Almost Perfect Read Online Free PDF Page A

had to tune in again. ‘Depends on what your mother likes. What does she read?’
    He scratched the back of his neck. ‘I don’t really know.’
    Georgie smiled. ‘Maybe you should have got your wife to do this.’
    He looked at her. ‘What makes you think I’m married?’
    She shrugged. ‘Well, like I was saying to Louise–’
    â€˜Louise?’
    â€˜My partner, also sister-in-law. Because she’s married to my brother, not the other way around. That is to say,’ Georgie added for the sake of clarity, ‘I’m not married to her brother. In fact, Louise doesn’t have a brother. She has a sister. And, you know, the law doesn’t allow single-sex marriages yet. Not that I’d be interested,’ she hastened to add. ‘It just came into my head because of my own sister. But that’s a whole other story.’
    There was the odd look again. No flicker of amusement this time.
    â€˜Anyway, I was saying to Louise that I thought you were too well groomed to be single.’
    â€˜You can’t be well groomed and single?’
    â€˜Well, you can, of course. But it really all comes down to laundry.’
    â€˜Laundry?’
    Georgie nodded. ‘You see, women separate darks and lights, it keeps whites whiter. The difference is indiscernible for the first few washes, but after that itdoes start to affect the whiteness. It really does, but I don’t know whether guys just don’t get it, or they don’t believe it, or they don’t care. I’ve never met a straight man who will separate his darks and lights willingly – he has to have a partner or a wife doing it for him or telling him to do it. Now, look at your shirt.’
    He glanced down at it.
    â€˜Positively glowing,’ Georgie remarked sagely.
    â€˜So that means I must be married?’
    â€˜Or gay.’
    â€˜You thought I was gay?’
    â€˜No, I thought you were married.’
    He considered her for a moment and Georgie detected the flicker again. He was amused. ‘It’s a brand-new shirt,’ he said. ‘First time I’ve worn it.’
    â€˜Oh.’
    â€˜Kind of blows a hole in your theory, doesn’t it?’
    â€˜Or it could be the exception that proves the rule,’ she suggested.
    He leaned against the shelf, considering her. ‘Do you subject all your customers to this kind of scrutiny?’
    Georgie shrugged. ‘Only when I’m trying to suss out if they’re available,’ she said bluntly. ‘Are you going to take that?’
    He looked perplexed for a moment, till he glanced down at the book he was still holding. ‘Sure, why not.’
    Georgie walked over to the register and he followed, handing her the book and his credit card.
    She swiped the card through the machine. ‘Will that be credit . . .’ she glanced at the card, ‘William?’
    He seemed surprised. ‘I beg your pardon?’
    â€˜I was asking if you want to pay for that on credit.’
    â€˜Did you just call me William?’
    She nodded. ‘Sorry, should that be Mr–’
    â€˜No, no, that’s not what I meant. How did you know my name?’
    Georgie held up his credit card. ‘Because it says so right here,’ she said simply.
    â€˜Oh, sure, of course.’
    He looked a little like he didn’t recognise his own name. Great, he was using a stolen card. To buy a single book. He was a pretty poor excuse for a crim.
    â€˜It’s just that I don’t really go by that name,’ he explained.
    Uh oh, he must use an alias. Billy the Hood, Will the Wayward . . .
    â€˜It’s a family name, you know, a tradition,’ he explained. ‘But nobody’s ever called me William.’
    â€˜So what do they call you? Junior?’ Georgie asked, handing him a pen to sign the receipt.
    He smiled, ‘No, not Junior.’ He hesitated, pen poised midair. ‘My