Read Online Part Time Marriage by Jessica Steele - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Jessica Steele
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realised she didn't know him well enough to be sure. `Lois doesn't believe in fairy stories,' Elexa answered crisply, and knew the tension she had been under this last few days must have got to her when she actually thought she heard the stern-expressioned man she knew give a smothered laugh. She didn't believe she had amused him for a minute.
And was right not to believe it, she realised a moment later when, quite soberly, he suggested, `Did you perhaps need my home number to try the personal touch when Colman and Fisher were trying a new marketing approach?"
'Oh, I did!' Elexa accepted gratefully, ignoring that that type of work wasn't anything to do with her section. `I don't want to lie to Lois, but I'd prefer no one but just you and I know of our-arrangement.' `Do I take it from that that you and I are engaged?"
'We needn't go overboard!' Elexa, answered sharply.But then had to laugh. `That was a bit crass wasn't it?'
`Accepting to marry me, but not to be engaged?"
'I-urn-have accepted, haven't I?"
'I rather think you have,' Noah replied, going on in a businesslike way, `We might as well do it straight away.Any objections to a special licence? We could be married next week and...'
`Why the rush?'She cut him off. He was going too fast-she needed time, time for it to settle more firmly in her mind that she had just agreed to marry him.
`Why would you want to wait?' he countered. `The sooner we marry, the sooner we can get the divorce underway,' he stated crisply. It wasn't the most romantic proposal she had ever heard. But she brought herself up short. For Heaven's sake, who wanted romance? `I don't care when,' she answered, striving hard to be as businesslike as him, `but my mother might be a touch scandalised if I do her out of the white wedding bit.'
`You have to tell her?"
'You're suggesting we marry first and tell her afterwards?' she questioned astonished. `I couldn't do that to her!'
There was a short silence,then Noah, ever the decision-maker, was informing her, 'I'm fairly tied up the week after next. I could manage Tuesday of the following week.'
'I'd prefer not to lose a day off work. Could you make a Saturday or a Sunday?"
'I'll have to check my office and get back to you,' he answered, and asked, `You don't want me to call on your father or any of that stuff, do you?' To ask for her hand?`Grief, no!' she exclaimed, everything seeming to be going along at too fast a pace all of a sudden. `There's no need for that. It's not as if..." She broke off, suddenly horrified to feel emotional tears catch her throat. Get a grip, for goodness' sake. Hadn't she already tossed romance and all that sort of nonsense in the bin? `Shall I ring and tell my parents?' she asked briskly.
`It will make your mother's day,' he suggested nicely. Swine! `Anything you need to ask? Discuss?' he asked.
`Not a thing,' she replied.
`I' llbe in touch.'
This was her call. `Goodnight,' she bade him, and quickly put down the phone. She'd done it! She had promised to marry a man who was virtually a stranger! Her mouth went dry and she felt all of a tremble inside. She sank back in her chair, musing a shade shakily that it seemed an enormous step to take-and yet, at the same time, it also seemed oddly the right thing to do.
Elexa was still mulling over the peculiarity of that when suddenly her phone rang. She jumped, her thoughts flying to Noah, the man she had just agreed to marry. Was he calling back to discuss something he had overlooked? Her heartbeat crazily seemed to speed up. She made herself calm down. Of course it wouldn't be him! As if Noah Peverelle would forget anything!
It wasn't Noah-it was her mother. `Is it tonight that Noah comes back?' she enquired.
Elexa knew her mother knew full well that Noah was returning from his business trip that day, because her mother had mentioned it on every phone call since Monday. `He's home,' Elexa answered.
`Oh, lovely.You'll be longing to see him, I
And was right not to believe it, she realised a moment later when, quite soberly, he suggested, `Did you perhaps need my home number to try the personal touch when Colman and Fisher were trying a new marketing approach?"
'Oh, I did!' Elexa accepted gratefully, ignoring that that type of work wasn't anything to do with her section. `I don't want to lie to Lois, but I'd prefer no one but just you and I know of our-arrangement.' `Do I take it from that that you and I are engaged?"
'We needn't go overboard!' Elexa, answered sharply.But then had to laugh. `That was a bit crass wasn't it?'
`Accepting to marry me, but not to be engaged?"
'I-urn-have accepted, haven't I?"
'I rather think you have,' Noah replied, going on in a businesslike way, `We might as well do it straight away.Any objections to a special licence? We could be married next week and...'
`Why the rush?'She cut him off. He was going too fast-she needed time, time for it to settle more firmly in her mind that she had just agreed to marry him.
`Why would you want to wait?' he countered. `The sooner we marry, the sooner we can get the divorce underway,' he stated crisply. It wasn't the most romantic proposal she had ever heard. But she brought herself up short. For Heaven's sake, who wanted romance? `I don't care when,' she answered, striving hard to be as businesslike as him, `but my mother might be a touch scandalised if I do her out of the white wedding bit.'
`You have to tell her?"
'You're suggesting we marry first and tell her afterwards?' she questioned astonished. `I couldn't do that to her!'
There was a short silence,then Noah, ever the decision-maker, was informing her, 'I'm fairly tied up the week after next. I could manage Tuesday of the following week.'
'I'd prefer not to lose a day off work. Could you make a Saturday or a Sunday?"
'I'll have to check my office and get back to you,' he answered, and asked, `You don't want me to call on your father or any of that stuff, do you?' To ask for her hand?`Grief, no!' she exclaimed, everything seeming to be going along at too fast a pace all of a sudden. `There's no need for that. It's not as if..." She broke off, suddenly horrified to feel emotional tears catch her throat. Get a grip, for goodness' sake. Hadn't she already tossed romance and all that sort of nonsense in the bin? `Shall I ring and tell my parents?' she asked briskly.
`It will make your mother's day,' he suggested nicely. Swine! `Anything you need to ask? Discuss?' he asked.
`Not a thing,' she replied.
`I' llbe in touch.'
This was her call. `Goodnight,' she bade him, and quickly put down the phone. She'd done it! She had promised to marry a man who was virtually a stranger! Her mouth went dry and she felt all of a tremble inside. She sank back in her chair, musing a shade shakily that it seemed an enormous step to take-and yet, at the same time, it also seemed oddly the right thing to do.
Elexa was still mulling over the peculiarity of that when suddenly her phone rang. She jumped, her thoughts flying to Noah, the man she had just agreed to marry. Was he calling back to discuss something he had overlooked? Her heartbeat crazily seemed to speed up. She made herself calm down. Of course it wouldn't be him! As if Noah Peverelle would forget anything!
It wasn't Noah-it was her mother. `Is it tonight that Noah comes back?' she enquired.
Elexa knew her mother knew full well that Noah was returning from his business trip that day, because her mother had mentioned it on every phone call since Monday. `He's home,' Elexa answered.
`Oh, lovely.You'll be longing to see him, I
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