Read Online Some Girls Do by Clodagh Murphy - Free Book Online

infuriated her more. Why was she such a bloody wimp? Why couldn’t she be more like her alter ego? NiceGirl wouldn’t have had any problem kicking him out. But then NiceGirl probably wouldn’t have wanted to. She would have met him halfway, and she would have given as good as she got. Claire was no NiceGirl and she knew it.
    Maybe Luca knew it too, she thought, horrified at the idea that perhaps he could sense her loneliness and inexperience. Did it cling to her like some kind of aura? Maybe he had felt sorry for her, she thought, with a mixture of shame and indignation.
    What was worse, she couldn’t help wondering what it would have been like if she had let it happen. Pitiable as it was, it was the best offer she’d had in a long time – the only offer she’d had in a long time. She wasn’t likely to see him again, so what did it matter what he thought of her? It would have been good to get in a bit of practice too, in case anything happened with Mark. She felt a little tingle of excitement at the thought that she would be meeting him for real. But she was nervous about it, too, because she really wanted him to like her – the real her, not the person he knew online. She wondered if there would still be the same spark between them …
    But she knew she mustn’t let her imagination run away with her. Mark probably had a girlfriend and, even if he didn’t, their online flirtation probably wouldn’t translate into real life. She spent far too much time living in a fantasy world. She needed to wise up and get real, literally. It probably would have been disastrous with Luca. He would be used to much more experienced, savvy girls. It would have been awkward and embarrassing, and she’d have felt hopelessly inadequate. Besides, her own self-respect meant there was no way she could have let anything happen with him – not when he saw it as some sort of transaction .
    She should just put the whole sorry episode behind her. Maybeshe could turn it into a sexy story for her blog. Luca would be gone tonight when she got home and she would have the house to herself again. She was looking forward to getting into her pyjamas and vegging out on the sofa with a takeaway. It was definitely a night for staying in by the fire, she thought, looking out of the window. The rain was still pouring down, rushing in rivers along the pavement. It was forecast to continue for the rest of the day, and there was already flooding in some parts of the city. She felt a pang of guilt as she thought of Luca going out into the downpour and returning to his cold, bleak flat. She couldn’t help thinking of the sad state of his boots when she had put them in the airing cupboard to dry. They were full of holes, the soles worn thin and one of them was completely separated from the upper. Still, he wasn’t her problem.
    The day dragged on. It was quiet, the rain keeping most people away, and those customers who did turn up were narky and difficult. Claire dragged herself through until six in a haze of caffeine.
    ‘Any plans for tonight?’ Tom asked as they closed up.
    ‘No, just bath and bed,’ she said wearily. ‘On second thoughts, maybe just bed. I don’t think I have the energy for a bath.’
    ‘Well, enjoy!’
    ‘Thanks. You too.’ Almost there, she told herself as she made her way to the car, thinking longingly of her sofa and TV. But first she had to visit her mother.
    ‘Hello!’ Espie beamed when Claire walked into her private room at the nursing home in Blackrock. It was large and bright, pleasant enough as these places went. Great efforts had gone into making it cheery and welcoming, more like a hotel room than a hospital room. But there was no disguising the pall of sickness and infirmity that hung over the place.
    Her mother was sitting up in bed, and Claire felt fleetingly reassured by how well she looked. But she knew her mother’srobust appearance was just a cruel illusion. Even now it was sometimes hard to remember how ill