Free Almost Perfect by Dianne Blacklock Page B

asked Louise.
    â€˜Never mind,’ Nick assured Molly. ‘It’s not too late, quick, go and get your sister.’
    Molly disappeared again.
    â€˜What’s going on?’ Louise asked him.
    â€˜Not much, just humour them.’
    Suddenly Molly and Grace ran through the doorway, shouting ‘Surprise! Happy Birthday!’ slightly out of sync. Molly boomed the words out loudly and Grace, unable to keep up, echoed them a few seconds behind, in her soft, sweet little voice. It said a lot about their relationship. Physically, they were chalk and cheese as well. Although both blonde like their mother, Molly was tall for her age with angular features, just like Nick. Grace was all Louise: round, cherubic and cuddly, which was fine for a little girl, Louise bemoaned, not so much a thirtysomething woman.
    â€˜Were you surprised, Georgie?’ Molly asked.
    â€˜Absolutely!’ she declared, crouching down to hug her nieces.
    â€˜Why?’
    â€˜Because I didn’t know you were going to do that.’
    â€˜Champagne?’ Nick interrupted from the kitchen, popping a cork.
    â€˜Is the Pope Polish?’ said Zan loudly from the front door, Jules trailing along behind her.
    They were all a little intimidated by Zan. She was the high achiever of the family, no one else even came close. After graduating with first-class honours and a job offer from one of the most prestigious architectural firms in Sydney, if not Australia, she had sold the one-time dumpy flat for a tidy profit, bought a warehouse in Surry Hills and now operated Zan Underwood Designs from the premises, employing six other staff. She and Jules had lived there until a year ago when they moved to Tamarama after completing major renovations to a five-bedroom bungalow with ocean views. The house had already been featured in Belle and Domain . Zan was on the A-list, but what made her really cool was that she could not have cared less.
    â€˜Happy Birthday, George,’ said Zan, kissing her sister on the cheek as she handed her a large, exquisitely wrapped box. Georgie just knew it would be some fabulous objet d’art or designer widget she would absolutely adore but that would stick out like a sore thumb in the cacophonous interior of her flat. Zan’s beautiful, tasteful gifts just made the rest of her place look like an op shop.
    â€˜So how was your day, George?’ Zan asked, accepting a glass of champagne and a kiss on the cheek from her brother. ‘Did you do anything special?’
    â€˜She had a visit from her boyfriend,’ Louise blurted before Georgie could reply.
    â€˜What boyfriend?’ asked Nick. ‘I didn’t know about any new boyfriend.’
    â€˜George doesn’t have boyfriends,’ Zan scoffed. ‘She has illusions that never quite survive re-entry into the earth’s atmosphere.’
    Everyone stared at Zan who was calmly sipping her champagne.
    â€˜What does that mean, Daddy?’ asked Molly.
    â€˜It means Aunty Zan is being smug,’ Nick said, placing a consoling hand on Georgie’s shoulder. ‘Come on, tell us, who is he?’
    â€˜He’s a figment of Louise’s imagination this time,’ Georgie said firmly.
    â€˜Nu’uh,’ she returned. ‘He came into the shop the second day in a row just to see Georgie.’
    â€˜Yeah, well he won’t be back,’ Georgie assured them. ‘I’m pretty sure I frightened him off.’
    â€˜What did you do, Georgie?’ Molly was staring up at her wide-eyed.
    Georgie grinned wickedly. ‘I crept up behind him . . .’ She flung her arms out and swooped down on Molly. ‘ . . . and I grabbed him and threw him into the air,’ she cried, picking her up and flying her around the room, ‘ . . . and then I tossed him out onto the street,’ she finished, skittering out through the front door while Molly squealed and Grace ran behind them, giggling