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Back The Falling in Love Montage Save as PDF
Chapters (45)
  1. Cover
  2. Dedication
  3. 1.
  4. 2.
  5. 3.
  6. 4.
  7. 5.
  8. 6.
  9. 7.
  10. 8.
  11. 9.
  12. 10.
  13. 11.
  14. 12.
  15. 13.
  16. 14.
  17. 15.
  18. 16.
  19. 17.
  20. 18.
  21. 19.
  22. 20.
  23. 21.
  24. 22.
  25. 23.
  26. 24.
  27. 25.
  28. 26.
  29. 27.
  30. 28.
  31. 29.
  32. 30.
  33. 31.
  34. 32.
  35. 33.
  36. 34.
  37. 35.
  38. 36.
  39. 37.
  40. 38.
  41. Acknowledgments
  42. About the Author
  43. Books by Ciara Smyth
  44. Back Ad
  45. About the Publisher

“I heard that. I’D LOVE TO COME FOR DINNER,” Ruby shouted in my ear, and I instinctively held the phone out to prevent permanent injury. My heart started pounding. She couldn’t come here. Not to meet Dad anyway. Maybe if he was out and we had the place to ourselves. . . .

“Ruby, we have that thing,” I said, trying to remind her about number three on the montage list. We were going to get a train into the city and go to karaoke at this bar that I was pretty sure didn’t ask for ID. It was the only way I could envision singing. And even singing sounded preferable to this dinner.

Dad shouted back at the phone held aloft in my hand, “ARE YOU ALLERGIC TO ANYTHING?”

I gave Dad a wide-eyed “don’t you dare” face. He ignored me. I could expect that from him.

“NO, BUT I REALLY HATE MUSHROOMS.”

“Ruby, we have other plans,” I said. She didn’t catch my annoyance.

“GOT IT, NO MUSHROOMS.”

I gave Dad a look that asked, Are you done now? He nodded and backed out of the room. “I’ll give you some privacy.” He winked.

Too little, too bloody late.

20.

After the phone call, I tried not to panic. Which I take as a sign of serious personal growth. I went up to my room and started to watch one of the films, 500 Days of Summer, and ignored the fact that my foot wouldn’t stay still but kept tap tap tapping against the bed frame. Unfortunately, the guy in the film wouldn’t listen to the girl in the film telling him she didn’t want something serious and that did not help distract me from Ruby, so I switched to a proper film with a demon child and a cursed mansion. Dad popped his head in to say he was going out. He had a gift bag in his hand. I grunted instead of saying goodbye and didn’t ask what was in the bag. Partly because I was furious with him and partly because I was afraid it was something gross like lingerie for Beth.

When the film ended, I was still agitated and decided I had to get out of the house. I needed to go see Mum. I’d seen her that morning as usual, but the urge was overwhelming. I wanted to hug her and smell her Mum smell and curl up in a ball beside her and be comforted by it even though she wouldn’t know what to say. The idea that Ruby was going to be in our house, talking to Dad, was giving me palpitations and no amount of demon children could distract me.