Strictly Love by Julia Williams Read Free Book Online Page B

incredibly stressful. You never knew what to expect. And of late the excitement didn't seem to be counteracting the stress all that much. Which only left –
    ‘Is working late a good enough excuse?’ Emily knew the answer to that question.
    ‘No, it is not,’ said Katie firmly. ‘you've used that one on me far too often recently. It's about time you got a life.’
    ‘Yeah, you're right,’ replied Emily. ‘I must admit, the thought of doing an all-nighter at work doesn't hold the same appeal it once did.’
    ‘And what about Callum?’ Katie asked. ‘Does he hold the same appeal?’
    Emily sighed and sipped her wine.
    ‘Now there you have me,’ she said. ‘I just don't know any more. When I'm with him it's great – well, most of the time. Although he was absolutely useless about Dad. He says he doesn't do that kind of stuff very well.’
    ‘Didn't that make you want to deck him?’ Katie said. ‘I don't think I could put up with that. Charlie was truly fantastic when my dad died. He took a week off work to be with me, and was really brilliant to my mum. And he spent weeks afterwards giving me little treats to cheer me up. Flowers, chocolates. That sort of thing. He even remembered the anniversary, and took time off to visit Dad's grave with me. I couldn't have got through it without him.’
    ‘I know, I know,’ said Emily. ‘You're right. Callum uses me horribly. And when I'm not with him I'm fretting about him not texting me, or worrying that he's flirting with some other woman. And then we go out and I'm anxious the whole time in case he gets too drunk and does something stupid or comes to meet me from work high as a kite.’
    ‘He hasn't, has he?’ Katie looked suitably horrified.
    ‘Once, although he promised not to do it again,’ admitted Emily, ‘but I can't really trust him not to.’
    ‘What you need’, declared Katie, ‘is a change of scene. Come on, you're always banging on about how much you hate going up to town. Spend some proper time here once in a while. Get to know people round here. It might do you good.’
    ‘I thought you hated it here,’ said Emily with some surprise.
    ‘Well, I'm here
too
much,’ said Katie. ‘I could do with an injection from the metropolis once in a while. But you, you need to take a break from all that. So come on, cut me some slack here. I'll feel too much like an idiot if I go to dance classes on my own. After all this time, I probably can't put one foot in front of the other any more. Please come with me.’
    ‘I am
so
going to regret this,’ said Emily. ‘But go on, you've twisted my arm. I'll come.’
    ‘Great,’ said Katie. ‘That's settled then.’
    ‘Yes,’ Emily agreed, taking another sip of wine, 'so it is.’

Chapter Four
     
    ‘
Bienvenida
, welcome,’ a small dark woman ushered them in. An off-the-shoulder top clung to the contours of her lean body and her red skirt swished and swirled as she moved on gold open-toed sandals with a heel, which Katie coveted immediately. With her long, raven-black hair tumbling down her back, and her gold hoop earrings, the woman resembled a glamorous gypsy queen. She motioned Katie and Emily to follow her into a large studio lined with tables and chairs. The lights were dimmed, the Blue Danube was playing in the background and couples were already dancing. Katie and Emily exchanged worried glances. They all looked scarily proficient.
    ‘You must be Isabella,’ said Katie. ‘I'm Katie Caldwell and this is Emily Henderson.’
    ‘Nice to meet you,’ said Isabella, with the faintest hint of a foreign lilt. She looked part Spanish, or Portuguese perhaps. Katie already felt clumsy beside her, and wondered whether she'd made a terrible mistake. Charlie had teased her mercilessly about going dancing, conveniently seeming to forget that at one time he'd enjoyed going himself. He was spending the week at his company's headquarters in Amsterdam discussing a potential takeover bid, so Katie had organised a