Read Online Busy Woman Seeks Wife by Annie Sanders - Free Book Online Page B

superefficient robot woman;
     she left me with a huge list of things to do, printed out from her computer, if you please…”
    So that was it! The typical Ella reaction to having to actually do something. Frankie had seen this countless times before.
     But this time his exasperation was tinged with something else. Curiosity? Triumph? He wanted to hear more. “Go on. What did
     she ask you to do?”
    Ella sat up with her elbows on her knees and sank her head theatrically onto her hands. “Well,” she sighed. “Any chance of
     a cup of tea?”
    Frankie smiled ruefully as he put the kettle on and the tale of woe continued. “Madam was in a big rush, of course, ’cos she’s
     just off to Toronto, as she was very careful to tell me. God, how do you get a job like hers? I could do that, I’ll bet. I’d
     be like, ‘Oh yes, sportswear is terribly crucial and right on and important, and don’t forget to pick my jacket up from the
     dry cleaners.” Ella imitated Alex’s slighty rushed, earnest way of speaking, dropping her voice lower. “I mean, who does she
     think she is?”
    Frankie shook his head sternly. “C’mon, Ells. She’s paying you. She trusts you. You shouldn’t be making fun of her, even if
     she is a bit of a ballbreaker. And you can’t leave the old lady on her own. That’s just wrong.”
    Ella rolled her eyes. “She’s a piece of work, I’ll tell you that for nothing. Completely different from Alex too. She must
     be a changeling or something. The old lady’s ever so poised, like one of those old ballet dancers or something. And full makeup
     all the time, you know. As if anyone’s going to see her!” Frankie smiled to himself as he warmed the pot and listened to the
     pitch of her voice gradually change from piteous to indignant. “But she’s on my case the whole time. She treats me like a
     servant!”
    With some effort, Frankie resisted the obvious retort and composed his face sympathetically, bringing her favorite mug right
     to her and setting it down carefully on the table in front of the sofa. He clasped his own cup of tea and sat down opposite
     her, readying himself to pep-talk her into going to work again. What line to take this time? Encouragement with just a twist
     of guilt, perhaps? “Y’know, Ella, I think it’s amazing you taking this on, especially when we’re so short of cash and I haven’t
     got anything in the pipeline. I will admit I’m a bit miffed that you got the job and I didn’t, but it was really clever of
     you to get in there, knowing just exactly what Alex wanted. Fair play to you—you beat me, fair and square.”
    “Yeah, I did, didn’t I?” Ella sat up and reached for her tea. “Mind you, I did exaggerate just a tiny bit about my experience.
     Well, you have to, don’t you?”
    “Er, well. Best not to, really. It can turn around and bite you on the bum sometimes, so I try to stick to the facts. Much
     easier, don’t you think? You didn’t… you pretty much told it like it was, didn’t you?”
    Ella took a long slurp of tea and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. “Mostly, yeah. Just bigged it up a bit. D’you
     know, she’s asked me to drive the old bag to the hospital this afternoon. Bor-ing!”
    “No!” Frankie sat bolt upright. The idea of Ella in a car in central London was so horrific it eradicated any other thought.
     “Wouldn’t it be easier to take a cab? Y’know, parking and everything? I’m sure Alex would pay you back.”
    “You must be kidding!” Ella retorted, then her face lit up. “I suppose I could just drop her at the clinic—it’s bound to take
     hours—then I can nip up the Fulham Road. Great shops. I can pick her up when I’m all shopped out.”
    Frankie felt as though there were a large egg stuck in his throat that wouldn’t go down. “Really, Ella, you can’t just—”
    The phone rang. “That’ll probably be the old bag now. Get it, would you, Frankie? Say I’m on my way, and I’ll bring