Licence to Dream by Anna Jacobs Read Free Book Online

too.’ She tried to take a step and stumbled. When Rosanna caught her arm, she mumbled a thank you, at least she thought she did.
    When things came into focus again, she was sitting at a table with a cup of black coffee in front of her. She saw how worried Rosanna was and managed a short huff of sound that might have been taken for a laugh. ‘I saw Gary in there. Drooling all over another woman.’
    ‘Ah.’
    ‘What do you mean by ‘Ah’?’
    ‘I wondered how long he’d manage to be faithful to one woman.’
    ‘You knew about him?’
    ‘I mentioned him to my family and it turns out my cousin Francesca knows him. They were at school together. Gary enjoys the chase much more than going steady. He never stays around for long – afterwards.’
    ‘Couldn’t you have told me that before ?’ Before she’d given in to that louse. Before she’d made such a fool of herself.
    ‘And break up a good friendship?’
    ‘I wouldn’t have – ‘
    ‘You might. People who don’t like the message often try to shoot the messenger. And anyway, you’d not have believed me. He seemed pretty convincing about loving you, even to me.’
    Rosanna was fiddling with the sugar tubes, rearranging them in the bowl in the centre of the table. ‘I figured all I could do was be there for you – if you needed me.’ She reached across to pat Meriel’s hand. ‘It just happened more quickly than I’d expected.’
    ‘Yeah.’
    ‘You need to cry. And smash a few plates.’
    ‘I poured a carafe of wine over him. That helped.’
    ‘You didn’t!’
    ‘I did.’
    ‘Oh, wow! I wish I could have seen that. I’d have had my mobile phone out quick smart and taken a photo of him, then I’d have put it on line.’
    Meriel nearly managed a smile at the thought of that.
    ‘Look, you’re still white and shaken. I think you should go home. I’ll tell Repping you’re not well.’ She grinned. ‘I’ve only to hint that it’s a woman’s problem and he’ll be too embarrassed to pursue the matter.’
    Meriel started to pick up the coffee cup, noticed that her hand was shaking and put it down again. ‘I feel such a fool. No, worse than that. Totally humiliated.’
    ‘Hey, everyone stuffs up from time to time.’
    ‘But I got taken in by him. I slept with him. I thought I was in love with him.’
    ‘You haven’t had a lot of experience with men. It was inevitable that someone took advantage – if you don’t mind me saying so.’
    Tears spilled from Meriel’s eyes. ‘Yeah. I suppose so. Thanks for being around today. Sorry I spoiled your birthday.’
    ‘We’ll go out and celebrate properly next week. Now, go on home.’
    Meriel dropped Rosanna at the office then drove home, where she destroyed every photo and memento of Gary.
    The next day she enrolled for another year’s art and design classes at the technical college, setting herself a heavy schedule.
    * * * *
    The following week Meriel received another of her mother’s handwritten letters. She’d tried to get her mother to use emails, but Denise had refused. She might have to use a computer at work but she wasn’t having one of those things in her home.
    Like the previous letters it was very repetitive. Denise complained of the cold weather and boasted of the pleasures of being a grandmother to dearest Helen’s children.
    Then she announced that she and Ralph were engaged. They’d been together a while, but neither of them had wanted to rush into anything. Oh, and she’d got another job, one that paid more money, but she’d had to attend another of those boring computer courses to get it.
    Her mother’s happiness seemed to emphasise Meriel’s own unhappiness. What was wrong with her that she couldn’t find a guy to love? She’d always had plenty of friends, of both sexes, but whenever she thought she’d met someone special, it always went wrong – though never as spectacularly as recently.
    Well, at least the art classes were going well.
     

Chapter 6
     
    Ben was