The Astonishing Return of Norah Wells by Virginia Macgregor

Author:Virginia Macgregor
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group UK
Published: 2016-01-13T16:00:00+00:00

Ella

@findingmum

Forgive her? You must be kidding. #movingon

Ella finishes her tweet and bangs shut her bedroom door.

‘What the hell did you think you were doing down there, telling everyone who Mum was?’ she asks Sai.

‘I thought everyone knew.’

‘Willa doesn’t.’

‘She doesn’t know who her mum is?’

‘She thinks it’s Fay.’

Sai shakes his head. ‘What happened to the Ella of tell the truth at all costs and damn the consequences?’

‘This is different.’

‘I don’t see how —’

‘I didn’t have a choice. Fay and Dad said it would upset her, that she was too little.’

‘And now that your mum’s come home?’

‘She’s not our mum. She walked out on us.’

‘She’s still your mum, Ella.’

‘Give it a rest, Sai,’ Ella snaps.

Sai reaches past Ella to open the door.

‘Where are you going?’

‘I think you need some space, I’m going home.’

Ella puts her hand on his arm. She can’t cope with him walking out on her. ‘I’m sorry,’ she says. ‘It’s just a bit much, that’s all.’

He doesn’t move.

She prises his fingers off the door handle and kisses his hand. ‘I like the suit.’ She strokes the shiny blue sheen of the fabric.

His muscles relax under her touch.

‘I thought I should make an effort – impress your dad.’

From the way Dad looked at him, Ella wonders whether it might have been better for Sai to wear jeans and a T-shirt, but she doesn’t say anything.

Sai looks up at the damp patch on the ceiling. ‘So the roof’s still not fixed then?’

‘I don’t think it’ll ever be fixed. All the roofers to do is sit in their van and eat sandwiches,’ says Ella.

‘Maybe the hole will get bigger and you’ll be able to see the stars. That would be cool for summer.’

Ella shrugs. ‘Maybe.’

Sai, the eternal optimist. But the summer feels ages away. Getting through this bank holiday weekend is all Ella can think about right now.

He walks around the room touching the loose chunks of paint where Ella has ripped off her posters and the photographs of Mum.

‘What happened in here?’

Sai has only been in her bedroom once before, a few months ago when Dad took Fay off for a romantic stay in the country for her birthday. They had a babysitter who was too busy watching TV to notice Ella sneaking Sai into the house.

‘I decided to redecorate,’ Ella says.

He flicks his nail down the empty CD rack. ‘And where’s all your music?’

‘I had a clear-out.’

‘You binned your best friend, Louis Armstrong?’

‘You’re my best friend.’

Sai smiles. ‘Your musical best friend.’

‘I’ve grown out of him.’

Ella goes to the window that looks out onto the back garden and watches Willa run across the sunlit grass with Louis.

‘It’s always been sunny for Willa’s birthday. Even on the day she was born.’

Sai comes over and puts his arm around her. ‘Do you remember that day?’

She nods.

Ella had waited at the school gates for ages. Mum had turned up pink-faced, out of breath, with small beads of sweat covering her forehead and wet patches under her arms. Louis walked beside her. Every few seconds he looked up at her and made small, growling noises.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.