Me-Before-You-by-Jojo-Moyes

‘I don’t believe it,’ I said. I had started to laugh – a joyous, unexpected thing.
‘Oh my God! Where did you get these?’
‘I had them made. You’ll be happy to know I instructed the woman via my
brand-new voice recognition software.’
‘Tights?’ Dad and Patrick said in unison.
‘Only the best pair of tights ever.’
My mother peered at them. ‘You know, Louisa, I’m pretty sure you had a pair
just like that when you were very little.’
Will and I exchanged a look.
I couldn’t stop beaming. ‘I want to put them on now,’ I said.
‘Jesus Christ, she’ll look like Max Wall in a beehive,’ my father said, shaking
his head.
‘Ah Bernard, it’s her birthday. Sure, she can wear what she wants.’
I ran outside and pulled on a pair in the hallway. I pointed a toe, admiring the
silliness of them. I don’t think a present had ever made me so happy in my life.
I walked back in. Will let out a small cheer. Granddad banged his hands on the
table. Mum and Dad burst out laughing. Patrick just stared.
‘I can’t even begin to tell you how much I love these,’ I said. ‘Thank you.
Thank you.’ I reached out a hand and touched the back of his shoulder. ‘Really.’
‘There’s a card in there too,’ he said. ‘Open it some other time.’
My parents made a huge fuss of Will when he left.
Dad, who was drunk, kept thanking him for employing me, and made him
promise to come back. ‘If I lose my job, maybe I’ll come over and watch the
footie with you one day,’ he said.
‘I’d like that,’ said Will, even though I’d never seen him watch a football
match.
My mum pressed some leftover mousse on him, wrapping it in a Tupperware
container, ‘Seeing as you liked it so much.’
What a gentleman, they would say, for a good hour after he had gone. A real
gentleman.
Patrick came out to the hallway, his hands shoved deep in his pockets, as if
perhaps to stop the urge to shake Will’s own. That was my more generous
conclusion.