Love Inc.

by Yvonne Collins

  Kali, Syd, and I look at each other nervously. What is he up to?

  ‘Friendship and support are essential for change,’ Dieter continues. ‘Twenty years ago, my life was coming off the rails. If it hadn’t been for Father Casey’s kindness, I’m not sure where I’d be today.’

  Father Casey waves away his thanks. ‘He’s repaid me a hundred times.’

  ‘So I had an idea for improving my program,’ Dieter says. ‘From now on, all my sessions will use the pay-it-forward model. Kali, Zahra, and Sydney have graciously agreed to be the first volunteers to help me with my next session. Please give them a big round of applause.’

  ‘What just happened?’ Syd asks, over the applause.

  I catch my mom’s evil smile. ‘We just got slammed,’ I say. ‘Our parents are in on it.’

  Dieter joins us to gloat. ‘Oh, lighten up, girls. This will look good on your college applications.’

  Syd starts to protest, but Dieter claps in her face. ‘Sydney, you owe me.’ He points at Banksy. ‘That slobbery thing is ticking partly because of me.’

  Ah, the anonymous donor. Dieter must have gotten money to Brody through René.

  Dieter is so startled when Syd hugs him that he instantly fades into the crowd. Kali and Syd are still laughing when they go to greet Caleb, who’s come into the room with a freshly bandaged hand, another gift from his rabbit, Hannibal. Banksy’s story might have more than one happy ending, if Kali is still seeing the guy she met at the vet’s.

  I head into the kitchen to get a pitcher of punch, and Brody follows me.

  ‘Hey, MacDuff,’ he says, taking in my sari. ‘Your Ahmed is showing.’

  ‘Yeah, I’m fully integrated now,’ I say.

  ‘Good,’ he says. ‘Because I have something for you.’

  He takes a box out of his pocket and hands it to me. Inside, I find two blue and gold glass bangles even prettier than the one that broke.

  I smile. ‘Technically, you only owe me one.’

  ‘The other is a one-week anniversary gift.’ He glances around to see if anyone is looking, then leans over to kiss me.

  It’s what I’ve been waiting for, and relief and joy wash over me in a wave. ‘Has it been a week already?’ I say. ‘It doesn’t feel like we’ve been together at all.’

  ‘Funny,’ he says. ‘Maybe that’s because I got grounded for aiding and abetting. Mom even took away my car and e-privileges. I’m older, so apparently I’m supposed to know better.’

  He wraps his arms around me, and the kiss that follows is so hot, it makes me wonder if silk is flammable.

  ‘So, tell me something,’ he says, a few minutes later. ‘You used to be pretty down on relationships. Any chance of turning that around?’

  ‘The odds are excellent,’ I say. If anyone could change my mind about love, it’s Brody. After all, the guy knows exactly what he’s getting, and he still likes me. To be on the safe side, however, I don’t plan on creating a cookie in his name anytime soon.

  Brody begins to examine my sari. ‘This thing is pinned in a billion places. How do you get it off?’

  ‘You don’t,’ someone says. ‘Ever.’

  It’s Nana, and the fire in his eyes sends both of Brody’s hands deep into the pockets of his jeans.

  ‘Sorry, sir,’ Brody says. ‘I wouldn’t try, sir.’

  Nana circles Brody, inspecting him. ‘What are you planning to study, young man?’

  ‘Photojournalism,’ Brody says. ‘I’d like to work in the East Asian bureau.’

  Nana nearly smiles. He knows Brody’s sucking up, and he’s gratified.

  Nani appears in the doorway, taking in the whole situation at a glance. ‘It’s a good thing we’ve decided to buy a condo in Mr Stark’s development.’

  ‘You have?’ I ask.

  ‘It will give us someplace to stay when we visit,’ Nani says.

  Glennis and my parents join us, and I take the opportunity to slip away to fill Kali and Syd in on the latest news.

  ‘Hey, Red,’ Brody calls after me. ‘Did you try my pizza today?’

  ‘Yeah.’ I toss my newly restored auburn hair and grin at him. ‘I’d add some olives.’

  Lauren descends on us as Kali, Syd, and I regroup in the hallway. ‘Hey guys,’ she says. ‘I’ve got another client for you.’

  Kali shushes her. ‘Haven’t you heard? Our parents shut us down.’

  ‘You can’t stop. People need you,’ Lauren says. She points to Evan, who’s sulking in the corner of the room. ‘The least you can do is get the guy a date. Simon’s back with his new girlfriend, and Evan’s feeling left out.’

  ‘We’ll look into it,’ Kali says.

  Lauren heads over to tell Evan the good news, and I turn to Kali. ‘We will?’

  ‘Maybe we could just let things slide for a while,’ Kali says. ‘Be on our best behavior. And once our parents are caught up in their own dramas, we start up again – only smarter. Willem is going to need a match, too.’

  Syd smiles. ‘I like the way you think.’

  I grin at my framily.

  ‘Love, Inc. is dead,’ I say. ‘Long live Love, Inc.’

  Acknowledgements

  Thanks to the team behind Love, Inc., especially Jennifer Besser, Arianne Lewin, Jenny Bent and Alyssa Eisner Henkin.

  A very special thanks to ‘Real Zahra’, our cultural attaché, who let us borrow her name and answered all our questions – including the really stupid ones – with humor and grace.

  About the Author

  YVONNE COLLINs and SANDY RIDEOUT met as teens while working in a public library, where instead of shelving books, they talked about boys, clothes and beauty products. Sandy now works in corporate communications and Yvonne on film and TV camera crews. They still talk about boys, clothes and beauty products, but have decided to share what they’d learnt by collaborating on a number of books for teens, including Love, Inc., Paper Cuts, and The Black Sheep. Both authors live in Toronto, Canada.

  www.collinsrideout.com

  www.loveincbook.com

  Copyright

  Allison & Busby Limited

  13 Charlotte Mews

  London W1T 4EJ

  www.allisonandbusby.com

  Copyright © 2011 by YVONNE COLLINS and SANDY RIDEOUT

  The moral right of the author has been asserted.

  First published in Great Britain by Allison & Busby Ltd in 2011.

  This ebook edition first published in 2011.

  First published in the US in 2011 by Hyperion.

  Published by arrangement with Disney Hyperion,

  An imprint of Disney Children’s Book Group.

  All characters and events in this publication other than those clearly in the public domain are fictitious and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent buyer.

  A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

  ISBN 978–0–7490–4070–3