Not Quite Perfect Read Online Free PDF Page A

socks, when she hears the phone ring.
    ‘I’ll get it!’ calls Lily. Rachel curses. Moments later, her daughter pads into the garden.
    ‘My socks are wet and it’s Grandpa,’ she announces. Rachel accepts the phone and waves her daughter away with the international semaphore sign for ‘Go and find some dry socks.’
    ‘Hi, Dad,’ she says at last.
    ‘Morning, daughter number one. Your mother was fretting so she made me phone you,’ he says with a chuckle.
    Rachel laughs. ‘I’m fine thanks, Dad. It was lovely to see you all yesterday, despite the apple tree incident.’
    ‘Yes and how is the little man this morning?’
    Rachel can hear her mother talking in the background, directing operations. ‘He’s absolutely fine. No lasting damage. What’s Mum saying?’
    Edward doesn’t speak for a moment, as he tries to listen to two separate conversations. ‘Sorry, Rachel. Your mother wants to know if you and Steve are all right?’ says Edward. Rachel hears her mother exclaim at his lack of subtlety.
    She laughs again. ‘We’re fine. Why?’
    ‘She wants to know why,’ Edward reports back to his increasingly exasperated wife.
    ‘Oh for heaven’s sake, Edward. Give me the phone will you? Honestly, if you want something done in this family. Rachel?’ says Diana as she takes the phone.
    ‘Yes, Mum?’
    ‘Now don’t you “yes, Mum” me. I know what you and Daddy are like when you get together. I simply wanted to check that everything is all right between you and Steve.’
    ‘I’ve just told Dad we’re fine. Why do you ask?’
    ‘Steve has asked us to have the children on Saturday night.’
    ‘Oh right, yes, well we just want to have a little time on our own as a married couple.’
    ‘Yes all right, Rachel. There’s no need to be coarse. So I don’t need to worry then?’
    Rachel contemplates this question and then immediately rejects the idea of telling her Mother about Edinburgh. ‘No, of course not.’
    ‘Well good, because I’ve got enough to worry about with this wedding of your sister’s. I’ll hand you back to your father.’
    ‘Rachel? Sorry about that. You know what your mother gets like when she’s been listening to the
Today
programme. Two hours of John Humphries and she just won’t let things go,’ says Edward.
    ‘It’s all right, Dad. I know.’
    ‘You know you can always talk to your old dad, if there is anything, don’t you?’
    ‘I know, Dad. Thanks. Look, I’ve got to go.’ Rachel replaces the phone and glances at her watch.
    ‘Kids! We’re –’
    ‘Yeah, yeah, we know. Late again!’ says Lily. ‘It’s OK, we’ve done our shoes and coats. We’re a bit more organised than grown-ups, you know.’
    ‘Well thank you, Lily,’ says Rachel through gritted teeth, grabbing her bag and ushering them out of the door.
    It’s fortunate that Emma is not the sort of girl who blushes. She does her best to shake hands with Richard without betraying what can only be described as her almighty cock-up. Looking at him properly for the first time, she notices his dark brown eyes and the dimple that appears when the subject is amused. The subject is now extremely amused.
    ‘Hello, Emma. So good to see you. I feel as it we’ve met somewhere before? Or maybe not?’ He plonks himself down into the nearest chair, grabs a pastry and grins at her. Happily, no one else seems to notice this display.
    ‘Coffee anyone?’ asks Miranda.
    ‘Tea thanks. Lapsang souchong if you have it – with lemon,’ says Joanna.
    ‘Yeah. Coffee’s fine. Milk, no sugar thanks,’ says Richard folding his arms behind his head in a ‘so what can you offer me?’ type way.
    ‘Of course. I’ll get Andrea to do the honours,’ says Miranda disappearing.
    Emma is panicking inwardly like a child whose mother has left the room, but she fights the urge to throw herself on the floor and beat the carpet with her fists, offering Joanna a seat instead. Joanna looks horrified and turns to inspect the chair,