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did your father say when you told him?
I made a face, remembering the conversation. It hadn t
been easy for me to do it. I hated disappointing my father,
but talking to him hadn t been quite as difficult as I d
expected it to be either.  That s why it s taken me so long to
say what I want, I said to Grant.  Because I didn t want to
hurt Dad. But he was OK about me being an artist, really.
He said he d been waiting for me to say something for ages.
He didn t want to talk about the future himself, because
he wanted me to be sure I knew what I wanted. But that s
why he put you and me together on this tour. Because he
thought seeing someone who was good at the job would
help me decide what I wanted to do. He knew that when
I was really sure about being an artist, I would be brave
enough to speak to him.
 Good old Dad, I thought now.  How well he knows me.
And suddenly I felt like crying.
Grant saw that my eyes were wet.  What s wrong? he
asked.  I thought you d be happy.
I took a handkerchief from my bag and blew my
nose.  I am, I said.  Very happy. I ve got what I wanted,
haven t I?
Grant suddenly looked very serious. He took my hand
across the table.  And is that all you want, Tess? he asked.
 To be an artist?
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My face was suddenly red. I wanted to turn away from
him, but I made myself look into his eyes.  No, I said.  I
want & I want us to be friends. That is & that is, if you
want that too.
Grant didn t speak for a while. He just sat there looking at
me.  No, he said at last,  that isn t what I want at all.
I looked at him, feeling suddenly afraid. Had I really
made him as angry as that? So angry he didn t even want us
to be friends?
Grant still held my hand. Then he began to smile, and I
allowed myself to begin to hope that maybe, just maybe,
everything would be OK.
 Tess, he said,  you re a terrible tour leader and you often
drive me mad. You make me jump into rivers and get us lost
in the mountains in the rain! Still smiling, he let go of my
hand and reached out to touch my face.
 But the reason I don t want to be your friend, he went
on,  is because & I like you. I really like you. And I want
you to be my girlfriend.
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Chapter 12 Mademoiselle Van Gogh
It was so hot that the mountains were a smoky blue against
the deep blue of the Provencal sky. Down below me, a field
of flowers was dark purple against the orange buildings of a
little village. I knew I d have to go soon, so I worked quickly,
trying to make the right colours with the paints I had with
me.
Then suddenly I felt a strong hand on my shoulder, and
somebody kissed my cheek.  Come on,  Mademoiselle Van
Gogh , said my boyfriend.  We ve got to get moving.
I put my paintbrush into the water and turned to kiss
Grant on the mouth.  OK, OK,  Mr Clock , I said.
There were shouts behind us.  Come on, you love birds!
Lunch is over! We ve got mountains to climb!
It was the summer holidays and I d returned to Provence
to work as a tour leader for Wild Country again. Or at least
half a tour leader, because Grant was the other half. He
organised everybody, and I kept them happy.
We re a good team.
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Cambridge English Readers
Look out for these other titles at Level 3:
Two Lives
by Helen Naylor
In the small Welsh village of Tredonald, Megan and
Huw fall in love. But is their love strong enough to
last? Death, their families and the passing years are all
against them.
The House by the Sea
by Patricia Aspinall
A married couple, Carl and Linda Anderson, buy a
house by the sea to spend their weekends. But one
weekend Linda does not arrive at the house and Carl
begins to worry. What has happened to her? Who is
the taxi driver that follows Carl? And how much do
the people in the village really know?
Just Good Friends
by Penny Hancock
It s Stephany and Max s first holiday away together
and they want to get to know each other. They go to
Italy and stay at Stephany s friend Carlo s flat in a
Mediterranean village. But Carlo s wife is not very
happy to see Stephany  and the two couples find out
why, and a lot of other things about each other, in a
hot Italian summer.
www.cambridge.org/elt/readers
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