“He told you to go with hello,” he said.
I held the phone tighter. “Yeah, well, he’s an idiot.”
“Agreed. Do you want to go get some ice cream?”
What?
“I’d love to,” I replied, nerves like a tornado stirring my stomach. It couldn’t be that easy, surely?
“Great.”
“But don’t you have work?”
“Erm, no. I spoke to my boss earlier and I’ve taken some holiday.”
Was that because of me?
“Okay.”
“Will you be ready if I drop by and pick you up in an hour?”
“Yeah,” I whispered, pressing the phone to my ear as if that would make me closer to him. I was pretty sure I could have got ready in three seconds if he was coming.
“Okay. See you in a bit.”
He hung up without a goodbye, and I stared at the screen. His voice was calm, but I could detect the hint of anger and confusion in his tone, as if he was unsure that he was making a good choice.
That wasn’t exactly a surprise.
Lizzie stepped in front of me and wiggled her eyebrows. I’d forgotten about her. “I’m out of here. Have a good date.”
Before I could correct her, she was out of the room. It wasn’t a date.
There wassomuch to wade through. Ice cream was a good place to start. At least he wanted to meet up.
Jumping up, I grabbed my clothes and ran into the bathroom to have a quick shower and get dressed. My morning routine took a bit longer since I’d started wearing makeup.
My dad never let me wear it, but it wasn’t up to him anymore. He got no say in my life. I didn’t particularly love the stuff, so a slick of mascara, light blusher and neutral lipstick was enough.
It wasn’t about making myself look better, though it did, it was about having the choice.
As soon as I was ready, I went downstairs to find Mum. The smell of coffee wafted through the hallway, and I knew she was in the kitchen. She smiled when I walked in and the brightness in her eyes made my day.
“Morning.”
“Morning.” I smiled back, loving seeing her happy.
“You look nice. Are you going out?”
I froze. Nice? Did I look like I thought this was a date? I wore a navy-blue maxi dress—Australia clothes—but it was late May, and warm during the day.
Maybe it was too much to meet up with Cole? Should I have gone more casual?
Her smile grew. “Oh. You’re meeting Cole, aren’t you? That was what Jasper was muttering about.”
I nodded numbly, mentally searching through all the clothes I’d brought with me.
“What’s wrong? I thought you’d be happy.”
