out there with a shotgun if you’re not careful.’
Tony Brooks responded by saying that his daughter had to be in by ten.
Marcie groaned. ‘Oh, Dad. Get with it!’
‘Keep yer cheek to yerself!’ His eyes, as dark as those of his mother, were wide with warning.
Marcie winced and took a step back. Even Babs looked away. Luckily the kids were out, the baby in bed and Gran Brooks was in the kitchen.
It was Alan who calmed things down.
‘Come on, Tony. Give the girl some slack. Tell you what, make it half eleven. I’ll pick the girls up at eleven and get your Marcie home by half past. How’s that?’
For a moment her dad was reticent, though not for long. It was difficult to refuse Alan anything. He knew how to handle people.
Marcie couldn’t believe how ‘with it’ he was. In fact he was the only proper grown-up she’d met who really understood teenagers. Rita was so lucky.
Tony’s expression relaxed as he began to see things Alan’s way. ‘We … ll … I’m still not happy about her being out so late, things being the way they are nowadays, but seeing as it’s you, it’s OK. Just don’t think you can make a habit of it, my girl,’ he finished, wagging a warning finger before Marcie’s face.
Marcie sighed as she finally settled in the passenger seat of the smartest car on the island. She was glad to be out and would have burst into song if it hadn’t been for the fact that she’d had to change outfits and scrub off the make-up.
Alan smiled at her. His eyes were shiny and friendly.
‘Well? Are you going to thank your Uncle Alan for getting you extra time?’
She managed a self-conscious smile. ‘Thanks.’
‘Just here. You can kiss me just here,’ he said indicating his left cheek.
She darted a quick kiss as directed.
He began to drive.
‘You look smashing, by the way.’
Coming from any other bloke his comment might have made her blush. But Alan was her dad’s age. And he was so nice and so easy to talk to.
‘This old thing,’ she said disparagingly. ‘I wanted to wear my new outfit. It’s suede and looks lovely, but Dad said it was too short. He wouldn’t let me wear it.’
‘That’s a shame,’ said Alan. His attention flickered between the road ahead and her. ‘Can’t have been that short surely. How short was it then?’
‘Only a few inches shorter.’
‘Show me.’
She placed her hands sideways on to where the hem would have reached. ‘That short.’
‘I can’t tell that well from here what with having to keep my eyes on the road ahead. Fold the hem of that dress up to where you reckon the hem of the other one came to. I’ll tell you whether it’s too short or not.’
Marcie didn’t question his reasons for asking her to do that. He was on her side. There might even be a chance that he’d tell her dad there was no harm in wearing her skirt four inches shorter than the one she had on.
‘Like that,’ she said.
Alan took his eyes off the road long enough to take in the fact that her legs were long and slim, and that she was wearing stockings and not those terrible tights that women were beginning to get keen on.
‘Can’t see anything wrong in that. You’re young and you’ve got a gorgeous pair of legs. Show them off. That’s what I say.’
He patted the leg nearest him.
‘I’ve got an idea,’ he said suddenly. ‘What if I was to look after this new outfit for you? I could hide it in the boot of my car and when you wanted to wear it you could give me a ring and I’d come along and pick you up. You could change in the back. Then I could drop you off with our Rita or whoever you’re with that night. How would that be?’
‘You’d do that for me?’ She couldn’t believe her ears.
‘Course I would. I’ll persuade your dad to come round. He will if I’ve got anything to do with it. Trust me. Do you?’
She looked at him. ‘Sorry?’
‘Do you trust me?’
She thought about what he’d suggested. She thought about the swift change
Tony Brooks responded by saying that his daughter had to be in by ten.
Marcie groaned. ‘Oh, Dad. Get with it!’
‘Keep yer cheek to yerself!’ His eyes, as dark as those of his mother, were wide with warning.
Marcie winced and took a step back. Even Babs looked away. Luckily the kids were out, the baby in bed and Gran Brooks was in the kitchen.
It was Alan who calmed things down.
‘Come on, Tony. Give the girl some slack. Tell you what, make it half eleven. I’ll pick the girls up at eleven and get your Marcie home by half past. How’s that?’
For a moment her dad was reticent, though not for long. It was difficult to refuse Alan anything. He knew how to handle people.
Marcie couldn’t believe how ‘with it’ he was. In fact he was the only proper grown-up she’d met who really understood teenagers. Rita was so lucky.
Tony’s expression relaxed as he began to see things Alan’s way. ‘We … ll … I’m still not happy about her being out so late, things being the way they are nowadays, but seeing as it’s you, it’s OK. Just don’t think you can make a habit of it, my girl,’ he finished, wagging a warning finger before Marcie’s face.
Marcie sighed as she finally settled in the passenger seat of the smartest car on the island. She was glad to be out and would have burst into song if it hadn’t been for the fact that she’d had to change outfits and scrub off the make-up.
Alan smiled at her. His eyes were shiny and friendly.
‘Well? Are you going to thank your Uncle Alan for getting you extra time?’
She managed a self-conscious smile. ‘Thanks.’
‘Just here. You can kiss me just here,’ he said indicating his left cheek.
She darted a quick kiss as directed.
He began to drive.
‘You look smashing, by the way.’
Coming from any other bloke his comment might have made her blush. But Alan was her dad’s age. And he was so nice and so easy to talk to.
‘This old thing,’ she said disparagingly. ‘I wanted to wear my new outfit. It’s suede and looks lovely, but Dad said it was too short. He wouldn’t let me wear it.’
‘That’s a shame,’ said Alan. His attention flickered between the road ahead and her. ‘Can’t have been that short surely. How short was it then?’
‘Only a few inches shorter.’
‘Show me.’
She placed her hands sideways on to where the hem would have reached. ‘That short.’
‘I can’t tell that well from here what with having to keep my eyes on the road ahead. Fold the hem of that dress up to where you reckon the hem of the other one came to. I’ll tell you whether it’s too short or not.’
Marcie didn’t question his reasons for asking her to do that. He was on her side. There might even be a chance that he’d tell her dad there was no harm in wearing her skirt four inches shorter than the one she had on.
‘Like that,’ she said.
Alan took his eyes off the road long enough to take in the fact that her legs were long and slim, and that she was wearing stockings and not those terrible tights that women were beginning to get keen on.
‘Can’t see anything wrong in that. You’re young and you’ve got a gorgeous pair of legs. Show them off. That’s what I say.’
He patted the leg nearest him.
‘I’ve got an idea,’ he said suddenly. ‘What if I was to look after this new outfit for you? I could hide it in the boot of my car and when you wanted to wear it you could give me a ring and I’d come along and pick you up. You could change in the back. Then I could drop you off with our Rita or whoever you’re with that night. How would that be?’
‘You’d do that for me?’ She couldn’t believe her ears.
‘Course I would. I’ll persuade your dad to come round. He will if I’ve got anything to do with it. Trust me. Do you?’
She looked at him. ‘Sorry?’
‘Do you trust me?’
She thought about what he’d suggested. She thought about the swift change
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