Almost Perfect (55 page)
Authors: Dianne Blacklock
Liam was sitting on the floor of the landing with his back against the door to her flat, watching her. He didn't move. Georgie slowly stepped up once, and again, and once more, till their faces were at about the same level. She felt as if all the blood had drained down to her feet and she was barely breathing.
He was the first to speak. âI couldn't leave. I went to the airport and checked my luggage and waited in the lounge. But when they called my flight, I couldn't get on the plane.' He was staring straight into her eyes, unblinking. âAnna told me once that I didn't cope well when I couldn't solve a problem, that I tended to walk away from it instead. Well, I can't walk away from you and Nicholas. I'll never be able to walk away.'
Georgie climbed the last few steps and reached
her hand out to him. Liam took hold of it, getting to his feet.
âThat's good enough for me,' she said.
âGeorgie, you shouldn't be carrying that! Here, give it to me.'
Margaret had been running the Tuesday book group for as long as they'd been hiring the room out, she was almost like a member of the casual staff. So Georgie relinquished the tray of tea and coffee to her.
âYou don't have to fuss, really, I can manage.'
âHow long have you got to go?' said one of the other women.
âFour weeks,' Georgie replied. âThough the doctor thinks I'll go early, like I did with Nicholas. Can't be soon enough as far as I'm concerned.'
âSo this'll be it for you?'
She shrugged. âI don't know, if it was up to my husband we'd have six.'
That set off a sigh of âAww' around the room.
Georgie glanced down at the coffee table. âOh, you're reading
Perfect
?'
âHave you read it, Georgie?' Margaret asked.
âYeah, I have actually,' she murmured, picking it up.
âWhat did you think?'
âYou know I'm not allowed to give an opinion, Louise gets mad at me.'
âCome on, tell us. Do you know anything about the author?' said one of the women.
âIs it true she used to live around here somewhere, on the north side?' Margaret added.
âDo you think the story really is autobiographical?'
âWe were all trying to guess the cafe where he met the woman he had the affair with.'
âI reckon it's in Manly.'
âI'm sure she would have changed specific details like that,' said Georgie.
âDo you think?'
âProbably, I mean, she'd have to, wouldn't she?'
âWell, come on, tell us what you thought of the book,' Margaret urged. âWe won't say anything to Louise.'
Georgie paused. âI think it's extraordinary. I mean, parts of the story were very sad, but ultimately it was uplifting. And I like that. I like to feel good about a book. I want to care about the characters, to like them, to feel like I know them . . . that they might even be someone in my family, or one of my friends. And I want to be sad when I'm finished, when there's no more left to read.'
âWell, I loved the ending,' one of the women piped up.
âOh, yes,' everyone crooned.
âNothing worse than a miserable ending, makes you depressed for days.'
âWhat I can't stand is those books that leave you up in the air and you don't know how it turned out for everyone.'
There was a general murmur of agreement.
âWhat did you think of the ending, Georgie?'
She smiled. âIt was wonderful. I thought the ending was perfect.'
MORE BESTSELLING FICTION AVAILABLE FROM PAN MACMILLAN
Dianne Blacklock
Call Waiting
Ally Tasker feels trapped. Her dreams of a fulfilling life after art college didn't include cleaning up after bored school children and being a doormat for her yuppie boyfriend. Ally envies her friend Meg who has turned her art training into a lucrative job in computer design, not to mention having a doting husband and a gorgeous baby to complete the package.
But when Ally's grandfather and sole relative dies, she returns to the Southern Highland home of her childhood where she must confront painful issues from her past that her monotonous but safe life in the city has allowed her to ignore. Meanwhile, Meg is not as happy as Ally imagines . . .
Sometimes you have to risk all you have to realise what is worth saving.
âFull of genuine warmth and gentle humour'
CATHY KELLY
âIt's funny, it's genuine and it will resonate in the lives of women everywhere'
AUSTRALIAN HOUSE & GARDEN
âAustralian Dianne Blacklock's first novel is an assured one. Think Maeve Binchy, Marian Keyes and Cathy Kelly and you have an idea of this book's style'
GOLD COAST BULLETIN
Â
Dianne Blacklock
Wife for Hire
When she was a little girl, all Samantha Driscoll ever wanted was to be somebody's wife. She would marry a man called Tod or Brad and she would have two perfect children. But instead she married a Jeff and he's just confessed to having an affair.
Spurred on by supportive friends and her unpredictable sister Max, she finds the job she was born for:
Wife for Hire
. Sam manages the domestic duties for many satisfied customers.
However when Hal Buchanan is added to her client list, but claims not to need her services, Sam realises that while she can organise many things in her life, she is not so businesslike when her emotions are involved.
âGreat characters abound . . . An amusing, delightfully romantic story'
WOMAN'S DAY
âDelves into the many issues confronting women today â wives, mothers and businesswomen alike'
MELBOURNE WEEKLY
Â
Liane Moriarty
Three Wishes
The three Kettle sisters have had a mortifying public mishap. Their raucous, champagne-soaked birthday dinner came to an abrupt end following a violent argument and an emergency dash to the hospital.
So who started it this time? Was it angry, hurt Cat, still recovering from the âNight of the Spaghetti'? Was it Lyn, so serenely successful, at least on the outside? Or was it quirky, dreamy Gemma, the sister who can't keep a secret, except for the most important one of all?
âI adored
Three Wishes
. . . fresh, very, very funny and entertaining . . . also intelligent and unsentimental about family dynamics'
MARIAN KEYES
âIn this non-stop narrative, siblings rival each other, break up and make up. Moriarty is good at social observation, mixing high drama with low comedy and moments of genuine poignancy'
SUNDAY AGE
âFunny, wry, touching . . . the drama is raw and real. Each of the beautifully drawn characters is so vividly alive, their triumph becomes your own, you choke a bit when bad things happen and want to throw rocks at anyone who hurts them'
AUSTRALIAN WOMEN'S WEEKLY
Â
Ilsa Evans
Odd Socks
Unlike her best friend Camilla Riley, compulsive list-maker Terry Diamond prides herself on her organisational abilities. Also unlike Camilla, Terry is tall, blonde, self-confident, and has a chest that could stop traffic â or at least do wonders for airbag design.
But none of the above stops chaos bursting into her life when her daughter not only gives birth on the living-room rug but decides to move home with infant in tow. Meanwhile, Terry is starting to suspect her pink-overall-wearing boyfriend may not even be Mr Right For Now â especially as she has just fallen in love with a mysterious, elongated stranger who dresses like the father in a 1950s sitcom. Will all this mayhem make the play-it-safe Terry do what she needs to do to turn her life around?
The author of
Spin Cycle
and
Drip Dry
is back with another hilarious celebration of chaotic normality.
