New Beginnings at Lilyfields by Lottie Bloom

Author:Lottie Bloom [Lottie Bloom]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781775538448
Publisher: Penguin Random House New Zealand
Published: 2015-01-15T00:00:00+00:00

‘Of course Henry came after me,’ Orla said to Rosa, as they shared a pot of tea in the afternoon sun the following day.

‘Just as well,’ Rosa remarked. ‘You couldn’t have run all the way home in your evening shoes.’

‘I might have made it to your place.’

Rosa took a sip of her tea and said cautiously, ‘So, just to be clear, you’ve actually been going out with Henry?’

Orla nodded. She could pretend otherwise, in fact she had been pretending otherwise, but, really, what was the point?

‘So what happened when he caught up with you?’

‘He opened the car door and ordered me to get in.’

‘Ordered?’

‘Yeah, pretty much. But I didn’t argue. A lot of the wind had gone out of my sails.’

‘And out of your lungs?’

‘That’s right,’ Orla agreed, and laughed.

‘So you made up?’

Yes. No. Not in the way Rosa meant.

‘When I got in the car he was quite contrite,’ Orla explained. ‘Said he hadn’t meant to sound so out-of-control. Not that he did, in my opinion. He’s got a pretty strict idea about what out-of-control means.’

‘Who wouldn’t, after living with Dora and Eddie?’ Rosa responded. ‘Over-compensating, I’d say.’

‘The funny thing is,’ Orla mused, ‘I preferred him when I thought he was a bit wild. Not mad-wild like Eddie, but … like a lone wolf in the forest.’

Rosa hooted. ‘A globetrotting lone wolf in an Armani suit and Berluti shoes!’

‘Wolves come in all shapes and sizes these days,’ Orla sighed.

‘Indeed they do,’ Rosa agreed. She poured herself another cup of tea and said, ‘Speaking of wolves, have you heard the latest scandal about Eddie?’

Orla froze.

‘It’s doing the rounds of the entire Peninsula.’

Please no, Orla panicked. Please don’t let anyone have seen us on the beach.

‘You must have heard that Eddie has been seeing the mother of a girl he previously dated,’ Rosa continued.

‘No, that was just a story he made up to —’

‘Word is that she’s pregnant.’

‘What?’

‘Yeah,’ Rosa grinned. ‘Wild-boy Eddie is going to be a dad at twenty-two. That’ll learn him.’

Orla’s head began to swim.

‘Who told you?’ she finally stammered. ‘Maybe they’ve got the wrong end of the stick. Maybe the father is someone else.’

‘Jack told me,’ Rosa returned firmly, ‘so I’m sure it’s true. He knows Laura Greenfield well. He’s been doing her garden for ages.’

Orla felt sick.

Noticing the expression on Orla’s face, Rosa said quite gently, ‘I know you used to have a thing for him. Lucky you came to your senses, huh?’

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