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oice since he’s been here.”
There was no way I was going to tell her the truth. Our parents were precisely the people Georgia wanted to keep the truth from, and I still wanted to talk to her before I made any huge decisions.
“I’d really rather not say,” I told her. “It’s something I’d like to keep between Jesse and me.”
Mum nodded. “I understand. But he is really going to need you while he’s here. Can’t you try to patch things up?”
If only she knew how much I wanted that.
“He doesn’t need me,” I said. “He’s got Hunter.”
“Don’t be silly. Isabelle, it’s obvious how much he likes you and if you can help him, you should.”
“How is it obvious?” I asked, completely shifting the direction of the conversation. Mum gave me a thin smile, clearly seeing what I’d done.
“It’s obvious by the way he treats you. He asks what you want, where you want to go. He looks all lost when you go to college, and his face lights up when you come home. Is it worth losing that over a silly row?”
“It’s not that simple.”
She put her hand on mine. “Nothing ever is when you’re seventeen. But he’s only here for a little longer, and it seems a shame to waste the time not talking when you could be enjoying your time together.” Mum got to her feet. “We’re ordering a takeaway in a while. And Jesse’s friend, Radleigh McCoy is joining us.”
I almost fell off the edge of the bed.
“Radleigh McCoy? Coming here?” I asked, “How did that happen?”
“His was in Cornwall, where his girlfriend lives and when he heard what happened to Jesse, he drove up here.”
“Wow,” I laughed. “Can we invite Willow over? She thinks Radleigh McCoy’s gorgeous!”
Mum smiled properly this time. “Not tonight,” she said. “But I think he’s staying for a few days, so maybe she can come over another time.”
“I don’t think he’s the only reason she’ll want to come round. She got on really well with Hunter last night.”
“Oh really? Thanks for the info, I can tease him about it later!”
We exchanged mischievous grins. I loved how easy it was for my mum to make me feel better. I knew she was right about Jesse, but I didn’t believe he’d forgive me. Even if I “did the right thing” and told the police what I knew, I’d chosen Georgia first. I was no expert on relationships, but I was sure that kind of thing was impossible to recover from.
Dinner was possibly the most awkward thing ever. We all sat around the table in the kitchen, Jesse and I trying hard not to look at each other as we reached over to pile our plates with the ridiculous amount of Chinese dishes in front of us. Somehow, we were the focal point of everyone – except Georgia who still hadn’t come home. Everyone was talking, but there was a bit of unspoken tension that seemed to intensify whenever Jesse and I attempted to pick up the same dish, which happened a lot. Having Radleigh McCoy at the dinner table was just plain weird. Other than what I’d heard from Willow and Jesse, I didn’t really know anything about him, but he was great to look at. Many times during the meal I had to force myself to stop staring at him, but his eyes were exceptionally mesmerising. I completely understood why Willow had such a crush on him.
He still didn’t compare to Jesse, though.
It was painful to be in the same room as Jesse, and want so badly to be closer, knowing I couldn’t. I’d preferred it when I could hide upstairs, but it was unacceptable to sneak away when there was a guest in the house.
It was just past ten when Radleigh left, and I was free to hole myself up in my bedroom again. I changed into my nightie, but before I could reach for my phone to call Georgia again, she walked into my room.
She looked frozen. Her hair was wind swept and her cheeks and lips were almost blue from the cold. She rubbed her arms, hugging herself to warm up but she couldn’t stop shivering. I leapt off the bed, sat her down and threw my duvet around her. She snuggled into it, hugging it tightly as if it would comfort her, as well as warm her up.
“Georgie, where have you been?”
“Walking. Just walking.”
“All evening?”
She nodded. “Mostly.”
“Why did you turn off your phone?”
“I needed to think.”
