Casting Shadows Read Free Page A

door. Then Gemma poked her head round. ‘River?’ she said.
    I looked up at her, my lips trembling. She smiled and walked over to me, scooping me into a hug. Tears welled up as she held me. She smelled like my dad – her clothes slightly musty with a
whiff of incense, but on her the smell was lighter, more flowery somehow.
    Gemma’s not much bigger than me, really Completely different from Mum. She’s got long black hair and, when you don’t know her, she comes across as very gentle and shy. But
she’s a strong person. She and Dad lost their baby earlier in the year. I know it really upset them, especially Gemma, but she hasn’t let it make her all bitter or mean. Dad adores her.
It suddenly struck me that if anyone could persuade him to accept me and Flynn being together it was her.
    ‘He’s a good person,’ I wept. ‘He’s really changed. He just needs people to believe in him.’
    Gemma stroked my hair. ‘I know, sweetheart,’ she said.
    ‘And I’m prepared to give him a chance.’ I looked up. Dad was standing in the doorway, gazing at me. ‘But there’s one condition.’
    I nodded eagerly, disentangling myself from Gemma’s arms. ‘What?’
    Dad pursed his lips. ‘I want to get to know him first. I want Flynn to come and spend the rest of the weekend here on the commune with you, me and Gemma.’
    ‘Okay.’ I frowned. ‘But it’s Friday night already . . . how is Flynn going to get here?’
    ‘We’ll pick him up from the station tomorrow. Tell him to get on a train to arrive by midday. I’ll cover his fare.’
    My heart was in my mouth as we waited at the station the next morning. Dad looked pretty tense too. As the train pulled in, I fingered the phone in my pocket. I was half
expecting Flynn to call and tell me he couldn’t face the interrogation he was bound to be given. Our last kiss flashed into my head. We’d have to be so careful about what we did in
front of my dad. It was obvious that for all his liberal talk about human beings needing to love each other more, he was totally freaked out by the idea of me really loving someone myself.
    The train stopped. I held my breath, waiting for Flynn to appear. He’d seemed so much calmer since he’d been seeing his counsellor, but he would be under enormous pressure coming
face to face with Dad and having to spend time at the commune – a place he usually referred to disparagingly as the drop-out centre. Suppose he lost his temper with someone? Some of the
people here were fairly odd and, if not drop-outs, certainly alternative in their approach to life.
    Suppose he lost his temper with Dad?
    The doors opened and Flynn stepped out onto the sunny platform. He loped along, looking around for us. I could tell he was uncertain of himself . . . there was something awkward in the hunch of
his shoulders and the way his hands were stuffed into his pockets.
    ‘There he is.’ I hurried over, Dad at my side.
    Flynn turned and saw us. His eyes – bright green in the sunlight – lit up as he looked at me. I had always adored how expressive his face was but now, for the first time, I was
grateful that he was making his feelings so obvious. The love that shone from his eyes was exactly what I wanted Dad to see.
    But how would he act with Dad himself?
    We reached each other. Flynn leaned over and gave me a sedate kiss on the cheek. Then he turned to Dad and held out his hand.
    ‘Hello, Mr Armstrong,’ he said smoothly, all traces of his earlier awkwardness completely evaporating as he spoke. ‘I’m sorry we didn’t get a chance to talk
properly the other day. It’s a pleasure to finally spend some time with you. I know River loves you very much and, as I love her more than anything in the world, it’s important to me
that you know my intentions to her are entirely honourable.’
    Entirely honourable?
    I realised my mouth had fallen open and closed it. Flynn sounded like something out of a different century – and way older than his