Page 36 of The Forsaken
“Absolutely. See you then.”
Quinn fired off a text to Gabe and returned to the party invites. Emma had asked for aFrozen-themed party, which wasn’t the easiest of feats to pull off in August, but Quinn was determined to make Emma’s first birthday with them as special as possible. She’d booked a private instructor at Queens skating rink. The instructor would teach the children to skate for half an hour, thengive them another thirty minutes of free skating time. After, the kids would adjourn to the arcade, where they’d be allowed to play only age-appropriate games, and then on to the in-house restaurant for pizza and birthday cake.
“Quinn, I don’t think that venue is geared toward children,” Gabe had protested when Quinn brought up the idea. “They have a bar, and some very violent games. The other parents won’t approve,” he’d added lamely.
“Leave it to me,” Quinn had replied with more confidence than she’d felt. “I have a plan for keeping the children in line. Besides, I seriously doubt there will be many hard-drinking, snooker-playing types at Queens at ten in the morning.”
Quinn wasn’t at all sure if her idea would work, but it was worth a try. She’d had no contact with Jude since the dinner Sylvia had invited them to, and thought this might be a way to make inroads with him. She’d asked Logan for Jude’s mobile number and left him a voicemail, asking him to call her.
Jude had taken his time but did return the call eventually. “What’s up?” he’d asked.
“Hi, Jude. How did your tour go?” Quinn asked.
“All right.” Jude wasn’t a man of many words, but he’d called her back, and that was a start.
“Your mum said that you’re between jobs at the moment, so I was wondering if you might be interested in a paying gig,” Quinn said, praying that Jude wouldn’t be mortally offended by her idea.
“What gig might that be?”
“We’re having a birthday party for Emma on August ninth, at Queens,” Quinn began. “She’s turning five.”
“So, you’d like my band to play some heavy metal for the kiddies?” Jude asked. He oozed sarcasm, but he hadn’t hung up yet.
“No, actually, I’m in need of a prince.”
“What?”
“Emma has asked for aFrozen-themed party and I thought that some of your friends might like to make some extra money by dressing as the characters and mingling with the children. I’ll rent the costumes, of course.”
“You must be joking,” Jude sputtered.
“Well, if you have no need of money…”
“How much you payin’?”
“Fifty quid for two hours, for you and any willing victim,” Quinn replied. Fifty quid was nothing to sneeze at, especially when all they’d have to do was some glorified child-minding and amateur skating. No triple-axel jumps required.
“Any nibbles and plonk included?”
“I’ll spring for pizza, but there won’t be any alcohol at a children’s party.”
“Is your wanker of a husband going to be there?”
“Yes, he’s going to be there, and don’t call him that. He was well within his rights when he called the cops on you, and you know it.” Quinn wasn’t about to apologize for Gabe’s behavior. He had her undying support, now and always.
“All right. Fine. I’ll think on it. How many people you need?” Jude asked.
“Four.”
“Right. Let me ask around and see if anyone is desperate enough to make a complete ass of themselves.”
Jude hung up without saying goodbye but called Quinn two days later. “Okay, I have a couple of mates lined up. Bridget thinks it’s sweet what you’re doing for the kid. She liked Emma. So, here’s the deal. Bridget will bring a friend, and they’ll be Elsa and Anna. I’ll do Prince Kristoff, and I have a mate who’s willing to make a fool of himself as Olaf. That’s two hundred quid, cash up front, lunch included, and if you post any photos of us on social media, I’ll put a hit out on you.”
“You drive a hard bargain, Your Highness,” Quinn replied, smiling. The hardest part of the deal would be not posting photos on social media, since some of the children might like to be photographed with the characters, and their parents might post them despite promising not to.
Quinn couldn’t help smiling to herself. Beneath Jude’s prickly exterior, she could sense a thawing in his attitude toward her. Perhaps this could be the first step in establishing some sort of a relationship.
Quinn winced when she remembered the bond she’d thought she was establishing with Brett. He’d certainly led her up the garden path, but she’d be more careful with Jude.
