Read Online Emergency at Bayside by Carol Marinelli - Free Book Online Page A

three kids,’ Meg said dryly.
    ‘Okay, point taken. How about Harry, then? At least he comes without baggage, and he’s a plastic surgeon so he must be loaded.’
    Meg gave a cynical laugh. ‘He’s certainly not loaded with personality.’
    ‘So you want personality and a clean slate?’ She ran her eye down the paper. ‘Well, that rules out just about everyone here. Looks like you’ll be dancing round your handbag with me and Mum.’
    ‘You’ll be with Jake, remember?’
    Kathy poked out her tongue. ‘Jake’s the last person I’ll be dancing with; he might be gorgeous to look at, but, believe me, propped up at the bar is the best place for him; dancing really isn’t his forte.’
    ‘That’s right; I’d forgotten! Do you remember when Vince and Jake got up and danced at that nightclub? The bouncers thought they were drunk and they’d only been on orange juice all night.’
    ‘Oh, my goodness.’ Kathy blinked slowly a couple of times, her face breaking into a grin. ‘That’s the first time I’ve heard you mention Vince without getting that misty look in your eyes.’
    Meg nodded. ‘I’m so over him, Kathy. Thataccident was probably the best thing that ever happened to me. Hanging upside down in a smashed up car is a pretty good reminder of how precious life is, and a couple of weeks licking my wounds, with an excuse to cry if I wanted to, was just the tonic I needed. Vince could walk through the door this moment and tell me he’s left his wife and I’d just promptly show him the way out. I’ve wasted enough of my time on him.’
    ‘Well, good for you.’ Kathy’s beaming smile belied the trace of doubt in her voice, but Meg homed in on it straight away.
    ‘I’m over him,’ Meg insisted.
    Kathy put her hands up in mock defence. ‘I believe you! And to prove it, how about I treat you to a glass of champagne to celebrate the demise of ‘‘bloody Vince’’? There’s a new wine bar just opened on the Bay Road…’
    ‘Not for me. I’m on a late shift.’
    ‘Well, an iced coffee, then? I need to get some shoes for the party. I could really use your opinion.’
    Meg shook her head. ‘When did you ever need my opinion on anything? Anyway, you know I can’t walk in a shoe shop without buying something. I’ve already spent enough on my dress—speaking of which, that’s why I’m here. I’m heading off to the beach to get a bit of sun; I’m so pale you can’t tell where the fabric ends and my legs start. Look, tell Mum I’m sorry I missed her. I’ll pop back for a shower before I go to work, but tell her I’ve already eaten or she’ll be warming up the soup in the freezer!’
    ‘If you don’t stay for lunch you know she’ll moanthat you’re using the house as a beach hut again?’ Kathy warned
    ‘I’ll risk it.’ Grabbing her bag from the couch, Meg gave her sister a cheery wave and, savouring the delicious morning, walked the couple of hundred yards from her parents’ house to the beach.
    Slipping off her sarong, Meg laid it on the sand before stretching out luxuriously on it. Closing her eyes, she waited for the little dots dancing before her eyes to fade, wriggling her toes into the warm sand and feeling the heat of the late morning sun bathing her body. This was the best time of year to be at the beach; apart from a couple of mothers with young children, and a few older couples strolling along, the place was practically deserted. It would be a different story in two weeks’ time, when the schools broke up for the summer break. Then she would have to share the beach with seemingly hundreds of screaming children and overwrought parents, but for now it was pretty near perfect.
    Perfect, even.
    An alarm clock would be good, though, Meg thought as she drifted off, her mind flicking back for a moment to her accident, remembering Flynn beside her, holding her hand as they waited for the firefighters to secure the tree, imagining the sound of the ocean. It was almost a pleasant