Page 76 of The Christmas Fayre on Holly Field

‘But Mam’s got a job.’ Sara stuck her chin out.

‘A part-time job that fits in around your school day. It doesn’t pay a lot.’ Ginny looked at Harriet for confirmation, but Harriet ignored her. Ginny carried on, ‘To make sure you have all the things you need and continue to do all the things you used to do before your dad left, your mam has had to be very careful with money. That means if she can buy clothes and things second-hand, she does.’

Sara was horrified. ‘All those clothes you just bought me used to belong tosomeone else?’

‘Not all of them,’ Harriet said. ‘Just some.’

‘Yeah, like the dress.’ Sara scowled darkly.

‘Owen says it’s better for the planet if people reuse stuff and don’t buy new,’ Bobby said.

‘Whatever.’ Sara clearly didn’t give a hoot about the planet.

In an attempt to make the family’s financial shortcomings less worrisome, Harriet said, ‘That’s not the only reason I’ve been buying pre-loved things—’ pre-loved sounded so much better than second-hand or used ‘—Owen has set me a challenge.’

Ginny sighed and shook her head. ‘That man has a lot to answer for,’ she muttered.

‘Shh, Mam. As I was saying,’ Harriet continued. ‘A few weeks ago, Owen bet me that I couldn’t last until Christmas without buying anything new, so I took him up on it.’

‘That’s so lame.’ Sara’s scowl deepened.

‘I think it’s cool.’ Bobby bounced up and down on his chair.

Sara stuck out her tongue at him. ‘No one says cool any more. Chump.’

‘I’m not a chump.’ Bobby wore a hurt expression. ‘Tell her I’m not a chump, Mam.’

‘Don’t call your brother names,’ Harriet scolded.

Sara muttered something under her breath which Harriet didn’t catch and didn’t intend to pursue.

Harriet said, ‘Have you seen the adverts for Vinted on the telly?’

Sara narrowed her eyes. ‘Yeah… So?’

‘Vinted is a pre-loved site. Loads of people use it. There’s nothing to be ashamed of. You get to have new stuff without paying new-stuff prices, and itisbetter for the planet. It’s really hip to be so environmentally conscious.’

‘Hip?’ Ginny snorted. ‘You should say lit or sick, or even dope – hip is what your gran used to say in the Sixties. What century are you in?’

Harriet stared at her mother. ‘Since when have you been so with-it?’

‘You’ve got to keep up with the youngsters—’

‘Mam!’ Sara cried. ‘Can we get back to my dress?’

‘Oops,’ Ginny said. ‘Sorry. Got a bit carried away there. It was unfortunate about your dress, but it says more about that other girl than it does about you. You should hold your head high and not let mean-spirited, over-entitled people stop you from doing what’s right.’

‘Eh?’ Sara wrinkled her nose.

‘I might not approve of Owen’s way of life but he does have a point,’ her granny said. ‘We should all be buying second-hand when we can.’

Harriet blinked.

‘It’s my planet too, you know,’ her mother told her. ‘Just because I won’t be around to see how bad it might get doesn’t mean to say I don’t care. I want my grandchildren to—’

‘Why don’t you like Owen?’ Bobby interjected. ‘He’s nice. He had a sleepover at our house.’

‘Oh?’ The word was loaded with meaning as Ginny turned a beady eye on Harriet.

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