Dancing Daze Read Online Free PDF

grown-up versions of the D4s in school, who wear Ugg boots and lather themselves in Oompa-Loompa-colored Fake Bake and dye their hair blond and say “OMG!” all the time.
    “Plus, I’m afraid to go near my own wife for a kiss or a cuddle in case Pauline tut-tuts at me,” Dad adds.
    I wrinkle my nose. “Dad! I do not want to know!”
    We pass the cluster of shops at the top of the hill and turn left instead of right.
    “Where are we going?” I ask. “This isn’t the way to your house.”
    “I’m dropping you off at Dundrum Shopping Centre. I have a few errands to run. Work stuff. You can have a bit of a shop and I’ll collect you later. I know how you love Dundrum.”
    That sounds very suspicious. Dad’s never had “errands” before. He’s not the errands type. I happen to know his assistant, Agatha, buys all my birthday and Christmas presents. She has pretty good taste, so I don’t really mind. Now, when Shelly was his assistant, the presents were rank.
    “How long will you be?” I ask.
    “A couple of hours tops. I’ll ring you when I’ve finished my round — I mean, errands.”
    Suddenly, I know exactly what he’s up to. Golf! I turn around in my seat. Sure enough, his muddy black-and-white-leather golf shoes are sitting in one of the seat wells. “Dad, you swore to Shelly that you wouldn’t play golf this Saturday. No wonder she’s moaning at you. She has every right to get mad at you for breaking your promise.”
    “If I don’t play a few quick holes, I’ll explode, Amy. You don’t understand the pressure I’m under at home. It’s like being stuck on a medieval rack, with Shelly pulling my arms and Pauline stretching my legs. I can’t win with those two. No, it’s the golf course or the shrink’s office. At least this way I’ll get some fresh air.”
    “Is it really that bad?”
    “Yes! It’s appalling. Pauline is out of control. She can’t sit still for one minute. She’s got it into her head that the whole house needs to be redecorated. She says the hall has scuff marks from Gracie’s buggy and that if she’s going to invite friends around, the place needs to look decent. There are fabric swatches and paint charts on every surface, and she’s already been testing colors on some of the walls. The hall’s pockmarked with different shades of red. I don’t like red, and it’s not her flaming house! And when she’s not obsessing about paint charts, she’s hogging the computer or drinking my wine cellar dry.” Dad takes one hand off the steering wheel and rakes it through his short dark hair, making it stand on end like a pineapple stalk.
    “I thought Pauline was staying for just a couple of months,” I say. “Doesn’t she have a house in Portugal?”
    “She’s talking about selling that place and moving back here permanently. I’ve tried talking to Shelly about it, but she won’t listen. She says if her mum doesn’t want to go back to Portugal, then we can’t make her. She also says that I’m useless with Gracie and that she wouldn’t be able to cope without her mum around.”
    He sighs deeply. “I’m not naturally good with babies; they scare me a bit, to be honest. All that crying. And I am trying my best with Gracie. But Pauline isn’t exactly making things easy at home. There’s an atmosphere as soon as I walk in the door after work. I know what she secretly thinks of me. And she wonders why I stay late at work some nights. Ha! I can’t bear to be anywhere near the stupid woman. You try living under the same roof as your mother-in-law, Amy.”
    “Dad, I’m thirteen! I’m hardly getting married anytime soon.”
    “Sorry, sorry, you’re right.”
    Dad seems really down, so I try to say something positive. “At least Pauline helps with Gracie.”
    “That’s just it. She doesn’t, not anymore. I can’t figure out why Shelly still wants her mum around. And we can’t exactly talk about it with Pauline sitting in the next room. OK, I admit Pauline was