“Grace?” My stomach was twisting. This didn’t sound good. “What kind of thing?”
“Uncategorized,” she said, blinking. “I only found out four seconds ago.”
“Do you need me to say reassuring things?” She nodded. “OK … puppies exist. I dropped fresh biscuits off at your house. And whales … just, whales.” Not sure why, but they always seemed quite chill.
“Thank you.” She nodded. “I needed that.” She took a deep breath. “So, the auction just closed. Elijah rang. Then I rang you. And now … well … no. Still processing.” Grace didn’t even get fazed by my parents throwing half-birthdays. For Sosig. The fact she needed to process was worrying. “You know your plan?” I nodded. We’d made it together. Meet Ru at five. Walk around South Bank, then Trafalgar Square and up Regent Street till around seven. Then my big idea. My big scary idea. “How much would you be up for making it a slightly different plan?”
Huh?
“What’s happened, Grace?”
She gulped. “Don’t freak out.” Too late. I already was. “But you know I said the auction for the meal with Joseph D Chambers just finished.” I nodded. “It went to a bid of…” She closed her eyes and bit her lip. “THREE THOUSAND ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY POUNDS. AND NINETY-NINE P.”
Oh.
My.
What. WHAT?
That was enough to redecorate the whole of Holly Hospice social hall AND start a party fund that should last years!
“Seriously?” I whispered. Grace nodded, her face still in shock.
I pulled out a headphone. And yelled. Really yelled.
“WE JUST RAISED THREE THOUSAND POUNDS FOR GRAMPY G!!!!! AND ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY POUNDS AND NINETY-NINE P.” Billy, Mum and I cheered so much a man in a suit gave the bright orange rocking screaming camper van a very suspicious look. But, THREE THOUSAND POUNDS?!! Harry and Elijah had come throuuuuuuugh!
But there was one person not leaping about. Grace. She was lying still, looking concerned.
“Grace?” I put my headphone back in.
“But that’s not the thing. Elijah said the bidder had a specific request…”
Oh no… Was the winner some kind of creep? Was Joseph D Chambers going to pull out? Had we actually not raised the money after all?!
“They’re not a weirdo, are they? They didn’t ask if they could…” I tried to think of something. “Lick his hair?”
But Grace shook her head.
“No, Mols. Weirder than that. The winner had one condition.” She paused. “The condition was…” She gulped. “The person that has to go to the meal with Joseph is … you.”
CHAPTER
17
If I’d been wondering what was worse than wearing furry Christmas pudding pyjamas for the only date I’d ever been on.
Now I knew. Wearing furry Christmas pudding pyjamas for the only date I’d ever been on THEN meeting a movie star.
I didn’t speak the rest of the journey. What was happening? Was Elijah playing a joke? Maybe even Harry?
And I didn’t speak as we crawled down Regent Street under the huge Christmas lights, twinkling away in the dark evening. Nor as Billy waved at a police horse that was mid arrest. Not even when we pulled into a tiny side street with our hotel at the end. It was HUGE and had baubles and canes pouring out of every window and round the pillars at the front.
It looked gorgeous.
No … it looked AWFUL!
Could we turn back?
Because outside the hotel wasn’t just a doorman in a top hat.
Outside the hotel was Ru. Five minutes early.
Who on earth turned up early?!
I pulled Billy’s dressing gown over my face. Please don’t let Ru notice me. Cara. My family.
“Put your foot down,” I hissed to Mum, like she had a side hobby as a getaway driver.
“Mols, they park your car-slash-beloved-camper-van for you, you know?” She shimmied her shoulders. “So posh!”
“Can we not park it ourselves?” I spat. This could not be happening. “In fact, let’s go back a street. I’ll get out. Check that it’s the right hotel?!”
“But it says ‘The Strand’.” Mum waved at the doormen. Then flicked Cara’s lights on, illuminating the front of the hotel like a school disco.
Everyone turned to look.
I slid down in my seat.
