The Exciting Life by Karen Mason Page B

image she had no intention of changing.
    It was
Patrick’s birthday and they were going to La Mancha for a
celebratory meal. It was the only restaurant in England that served
Spanish food and was terribly expensive. Of course Patrick wouldn’t
be paying full price; Carlos, the head waiter owed Bernie Collins a
lot of money in gambling debts, so they were getting their meal
half price. Iris ordered squid in tomato sauce, thinking it made
her sound sophisticated, but it was so revolting, she could only
push it around her plate and claim she was watching her
figure.
    ‘ I want you to get used to eating exotic food Iris,’ Patrick
said, chomping his way through a horrible-looking, over-cooked
sausage. ‘When I’m rich, I’m going to take you all around the
world.’
    ‘ Are you now?’ she laughed. ‘Where are we going to go
first?’
    ‘ America. I’ve never been. I went skiing in Switzerland with
school once, and that was it. I’ve never been anywhere else. I was
at school with boys who’d lived in India and Kenya. Where had I
lived? Kilburn!’
    ‘ Well at least you’ve had to work for what you’ve got. I can’t
stand people who have everything handed to them on a
plate.’
    ‘ Annie you mean?’ he quipped. Iris had never hid her feelings
for his business partner and Patrick found their rivalry
amusing.
    ‘ Yes. She doesn’t know what it’s like to struggle. Although I
do think she’s finding running the business difficult. No one’s
interested in her shoes.’
    ‘ Don’t sound so smug about it Iris love,’ Patrick
said.
    ‘ Well I think you should make her
another offer to buy Bruno’s. I reckon she’d take it. She’s spent
all her uncle’s trust fund and she’s hardly making enough money to
pay me and Shirley our wages. Before long she’ll have to model the
shoes herself.’
    ‘ I didn’t realise it was that bad for her. Can’t that Eddie
help?’
    ‘ He’s got a few of his acts to wear her shoes, but no one’s
interested. I think if nothing happens after Fiona Miller’s
wedding, she’ll give up the ghost, sell the building and probably
marry Eddie.’
    Iris
regretted saying this, as the puzzled and hurt look on Patrick’s
face, told her a lot. She was going to have to make this work to
her advantage.
    ‘ Eddie’s asked her to marry him?’ he uttered.
    ‘ No, but it’s only a matter of time. If she sold Bruno’s to
you, she’d have more money to invest in the company and she
wouldn’t have to marry him. I suppose if she didn’t marry Eddie,
she might move to New York instead and stay with Alicia
Bloom.’
    ‘ I wish she’d told me things had got that bad. Poor
Annie.’
    ‘ Poor Annie my backside,’ Iris tutted. ‘She’s brought it all on
herself.’
    Patrick
looked at her and frowned.
    ‘ Why do you dislike her so much?’ he asked. ‘Don’t give me all
that ungrateful stuff. There’s more to it than that. It’s
personal.’
    Dare she
tell him? Could she trust him with such a big secret? Or would he
go running to his precious Annie and tell her everything? Before
Iris could make her mind up, they were interrupted by a loud cry
of;
    ‘ Collins old chap!’
    They
both looked up and saw Oscar London heading towards them. He looked
happy and slightly drunk, as he was almost bashing into the tables
he was weaving in and out of.
    ‘ Hello old chap,’ Patrick said as he joined them. ‘You look
happy.’
    ‘ I wanted to thank you both,’ Oscar said, sitting on the spare
seat next to Iris. ‘Dad was so impressed with the fashion show you
put on, he’s accepted you as a backer for the film. And not only
that, he’s persuaded Walter Hatton to invest the rest of the money,
so we can go ahead.’
    ‘ Walter Hatton the film director?’ Patrick asked.
    ‘ Yes, and he wants to direct Just A Girl. We’re all systems go.
You’ve just produced your first film Patrick!’
    ‘ This calls for champagne!’ Patrick beamed. He looked at Iris.
‘Don’t worry about eating