Mates, Dates and Portobello Princesses by Cathy Hopkins

Author:Cathy Hopkins [Hopkins, Cathy]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781853409295
Publisher: Piccadilly Press

I spotted Simon waiting on the track by Alexandra Gate as soon as we arrived in the park. He had three horses with him and I felt myself smile inside as we got closer. Looking gorgeous in jeans and a Barbour jacket, he seemed to get better-looking every time I saw him.

‘Hi,’ he said, striding forward and shaking Tony’s hand. ‘You must be Nesta’s brother?’

Tony grinned, nodded and pointed to the horses. ‘One of these for me?’

‘Certainly,’ said Simon. ‘Nesta said you’d never ridden before so I thought you might like to have a go. Here, put these on.’

As he handed us riding hats, the Portobello Princesses cantered by. WC was wearing her usual sour expression and was about to ride on. But then she saw Tony. I could see her say something to Tanya, then the two of them turned round, rode up to us and dismounted.

Off came her riding hat, out came her hair band as she shook her blonde hair and flicked it back, looking up at Tony flirtatiously. ‘It’s just so constricting,’ she said, smiling widely at him, ‘wearing your hair back all the time.’

I had to laugh to myself as I’ve seen girls react to Tony like this a million times.

Tony ran his fingers through his hair and kind of shook his head like in a shampoo commercial. ‘Ooooh. I know just what you mean . . .’ he grinned back at her, giving her his killer charm look.

She snorted with laughter. Woah Neddie, I thought. He’s not that funny.

‘Cressida, Tanya, this is Nesta’s brother, Tony,’ said Simon.

As always, when Tony’s introduced as my brother, the girls looked puzzled.

‘Same dad, different mothers,’ I said, going into the old familiar routine to explain our different colour skins.

‘Oh, yah,’ said Cressida, swishing her hair around, flick, flick, and not taking her eyes off Tony. ‘My parents are divorced as well.’

‘His mum’s dead, actually,’ I said flatly. How dare she assume that they’d got divorced?

Instead of looking embarrassed, WC linked her arm through Tony’s. ‘Oh, you poor darling,’ she cooed. ‘So you need a bit of looking after.’

‘Yeah,’ said Tony, who was loving every minute of it. ‘So Cress,’ he said. ‘Gonna show me how to horse-ride?’

Cress(!!!?) giggled.

‘It’s his first time,’ said Simon. ‘Put him on Heddie.’

‘Yes, my first time,’ whispered Tony seductively and looking at Cressida meaningfully. ‘I hope you’ll be gentle with me.’

She shrieked with laughter again, then turned to Simon. ‘Oh, don’t put him on Heddie, Si. Let him go on Prince. I promise I’ll take care of him.’

‘Well I was going to put Nesta on Prince this time, but . . .’

‘Oh, I don’t mind,’ I said. ‘I don’t mind Heddie. At least I know him from last time.’

As Tanya led the grey horse over to Tony, Cressida looked over at me and made eye contact for the first time.

Like yeah, I thought, I am here too.

The ‘smell under her nose’ look returned as she saw what I was wearing. ‘Cream jodhpurs!’ she snorted. ‘Nesta darling, no one wears cream jodhpurs.

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