On her day off, Suki went and stood outside the club where her mother had worked before she’d had a daughter and consigned her carelessly to the trash. It hurt Suki and enraged her, to think of anyone doing such a thing. To think that Claire Milo had cared so little for her that she was able to just toss her aside like that.

If I had a daughter, could I do that? she wondered.

No. Of course she couldn’t. A mother was meant to care, wasn’t she?

Suki stood out on the sidewalk and stared up at the sign over the big black double doors of the club. Sylvester’s, the sign said. And there were big posters up showing a lush golden-lit interior, smiling hostesses bearing trays of drinks and wearing cute tight-fitting little outfits.

Her mother had probably been one of those girls, maybe a hooker part-time, who knew? Anyway, she was obviously a whore of some sort because she had given her child away and there was absolutely no excuse for that.

I probably cramped her style, thought Suki.

There was no chance that her mother would still be here, anyway. So many years in between. Suki fell back a step as the doors opened. Two meaty bouncers came out, pushed the doors wide, opening for the lunchtime trade. There was a glassed-in menu up on the wall; businessmen would eat in the club, entertain clients. As she stood there, a couple of wealthy-looking men went into the club and were greeted politely by the doormen. One of the doormen looked at her, no doubt wondering why she was staring, so Suki moved on. But not before she’d seen the sign pasted up above the menu board. Not before she’d glimpsed it and thought: Shit! I could do that. Then I could really see this bitch close up.

Yeah, but what if she was long gone?

Well, there would be nothing wasted; and Suki would be better off, so where was the harm?

The sign said: Hostess Vacancies.

77

77

To say that Kylie was surprised to get Shauna’s invitation was an understatement. She knew how much Shauna hated her. She reckoned that Shauna would despise anyone who came within ten feet of her baby boy. But maybe the old cow was mellowing. An invitation to afternoon tea at the Flynns’ place must be a sign of something.

When Kylie got there, and Shauna ushered her into the living room and seated her upon the sofa – the same sofa that she’d bounced around on at Shauna’s New Year’s Eve party – Kylie soon found out what this invitation was a sign of.

‘How much to fuck off and leave my son alone?’ asked Shauna, sitting on the matching sofa opposite and looking at her with blank dislike.

‘What?’ Kylie’s mouth actually dropped open.