By Request Collection April-June 2016. Оливия Гейтс

Чтение книги онлайн.

СКАЧАТЬ is it?’

      She turned. Like an apparition from her worst nightmares, Manon was standing there, smiling a little uncertainly, an elegant tote bag hanging off her wrist.

      ‘Oh. Bonjour. How are you? I mean you … you look very well. Beautiful, as always.’

      Manon laughed. ‘Beautiful. I feel like a whale. My back aches, my ankles are swelling, and I’m hot. I’ve only just arrived and already I need to sit down. Shall we go inside?’

      Shari only just managed not to drop her jaw. But why not? Why refuse the elegant woman?

      ‘How close are you to your time?’ she enquired over the tiny sliver of gateau that she’d allowed herself. No added cream. Even on a horrible day some lines had to be drawn.

      ‘Three days past. My waters could break at any second. Does that give you an uncomfortable feeling?’ She grinned and Shari allowed herself to relax and laugh. ‘I’m not supposed to go out but I needed to escape. My partner would be cross with me if she could see me now.’

      Shari pricked up her ears. Well, well, well. Here was an intriguing turn-up. She wondered if she should tell Luc that he and Jackson Kerr had been supplanted by a woman.

      ‘Was that her at the clinic that day?’

      Manon nodded. ‘Oui, that was Jenny. And are you and Luc still living around the corner?’

      ‘Yep.’

      ‘I enjoyed living there. Such a wonderful part of the city.’ She smiled across her strawberry mousse.

      Shari lowered her gaze. ‘Mmm. I love the views.’ And the man. So much. Too much.

      ‘Vraiment. So pretty. I still think of my peaches and lemons sometimes. It was Luc’s maman who whispered Luc’s favourite colours to me.’

      Shari lifted her brows. ‘Really?’

      ‘Oui. I could never really grow used to it. And after all my effort I was never even sure he noticed. Men. What can we do about them?’ She gave a Gallic shrug, then winked. ‘I have found my own way.’

      Shari looked searchingly at her. ‘And—you’re happy?’

      ‘Never happier.’ The glowing radiance of her smile was undeniable. ‘Life is too short not to be as happy as you can be.’

      Shari agreed with that philosophy with all her heart. Though why did other people’s happiness always make the heart twinge? ‘Do you mind if I ask something?’

      ‘Mais non. Ask away.’

      ‘Did you have the—amniocentesis test?’

      Manon nodded. ‘I needed to. We had some concerns at one stage about spina bifida, because it is in my family genetics. But … it seems there was no need to worry, after all. It’s good to know our baby escaped that terrible thing.’

      ‘How bad was it? Taking the test?’

      She waggled her hand. ‘Comme ci, comme ça. A little scary. Everything is scary when you’ve never done it before. But in the end—not bad. It gave us peace of mind.’

      ‘Of course.’ If only she had peace of mind. She was beginning to doubt that a test would deliver it, when all was said and done. Feeling Manon’s curious gaze, she hastened to change the subject.

      ‘Is Jackson Kerr as gorgeous as he looks on the silver screen?’

      Manon laughed. ‘No. He looks hot, but that’s where it stops. He’s selfish, his breath smells like a drain, and he thinks about nothing except his beauty, his personal trainer, and football. Always football. And his mother.’ She shuddered. ‘Luc is a much sweeter, smarter guy.’ She added softly, ‘But not the one for me.’

      Heartsore on that subject, Shari lowered her lashes.

      Manon scraped the bottom of her glass with the spoon. ‘Someone has told me you are an author of children’s books?’

      ‘Oh, well …’ Shari certainly didn’t want to boast, but, under duress, she admitted it.

      It was an illuminating conversation. Perhaps because they didn’t need to be rivals, Manon was warm and genuinely friendly. After they’d canvassed pregnancies, partners and partners’ mothers thoroughly, Shari saw her into a taxi and turned for home.

      Somehow during that forty or so minutes she’d reached a decision. Cruel though it was to face the truth, she saw with clarity that clinging to a man in the hope some day her love would be returned in full measure was a fool’s game. Experience had shown her that pain would only escalate with time. And life was short. Take Rémy, for instance. Here one day, gone the next.

      Luc, beautiful man that he was, had done his best to do the honourable thing. He deserved a chance to find a woman he could prize as he’d prized Manon.

      Somehow she’d allowed her Rémy period to sabotage her confidence and her belief in herself. The damned fool test was a case in point. How an intelligent person could have tied herself up in knots over it was nothing short of amazing.

      On the walk home, she phoned the clinic and cancelled her appointment. Back in the apartment, she booked her flight to Australia, then started to gather her things. She was in the kitchen unpinning her sketches from the fridge when she heard Luc’s key turn in the door, far earlier than expected.

      ‘Shari? Are you here?’

      ‘In the kitchen.’ She braced herself, her heart thumping like a big bass drum.

      When he walked in, his dark eyes were serious and unexpectedly stern. Her heart skipped a beat. What was it?

      ‘Ça va,’ he said, kissing her. He continued to hold her arms firmly, his eyes intent on her face. ‘Shari, I can’t let you do it.’

      She started. ‘What?’

      He shook his head. ‘I’m sorry, my darling. I know you feel this is important for us, but nothing about us is as important as this little one in here.’ He patted her bump tenderly.

      ‘Oh, the test. Yes, I know, and that’s exactly—’

      ‘No, chérie. I need you to listen. I know you’ve been driving yourself crazy over this. Why are we doing it?’

      She was winding up to explain her change of heart, but he went on regardless.

      ‘It isn’t necessary. I know you are not a liar. I’ve always known—what you are. Who. Who you are to me. And I won’t let you leave me.’

      ‘Comment?’ A guilty blush heated her cheeks. Had the guy inherited his mother’s terrible clairvoyance?

      His face tautened. ‘I—I only agreed because I wanted you so much to stay, but as far as we know it’s not a medical necessity, is it? Some people need to go through this thing, but we’ve already decided to go ahead and have our baby, whatever the test uncovers. We said that, didn’t we?’

СКАЧАТЬ