Read Online Tall, Dark & Distant by Julie Fison - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Julie Fison
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offered.
He was throwing her a lifeline. She just wasn’t convinced it was attached to anything at the far end.
‘Sure,’ Georgia replied, trying to be cheery. ‘I’ll take you sightseeing.’
Georgia fixed a smile on her face as Nik kissed her on each cheek, but inside she was aching.
‘Where have you been hiding?’ Mei beamed, when Georgia saw her friends four days later. ‘Too busy with Nik to see us, hey?’
Georgia laughed nervously. ‘Mmm. Really busy.’
In fact, she hadn’t seen Nik since their date. She hadn’t even heard from him. If he was trying to prove that he wasn’t good boyfriend material, he was doing a great job. And since he’d disappeared, Georgia had avoided her friends. She couldn’t face telling them that she’d got the brush-off right when she was hoping for a goodnight kiss.
But Noosa was too small for her to hide for long. Georgia had summoned enough energy to head to the newsagent for a new magazine and, as luck would have it, the girls walked in just as she was thumbing through the racks. Even worse, Cameron and Dim were with them, though they made a beeline for the car and gaming magazines.
Georgia did her best to smile, but she really wasn’t in the mood. She hadn’t been in the mood for anything in days. She hadn’t been running. She’d hardly eaten. She’d binned her blue first-date dress and had spent way too much time on the internet, googling Nik’s name: Nik Ledbury. Nicolas Ledbury. Ledbury, Leadbury, Ledberry. Nikolas. Nicholas. She had tried them all. She had discovered a great deal about the English market town Ledbury. She had also uncovered information about a Canadian stamp collector and a nuclear physicist. She’d found out about lead poisoning and memorised a list of edible berries. She’d also improved her knowledge of art. But she’d found out absolutely nothing about Nik. He didn’t even have a Facebook page. There was nothing about his family. No evidence of a business tycoon called Ledbury, or any variation on that name. Had Nik made the whole thing up? It seemed unlikely, but it was possible. In any case, Georgia just wanted to put the whole episode behind her.
Ella and Mei stared at Georgia expectantly, waiting for an update on Nik.
‘So, what’s going on?’ Ella asked. She gently took the magazine out of Georgia’s hands, forcing her to focus on the question.
Georgia opened her mouth with every intention of continuing the Nik’s-my-boyfriend charade, just a little longer, but the truth spilled out. ‘He hasn’t called. It’s all over.’
Unfortunately, Cameron and Dim chose that moment to join the girls around the celebrity news section.
‘Who hasn’t called?’ Dim asked, picking up a magazine with Worst Bikini Bodies splashed across the front cover.
‘Nik,’ Ella replied. ‘She hasn’t heard from Nik.’
There was a moment’s silence as the girls telepathically sent their condolences and the guys gave her blank looks. A dagger of embarrassment shot through Georgia’s spine.
‘He’s probably gay,’ Dim replied unhelpfully.
‘Georgia, that dress looks so good on you! The colour really suits you,’ Ella said, trying to change the subject, avoid a gay debate and spare Georgia further humiliation. But the damage was done. Georgia’s complete and utter failure had been exposed.
Cameron and Dim lost interest in the boyfriend news and became engrossed in the Worst Bikini Bodies. They snorted with laughter at the pages of hapless celebrities snapped with cellulite and saddlebags, or simply from an unflattering angle.
The distraction gave Ella the chance to press Georgia for more details, but there really wasn’t much to explain. She’d been for a run with Nik every morning for almost a week, then they’d had dinner together, and he hadn’t called since.
Commitment-phobe was Ella’s conclusion. ‘You’re hot. It’s his problem if he can’t see what a catch you are.’
Georgia was flattered, but she mostly
He was throwing her a lifeline. She just wasn’t convinced it was attached to anything at the far end.
‘Sure,’ Georgia replied, trying to be cheery. ‘I’ll take you sightseeing.’
Georgia fixed a smile on her face as Nik kissed her on each cheek, but inside she was aching.
‘Where have you been hiding?’ Mei beamed, when Georgia saw her friends four days later. ‘Too busy with Nik to see us, hey?’
Georgia laughed nervously. ‘Mmm. Really busy.’
In fact, she hadn’t seen Nik since their date. She hadn’t even heard from him. If he was trying to prove that he wasn’t good boyfriend material, he was doing a great job. And since he’d disappeared, Georgia had avoided her friends. She couldn’t face telling them that she’d got the brush-off right when she was hoping for a goodnight kiss.
But Noosa was too small for her to hide for long. Georgia had summoned enough energy to head to the newsagent for a new magazine and, as luck would have it, the girls walked in just as she was thumbing through the racks. Even worse, Cameron and Dim were with them, though they made a beeline for the car and gaming magazines.
Georgia did her best to smile, but she really wasn’t in the mood. She hadn’t been in the mood for anything in days. She hadn’t been running. She’d hardly eaten. She’d binned her blue first-date dress and had spent way too much time on the internet, googling Nik’s name: Nik Ledbury. Nicolas Ledbury. Ledbury, Leadbury, Ledberry. Nikolas. Nicholas. She had tried them all. She had discovered a great deal about the English market town Ledbury. She had also uncovered information about a Canadian stamp collector and a nuclear physicist. She’d found out about lead poisoning and memorised a list of edible berries. She’d also improved her knowledge of art. But she’d found out absolutely nothing about Nik. He didn’t even have a Facebook page. There was nothing about his family. No evidence of a business tycoon called Ledbury, or any variation on that name. Had Nik made the whole thing up? It seemed unlikely, but it was possible. In any case, Georgia just wanted to put the whole episode behind her.
Ella and Mei stared at Georgia expectantly, waiting for an update on Nik.
‘So, what’s going on?’ Ella asked. She gently took the magazine out of Georgia’s hands, forcing her to focus on the question.
Georgia opened her mouth with every intention of continuing the Nik’s-my-boyfriend charade, just a little longer, but the truth spilled out. ‘He hasn’t called. It’s all over.’
Unfortunately, Cameron and Dim chose that moment to join the girls around the celebrity news section.
‘Who hasn’t called?’ Dim asked, picking up a magazine with Worst Bikini Bodies splashed across the front cover.
‘Nik,’ Ella replied. ‘She hasn’t heard from Nik.’
There was a moment’s silence as the girls telepathically sent their condolences and the guys gave her blank looks. A dagger of embarrassment shot through Georgia’s spine.
‘He’s probably gay,’ Dim replied unhelpfully.
‘Georgia, that dress looks so good on you! The colour really suits you,’ Ella said, trying to change the subject, avoid a gay debate and spare Georgia further humiliation. But the damage was done. Georgia’s complete and utter failure had been exposed.
Cameron and Dim lost interest in the boyfriend news and became engrossed in the Worst Bikini Bodies. They snorted with laughter at the pages of hapless celebrities snapped with cellulite and saddlebags, or simply from an unflattering angle.
The distraction gave Ella the chance to press Georgia for more details, but there really wasn’t much to explain. She’d been for a run with Nik every morning for almost a week, then they’d had dinner together, and he hadn’t called since.
Commitment-phobe was Ella’s conclusion. ‘You’re hot. It’s his problem if he can’t see what a catch you are.’
Georgia was flattered, but she mostly
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