Read Online The Expat Diaries: Misfortune Cookie (Single in the City Book 2) by Michele Gorman - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Michele Gorman
Tags: Humor, Chick lit, Romance, Humour, Bestseller, London, Romantic Comedy, Women's Fiction, love, Romantic, Relationships, best seller, talli roland, bestselling, sophie kinsella, Single in the City, Emily Giffin, top 100, Nick Spalding, Ruth Saberton, Jenny Colgan, Chrissie Manby, Scarlett Bailey, Bridget Jones, hong kong, Jennifer Weiner, Jen Lancaster, Helen Fielding, Lindsey Kelk
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move to be a Very Bad Idea.
Chapter 5.
‘Wakey-wakey!’
‘Mwhuh?’ Stacy is standing over my bed with, it looks like, toast. I’ll know for sure when my eyes can focus beyond my pillow. ‘What’s this?’
‘Move over.’ She shoves me to the edge of the mattress. ‘Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Especially for our first day of work.’
Of course. It’s Monday already, and Sam’s gone back to Vietnam. Both these thoughts hit me in the gut, and neither makes that toast look appetizing. After such an amazing weekend together, finely balanced between cultural exploration (the monastery) and sexual exploration (everything else), I feel his absence more than ever. Stacy, good friend that she is, did her best last night to distract me from his departure. It worked, briefly, but oh, my head.
In her attempt to find the hotel where the eponymous hooker from The World of Suzie Wong plied her trade, instead we found a Mexican restaurant. That would have been fine if dinner hadn’t been mostly margaritas with a side order of food. Ay caramba!
‘What time is it?’ I ask.
‘Relax, it’s only six-thirty. We’ve got plenty of time.’
‘Yeah, like another hour before my alarm goes off. This is brutal, Stace, it was after midnight when we went to bed.’
‘Glad you appreciate the gesture, Han. You’re welcome very much. I couldn’t sleep. It must still be the jet lag. But you want to start early on your first day, don’t you? Impress the boss?’
How can she look so alert while I’ve got a hangover doing the salsa on my synapses? ‘Yeah, I guess so. Yes, definitely, what am I saying? I’ve waited all my adult life for this kind of chance. Thanks, Stace. Here, get in,’ I offer, patting the mattress. ‘You know something? I’m actually going to miss this little apartment when we find our new one. I’ve grown used to having everything in arm’s reach.’
‘Not me.’ She shakes her head, snuggling under the duvet. ‘I hate having to unpack my whole suitcase just to find something to wear.’
I scan the room, which is a cross between a jumble sale and a natural disaster site. ‘I see what you mean. Are you excited for your first day?’
She grins. ‘I can’t remember the last time I was so nervous. Honestly, I’m not even hungry.’
This could be serious. She is never not hungry. Her ravenous appetite, and willingness to indulge mine, is what keeps me from resenting her physical perfection.
‘You shouldn’t be nervous,’ I tell her. ‘You’ll be great. Your boss already thinks you’re a superstar. He made space for you to come, didn’t he? I wouldn’t worry about it.’
‘Oh I know,’ she says breezily. ‘That’s not what I’m–’ She sighs. ‘The job is the job. I can be an analyst anywhere. It’s the people I’m worried about. I loved everyone at home. We weren’t just colleagues, we were friends. Some were really good friends. What if nobody socializes after work? Or what if they do, but I hate them all? What if they’re geeks ,’ she whispers.
‘You might love them,’ I point out.
‘I guess. It’s a stupid thing to worry about. Right?’
She sounds uncertain. Why, she is uncertain. Of course she is. I’ve been so focused on her arrival, so that I was comfortable, that I didn’t think about what she must be feeling. She’s probably going through exactly what I did when I moved to London. First time away from home, away from everyone she knows, not knowing what’s ahead, or whether she’s going to succeed or fail. It’s exciting, yes, but it’s also terrifyingly disorientating. ‘Stacy, trust me. You’re going to love them and they’ll love you, just like at home, and you’re going to be great at your job, just like at home. And you’ve got me. Just like at home.’
‘This is a huge adventure, huh?’ She crams most of a piece of toast in her mouth, ending what might be the briefest fast in history.
‘It is. That’s the
Chapter 5.
‘Wakey-wakey!’
‘Mwhuh?’ Stacy is standing over my bed with, it looks like, toast. I’ll know for sure when my eyes can focus beyond my pillow. ‘What’s this?’
‘Move over.’ She shoves me to the edge of the mattress. ‘Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Especially for our first day of work.’
Of course. It’s Monday already, and Sam’s gone back to Vietnam. Both these thoughts hit me in the gut, and neither makes that toast look appetizing. After such an amazing weekend together, finely balanced between cultural exploration (the monastery) and sexual exploration (everything else), I feel his absence more than ever. Stacy, good friend that she is, did her best last night to distract me from his departure. It worked, briefly, but oh, my head.
In her attempt to find the hotel where the eponymous hooker from The World of Suzie Wong plied her trade, instead we found a Mexican restaurant. That would have been fine if dinner hadn’t been mostly margaritas with a side order of food. Ay caramba!
‘What time is it?’ I ask.
‘Relax, it’s only six-thirty. We’ve got plenty of time.’
‘Yeah, like another hour before my alarm goes off. This is brutal, Stace, it was after midnight when we went to bed.’
‘Glad you appreciate the gesture, Han. You’re welcome very much. I couldn’t sleep. It must still be the jet lag. But you want to start early on your first day, don’t you? Impress the boss?’
How can she look so alert while I’ve got a hangover doing the salsa on my synapses? ‘Yeah, I guess so. Yes, definitely, what am I saying? I’ve waited all my adult life for this kind of chance. Thanks, Stace. Here, get in,’ I offer, patting the mattress. ‘You know something? I’m actually going to miss this little apartment when we find our new one. I’ve grown used to having everything in arm’s reach.’
‘Not me.’ She shakes her head, snuggling under the duvet. ‘I hate having to unpack my whole suitcase just to find something to wear.’
I scan the room, which is a cross between a jumble sale and a natural disaster site. ‘I see what you mean. Are you excited for your first day?’
She grins. ‘I can’t remember the last time I was so nervous. Honestly, I’m not even hungry.’
This could be serious. She is never not hungry. Her ravenous appetite, and willingness to indulge mine, is what keeps me from resenting her physical perfection.
‘You shouldn’t be nervous,’ I tell her. ‘You’ll be great. Your boss already thinks you’re a superstar. He made space for you to come, didn’t he? I wouldn’t worry about it.’
‘Oh I know,’ she says breezily. ‘That’s not what I’m–’ She sighs. ‘The job is the job. I can be an analyst anywhere. It’s the people I’m worried about. I loved everyone at home. We weren’t just colleagues, we were friends. Some were really good friends. What if nobody socializes after work? Or what if they do, but I hate them all? What if they’re geeks ,’ she whispers.
‘You might love them,’ I point out.
‘I guess. It’s a stupid thing to worry about. Right?’
She sounds uncertain. Why, she is uncertain. Of course she is. I’ve been so focused on her arrival, so that I was comfortable, that I didn’t think about what she must be feeling. She’s probably going through exactly what I did when I moved to London. First time away from home, away from everyone she knows, not knowing what’s ahead, or whether she’s going to succeed or fail. It’s exciting, yes, but it’s also terrifyingly disorientating. ‘Stacy, trust me. You’re going to love them and they’ll love you, just like at home, and you’re going to be great at your job, just like at home. And you’ve got me. Just like at home.’
‘This is a huge adventure, huh?’ She crams most of a piece of toast in her mouth, ending what might be the briefest fast in history.
‘It is. That’s the
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