please.’
‘Ellen,’ I hissed, ‘I’m not sure we’ve got enough money.’
For answer, Ellen simply held up her dad’s credit card and smiled. She read out the details over the phone. ‘How long will that be? Great, thanks.’
She hung up the phone. ‘He said about half an hour. How about doing a bit of internet shopping while we wait? Darling Daddy’s treat.’
‘Oh Ellen, I don’t think we should,’ I began.
‘Oh Maggie, don’t start going all goody-two-shoes on me,’ Ellen said. She leaned against the kitchen counter and switched on her dad’s laptop. ‘If he’s not going to spend time with his only daughter, the least he can do is get me a few treats. Anything you’d like? How about some new fashion books? Or do you need some material?’
‘I’m going to watch the DVD. You’re welcome to come and join me when you’ve finished spending money that’s not yours.’
I marched into the sitting room, hoping Ellen would decide internet fraud wasn’t as much fun without an audience . She followed me into the sitting room, sighing. I took no notice and put on the DVD. Within a few minutes she’d forgotten she was annoyed with me and was singing along with the soundtrack.
I’m not sure if it was the enormous meal of pizza, wedges and ice cream, or just the film, but I dozed off on the couch. When I woke, Ellen was in the kitchen, talking to someone on the phone.
‘That was Pete,’ she announced. ‘He’s going to come over. You don’t mind, do you?’
‘No,’ I said automatically, but I did mind. This was supposed to be a girls’ night in, not Pete and Ellen snogging on the couch while Maggie plays gooseberry.
Ellen must have known what I was thinking. ‘Don’t worry, he’s bringing a few of his mates too. One of them is the drummer from the band. He’s really cute.’
‘Cute, as in actually cute, or cute, as in, he’s a complete minger but he’ll keep me occupied so you can have some alone time with Pete?’
‘Oh Maggie, you’re so cynical. He’s cute cute. Not as cute as Pete maybe, but then who is?’
It was a pretty grim outlook, if Pete was the new standard against which all males would be judged.
‘Won’t your dad mind?’ I asked. I could just imagine whatmy dad would have to say if he arrived home to find a gang of older guys he didn’t know lounging around in his sitting room.
‘He won’t be home on time,’ Ellen said. ‘Those work things always run really late. I’ll make sure Pete and his mates are long gone by the time he gets home.’
Ellen started to tidy up the empty pizza boxes. I took the ice cream bowls into the kitchen and put them in the dishwasher . When I got back into the sitting room Ellen was standing precariously on the edge on an armchair, examining her dad’s CD collection. ‘God, Dad has the worst taste in music,’ she complained. ‘I can’t put on any of this stuff. Who the hell is Prince?’
‘No idea. He must have something that will do? Beatles, Elvis?’
‘Nope, they’re way too cool for my dad. What are we going to do? These guys are in a band. They’ll think I don’t know anything about music.’
‘What about your iPod?’ I suggested. ‘Doesn’t your dad have a docking station?’
Ellen’s face brightened immediately. ‘I’d forgotten about that. It’s in his bedroom I think. I’ll go and get it. You see if there’s any beer in the fridge.’
‘Ellen, we can’t just give them your dad’s beer!’ I objected. ‘He’d definitely notice that!’
‘Well, see how many there are,’ Ellen said over her shoulder as she left the room. ‘I’m sure he hasn’t counted them!’
I checked the fridge. There were eight bottles of beer, which was kind of an unfortunate number – big enough that Ellen would think it was OK to hand them round to the band, but small enough that Mr B couldn’t possibly not notice that some were missing.
Ellen reappeared with the docking station, plugged it in beside the TV
‘Ellen,’ I hissed, ‘I’m not sure we’ve got enough money.’
For answer, Ellen simply held up her dad’s credit card and smiled. She read out the details over the phone. ‘How long will that be? Great, thanks.’
She hung up the phone. ‘He said about half an hour. How about doing a bit of internet shopping while we wait? Darling Daddy’s treat.’
‘Oh Ellen, I don’t think we should,’ I began.
‘Oh Maggie, don’t start going all goody-two-shoes on me,’ Ellen said. She leaned against the kitchen counter and switched on her dad’s laptop. ‘If he’s not going to spend time with his only daughter, the least he can do is get me a few treats. Anything you’d like? How about some new fashion books? Or do you need some material?’
‘I’m going to watch the DVD. You’re welcome to come and join me when you’ve finished spending money that’s not yours.’
I marched into the sitting room, hoping Ellen would decide internet fraud wasn’t as much fun without an audience . She followed me into the sitting room, sighing. I took no notice and put on the DVD. Within a few minutes she’d forgotten she was annoyed with me and was singing along with the soundtrack.
I’m not sure if it was the enormous meal of pizza, wedges and ice cream, or just the film, but I dozed off on the couch. When I woke, Ellen was in the kitchen, talking to someone on the phone.
‘That was Pete,’ she announced. ‘He’s going to come over. You don’t mind, do you?’
‘No,’ I said automatically, but I did mind. This was supposed to be a girls’ night in, not Pete and Ellen snogging on the couch while Maggie plays gooseberry.
Ellen must have known what I was thinking. ‘Don’t worry, he’s bringing a few of his mates too. One of them is the drummer from the band. He’s really cute.’
‘Cute, as in actually cute, or cute, as in, he’s a complete minger but he’ll keep me occupied so you can have some alone time with Pete?’
‘Oh Maggie, you’re so cynical. He’s cute cute. Not as cute as Pete maybe, but then who is?’
It was a pretty grim outlook, if Pete was the new standard against which all males would be judged.
‘Won’t your dad mind?’ I asked. I could just imagine whatmy dad would have to say if he arrived home to find a gang of older guys he didn’t know lounging around in his sitting room.
‘He won’t be home on time,’ Ellen said. ‘Those work things always run really late. I’ll make sure Pete and his mates are long gone by the time he gets home.’
Ellen started to tidy up the empty pizza boxes. I took the ice cream bowls into the kitchen and put them in the dishwasher . When I got back into the sitting room Ellen was standing precariously on the edge on an armchair, examining her dad’s CD collection. ‘God, Dad has the worst taste in music,’ she complained. ‘I can’t put on any of this stuff. Who the hell is Prince?’
‘No idea. He must have something that will do? Beatles, Elvis?’
‘Nope, they’re way too cool for my dad. What are we going to do? These guys are in a band. They’ll think I don’t know anything about music.’
‘What about your iPod?’ I suggested. ‘Doesn’t your dad have a docking station?’
Ellen’s face brightened immediately. ‘I’d forgotten about that. It’s in his bedroom I think. I’ll go and get it. You see if there’s any beer in the fridge.’
‘Ellen, we can’t just give them your dad’s beer!’ I objected. ‘He’d definitely notice that!’
‘Well, see how many there are,’ Ellen said over her shoulder as she left the room. ‘I’m sure he hasn’t counted them!’
I checked the fridge. There were eight bottles of beer, which was kind of an unfortunate number – big enough that Ellen would think it was OK to hand them round to the band, but small enough that Mr B couldn’t possibly not notice that some were missing.
Ellen reappeared with the docking station, plugged it in beside the TV
Similar Books
