Page 10 of Dance Dirty With Me

It doesn’t work, and less than a minute later I feel a tap on my shoulder. I turn to face him, giving him my best glare.

He’s holding out an envelope to us.

“Here you go, here’s the money.”

I still have hold of Penny and I feel her stiffen in my arms.

“Robbie?”

The kid gives a wry smile. “No, he was exactly as you said he would be.”

“Then where from?” Penny asks.

The kid waves the envelope. “Does it matter?” And in his eyes I see it all, the safety net of the affluent.

“If only we all had a daddy we could ask?” It comes out bitterly and it’s meant to. Penny’s face closes down.

“Sorry, Baby, I can’t accept it.”

Penny draws me away, turning back to the dance floor.

“Why not?” I ask her. “You should accept the money, just take it.” I might not like handouts but I’m not above taking them if they’re needed.

“What are you doing here?” It’s Billy’s voice. I look back and he’s talking to the kid.

“I brought the money,” he explains, and Penny and I stop to watch them. Billy looks between us and then back to the kid.

“The problem is, I can only get an appointment for a week on Thursday. That’s the day Johnny and Penny do their show at the Festival Pavilion in Skegness. If they don’t show then they lose the booking for the season, and it’s good money.”

The kid turns to us. “Can someone else do it?”

“No, Mr fix-it,” I grind out. “No one else cando it. It’s Sheila’s day off, Dana and Laney are working, and even then they wouldn’t have time to learn the routine. There is no one else. Some of us have to work around here. It can’t be done. End of.”

“What about him?” Billy suggests, tilting his head towards the kid.

“I can’t, I’m a bloke,” he protests.

“That’s a bad idea, Billy,” I add, and it is. What is he thinking?

“And I can’t even dance,” the kid continues, his eyes flashing nervously between us.

“See. Told you.” I shrug and turn to walk away. I’m done with this ridiculous conversation. Penny catches my arm and I look at her.

“Hold on,” she whispers.

“Look, hear me out,” Billy says and I wait, still glaring at him because I don’t like where this is going. “He’s petite, he could pass as a girl. Put him in a dress and one of Penny’s wigs and he’d pass alright. You’d fool them down at the pavilion.”

I watch as the kid’s eyebrows shoot up somewhere near his hairline.

“You can teach him, Johnny,” Penny adds. “You’re a strong enough dancer. You can lead anyone.”

I look at her, seeing the fear and uncertainty in her eyes. This is her one chance to get her life back on track. I still think it’s a terrible idea, but I’ll do it for her.

“Alright, I’ll do it.” I hold my hands up in supplication, and Penny grins and hugs me. I look over at the kid.

“Um, okay,” he says, frowning like he doesn’t know what he’s agreed to. I try not to gain some perverse satisfaction at the opportunity to see just what lengths little Mr Fix-It will go to just to be helpful. I fail.

“I’m going for a tennis lesson, Baby. Do you want to join me?” my mum asks at the cabin after breakfast the next day. My dad’s already left to play golf, and Lisa announced she’s going to work on her tan for the swimwear heat of the beauty competition taking place in a few days. My plans of sneaking off quietly look slim.

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