Page 33 of You Lied First
‘Aww,’ Liv says. ‘I’m so glad you came. It’s the best holiday ever, isn’t it?’
I bask in the glow of Liv’s pleasure, hoping that Margot glances over and sees us standing there with our arms around each other. I’ve been feeling a little jealous of her closeness with Flynn and I want her to see that I have it with Liv, too.
Liv drops her arm and nods towards the dunes where we can just about make out the quad bike zipping around. It looks like Guy and Celine are doing doughnuts. ‘You seem to be getting on really well withher.’
‘She’s nice,’ I say.
‘You sure about that?’
‘Yeah? I mean, she’s been really lovely to me.’
‘Flynn says she’s a fake friend. He says you should be careful. She’s a snake.’
‘No! She …’
‘I’m just telling you what he said, that’s all. He really doesn’t like her.’
‘I thought they got on really well?’
We have no chance to continue the conversation becauseCeline and Guy are suddenly back, flushed and full of laughter. Celine dismounts, and Guy turns his attention to me.
‘Hop on!’
‘Oh, no,’ I say. ‘Not me. I’m cooking.’ I’m nowhere near the barbecue.
‘I’m sure Margot can spare you,’ Guys says, hiding a smile. ‘Just there and back. No tricks, I promise I’ll go slow. Best way to face your fears is to … face them.’
‘You may as well, while you’re here,’ Margot says.
‘Go on, Mum!’ Liv says, ‘You’ll love it.’ I can see how badly she wants me to join in with everyone else and not be the boring mum, so, reluctantly, I straddle the quad bike behind Guy.
‘Hold on tight,’ he says, so I slide my arms loosely around his waist.
‘Tighter,’ he says. ‘I’m not being funny. I can’t have you falling off the back.’
I tighten my arms and peer over his shoulder as he moves the quad bike away from the camp.
‘You okay?’ he asks.
‘So far, so good.’
‘Shall I floor it?’
‘Nothing crazy, okay? We have children!’
Guy laughs and opens the throttle gently, easing us away from the camp.
‘You okay to go a bit faster?’ he asks.
He sends the bike leaping forward, which forces me to cling on to him even tighter. I shriek, and the rest of the ride’s a blur of sand as we crest dunes and plunge down them again. Sand in my hair? It’s everywhere; I can even feel the crunch of it inmy mouth. Back at the camp, I dismount with shaking legs and grab my drink, glad it’s over.
‘Margot?’ Guy asks, revving the bike suggestively. ‘Your turn?’
‘No, thanks,’ she says, so Guy gets off and Flynn climbs back on.
‘Livvie?’ he asks.
She stops gulping water to shake her head. ‘I’m good.’
