The Summer Without You by Karen Swan

Author:Karen Swan [Swan, Karen]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781447262183
Publisher: Pan Macmillan UK

Chapter Nineteen

‘I cannot believe you went ahead and signed me up for this just because you want to network and make new contacts. I mean, who does that? Your ambition has an almost psychotic element to it,’ Ro muttered, tugging at her form-fitting tennis dress again as she stared into the mirror disconsolately. The skirt barely grazed her bottom; the V-neck plunged like a waterfall, although it had been something of a revelation to detect actual muscle tone beneath the performance fabrics. All the cycle rides, yoga and sporadic kayaks with Hump were clearly having more than just a therapeutic effect on her. ‘And why is it that I wouldn’t wear a dress like this in a million years, not under any other circumstances, and yet because it’s white and I’m accessorizing it with a tennis racquet, it’s deemed OK?’ She bit her lip anxiously. ‘Be honest. Do I look like a porn star?’

There was no reply.

She turned back to Bobbi, who was sitting cross-legged on the bed, her long thighs flopped out easily as she frowned at some plans on the bed. ‘Mmm.’

‘You aren’t listening to me.’

‘Mmmmmm.’

‘I need your honest advice, Bobbi.’

‘Mmm.’

Ro humphed, planting her hands on her hips. ‘You know you look fat in those shorts?’

‘Mmm . . . What?’

Ro grabbed one of her sweatbands – which she had honestly thought Bobbi had bought as a joke – and pinged it at Bobbi’s head. ‘Yeah! Now you’re listening!’

‘Sorry, I was—’

‘Working. I know! But you’re the one who got me into this mess. The very least you can do is listen to me whine about it.’

‘You’re right.’ Bobbi sighed, carefully folding the plans away, her eyes still scanning the drawings. ‘I just want so badly to land this deal, but I can’t think how to make the house work on the lot. The client wants to get five beds in, but . . .’ She blew out through her cheeks, squeezing her eyes shut and pushing her fingers to her temples. ‘New local law, which came into effect in April, means there has to be a 125-foot buffer between the building and the crest of the dune, right? But that pretty much squeezes the house into the top corner of the lot, which – would you believe it? – is triangular! And naturally the height of the roof can’t exceed thirty-two feet onto the road, and that’s not taking into account the two-foot flood zone underneath that we need to incorporate within that. I simply can’t get that many rooms in the cubic area when I’m squeezed front, back, above and below!’

Ro pulled a face, hopelessly lost. ‘It sounds complicated,’ she offered weakly.

‘It is,’ Bobbi sighed, pushing away the plans and looking up at Ro properly for the first time. Her eyes popped. ‘Holy crap!’

‘I know! That’s what I was trying to tell you!’ Ro wailed, all her worst fears instantly confirmed.

‘No, no, no! You look great. You just . . . Wow, there really are no straight lines on you, are there?’ she chuckled.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.