Read Online A Walk in the Park by Jill Mansell - Free Book Online

learned their names now. Cat Bells and Black Crag to the west, Castlerigg Fell to the east. And over there, rising up beyond Keswick, Skiddow. What a stunning part of the world this was, even if exploring the fells and mountains was giving her body more of a workout than it had experienced in years.
    â€œMuscles still aching?”
    â€œJust a bit.” Evie stretched her legs and arched her back.
    Next to her, Gigi grinned. “That’s because you’re so old.”
    â€œMean girl.” She aimed a foot at Gigi’s ankle.
    â€œSee those deer up on the fells over there?” Having become her tour guide over the course of the last week, Gigi pointed them out.
    â€œYes, dear .”
    It was Gigi’s turn to give her a playful nudge. Evie unfastened her water bottle and took a drink. “You’re going to miss all this, you know.”
    â€œBut it’s not going anywhere. It’ll still be here when I come back and visit.”
    This was true. What a revelation Lara’s daughter was turning out to be. Tilting her head sideways, Evie studied Gigi’s profile, the intelligent eyes, Lara’s nose, those high cheekbones dusted with freckles, and that neat, determined chin. Meeting her had certainly taken her mind off last week’s farcical events.
    Not that it was so astonishing to discover that Lara had a daughter. But discovering her age and who her father was had hit Evie for six.
    Lara had relayed the whole story to her in the car as they’d completed the last leg of the journey from Bath to Keswick. Finally her disappearance made complete sense. Almost nineteen years on, Evie’s heart had gone out to her friend. Sixteen, pregnant, and cast out by her family—for goodness sake, it was like something out of Dickens.
    And then, in no time at all, she’d been meeting the end result. Gigi Carson, with her mad freckles, dancing silver-gray eyes, and insatiable curiosity. This wasn’t a girl to be brushed off or ignored; if she had a question, she liked it to be answered. She was tall and long-limbed, her straight toffee-brown hair swished from side to side as she talked and she had one of those laughs that every now and again ended in a comedy snort. Evie had been captivated from the word go. Apart from the snorty thing, it was like having the teenage Lara back again.
    Interspersed with spooky flashes of Flynn.
    â€œWhat?” Gigi was watching her. “What are you thinking about now?”
    She was also scarily intuitive.
    â€œI’m thinking about your father. In a couple of days he’s going to find out you exist.”
    â€œLucky him.” Pulling a fat blade of grass out of the ground, Gigi stretched it between her thumbs. She blew against it, producing a long quacking sound like a lovelorn duck.
    â€œAre you nervous?”
    â€œNo.”
    Was that really true? Evie marveled at such self-confidence. How must it feel to be so supremely comfortable in your own skin?
    â€œDon’t get me wrong, I want it to go well,” Gigi went on. “But I can’t change me , can I? If he decides he doesn’t like me, there’s nothing I can do about it. I’m not going to pretend to be someone different.”
    â€œOf course he’ll like you,” said Evie.
    â€œHe might not. He might only want the kind of daughter who’s mad on physics and museums and trips to the theater to see plays by Shakespeare. Or ,” Gigi added as Evie opened her mouth to tell her just how unlikely that was, “he might decide he doesn’t want any kind of daughter at all.”
    â€œOh, I’m sure he wouldn’t do that.”
    â€œYou don’t know, though. Or he might pretend to be pleased, just to get over the embarrassing bit, then back off a couple of weeks later. That happens quite a lot.” Gigi nodded sagely. “I’ve watched Jerry Springer .”
    â€œI don’t think that’ll happen.” Evie