Free North Star by Karly Lane Page B

with a hitch of her thumb and headed back up the hallway to the front of the house.
    â€˜Thanks for the tour,’ said John, picking up on her reticence. ‘I’ve wanted an excuse to get a look inside this old girl ever since I moved to the district.’
    â€˜You must have really got in someone’s bad books to get transferred out here,’ Kate joked.
    â€˜You have no idea,’ he said as they walked outside into the bright sunlight to join the others.

    Three weeks after arriving in town, Kate and the kids finally moved into the house.
    There was nothing stopping them living there now: the main part of the house was clean; the lounge room, bedrooms and kitchen had been painted; and the power and phone were all connected.
    Kate had wanted the bedrooms to be a surprise for Georgia and Liam, and as they pulled up in front after school, she could barely conceal her excitement. She opened the front door, imitating a dramatic drum roll, then stepped aside and let the kids in.
    She watched as they stared around them in open-mouthed amazement. The last time they’d been in here the place had still been a mess of paint tins, dropcloths and boxes to be unpacked.
    â€˜Liam, this is your room,’ Kate said, opening the bedroom door and ushering her son inside.
    â€˜Oh wow, Mum, this is great,’ he cried.
    â€˜And down this way is yours, Georgia.’ Kate opened the door next to Liam’s and stepped aside, waiting warily for her daughter’s reaction.
    Georgia gave a long-suffering sigh and a small roll of her eyes as she walked past her mother into the room.
    â€˜Well? What do you think?’ Kate asked.
    â€˜It’s okay. Not as good as my old room though,’ she threw over her shoulder.
    Straightening the already pristine bedspread, Kate buried her disappointment. ‘Maybe later we can repaint the room a different colour and you can add a few personal touches.’
    â€˜There’s not much point, is there—I mean, since we’re moving back to the city soon . . . right?’ Georgia challenged.
    â€˜We’ll see what happens,’ said Kate, refusing to take the bait. ‘I thought you were getting on well with Amy. Would it be so bad if we stayed here?’
    â€˜That wasn’t the deal,’ Georgia said stubbornly.
    â€˜Nothing’s been decided yet, but for now we have to stay here. I can’t afford to rent somewhere in the city at the moment.’
    â€˜Why didn’t you ever tell us about your mother?’
    Kate bit back a sigh. Maybe there was something to be said for teenagers being self-absorbed; when Georgia actually paid attention to something other than herself, it was usually something that Kate would rather not confront. ‘It’s hard for me to talk about, I guess. My mother wasn’t . . . she wasn’t around much.’
    â€˜Why?’
    â€˜She didn’t have a very happy childhood here. Henry wouldn’t have been the easiest person to live with. She had me very young, when she was still really just a child herself.’
    â€˜How old was she when she had you?’ Georgia asked, sinking onto the edge of the bed and giving it a small bounce.
    â€˜She was sixteen.’ Kate watched her daughter take this in. She might not find the subject matter comfortable, but she was glad they were at least talking. ‘Tell me about school,’ she said. ‘How is it really? You haven’t told me much about it.’
    Georgia shrugged and gave a fatalistic sigh. ‘Does it matter?’
    â€˜Of course it matters. Why would you even say that?’
    â€˜Because if I tell you I hate it, it’s not going to change anything, is it?’ she said, as though to defy her mother to disagree.
    â€˜Georgia, I just want you and Liam to give this place a chance. We all need . . . I need some time to get things back in perspective. We’ve all been through a