Read Online Best Laid Plans by Patricia Fawcett - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Patricia Fawcett
Ads: Link
the break. ‘Come on.’ She clambered out and slammed the car door, stretching and smiling towards the house that was still home.
‘I would never have guessed that the removal business could be so lucrative,’ Brian said, helping her lift their cases and the Christmas gifts out of the boot.
‘It’s holding its own although things are not easy just now. My grandfather started the business off with just one van,’ she told him proudly. ‘And then he was lucky to get a council contract way back in the sixties and that really helped him build things up. My father’s just carried it on and eventually, I suppose, my brother will take over.’
‘Lucky brother,’ he said with an easy smile but she glanced sharply at him all the same. He had stayed overnight at her place last night. She had prepared a meal or at least bought something from the luxury range at M&S and followed the cooking instructions to the letter. They had demolished a bottle of Merlot between them and afterwards had snuggled up beside the fire – gas, unfortunately, not a lovely log one – watching a romantic comedy on television and eventually gone to bed. Compared with his place her flat was tiny, the bedroom scarcely big enough for the bed and she was very aware that the walls were thin and that she had neighbours.
He certainly knew what was what, saying and doing all the right things, and she knew she should feel fabulous and loved but something was missing and frankly, as she awoke this morning and hastily got out of bed before it all started up again, she was having serious second thoughts. It justwasn’t doing it for her. It was fun, sexy, a good excuse to treat herself to some pretty underwear and she hadn’t done this sort of thing for a while so it was all new again; a guilty pleasure.
And yet, aside from the more than passable sex, the way he kept buttoned up about his private life and indeed his work was becoming increasingly concerning. He had money, dressed well and drove a brand new black Mercedes; he had a fantastic house filled with expensive furniture and furnishings and he bought and sold collectibles, art and antiques. That was Brian. Trying to get any more information out of him was a lost cause akin to chipping away at concrete with a penknife and it was beginning to rattle her.
And another thing that was bothering her, one that she had hinted about on the journey, was the lack of family paraphernalia. Everybody had family of sorts but looking round his place it was like a show home with no personal items whatsoever aside from his choice of paintings of which there were many. Somebody had done the interior for him and although the whole place was beautifully warm, heated with a state-of-the-art underfloor system there was a chill about it, too.
Perhaps it needed a female touch but she had an uncomfortable feeling it would not be her. Pleasing Janet was not a reason to keep this thing on-going. She just knew it wasn’t fair on him if he thought this relationship was going anywhere. There was no mention of marriage or indeed the serious commitment of moving in together for they had only known each other a short time but neither of them was that young and at their age things could turn serious pretty damned quickly. Her whole life could change in an instant on the toss of a coin or perhaps the glimmer of a diamond ring. She knew that if he asked her that question just now she would say no or more likely she would stall and ask for time to think about it. Moving into that lovely barn conversion was tempting and she would not miss her little flat onelittle bit but that was hardly the right reason to accept a proposal of marriage.
Was she making a big mistake in bringing him here? You only introduced somebody into the family if you were moderately serious, didn’t you? And was her motive in doing so just to shut her mother up? Janet thought Brian was wonderful but she had only met him the once and she was going purely on
‘I would never have guessed that the removal business could be so lucrative,’ Brian said, helping her lift their cases and the Christmas gifts out of the boot.
‘It’s holding its own although things are not easy just now. My grandfather started the business off with just one van,’ she told him proudly. ‘And then he was lucky to get a council contract way back in the sixties and that really helped him build things up. My father’s just carried it on and eventually, I suppose, my brother will take over.’
‘Lucky brother,’ he said with an easy smile but she glanced sharply at him all the same. He had stayed overnight at her place last night. She had prepared a meal or at least bought something from the luxury range at M&S and followed the cooking instructions to the letter. They had demolished a bottle of Merlot between them and afterwards had snuggled up beside the fire – gas, unfortunately, not a lovely log one – watching a romantic comedy on television and eventually gone to bed. Compared with his place her flat was tiny, the bedroom scarcely big enough for the bed and she was very aware that the walls were thin and that she had neighbours.
He certainly knew what was what, saying and doing all the right things, and she knew she should feel fabulous and loved but something was missing and frankly, as she awoke this morning and hastily got out of bed before it all started up again, she was having serious second thoughts. It justwasn’t doing it for her. It was fun, sexy, a good excuse to treat herself to some pretty underwear and she hadn’t done this sort of thing for a while so it was all new again; a guilty pleasure.
And yet, aside from the more than passable sex, the way he kept buttoned up about his private life and indeed his work was becoming increasingly concerning. He had money, dressed well and drove a brand new black Mercedes; he had a fantastic house filled with expensive furniture and furnishings and he bought and sold collectibles, art and antiques. That was Brian. Trying to get any more information out of him was a lost cause akin to chipping away at concrete with a penknife and it was beginning to rattle her.
And another thing that was bothering her, one that she had hinted about on the journey, was the lack of family paraphernalia. Everybody had family of sorts but looking round his place it was like a show home with no personal items whatsoever aside from his choice of paintings of which there were many. Somebody had done the interior for him and although the whole place was beautifully warm, heated with a state-of-the-art underfloor system there was a chill about it, too.
Perhaps it needed a female touch but she had an uncomfortable feeling it would not be her. Pleasing Janet was not a reason to keep this thing on-going. She just knew it wasn’t fair on him if he thought this relationship was going anywhere. There was no mention of marriage or indeed the serious commitment of moving in together for they had only known each other a short time but neither of them was that young and at their age things could turn serious pretty damned quickly. Her whole life could change in an instant on the toss of a coin or perhaps the glimmer of a diamond ring. She knew that if he asked her that question just now she would say no or more likely she would stall and ask for time to think about it. Moving into that lovely barn conversion was tempting and she would not miss her little flat onelittle bit but that was hardly the right reason to accept a proposal of marriage.
Was she making a big mistake in bringing him here? You only introduced somebody into the family if you were moderately serious, didn’t you? And was her motive in doing so just to shut her mother up? Janet thought Brian was wonderful but she had only met him the once and she was going purely on
Similar Books
