Armani Angels Read Online Free PDF Page A

well, but since halfway through last year he’s just become more miserable and withdrawn.’
    â€˜Do you think it’s the stress of Year Eleven, maybe?’ Chantelle asked.
    â€˜I don’t think so. He just seems to have lost interest in everything and seems so angry all the time.’ A tight ball of tension formed in her chest as she thought about her son. ‘Do you know he’s even stopped playing guitar?’
    â€˜I didn’t know that,’ Chantelle said. ‘That’s terrible.’ She squeaked as the threading came close to her upper lip. ‘Is there any chance he could be, you know, acting out because of the distance between you and hubby? I know that’s quite bad at the moment.’
    Gemma folded her arms across her chest. ‘He’s one of the lucky kids whose parents are still together. That’s a rare thing these days, you know, even if we’re not crazy in love anymore. At least he’s not damaged from coming from a broken home.’
    Chantelle’s voice was gentle as she responded. ‘Sometimes being in a home with both your parents is not the ideal situation though, luv.’
    â€˜I suppose if Stephen and I were screaming and yelling at each other all the time it might affect him, but we want Tyler to have a real family,’ Gemma said.
    â€˜The way I see it, darl, is that families come in all shapes and sizes these days,’ Chantelle said. ‘My dad left us, but still my childhood was happy and I turned out all right.’
    Gemma thought for a second about Chantelle’s fondness for father-figures in her romantic life but kept the observation to herself.
    â€˜I guess everyone’s different,’ Gemma said. ‘I just want the best for Tyler. Stephen and I are okay.’
    â€˜Really?’ Chantelle raised her perfectly shaped eyebrows. ‘Do you laugh together, have lovely chats, share hobbies and stuff?’
    Gemma snorted. ‘What? Are you high? We’ve been married so long – all the conversations are done, the laughter has finished and as for hobbies, he has his model kits, his sailing, his golf, his drinking buddies, and I have my . . . er . . .’
    â€˜Yah, luv, go on then,’ Chantelle prodded.
    â€˜Well, I don’t really have time for hobbies, what with IQPR being so busy. We’ve got the recent bloody scandal with that feral, Johnny Jackson – why those footballers cannot keep their pants on, I don’t know. Then there’s the Porsche awards night coming up, not to mention the Barry Humphries tour. He’s a beautiful man, but God, that Dame Edna can be a real bitch!’
    Chantelle sat quietly and watched Gemma who was staring at the ornate crystal chandelier.
    â€˜I should have invested way more time in my marriage over the years, Chantelle, I really should have. But I was so focused on university, my career and raising Tyler, I put Stephen and me at the bottom of the list.’
    â€˜You were pretty young when you had Tyler.’
    â€˜Yes, we got pregnant right in the middle of our Arts degrees. Stephen did the wrong thing and proposed. Then I did the wrong thing and accepted.’
    â€˜The wrong thing?’
    â€˜Yeah, we were too young. Who says you have to be married to have a baby? We should have just stayed a couple and seen where it went. We were so great together but honestly, parenting puts so much strain on a marriage. Then it went pear-shaped when Stephen got a sales job at the radio station to support me while I was at home with Tyler. I think he still resents the fact that he never finished his degree.’
    â€˜But you got your degree in the end?’ Chantelle asked as she inspected her face in the mirror proffered by the attendant.
    â€˜Of course I did, with a combination of summer school and night school. It was important to me.’ She felt a catch at the back of her throat and gulped in a deep breath to calm