Love You Better by Natalie K Martin Read Free Book Online Page B

month, but Effie refused to argue bac k.
    ‘Besides, I was in the middle of my course, and it was monsoon season. It makes it almost impossible to leave.’
    ‘Most people go away to get some sun. I don’t understand how you can like being stuck in the heat and rain all day.’ Effie wrinkled her nose.
    ‘It’s a very enlightening experience being able to dedicate time to meditating and cleansing. It sets me up for the cold winter months.’
    ‘If you can call the Spanish sun cold,’ Effie replied. When was the last time her mum had been in England for Christmas? Ten years ago, just before she’d left for good, probably.
    ‘You should try it sometime. Nobody is forcing you to stay in this depressing place.’
    Effie sighed. What else was she supposed to do? Run around naked in communes, like her mum? No, thank you.
    ‘It’s amazing you managed to get everything organised so quickly. It all looks very grand,’ Penny said, looking back at the iPad and swiping her finger across the screen. ‘Are these your parents?’
    Oliver leaned over and nodded, pointing his finger. ‘My dad, Giles, and my mum, Celeste. That’s Isobel, or Izzy, my older sister.’
    ‘Very nice.’
    The tone of her voice suggested otherwise, and Effie knew what she was thinking. The Barton-Coles represented everything her mum hated: wealth and power. She looked down at the photo of herself and Oliver sandwiched between his parents, with Izzy on the end. Everyone was smiling, but the atmosphere between his parents had been as frosty as the air around them, and Oliver had refused to have his stepbrother and sister in the photo.
    ‘And what do they do?’ Penny asked.
    ‘Mummy and Daddy are both retired now. She used to be an editor for a lifestyle magazine and he was a top Queen’s Counsel. Being a barrister is kind of a tradition in our family; my grandfather was one too. Izzy owns an ethical beauty company.’
    ‘Well, isn’t that lovely.’
    Effie scowled at her mum’s rudeness. Oliver had been nothing but unwaveringly polite and even interested when she’d talked for an hour about yoga and the meaning of chakras, but she couldn’t seem to return the favour.
    Oliver’s eyes flicked down to Effie’s plate. She’d eaten everything except the beef.
    ‘Are you not hungry?’ he asked, tipping his head to one side.
    ‘It was a little too rare for me.’
    Effie had stuck to the cooking time in the recipe rigidly and thought it would come out medium to well done at the edges at least, but when she’d carved into it, it was still too pink for her tastes. It was a fine balance cooking for Oliver, who liked it almost blue, and herself. At least her mum was the type to eat whatever was put in front of her without complaining.
    ‘It loses all the flavour if it’s cooked too much,’ Oliver replied.
    Effie looked at his plate, wiped clean. She was the type to cremate her meat, but he ate out at top-end restaurants all the time, and his palate was a thousand times better than hers. She picked up a tiny piece of beef and ate it, holding back the gag at the thought of eating near raw flesh. He smiled a little and stood up from the table.
    ‘Here, I’ll make you a sandwich or something.’
    Penny’s forehead creased as she pulled her eyebrows together, frowning at him as he walked towards the sink. She was a firm feminist and probably thought Effie was a pampered lady of luxury, simply because Oliver had offered to make her a sandwich.
    ‘I should get going. I didn’t realise it was so late, and I need to be at the airport early in the morning.’
    ‘You only just got here,’ Effie replied. She’d only been back for two days, and already she was jetting off again.
    ‘You know I don’t like it here. I just wanted to see you and make sure you were okay. And meet Oliver, of course.’
    Her mum wanted to make sure she was okay? That was a first, and probably a last.
    After waving goodbye to Oliver, Penny zipped up her coat as they stood