Goody Two Shoes (Invertary 2)

There was a round of delighted squeals.

“Everyone to the back of the house,” Kirsty’s mother ordered.

The women poured out of the front door and around to the back of the house, taking fake Josh with them.

Caroline trailed behind them. “I’m not sure this is a good idea. Josh was pretty clear about keeping away from him. In fact, he said the police had escorted him out of town.”

Kirsty hooked her arm in Caroline’s. “He seems harmless. Plus, what can happen to you surrounded by the rest of us?”

Caroline nodded her agreement and suddenly felt dizzy. “You’re right. He’s come all this way to sing. It would be impolite not to let him.”

“And we wouldn’t want to be impolite.”

“Somebody sort out the music,” someone shouted.

“Let’s party,” shouted someone else.

“Looks like we’re partying.” Kirsty picked up the pace, dragging Caroline along with her.

“Wait.” Caroline pulled her friend to a stop. “My champagne.” She ran through to the kitchen and nabbed a bottle, then ran back to Kirsty. “It’s just like lemonade, only it makes me feel bubbly and yummy inside.”

“Mmm, not quite like lemonade, then.”

They followed the music back to the marquee behind the castle.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

The front door to the castle was ajar and there was no sound coming from inside. Josh dropped the black garbage bags full of clothes on the top step and quietly pushed open the door. The hairs on the back of his neck stood to attention as he silently stepped through into the hall. Room after room was empty. He slid his phone out of the back pocket of his jeans and dialled Lake.

“I’m at the castle. The door is open and I can’t see the women.”

Josh walked to the kitchen, noticing the debris of a meal half finished. Had someone taken them? Was that even possible?

“I’m on my way.”

Josh heard a car door slam on the other end of the phone. “Where’s the guy you had watching Caroline? I don’t see him.”

“I’ll check on that.”

Josh heard a car start. Lake was a couple of minutes away at most. He looked out the kitchen window. The marquee for the wedding peeked out from behind the trees at the far end of the formal garden. And it was lit up like a Christmas tree.

“I think they’re in the marquee. I’m going to check it out. I don’t like the fact that the castle is wide open.”

“Don’t do anything stupid,” Lake said before Josh ended the call.

Josh slipped out the back door and jogged across the grass to the marquee. Halfway there he heard the music—and the giggling. His stomach uncoiled slightly. It wouldn’t relax completely until he saw Caroline.

The marquee was a series of white satin peaks over a wooden frame. It had several sets of stained glass panelled doors. Josh inched open the set closest to him and stopped dead.

He recognised the music as one of his background tracks. Two bars into it and he knew it was the intro for “Stuck in the Middle with You.” He spotted Caroline’s trademark grey skirt the instant he’d entered the room, and his heart seized with the knowledge she was fine. Josh folded his arms and watched the sight in front of him. Most of the women were in a row with their backs to him, all bent over slightly. Behind the row of women, another woman stood watching their backsides and shouting instructions. It took Josh a minute to figure out that she was teaching them to twerk.

“You’re doing it all wrong,” the short blond shouted. “Your bums are supposed to jiggle up and down, not side to side. No, Shona, not like that. You don’t bend your knees. You look like you’re doing squats. Haven’t any of you seen Miley Cyrus doing this on TV?”

“Who is Miley Cyrus?” one of the women shouted.

“She’s a singer. Young. Trashy. Making bad decisions she’ll regret when she’s older.”

Josh followed the answer to his mother and groaned. He wished he’d never looked. The last thing he wanted was an image of his mother shaking her ass in the air. It would be stuck in his brain forever. Like a landmine in his mind, ready to go off any time he stumbled onto it.