Free Lula Does the Hula by Samantha Mackintosh

‘Yes.’
    I was startled. Carrie – cool, calm sophisticate – looked a little smitten. She flicked her chestnut hair over her shoulder and stood straighter.
    ‘Forest is our
friend
,’ I said clearly.
    ‘Yes,’ said Blue. ‘He’s getting me pizza. We’re weally hungly.’
    Forest smiled down at her, then looked at Carrie, Tam and Alex. ‘You
need
a friend with that devil woman Jazz around,’ he said. ‘She’s been after your mate’s man forever. Now that there’s finally real news in Hambledon, she’s got an in at last. Those two have been working long hours together.’ He shot me a look, hoisting Blue to a hip, and I went hot and prickly with a flash of irritability at everyone implying that Jack would be dumping me any second for someone older, hotter and altogether more desirable.
    ‘Jack is totally into Lula, though,’ said Alex through a mouthful of Pepperoni Special. ‘Jazz hasn’t got a chance.’
    ‘Sure,’ agreed Forest breezily. He looked at me again and winked. ‘Right, Bluebird, ham no mushroom?’ Heshambled off to the kitchen counter, with Blue ordering him around, and they began putting oddments of pizza slices on to an enormous plate.
    ‘Wow,’ said Carrie, gazing after him.
    ‘Don’t even,’ I said, giving her my look.
    ‘No getting involved!’ commanded Alex.
    ‘Geez!’ Carrie hissed. ‘I’m only
admiring
him! And you’re a fine one to talk, Alex Thompson. You spent the weekend kissing Gavin Healey! He’s suspect number one in the missing Emily Saunders case! What do you have to say about
that
, hmm?’
    Alex’s forehead went all creasy and complicated. ‘Gavin is sooo not a suspect,’ she whispered back. ‘He was syphoning the Cleo Cosmetics stuff into drums out at their factory all weekend! He has, like, a thousand alibis!’
    ‘Oh,’ said Carrie. ‘Sorry. I didn’t know.’
    ‘Yes! Well!’ said Alex, very high up on a very high horse. ‘Forest is another matter entirely. We could need him in our Jack Loving Lula campaign, and we don’t want him all angry at being heartbroken by you, or loved up and unfocused.’
    ‘Hey, I –’ began Carrie, outraged.
    ‘Besides,’ I added, ‘he’s a lovely guy, but he’d drive you nuts. He lost the key to the front door before they even moved in.’
    ‘But it’s hanging on the side right there,’ said Carrie.
    We all turned to look.
    She was right. There was a key hanging on the side of the door. ‘Whoa,’ I said. ‘Maybe you’d make a great couple.’
    Carrie flicked her eyebrows up, like,
well, yeah, maybe
.
    ‘He
is
seriously hot,’ mused Tam. ‘Like, seeeriously. And obviously good with kids.’
    ‘
Kids?
’ hissed Alex. ‘Tam! Would you listen to yourself? Geez! Come with me NOW. We have work to do.’ She grabbed Tam, and dragged her off to take a look at Jazz’s room. I’d had enough industrial espionage in the last few weeks to last me a lifetime, so Carrie and I kept an eye on Jazz. She was standing possessively at Jack’s side while people thronged around him. Every now and again she tried to lay her head on his shoulder, but she was too beautifully petite and he too rangily tall. Even so, they looked good together. Very good.
    ‘I think I need a Malteser,’ I said faintly. ‘Maybe bag of.’
    ‘Bag of nothing,’ said Carrie firmly. ‘You’re far more gorgeous than she is. That long snaky hair gives me the creeps, and those mean, squinty eyes . . . Why does Jack let her hang around like this?’
    ‘Look at her stomach,’ I groaned. ‘That belly button. Totally perfect.’
    ‘Like I said,’ sighed Carrie. ‘Stop with the Maltesers. Yours is totally perfect too, but it won’t be if you don’t kick that chocolate habit.’
    Suddenly Pen broke from the crowd. ‘Mum wants to get going, Lula. Let’s leave before that Jazz cow gets to make any stupid comments about little girls’ bedtimes.’
    I nodded. Good thinking from Pen, though it hurt that I’d not had any