Tall, Dark & Distant Read Online Free PDF

She was dressed for a nightclub, not the beach.
    ‘Oh, thanks,’ Georgia mumbled. ‘I had something on this morning … you know … I don’t always get, you know, dressed … to go to the beach. Well, I always get dressed . But you know …’
    ‘See you, Nik,’ Ella interrupted, before the story got any worse.
    Nik smiled at Ella, and then turned his eyes to Georgia. Was there another flash of weirdness, before he turned his eyes to Hastings Street? Georgia couldn’t say for sure, but there was something. What was it that was making him so nervous? It surely wasn’t her – guys like Nik didn’t get nervous around girls like her. She hoped she hadn’t messed everything up with her awkwardness.
    There was no point speculating about it, anyway. Right now she had a bag of clothes to collect. She also had some intensive speech therapy to undertake before the barbeque this afternoon.

Georgia’s heart nearly jumped out of her chest when the buzzer rang at Ella’s place. No-one used the buzzer normally. Every-one just arrived and walked straight through the house to the back terrace or the pool. The sound of the buzzer signalled the arrival of a new visitor to the Simms’ house.
    ‘I’ll get it, Mum,’ Ella shouted, sauntering to the door. She turned to Georgia. ‘You wait there and look good.’
    Georgia stood in the kitchen, trying to look casual but not sloppy. She had spent the afternoon at the Simms’ holiday house under Ella and Mei’s tutelage. Her friends had advised her on how to wear her hair, how to put on a subtle amount of make-up and, importantly, how to hold a conversation without looking like she was meeting a guy for the first time in her life.
    All the while, Georgia’s sister sniped from the sidelines. Alice was of the opinion that no amount of make-up or hairstyling would change the fact that Georgia was a nerd. Georgia’s luck with guys had been, and always would be, zero.
    ‘You’re wasting your time – he probably won’t even turn up,’ Alice announced as Mei straightened Georgia’s hair.
    Georgia had done her best to ignore her sister, but she couldn’t quite dismiss the idea that Alice might be right about Nik – until she actually heard him at the front door.
    ‘Nice to see you, Nik,’ Ella gushed from the hallway. ‘No problems finding the place, then?’
    Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in. Breathe out, Georgia told herself. Casual, not sloppy. Maintain eye contact, don’t stare. Get him talking, don’t babble. She repeated the instructions like a mantra as Nik and Ella walked towards the kitchen. Georgia was just about to put her training to the test, when Ella’s mum floated past her to greet the new guest.
    ‘You must be Nik,’ Ella’s mum said. ‘Ella tells me you’ve just arrived in Australia? You look rather tanned to be fresh off a plane from the English winter. Anyway, welcome to Noosa.’
    ‘Thank you,’ Nik replied. ‘This is for you.’ He held out a bottle of champagne. It was clear from the startled smile on Ella’s mother’s face that it was an expensive one.
    ‘Dom Pérignon. Oh, how lovely.’
    Nik turned to Georgia. He gently placed his hand on her left shoulder, leant towards her and kissed her on each cheek – European-style. She almost fainted on the spot. The butterflies that she had managed to keep under control all afternoon went into overdrive. Her face went red and her throat went dry.
    ‘Hey, Nik,’ Georgia managed to say. She was worried her mouth was gaping.
    ‘Georgia, why don’t you introduce Nik to everyone?’ Ella intervened. ‘I’ll sort out some drinks.’
    Georgia did as she was told – glad to have something to do, instead of standing around like a lovesick puppy. But she had hardly taken a step when Alice stalked over. Mei was supposed to be keeping Alice as far away from Nik as possible, for as long as possible. Georgia could tell by the evil smile on her sister’s face that this wasn’t going to end