Dear Meredith by Belle Kismet Read Free Book Online Page A

Impulsively, I ask her, "Laney, would you like to run this bookstore with me? I know you travel so much but it'd be wonderful to have a partner I trust."
                "Are you serious ?" she breathes, her hands shooting up to cover her mouth.
                "Yes, I think Mike would love the idea of you doing this with me. And I can foresee a lot of work cut out for me if his description of the bookstore is spot on."
                She gives me a blinding smile and it hits me again how beautiful she is. "Oh, Meredith, I would love to be your partner! I'm fairly certain I still have that drawing we did in sixth grade of how our bookstore would look like."
                I laugh. "You would! You don't throw away anything."
                "And see why? You never know when you might need them," she says triumphantly. Suddenly she frowns, looking down at the letter again. "Hey, have you checked the study table drawer?"
                " Oh, I completely forgot about that after he dropped the bomb on me. I'll be back in a second." I move towards Mike's study, a vague sense of foreboding filling me.
                I have two surprises for you. One I know you'll love, and the other, well, let's just say I'm glad I'm not in the same room as you when you find out.
                What the hell sort of warning is that? As I stare down at the drawer, I try and guess what could possibly be inside. Something that I wouldn't like, that's for sure. But it couldn't be that bad, could it?
                I yank it open. And stare. If I thought I had been speechless before, well now you could knock me over with a feather and I don't think I'd be able to get up.
                No way. No freaking way.
                Because what was nestled there snugly was a gorgeous, emerald green bikini and a receipt for... swimming lessons.
                " Laney, " I call, my voice thin and breathless. Miraculously, she hears me and I hear her light, rapid footsteps coming over.
                As she appears in the doorway, still clutching the letter, I hold up the bikini and receipt wordlessly.
                To my amazement, she starts to laugh after a full ten seconds of startled silence. She laughs so hard that tears shine in her eyes, while I begin to feel distinctly disgruntled.
                "Hello, paging for empathy from my best friend?" I say grumpily. This sends her into another laughing fit as she holds up her hands in apology. Finally, she recovers enough to speak.    "I'm sorry, Mer, but Mike is such a gem. Genius, to sneak it into the letter like this. I mean, swimming lessons! God knows we've tried before. You need them and nobody has been able to drag you to the pool or beach, ever."
                I cross my arms defensively. "I nearly drowned, remember ? I think I'm well justified to have a phobia of large bodies of water!"
                "Mer, you can't go your whole life avoiding such places," she says, putting on her best reasonable voice while I frown down at the offending swimwear. "Besides, we were ten when it happened and that was because that idiot boy - what was his name? Brendan - ducked under you and held onto your leg. Man, he got the hiding of his life from his parents. I remember he sported red stripes down his thighs for a week after that."
                I shudder. I still remember that day clearly. The pool had been filled with screaming, playing kids during our summer break. I was treading water one minute, feeling triumphantly buoyant and the next, I was swallowing water as my whole head abruptly submerged into the pool. All the time, I could feel something clamping down onto my right leg, dragging me deeper into the depths.
                It was Laney who had screamed for the lifeguard but my brother Jamie had gotten there