve got a busine
ss reputation to think of.’

‘What do you mean?’ Kirsty asked, suddenly confused by the conversation.

‘Come on, Kirsty,’ he said, raising his eyebrows meaning­fu
lly. He put the lighter on the table while he took a cigarette from the packet. ‘You’re not that naïve, are you? A man of my age out with a beautiful young girl in a dress like that . . .’ His eyes moved very deliberately downwards to her breasts.

Kirsty looked down at her cleavage, and the dreaded pink flush she often got when nervous started to spread across her chest and neck. ‘If you’re sayin’ that I’m not properly dres­sed . . .’ she stuttered. ‘If you’re sayin’ that you’re embarrassed to be seen with me.’

She lifted her glass and took a big gulp of the fizzy drink, then she put the glass back down a little too hard, causing drops of the Babycham to spill onto the table.

‘I’m certainly
not
saying that,’ he said, reaching his hand across the table to cover hers. ‘If anything, it’s the opposite. I’m delighted to be out with you tonight, but I asked you to come out with me on a
business
basis . . . to check out the band and the singer.’ He paused to light his cigarette. ‘I’m also thinking about you, and how it looks for a lovely young girl to be out with an older fella like me. I wouldn’t like people to get the wrong impression about you.’ He sat back in his chair, blowing the smoke to the side, away from her.

‘Your age doesn’t bother me a bit,’ Kirsty blurted out. ‘I don’t feel as if you’re older than me . . . I think we get on really well together. I like you better than any fella I’ve gone out with . . .’ She looked straight into his eyes now. ‘I think we’d get on great together – there are plenty of couples that have an age difference.’

‘Oh, dear . . .’ Larry said, his face darkening. ‘This is
exactly
what I was worrying about.’

A small, cold hand clutched at Kirsty’s heart, as she suddenly realised that she was making a terrible fool of herself. ‘You’re not married or anythin’ like that, are you?’ she asked, thinking the worst.

‘Kirsty, you don’t know what you’re talking about,’ he said, sounding exasperated. ‘You don’t know the first thing about me or my life.’

‘What d’you mean?’ she stuttered out.

‘If you
really
knew me – you wouldn’t dream of saying such a thing.’

Chapter 38

Later that night, Heather woke to the sound of her sister crying. ‘What’s the matter, Kirsty?’ she called across the room in a startled whisper.

‘Nothing . . .’ Kirsty said in a croaky, muffled voice. ‘Go back to sleep.’

Heather reached out her arm, feeling for the bedside lamp. She switched it on, and then covered her eyes for a few seconds to get used to the glaring light. ‘What’s wrong?’ she said, sitting up. Although she was shocked at being woken in such a way, she wasn’t altogether surprised that something was wrong. The way Kirsty had come into bed earlier on had made Heather think that her sister had been annoyed or upset about something, but at the time she’d been too tired to make any issue about it.

‘What’s wrong, Kirsty?’ Heather repeated, throwing the covers back and getting out of her bed. She padded bar
efoot across the floor and came to the side of Kirsty’s bed.

‘Oh, I’ve made a terrible fool of myself . . .’ Kirsty said, her voice faint and trembling.

Heather sat down on the side of the bed and placed a comforting hand over her sister’s shoulder. ‘It can’t be that bad . . .’ she said, suddenly alarmed as her mind flitted back to the scene with Liz the other night.
Oh, God
, she suddenly thought,
please don’t let anything like that have happened to Kirsty
.

Kirsty moved now as though she was going to sit up, then it was as if the effort was too great and she slumped face-down into the pillow. ‘I’ll never be able to face Larry Delaney again,’ she moaned. Then, her shoulders started heaving up and down as vicious sobs racked her body.

‘Tell me what’s happened,’ Heather said, gently rubbing her sister’s back and shoulders. ‘Please, Kirsty . . .’ But she just had to wait. Wait until her younger sister had exhausted herself sobbing and crying into the pillow. ‘Are you OK?’ she asked after a while, still fearful of what she was going to hear.

Eventually, the crying stopped and Kirsty came back
up for air. ‘I’ve made the most awful, blidey fool of mys
elf,’ she repeated, sniffling. ‘I can’t believe that I did it.’

‘Did what?’ Heather said, trying not to sound as impatien
t as she was now beginning to feel. ‘I can’t help you if you don’t tell me . . .’

‘I told Larry Delaney that . . .’ She started off sobbing again. ‘I told him that I thought we’d make a good couple . . . I more or less told him that I fancied him and wanted us to go out together.’

‘Oh my God!’ Heather said, unable to hide her shocked feelings. ‘And is it true? Do you really like him?’

‘Aye, I do like him,’ Kirsty replied, a defensive note evident in her voice. ‘Why? What wrong with him?’

‘I don’t believe it . . .’ Heather whispered. ‘He’s absolutely
ancient
. . . he’s nearly old enough to be your father . . .’

‘Oh, fuck off!’ Kirsty hissed, her voice trembling again. ‘I might have known not to tell you – I might have guessed you wouldn’t understand.’ She shifted in the narrow single bed, turning towards the window, obviously trying to shrug her sister away from her. ‘Oul’ goody-two-shoes there – who passes her exams first time and never makes a mistake. Oul’ Holy Mary who never puts a foot wrong . . .’ Kirsty’s face was now back in the comforting warmth of the pillow again.