Read Online Music and Lies (George and Finn Book 1) by Gill-Marie Stewart - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Gill-Marie Stewart
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and think.
I couldn’t help glancing across and seeing Cami head straight for Dex Barker’s van. What an idiot.
Chapter Eleven
GEORGE
I got a very nasty surprise the following morning. I’d gone up the path behind the bothy to turn on my phone and check my text messages. There was one as usual from Mum, telling me the babies were missing me and hoping I was working hard. That was all fine.
But there was also one from Dad.
I stared at the little picture of a closed envelope. Dad rarely contacted me and never when he was away on holiday. I opened it with great reluctance. It said Had a strange message from your mother. I’ve been trying to phone you. Where the hell are you? Call IMMEDIATELY. Dad.
Oh, shit. It looked like Dad knew I wasn’t away with Mum. Did Mum also know I wasn’t with Dad? No, she couldn’t do. There would have been fifty messages from her if she did …
I stood there for ages debating what to do. I couldn’t actually phone Dad because there was no way I had enough credit on my phone for a call to Ireland. If he was that desperate to talk to me (and I saw I had four missed calls from him) he’d have to phone me himself. I sent him a short text to say my phone had reception and now would be a good time to call. And then I waited.
It was strange being off in the woods on my own. Since that scary walk up the hill the first night, I’d followed Finn’s advice and found you could get mobile reception much more easily on this side of the valley. I’d nipped up here once a day to text Sophie and Manda and keep Mum happy, but I’d never actually stayed very long. I was on a path beside a fast-flowing burn. The trees around here were (I think) silver birch and were just coming into leaf, a bright pale green. It was pretty but very quiet, except for the sound of the water.
Come on, Dad, I thought. I can’t hang around forever. I’m supposed to be helping out here, you know. But of course he didn’t know, because he hadn’t a clue where I was. I wondered how long to wait. It would be just like Dad to forget to check his phone for hours, even if he was supposedly worried about me. Although I denied it when my friends teased me about Dad’s absent-minded-professor tendencies, I had to admit he could be a bit forgetful. It might be a stereotype (he was a university lecturer), but he was seriously vague. Usually this worked in my favour.
I should have been planning what to tell him, but my mind seemed to have frozen. Whatever I said, I was going to be in deep trouble.
I’d just decided this for certain when the phone rang. I took a deep breath and answered.
‘Hi? Dad? Yes, it’s me … Hang on a minute, I can’t hear you very well.’ I climbed up the banking away from the water and his voice began to come through all too clearly.
‘Where the hell are you, Georgina? I got the shock of my life when I picked up my voicemail and found one from your mother. She seemed to be under the impression that you are staying with me, whereas I am sure you told me you were spending the holidays with her. Georgina? Are you still there?’
‘Yes, I’m here.’ I sighed. I said tentatively, ‘I didn’t want to go away with Mum and Steve. I, er, wanted some peace to revise. So I thought I’d just stay at your house. At first I thought you would be there and then when you said you and Janice were going to Ireland I just … sort of didn’t mention that bit to Mum.’
‘So you’re alone in our house? Really Georgina …’ He sounded perplexed and I could almost hear him trying to work out how to deal with me. He’d always left Mum to handle any problems like this. ‘Georgie, you’re far too young to stay there on your own, I really don’t like it. And why on earth aren’t you answering the phone?’
‘Well, actually … I didn’t hear it ring. I’ve been, er, quite busy. Revising and that, you know.’ What else could I say? I certainly couldn’t let on I wasn’t actually
I couldn’t help glancing across and seeing Cami head straight for Dex Barker’s van. What an idiot.
Chapter Eleven
GEORGE
I got a very nasty surprise the following morning. I’d gone up the path behind the bothy to turn on my phone and check my text messages. There was one as usual from Mum, telling me the babies were missing me and hoping I was working hard. That was all fine.
But there was also one from Dad.
I stared at the little picture of a closed envelope. Dad rarely contacted me and never when he was away on holiday. I opened it with great reluctance. It said Had a strange message from your mother. I’ve been trying to phone you. Where the hell are you? Call IMMEDIATELY. Dad.
Oh, shit. It looked like Dad knew I wasn’t away with Mum. Did Mum also know I wasn’t with Dad? No, she couldn’t do. There would have been fifty messages from her if she did …
I stood there for ages debating what to do. I couldn’t actually phone Dad because there was no way I had enough credit on my phone for a call to Ireland. If he was that desperate to talk to me (and I saw I had four missed calls from him) he’d have to phone me himself. I sent him a short text to say my phone had reception and now would be a good time to call. And then I waited.
It was strange being off in the woods on my own. Since that scary walk up the hill the first night, I’d followed Finn’s advice and found you could get mobile reception much more easily on this side of the valley. I’d nipped up here once a day to text Sophie and Manda and keep Mum happy, but I’d never actually stayed very long. I was on a path beside a fast-flowing burn. The trees around here were (I think) silver birch and were just coming into leaf, a bright pale green. It was pretty but very quiet, except for the sound of the water.
Come on, Dad, I thought. I can’t hang around forever. I’m supposed to be helping out here, you know. But of course he didn’t know, because he hadn’t a clue where I was. I wondered how long to wait. It would be just like Dad to forget to check his phone for hours, even if he was supposedly worried about me. Although I denied it when my friends teased me about Dad’s absent-minded-professor tendencies, I had to admit he could be a bit forgetful. It might be a stereotype (he was a university lecturer), but he was seriously vague. Usually this worked in my favour.
I should have been planning what to tell him, but my mind seemed to have frozen. Whatever I said, I was going to be in deep trouble.
I’d just decided this for certain when the phone rang. I took a deep breath and answered.
‘Hi? Dad? Yes, it’s me … Hang on a minute, I can’t hear you very well.’ I climbed up the banking away from the water and his voice began to come through all too clearly.
‘Where the hell are you, Georgina? I got the shock of my life when I picked up my voicemail and found one from your mother. She seemed to be under the impression that you are staying with me, whereas I am sure you told me you were spending the holidays with her. Georgina? Are you still there?’
‘Yes, I’m here.’ I sighed. I said tentatively, ‘I didn’t want to go away with Mum and Steve. I, er, wanted some peace to revise. So I thought I’d just stay at your house. At first I thought you would be there and then when you said you and Janice were going to Ireland I just … sort of didn’t mention that bit to Mum.’
‘So you’re alone in our house? Really Georgina …’ He sounded perplexed and I could almost hear him trying to work out how to deal with me. He’d always left Mum to handle any problems like this. ‘Georgie, you’re far too young to stay there on your own, I really don’t like it. And why on earth aren’t you answering the phone?’
‘Well, actually … I didn’t hear it ring. I’ve been, er, quite busy. Revising and that, you know.’ What else could I say? I certainly couldn’t let on I wasn’t actually
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