Blueberry Wishes Read Online Free PDF Page A

midnight!”
    â€œI hope you were back on time—” Mum began.
    â€œSummer’s dad dropped me home at about twenty past ten, and Saff and Grace were in a few minutes after me, bang on half ten as promised,” I reported truthfully.
    â€œSo how was it?” Grace asked Mum.
    Mum smiled. “I’m really glad I went,” she said. “Trish’s friends are lovely and we had a real laugh. Did you girls enjoy yourselves?”
    Of course, as predicted, Saff and Grace hadn’t been able to decide on a film and had tossed a coin for it in the end, before they killed each other. And when I told them all about Marco writing the song for me, Mum and Saff dissolved into girly squeals and even Grace couldn’t help smiling, before saying how objectifying of women the whole thing was, of course.
    Just then the bell over the door jangled and Liam walked in. He was looking extra muscly and tanned after a summer spent swimming in the sea (and a week clubbing in Ibiza). “Ooooh, Kim, you dirty stop-out!” he cried. “What time did you get in last night?!”
    Mum grinned at him. “You only know I was out because you got in right after me!” she said.
    He beamed back. “I’ve come to look at that leaky pipe,” he told her. “I should be able to do something with it – otherwise I’ll get my mate Gordon to come and look tomorrow on his way home.” Liam was a builder, and had done the shop fit for us for just the cost of the materials. He’d got Gordon to plumb in our washing machine for free too. It was fair to say that, without Liam and his mates in the building trade, Rainbow Beauty would have stayed just a dream.
    â€œOh, Liam, you’re a lifesaver,” said Mum. “Let me know when you’ve got a spare hour and I’ll book you in for a massage in return.”
    Liam smiled. “Now you’re the lifesaver!” he told her.
    Then he stayed to chat for a while. He asked Grace and me how we were feeling about school starting again (answer: me – excited about seeing Marco every day; Grace – excited about Maths Club and the unlimited studying opportunities in general). Then he fixed the pipe, and had just left when the phone rang.
    We knew it would be Dad – he’d arranged to call while we were having our meeting so that he could chat to us on the landline.
    I raced to be the one to pick up. “Hi, Dad,” I cried. “How are you?”
    â€œGood, thanks,” he said. “Well, missing you all something rotten, but keeping busy. You?”
    â€œMy life is fairly nice, thank you,” I announced, ignoring Saff’s sniggers. “Apart from missing you, of course.”
    â€œWell, good,” he said. “I’m just calling with an update on how things are going this end.” Dad, Grace and I had been on a crazy, roller-coaster sales drive in Kensington and Chelsea over the summer, showing London boutiques our specially created Beauty and the Beach range. Dad had been in charge of delivering the products they’d ordered too.
    â€œHold on,” I said. “Right, now you’re on speakerphone.”
    â€œCool. Hi, girls!” called Dad.
    â€œHi, Dad,” my sisters chorused.
    Mum came back in and I was about to mention that she was there too when she put a finger to her lips and cupped her ear, which I took to mean that she just wanted to listen in. I thought that was probably a good idea, considering the way she and Dad always started arguing whenever they tried to talk to each other. Grace had been really upset by them fighting before, when Dad had come down to see us, and Mum probably didn’t want to risk it happening again.
    â€œWell, I’ve got some good news,” Dad was saying. “I’ve been back into the shops we sold to, to get feedback, and their customers love the Beauty and the Beach stuff. It won’t be long before it’s all