Read Online Hopelessly Devoted to Holden Finn by Tilly Tennant - Free Book Online Page B

he’d have nothing left to say to you and should be getting to know his date.’
    ‘That’s silly. It was just breaking the ice; he got the whole table talking. He’s a natural chatterbox, is Max.’
    ‘He’s a natural something,’ Paige pouted.
    ‘I think he’s lovely,’ Jeanie said. ‘Sarah is lovely too and I hope it works out for them.’
    ‘They deserve each other,’ Paige piped up, ‘both as sad as one another.’
    ‘Paige,’ Jeanie snapped, turning around in her seat to hold her granddaughter in an icy stare, ‘did anybody ask for your opinion?’
    ‘But –’
    ‘No buts,’ Jeanie said, ‘only to butt out.’
    Paige fell into a sullen silence and Bonnie gave her mum a withering look.
    ‘I’m in for a lovely evening now she’s in a mood, thanks, Mum.’
    ‘Don’t lay the blame at my door. You don’t tell her often enough when she’s out of order.’
    ‘Don’t start, Mum…’
    Jeanie held up a placatory hand. ‘It’s fine. I’ve had a lovely evening, despite what some people…’ she inclined her head at Paige, ‘think, and I don’t want to ruin it by falling out with you.’ She forced a smile. ‘Do you want to come in for a quick cuppa before you go home?’
    Bonnie shook her head. ‘If you don’t mind, I’m tired. I think I’ll just climb into my PJs and call it a night.’
    Jeanie paused for a moment, and then took a deep breath, almost as if she was screwing up the courage to say something important, something that she was afraid of. But then she smiled tightly and stretched over to kiss Bonnie on the cheek.
    ‘Alright. Maybe I’ll see you tomorrow?’
    ‘Maybe. I’ll see how late it is by the time I’ve cleaned the flat and done the shopping.’
    ‘Night then. And you, Paige, sleep tight.’
    Paige looked up and gave a sulky nod and Jeanie slipped out of the car and into the night.
    ***
    Bonnie chewed on her lip as she ran her eyes over the instructions on the pack. Then she put the box back on the shelf and picked up a different shade. She pored over the photo on the front of the box, and then flipped it over to look at the result panel on theback. Caramel Cream… was that too dark? It looked dark over blonde on the box, though Bonnie’s was a fairly dark blonde to start with. Did she want to go darker and more exotic, or blonder and bubblier? Her eyes caught another box: Copper Canyon. What about red? Maybe red could be a more exciting alternative? But could she really pull off red hair?
    It had been a spontaneous decision to call in at the chemist on the way home from work that Friday night and Bonnie didn’t even know what had made her do it. All she knew was every day that week had seen her mood become more and more impatient, and every day that she looked in the mirror, she was less satisfied by what she saw. Maybe a change was the answer?
    But right now Paige would be on her own in the flat, waiting for Bonnie to get home. She glanced up and along the aisle where a girl with pink hair and a nose ring was picking up the same colour that was already on her head, clearly a refresher application. Bonnie hesitated for a moment, mesmerised by how young and trendy she was. Then she grabbed the red and marched to the tills at the front of the shop.
    ***
    ‘Oh my God, Mum, you look amazing!’ Paige stared at Bonnie who had gone into the bathroom after tea without a word to her daughter, applied the dye and then dried and smoothed her hair with rarely-used straighteners. The effect was dramatic, to say the least, and even Bonnie had been shocked at the sight of herself in the mirror. After a moment or two of wide-eyed contemplation, she began to bubble with excitement at the change, and Paige’s reaction had reinforced that. Maybe this was all she needed to shake herself out of the rut her life had fallen into.
    Paige flipped herself from the sofa and went over to Bonnie, picking up a lock of hair from her shoulders to examine. ‘It’s gorgeous,’ she beamed.