The Judgement of Solomons
Chapter Nine
‘You’d have thought she’d have left after that carry-on, wouldn’t you?’ Jackie whispered to Dov, as they registered Simone’s umpteenth mention of what she had recently managed to get without paying for it from the other side of the table; as she had required, Dov had moved and she was now sitting next to Candy, who she was pointedly ignoring, talking across her to Josh. Though he appeared to be listening to Simone, his eyes were for Candy Katz alone. He had refused food, and this time Jackie thought it had more to do with his feasting his eyes on the girl rather than find yet another way to worry his mother.
‘I think you may have put paid to that by announcing that you were buying dinner and that everyone should order what they like,’ Dov snickered.
‘I always do that!’
‘For the table - not for the whole restaurant.’
‘Well, I thought it was the least I could do after we spoiled everyone’s evening…’
‘Spoiled! You’re kidding, right? These Looky-Lous paid for a beer and got a floorshow and dinner for free.’
‘But I’m amazed she stayed…’
‘Obviously the sponging bitch wasn’t going to have all the other swine rush the trough and miss out herself.’
Jackie looked sad. ‘I have noticed that when people say to me ‘Ooo, X is only friends with you because you pay for everything!’ it’s not that they’re actually worried I’m going to be used by freeloaders, just that they want to be the ones to freeload off me…’