Read Online Unconditional by Kelly Lawrence - Free Book Online Page B

would rather Dannii and Dean weren’t there, and not just because of last night’s drunken antics. I want to be on my own with him.
    When I get home there’s no sign of Mum, just a note by the fridge.
    Gone out, won’t be back late, call me if you need anything
.
There’s stew in the pot. DO NOT walk home on your own
.
    This is seriously weird. I mean okay, she does go out occasionally, but not without telling me where she’s going, even if just in passing. She’s hiding something, and I’ve got a sinking feeling I know exactly what it is. On impulse I pick up the house phone and call my dad without knowing quite what I’m going to say.
    ‘Where are you?’ I blurt out as soon as he picks up. He immediately sounds worried.
    ‘Ash? Is everything okay?’
    ‘Er, yeah. I was just wondering if you wanted to do something tonight?’
    There’s an uncomfortable pause before he answers.
    ‘I’m a bit busy tonight, Princess, how about tomorrow?’
    Busy with Mum? I want to ask, but don’t. I could be wrong, or even worse, I could be right. I know most kids with divorced parents would be happy if they thought their parents might get back together, but I’m not. I’m not a kid anymore for a start and it’s way too late for him to come swanning back into my life on a full time basis. I’ll be off to uni next year, and where will that leave Mum when he breaks her heart again?
    But I don’t say any of this.
    ‘Fine, I’ll see you tomorrow,’ I snap. ‘And please stop calling me Princess.’ I slam the phone down before he can answer and storm upstairs. After fuming at the wall fortwenty minutes I ring Dannii again, but she sounds distracted and doesn’t understand why I’m so bothered.
    ‘They’re grown-ups, Ash, let them get on with it. Anyway they’ll be so busy with each other she won’t ask too many questions about Joe. Your mum won’t approve of him you know.’ She says the last bit with relish, as if she almost can’t wait for the anticipated drama. I murmur something non-committal and let her go, feeling a bit lost. I need someone to talk to and if it’s not Mum or Dannii, then who else is there? I don’t want to ring Rianne in case she’s busy with the baby and my class friends are more like homework buddies, not people I can pour my heart out to. On an impulse, I phone Joe. He picks up on the second ring.
    ‘Babe!’ He greets me warmly and I feel instantly a bit better, unable to stop myself smiling even though I was so upset a moment before.
    ‘Hi.’ I realise I have no idea what to say and there’s a silence before he speaks, and he sounds hesitant, almost shy, like on Sunday when he came to the café to ask me out.
    ‘I was wondering if you wanted to come round mine tonight? I could meet you from work?’
    He’s inviting me to his house? Wow.
    ‘Will your aunt be there?’
    ‘Sure, but don’t worry, she won’t ask you a million questions or anything.’
    I’m not sure if I’m relieved or disappointed that we won’t be completely alone, but I am curious to both see his house and meet his aunt. Remembering how self-conscious he seemed about where he lived, I feel strangely flattered.
    ‘I’d love to.’
    ‘Great. I’ll meet you across from the park at six. I might be a bit oily from work.’
    ‘Oily’s great,’ I say, imagining him in his greasy overallsand not a lot else and feeling glad he can’t see me blush down the phone.
    As we say bye I look at the clock and groan when I see I’ve got nearly two hours to wait. Two hours to tie myself up in knots thinking about him and worrying about Mum. I try to eat some of the stew she’s left, but even though it’s delicious my stomach’s churning too much to eat. The next two hours feel like the longest of my life.
    ‘So you’re Ashley? Aren’t you gorgeous?’
    His aunt, a small round woman, older than I was expecting but with a smile that takes ten years off her, greets me with so much warmth I take a step back in