Part Time Marriage by Jessica Steele Read Free Book Online Page B

stranger, of course, but she didn't have to dwell on that.

    The ringing of the telephone brought her from her bed, and at her initial thought that it might be him she felt all fluttery inside. But she need not have worried; it was not Noah Peverelle-it was her mother. She should have known! 'I'm sorry to ring so early,' Kaye Aston chirruped excitedly. She was sorry-so early-this was new! `Dawn patrol, your father calls me-but I know you're an early riser too,' she burbled on. `The thing is, I just had to ring to say how much your father and I took to Noah. Oh, he's such a charming man. I'm going to call Celia and Helen in a minute, and-,"

    'Mother!'

    `Yes, I know, I know. You're only dating him at the moment and it's nothing more than that. But you've never gone steady with any man before, so it will be,' her mother stated, so totally convinced that Elexa didn't have a chance of persuading her otherwise. `Now, tell me. When are you seeing him again?"

    'I'm not,' Elexa replied.

    `You mean you haven't arranged a date. Now, isn't that what I've just been saying? The two of you are so "right" with each other that you don't have to make arrangements any more. Noah just pops round to see you as much as he possibly can. And I expect you're forever talking to each other on the phone while he's away.' Kaye Aston paused to take a breath, and Elexa managed to get a word in. `He's going to ring me this morning,' she volunteered, wondering as she said it if she wouldn't be wiser-instead of perpetuating this myth that she was dating someone-if she hinted they were on the brink of a mutual falling-out.

    'There!' Kaye Aston sighed, which meant, Elexa supposed, that it was just as her mother had thought. `Noah could be trying to get you right this minute!' she suddenly exclaimed. `I'll go. I won't ring you again today-don't want to intrude if you have Noah with you. I'll ring you tomorrow.'

    Elexa just had time to thank her for the very nice meal she had arranged for them last night, then her mother said goodbye. Elexa put the phone down, realising that was the second of her parent's shorter calls in two days. And, although she was on the receiving end of pressure of a different sort, it seemed that just by having a `steady' the pressure of long and lengthy phone calls was already letting up.

    When Noah Peverelle telephoned a couple of hours later Elexa was looking on him a little more favourably than she had. For a start she knew that the earliest her mother was going to make contact again would be tomorrow morning.

    'I'm free to come round now,' he suggested without preamble.

    Elexa's stomach did an unexpected somersault. She had thought when he'd said he would arrange a time to talk the whole situation through that it would be perhaps next week some time, or maybe the week after. 'I'll put some coffee on,' she replied, outwardly calm.

    `I'll be with you in half an hour.' The line went dead and Elexa swallowed hard, and felt hot all over. Suddenly she couldn't think of one solitary matter that she wanted to clear up with him.

    She felt anxious and nervy all at once, and went swiftly to her bedroom to check her appearance. She was normally smart; it was the way she had been brought up. Looking at her reflection in her full-length mirror, she saw that there did not seem too much wrong with her appearance. Fine wool tailored trousers neatly covered her long legs and slender lower half, and the cream sweater that hinted at the shapely curves of her upper half went well with her long blonde hair with its hint of pale gold. She wore little make-up, but the touch of lipstick to her mouth enhanced its full sweetness.The large brown eyes that stared back at her as she raised her glance up from her mouth and past her dainty nose showed perhaps just a hint of the inner agitation she was feeling.

    She ran a comb through her hair and left it loose, down to halfway between her shoulderblades. She spent the rest of the time while waiting