Cathy Hopkins - [Mates, Dates 05] by Dates Mates, Sole Survivors (Html) Read Free Book Online Page A

all know what
that means, don’t we?’
    ‘I guess,’ said Nesta.
    ‘So who is the blonde
he was with?’
    ‘Name’s Georgia. He
met her at the bowling alley.’
    ‘Are they going out?’
    Nesta was quiet for a
few moments. ‘Looks like it. I
am
sorry, Lucy.’
    ‘Did you tell him I
was there and left last night?’
    ‘No. Course not. His
ego’s inflated enough as it is. Anyway, the other reason I rang is, do you want
to come over?’
    ‘Oh Nesta, not yet.
I’m not ready to face him yet. Give me a few more days or call me when you know
he’s not going to be there.’
    ‘OK, well, phone me
later, OK?’
    ‘Nesta, I’m fine. You
don’t have to check up on me every five minutes.’
    ‘How about every hour,
then?’
    ‘Fine,’ I said. ‘But
don’t worry, I’ve got loads to do.’
    I put the phone down and
wondered, loads of what, exactly? It was only the first week of the holidays
and I’m so desperate for stuff to do that even the thought of school seemed
appealing. It wasn’t meant to be like this, I thought, as I gazed out of the
window.
     
    Five minutes later,
Izzie phoned.
    ‘You’ll never guess
what,’ she said.
    ‘What?’ I asked,
fearing the worst.That she’d found some boy for me and was going to fix me up
on a blind date.
    ‘My mum saw this
advertisement in your dad’s shop. For a workshop in Devon. To get back to
basics, aid relaxation and find balance in this hectic world, it says. Anyway,
she wants to go. We’re talking about
my
mum here, Lucy! My
straighter-than-straight mum. She wants to go and chill out…Your dad’s going,
isn’t he?’
    ‘Yeah,’ I said. ‘It’s
run by a friend of his. He asked me to go, but I said no way.’
    ‘But Mum’s just booked
for both of us, so I’m going to be there,’ said Izzie. ‘Oh please come as well.
It’ll be brilliant. We’ll have a laugh if we both go.’
    Suddenly, the idea had
appeal. A few days hanging out with Izzie and no Ben and no boys. We wouldn’t
have to do all the classes. It could be fun.
    ‘Well, I suppose…’ I
began.
    ‘Excellent,’ said
Izzie. ‘So that’s settled then. Pack your things.
     
     
     
    C h a p t e r   7
    Workshop
Weirdos
     
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    The workshop was being
held at an old farmhouse manor on top of a hill near Bigbury in Devon. Dad and I
drove down on Friday afternoon and Izzie and her mum arrived soon after. The
view from the car park was stunning, and in the distance we could see the sea.
    A pretty blonde lady
in a pink tracksuit came out to meet us, swiftly followed by a boisterous black
Labrador. He made a beeline for Mrs Foster as soon as she got out of her Jaguar
and stuck his nose straight up her skirt.
    ‘He’s clearly in the
Lai camp of thinking,’ I giggled to Izzie as we watched her mum attempt to push
the dog down with one hand and struggle with one of her many Louis Vuitton
cases with the other.
    ‘Sorry about Digby,’
said the tracksuit lady, grabbing his collar and pulling him away. She put her
hand out to Mrs Foster. ‘Hi, I’m Chris Malloy and as you’ve gathered, this is
my dog, Digby. He’s still young and tends to get a bit overexcited when we have
visitors.’
    ‘She’s not going to
like it,’ whispered Izzie as her mum gave Chris a tight smile. ‘You know how
she feels about dogs. All those hairs and muddy paws…’
    I laughed. I knew
exactly
how she felt about dogs. I was never allowed to take ours into the house if
ever I visited Izzie when I was out walking them. Mrs Foster has a thing about
cleanliness. She’s impeccable, her house is impeccable, her car is impeccable.
Izzie always jokes that she doesn’t use perfume, she uses disinfectant instead.
This was going to be interesting, I thought, as I watched her totter on high
heels round to the back of the car.
    ‘How long does she
think this workshop is going to last?’ I asked as Izzie and I helped her unload
the boot. She seemed to have brought enough luggage for three