Runaway Bride by Mary Jayne Baker

Author:Mary Jayne Baker [Baker, Mary Jayne]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780008258320
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Published: 2018-01-26T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter 20

‘Okay, so here’s a cute story,’ Laurel said when she’d dropped the boys back with their stepdad and we were sitting behind a wine each in a nearby pub. ‘There I am, on holiday with the family, when I see this sign announcing the kids’ favourite author’s in town. Lucky, right?’

‘Laur, I—’

‘So I take them along to get their books signed, and who do I find chatting away to the guy like an old friend?’ She threw her hands up in mock surprise. ‘Only my long-lost stepsister and erstwhile employee Kitty Clayton, who everyone in the family’s been worried witless about for months.’

‘Look—’

‘And then I find out that not only does she know this author bloke, she’s working for him. As his PA. Out of the back of a campervan, no less.’

‘Actually we’re staying with his parents at the moment. Just until the puppies are bigger.’

‘And there’s puppies,’ she muttered to herself. ‘Of course there are. I mean, why wouldn’t there be?’

‘It’s fine, honestly. I know it sounds weird on paper, but… well, okay, it’s pretty weird not on paper too. But it’s where I want to be.’

‘Why though, Kit? What the hell happened that you ended up here?’

‘I told you. Ethan. Honestly, Laur, if you’d been there – I mean, can you even imagine if Andy did that to you? On your fucking wedding day?’

‘You know you could’ve come to me.’ She reached across to take my hand, softening her voice. ‘Why didn’t you? Don’t you trust me?’

‘No, I do, course I do. I just… I had to get away. As far away as I could. Gut instinct.’

‘You’d have run today. If I hadn’t already seen you. Wouldn’t you?’

I dropped my gaze. ‘Yes.’

‘Why, Kit? We’ve always been close, haven’t we?’

The colour in my cheeks deepened. It was so hard to explain it, that fear of being pursued. No, not pursued – hunted. Even the people from my home life that I trusted most felt like part of that world. The one that seemed to be always on my tail, trying to drag me back.

‘I’m sorry, Laur. It’s hard to explain. But it’s really not about you, I promise.’ I gave the hand I was holding a squeeze. ‘It’s good to see you anyway. Missed you.’

‘Yeah.’ Laurel shook her head, as if to clear it. ‘Yeah, you too.’ She scanned me up and down. ‘You look well enough, at least. Your mum’ll be glad to hear you’re keeping healthy.’

That was it. That was the reason. Because Laurel meant Mum, and Mum meant Ethan, and Ethan meant… possession.

I leaned over the table to look earnestly into her eyes. ‘Laurel, please. You have to promise me you won’t tell my mum you’ve seen me.’

‘Eh? Why?’

‘Please. If you love me, just promise.’

‘But she’s frantic, Kitty! Ethan too. He said he’d seen you, and you were… not in your right mind, he thought. That you’d hooked up with some dangerous tramp-looking—’ She stopped. ‘Oh. Duffy, right?’

‘Well yeah. Who else?’

‘Still, Ethan’s half-mad with worry. He’s been looking everywhere for you.

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