Read Online A Hopeless Romantic by Harriet Evans - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Harriet Evans
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“Look, let’s go inside. Don’t tell anyone, will you?”
Jo stared at her. “Of course I won’t,” she said eventually.
“Not even Chris,” Laura said anxiously. “He really mustn’t know, no one can know. Dan’s really paranoid about it.”
“I’m sure he is,” said Jo. She opened the door. “Fine, then. We won’t talk about it.”
“Fine, then,” Laura echoed.
Amy was standing at the wide bar next to Dan, flinging her hair over her shoulder. She looked up as Jo and Laura walked in, both silent. “Danny’s getting some more drinks, girlies,” she called. “Laura, Jo, what do you want?”
Jo didn’t answer; she went over to Chris, bent over, and whispered in his ear. Chris immediately got up.
“Actually,” Jo said, “me and Chris have to go, got to shoot off. Really sorry. See you all soon.”
“Yeah, bye,” Chris called out.
No one else seemed to notice this remarkably hasty exit except Laura, who stood at the bar feeling sick.
“Okay?” Dan said, nudging her absentmindedly, his arm still round Amy’s waist. “Do you want another drink?”
“I’m fine,” said Laura. “I’m fine.”
Laura didn’t talk to Jo about their conversation outside the Cavendish. In fact, they didn’t really talk at all after that night. Over the next few weeks, they met with the others, sat next to each other, had funny conversations, but the intimacy of their friendship vanished, completely overnight. Laura didn’t worry about it—well, she did, but she knew she could put it right at some point.
Besides, Laura was busy booking the Miami holiday online. She extended her credit card limit and took out a loan, not wanting to ask Dan for money. So when she should have been writing her review of the year for her boss, Rachel, she was spending the days sorting out cars and flights and hotels, e-mailing Dan to get his opinion, waiting in desperation for his replies, soothed and cheered when he would sign off “I can’t wait, I can’t wait.” The holiday in July became their secret focus, and as the days lengthened and May shifted into June, Laura didn’t ask what was happening with Amy, with them, to her. And then one day, without warning, the axe fell.
chapter six
L aura, can you come in here for a second?” Rachel called from her office.
Laura finished the e-mail she was typing, stood up, and smoothed down her skirt. It was nearly the end of the day and she was in a good mood. It was Yorky’s birthday, and that evening a whole bunch of them were going to an amazing steak house in Stoke Newington called Jean Michel’s.
Laura poked her head around Rachel’s door. “Hi,” she said.
“Hi, Laura,” Rachel said. “Come in. Shut the door a moment, will you?”
Laura froze, knowing from long experience that the shut-the-door request meant either a promotion or something really bad. Usually something bad. She racked her brains, running through a list of options about what this could be, as she slowly pushed the door shut. She’d done something wrong. Again. Someone had complained. She turned around, genuinely mystified, and then she saw a pile of letters on the desk in front of Rachel. Of course! It was pay review time. They’d had an e-mail about it yesterday. Laura sat down gratefully, sweating slightly, and promised God that when she got back to her desk she’d work extra hard, finish that report for Rachel she should have done two weeks ago, instead of finding a hotel near the Kennedy Space Center for her and Dan (Dan was obsessed with outer space, and wanted to spend at least a whole day there).
“Laura,” Rachel said, smiling kindly at her. “You okay?”
“Yes, sorry,” Laura said, slightly breathlessly. “Just thinking about something. How can I help you?”
“I need to talk to you,” Rachel said. She fiddled with one of the buttons on her cardigan. She was normally very much in control; this was odd. “I’ve—I’ve been worried about you.”
“Oh?” said
Jo stared at her. “Of course I won’t,” she said eventually.
“Not even Chris,” Laura said anxiously. “He really mustn’t know, no one can know. Dan’s really paranoid about it.”
“I’m sure he is,” said Jo. She opened the door. “Fine, then. We won’t talk about it.”
“Fine, then,” Laura echoed.
Amy was standing at the wide bar next to Dan, flinging her hair over her shoulder. She looked up as Jo and Laura walked in, both silent. “Danny’s getting some more drinks, girlies,” she called. “Laura, Jo, what do you want?”
Jo didn’t answer; she went over to Chris, bent over, and whispered in his ear. Chris immediately got up.
“Actually,” Jo said, “me and Chris have to go, got to shoot off. Really sorry. See you all soon.”
“Yeah, bye,” Chris called out.
No one else seemed to notice this remarkably hasty exit except Laura, who stood at the bar feeling sick.
“Okay?” Dan said, nudging her absentmindedly, his arm still round Amy’s waist. “Do you want another drink?”
“I’m fine,” said Laura. “I’m fine.”
Laura didn’t talk to Jo about their conversation outside the Cavendish. In fact, they didn’t really talk at all after that night. Over the next few weeks, they met with the others, sat next to each other, had funny conversations, but the intimacy of their friendship vanished, completely overnight. Laura didn’t worry about it—well, she did, but she knew she could put it right at some point.
Besides, Laura was busy booking the Miami holiday online. She extended her credit card limit and took out a loan, not wanting to ask Dan for money. So when she should have been writing her review of the year for her boss, Rachel, she was spending the days sorting out cars and flights and hotels, e-mailing Dan to get his opinion, waiting in desperation for his replies, soothed and cheered when he would sign off “I can’t wait, I can’t wait.” The holiday in July became their secret focus, and as the days lengthened and May shifted into June, Laura didn’t ask what was happening with Amy, with them, to her. And then one day, without warning, the axe fell.
chapter six
L aura, can you come in here for a second?” Rachel called from her office.
Laura finished the e-mail she was typing, stood up, and smoothed down her skirt. It was nearly the end of the day and she was in a good mood. It was Yorky’s birthday, and that evening a whole bunch of them were going to an amazing steak house in Stoke Newington called Jean Michel’s.
Laura poked her head around Rachel’s door. “Hi,” she said.
“Hi, Laura,” Rachel said. “Come in. Shut the door a moment, will you?”
Laura froze, knowing from long experience that the shut-the-door request meant either a promotion or something really bad. Usually something bad. She racked her brains, running through a list of options about what this could be, as she slowly pushed the door shut. She’d done something wrong. Again. Someone had complained. She turned around, genuinely mystified, and then she saw a pile of letters on the desk in front of Rachel. Of course! It was pay review time. They’d had an e-mail about it yesterday. Laura sat down gratefully, sweating slightly, and promised God that when she got back to her desk she’d work extra hard, finish that report for Rachel she should have done two weeks ago, instead of finding a hotel near the Kennedy Space Center for her and Dan (Dan was obsessed with outer space, and wanted to spend at least a whole day there).
“Laura,” Rachel said, smiling kindly at her. “You okay?”
“Yes, sorry,” Laura said, slightly breathlessly. “Just thinking about something. How can I help you?”
“I need to talk to you,” Rachel said. She fiddled with one of the buttons on her cardigan. She was normally very much in control; this was odd. “I’ve—I’ve been worried about you.”
“Oh?” said
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